Canon SX600 HS vs Sony NEX-5

Lets look more closely at the Canon SX600 HS and Sony NEX-5, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Canon and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SX600 HS (16MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is relatively close but the SX600 HS (1/2.3") and NEX-5 (APS-C) use different sensor sizing.

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The SX600 HS was launched 3 years later than the NEX-5 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Canon SX600 HS being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a in depth comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the SX600 HS grades versus the NEX-5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Canon PowerShot SX600 HS & Sony Alpha NEX-5. The complete galleries are provided at Canon SX600 HS Gallery & Sony NEX-5 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to consider its weight and size. The Canon SX600 HS provides exterior dimensions of 104mm x 61mm x 26mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 188 grams (0.41 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5 has specifications of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Look at the Canon SX600 HS and Sony NEX-5 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose at the time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the SX600 HS compared to the NEX-5.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the SX600 HS and NEX-5 is 93 and 89 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to visualize the difference in sensor measurements just by researching a spec sheet. The photograph below should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the SX600 HS and NEX-5.

Clearly, both of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SX600 HS due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field tougher and the Canon SX600 HS will result in more detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The younger SX600 HS provides a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.