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Canon SX600 HS vs Sony S980

Portability
93
Imaging
40
Features
45
Overall
42
Canon PowerShot SX600 HS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Canon SX600 HS vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Canon SX600 HS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1280 video
  • 25-450mm (F3.8-6.9) lens
  • 188g - 104 x 61 x 26mm
  • Announced January 2014
  • Replacement is Canon SX610 HS
Sony S980
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Revealed February 2009
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Canon SX600 HS vs Sony S980 Overview

Below, we will be matching up the Canon SX600 HS versus Sony S980, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Canon and Sony. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the SX600 HS (16MP) and S980 (12MP) but they use the exact same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The SX600 HS was manufactured 4 years after the S980 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving in to a complete comparison, below is a simple view of how the SX600 HS matches up against the S980 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX600 HS over the Sony S980

 SX600 HS S980 
RevealedJanuary 2014February 2009Newer by 60 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution461k230kClearer screen (+231k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Canon SX600 HS

 S980 SX600 HS 

Common features in the Canon SX600 HS and Sony S980

 SX600 HS S980 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen Neither offers Touch screen

Canon SX600 HS vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera often, you will have to take into account its weight and volume. The Canon SX600 HS offers external dimensions of 104mm x 61mm x 26mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.0") with a weight of 188 grams (0.41 lbs) whilst the Sony S980 has sizing of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Contrast the Canon SX600 HS versus Sony S980 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at that time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the SX600 HS against the S980.

Canon SX600 HS vs Sony S980 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SX600 HS and S980 is 93 and 94 respectively.

Canon SX600 HS vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX600 HS vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's tough to imagine the contrast between sensor dimensions only by checking technical specs. The pic here might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the SX600 HS and S980.

As you have seen, both cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You can count on the Canon SX600 HS to give more detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures much more aggressively. The fresher SX600 HS should have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Canon SX600 HS vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Canon SX600 HS vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX600 HS vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SX600 HS Portrait photography factors
Sony S980 Portrait photography factors
44
you can focus manually
good resolution (16MP)
offers face detection focus
no manual exposure
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
27
you can focus manually
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Canon SX600 HS Street photography highlights
Sony S980 Street photography highlights
62
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (188g)
screen is fixed
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
47
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Canon SX600 HS Sports photography advice
Sony S980 Sports photography advice
41
excellent zoom range (25-450mm 18.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
17
max fps very slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Canon SX600 HS Travel photography features
Sony S980 Travel photography features
70
lighter than competitors in class (188g)
good resolution (16MP)
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
great zoom (450mm)
missing Time Lapse function
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.8)
51
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse recording
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly display
wide angle not good (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SX600 HS Landscape photography information
Sony S980 Landscape photography information
48
you can focus manually
relatively wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.8)
no manual exposure
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
missing Time Lapse function
27
you can focus manually
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
lack of manual mode
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX600 HS Vlogging info
Sony S980 Vlogging info
35
relatively wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1280 pxls)
lighter than competitors in class (188 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.8)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
missing external mic support
22
wide angle not good (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not posses selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external mic socket
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Canon SX600 HS vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX600 HS and Sony S980
 Canon PowerShot SX600 HSSony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Brand Canon Sony
Model Canon PowerShot SX600 HS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2014-01-06 2009-02-17
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by DIGIC 4+ -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 3200 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-450mm (18.0x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.8-6.9 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus range 5cm 10cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 461k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology PureColor II G (TFT) -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 15 secs 2 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.50 m (50 cm � 3.5 m (W) / 1.0 m � 2.0 m (T)) 3.50 m
Flash options Auto, Manual Flash On / Off, Slow Synchro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1280 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1280 1280x720
Video format H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 188 gr (0.41 lbs) 167 gr (0.37 lbs)
Dimensions 104 x 61 x 26mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.0") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 290 pictures -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model NB-6LH -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Retail cost $249 $300