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Canon SX730 HS vs Sony S980

Portability
88
Imaging
47
Features
59
Overall
51
Canon PowerShot SX730 HS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Canon SX730 HS vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Canon SX730 HS
(Full Review)
  • 20.3MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-960mm (F3.3-6.9) lens
  • 300g - 110 x 64 x 40mm
  • Launched April 2017
  • Previous Model is Canon SX720 HS
  • Refreshed by Canon SX740 HS
Sony S980
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Announced February 2009
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Canon SX730 HS vs Sony S980 Overview

Here is a extensive review of the Canon SX730 HS vs Sony S980, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Canon and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the SX730 HS (20.3MP) and S980 (12MP) but they come with the exact same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The SX730 HS was announced 8 years later than the S980 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go in to a full comparison, below is a quick view of how the SX730 HS matches up versus the S980 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX730 HS over the Sony S980

 SX730 HS S980 
AnnouncedApril 2017February 2009Fresher by 99 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution922k230kSharper display (+692k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Canon SX730 HS

 S980 SX730 HS 

Common features in the Canon SX730 HS and Sony S980

 SX730 HS S980 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Touch display Neither has Touch display

Canon SX730 HS vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to carry your camera frequently, you have to factor its weight and proportions. The Canon SX730 HS has external measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 300 grams (0.66 lbs) and the Sony S980 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Analyze the Canon SX730 HS vs Sony S980 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select at the time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the SX730 HS versus the S980.

Canon SX730 HS vs Sony S980 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SX730 HS and S980 is 88 and 94 respectively.

Canon SX730 HS vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX730 HS vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizing just by viewing specifications. The graphic here will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the SX730 HS and S980.

To sum up, both of those cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different MP. You can expect to see the Canon SX730 HS to result in greater detail with its extra 8.3 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more recent SX730 HS should have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Canon SX730 HS vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Canon SX730 HS vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX730 HS vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SX730 HS Portrait photography features
Sony S980 Portrait photography features
48
has manual focus
megapixel count good (20.3MP)
comes with face detection focusing
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
27
has manual focus
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
low MP (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Canon SX730 HS Street photography features
Sony S980 Street photography features
69
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (300g)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
47
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Canon SX730 HS as a Sports photography camera
Sony S980 as a Sports photography camera
48
incredible zoom range (24-960mm 40.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20.3 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (5.9 frames per second)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
low battery pack (250 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
17
max frames per second low (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon SX730 HS
Travel photography with Sony S980
72
lighter than competition (300 grams)
supports bluetooth
megapixel count good (20.3 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
quite wide (24mm)
long zoom (960mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
low battery pack (250 per charge)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
51
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon SX730 HS
Landscape photography with Sony S980
50
has manual focus
quite wide (24mm)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20.3 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
low battery pack (250 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse function
27
has manual focus
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7")
lack of manual exposure
lack of image stabilization
low MP (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX730 HS as a Vlogging camera
Sony S980 as a Vlogging camera
74
quite wide (24mm)
selfie friendly display
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (300 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have external microphone socket
22
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of microphone support
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Canon SX730 HS vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX730 HS and Sony S980
 Canon PowerShot SX730 HSSony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Make Canon Sony
Model Canon PowerShot SX730 HS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2017-04-06 2009-02-17
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip DIGIC 6 -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20.3 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 5184 x 3888 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 3200 3200
Lowest native ISO 80 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-960mm (40.0x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.3-6.9 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus distance 1cm 10cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 922k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15s 2s
Highest shutter speed 1/3200s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 5.9fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.00 m (with Auto ISO) 3.50 m
Flash settings Auto, on, slow synchro, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 35 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 300 gr (0.66 lbs) 167 gr (0.37 lbs)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.6") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 250 photographs -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, self-timer) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots One One
Price at launch $399 $300