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Canon SX150 IS

 
Canon PowerShot SX150 IS front
 
Portability
86
Imaging
37
Features
40
Overall
38

Canon SX150 IS overview

Canon SX150 IS is Canon's Small Sensor Superzoom camera originally introduced on May of 2012. The camera has a 14MP, CCD 1/2.3" size sensor with a peak resolution of 4320 x 3240.

Canon introduced this camera in an effort to upgrade the earlier Canon SX130 IS (Read Full Comparison) & afterwards introduced the newer Canon SX160 IS (Read Full Comparison) in order to upgrade this model.

The SX150 IS is rated #159 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras & all-around #776 out of 1465 for cameras in our collection. You can test our Advanced camera finder to see camera ratings based on your customized factors.

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The following is a graph of various criteria used in the scoring system.

Canon SX150 IS family

The Canon SX150 IS is part of a family of products. You can read the full list underneath.

ModelVisualizeLensResolutionSensor SizeReleased
Canon-PowerShot-SX70-HS front thumbnailCanon SX70 HS
SX150 IS vs SX70 HS
21-1365mm
F3.4-6.5
20MP1/2.3"2018
Canon-PowerShot-SX740-HS front thumbnailCanon SX740 HS
SX150 IS vs SX740 HS
24-960mm
F3.3-6.9
21MP1/2.3"2018
Photography Glossary
Canon-PowerShot-SX730-HS front thumbnailCanon SX730 HS
SX150 IS vs SX730 HS
24-960mm
F3.3-6.9
20.3MP1/2.3"2017
Canon-PowerShot-SX620-HS front thumbnailCanon SX620 HS
SX150 IS vs SX620 HS
25-625mm
F3.2-6.6
20MP1/2.3"2016
Canon-PowerShot-SX720-HS front thumbnailCanon SX720 HS
SX150 IS vs SX720 HS
24-960mm
F3.3-6.9
20.3MP1/2.3"2016
Canon-PowerShot-SX420-IS front thumbnailCanon SX420 IS
SX150 IS vs SX420 IS
24-1008mm
F3.5-6.6
20MP1/2.3"2016
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Canon-PowerShot-SX540-HS front thumbnailCanon SX540 HS
SX150 IS vs SX540 HS
24-1200mm
F3.4-6.5
20MP1/2.3"2016
Canon-PowerShot-SX410-IS front thumbnailCanon SX410 IS
SX150 IS vs SX410 IS
24-960mm
F3.5-5.6
20MP1/2.3"2015
Canon-PowerShot-SX710-HS front thumbnailCanon SX710 HS
SX150 IS vs SX710 HS
25-750mm
F3.2-6.9
20MP1/2.3"2015
Canon-PowerShot-SX610-HS front thumbnailCanon SX610 HS
SX150 IS vs SX610 HS
25-450mm
F3.8-6.9
20MP1/2.3"2015
Canon-PowerShot-SX530-HS front thumbnailCanon SX530 HS
SX150 IS vs SX530 HS
24-1200mm
F3.4-6.5
16MP1/2.3"2015
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Canon-PowerShot-SX60-HS front thumbnailCanon SX60 HS
SX150 IS vs SX60 HS
21-1365mm
F3.4-6.5
16MP1/2.3"2014
Canon-PowerShot-SX400-IS front thumbnailCanon SX400 IS
SX150 IS vs SX400 IS
24-720mm
F3.4-5.8
16MP1/2.3"2014
Canon-PowerShot-SX520-HS front thumbnailCanon SX520 HS
SX150 IS vs SX520 HS
24-1008mm
F3.4-6.0
16MP1/2.3"2014
Canon-PowerShot-SX700-HS front thumbnailCanon SX700 HS
SX150 IS vs SX700 HS
25-750mm
F3.2-6.9
16MP1/2.3"2014
Canon-PowerShot-SX600-HS front thumbnailCanon SX600 HS
SX150 IS vs SX600 HS
25-450mm
F3.8-6.9
16MP1/2.3"2014
Canon-PowerShot-SX170-IS front thumbnailCanon SX170 IS
SX150 IS vs SX170 IS
28-448mm
F3.5-5.9
16MP1/2.3"2013
Canon-PowerShot-SX510-HS front thumbnailCanon SX510 HS
SX150 IS vs SX510 HS
24-720mm
F3.4-5.8
12MP1/2.3"2013
Canon-PowerShot-SX160-IS front thumbnailCanon SX160 IS
SX150 IS vs SX160 IS
28-448mm
F3.5-5.9
16MP1/2.3"2013
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Canon-PowerShot-SX270-HS front thumbnailCanon SX270 HS
SX150 IS vs SX270 HS
25-500mm
F3.5-6.8
12MP1/2.3"2013
Canon-PowerShot-SX280-HS front thumbnailCanon SX280 HS
SX150 IS vs SX280 HS
25-500mm
F3.5-6.8
12MP1/2.3"2013
Canon-PowerShot-SX50-HS front thumbnailCanon SX50 HS
SX150 IS vs SX50 HS
24-1200mm
F3.4-6.5
12MP1/2.3"2013
Canon-PowerShot-SX500-IS front thumbnailCanon SX500 IS
SX150 IS vs SX500 IS
24-720mm
F3.4-5.8
16MP1/2.3"2012
Canon-PowerShot-SX260-HS front thumbnailCanon SX260 HS
SX150 IS vs SX260 HS
25-500mm
F3.5-6.8
12MP1/2.3"2012
Canon-PowerShot-SX150-IS front thumbnailCanon SX150 IS28-336mm
F3.4-5.6
14MP1/2.3"2012
Canon-PowerShot-SX240-HS front thumbnailCanon SX240 HS
SX150 IS vs SX240 HS
25-500mm
F3.5-6.8
12MP1/2.3"2012
Canon-PowerShot-SX40-HS front thumbnailCanon SX40 HS
SX150 IS vs SX40 HS
24-840mm
F2.7-5.8
12MP1/2.3"2011
Canon-PowerShot-SX230-HS front thumbnailCanon SX230 HS
SX150 IS vs SX230 HS
28-392mm
F3.1-5.9
12MP1/2.3"2011
Canon-PowerShot-SD4500-IS front thumbnailCanon SD4500 IS
SX150 IS vs SD4500 IS
36-360mm
F3.4-5.6
10MP1/2.3"2011
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Canon-SX220-HS front thumbnailCanon SX220 HS
SX150 IS vs SX220 HS
28-392mm
F3.1-5.9
12MP1/2.3"2011
Canon-PowerShot-SX30-IS front thumbnailCanon SX30 IS
SX150 IS vs SX30 IS
24-840mm
F2.7-5.8
14MP1/2.3"2010
Canon-PowerShot-SX130-IS front thumbnailCanon SX130 IS
SX150 IS vs SX130 IS
28-336mm
F3.4-5.6
12MP1/2.3"2010
Canon-PowerShot-SD4000-IS front thumbnailCanon SD4000 IS
SX150 IS vs SD4000 IS
28-105mm
F2.0-5.3
10MP1/2.3"2010
Canon-PowerShot-SX20-IS front thumbnailCanon SX20 IS
SX150 IS vs SX20 IS
28-560mm
F2.8-5.7
12MP1/2.3"2010
Canon-PowerShot-SX210-IS front thumbnailCanon SX210 IS
SX150 IS vs SX210 IS
28-392mm
F3.1-5.9
14MP1/2.3"2010
Canon-PowerShot-SD3500-IS front thumbnailCanon SD3500 IS
SX150 IS vs SD3500 IS
24-120mm
F2.8-5.9
14MP1/2.3"2010
Canon-PowerShot-SD1300-IS front thumbnailCanon SD1300 IS
SX150 IS vs SD1300 IS
28-112mm
F2.8-5.9
12MP1/2.3"2010
Canon-PowerShot-SD980-IS front thumbnailCanon SD980 IS
SX150 IS vs SD980 IS
24-120mm
F2.8-5.9
12MP1/2.3"2009
Canon-PowerShot-SX200-IS front thumbnailCanon SX200 IS
SX150 IS vs SX200 IS
28-336mm
F3.4-5.3
12MP1/2.3"2009
Canon-PowerShot-SX1-IS front thumbnailCanon SX1 IS
SX150 IS vs SX1 IS
28-560mm
F2.8-5.7
10MP1/2.3"2009
Canon-PowerShot-SD970-IS front thumbnailCanon SD970 IS
SX150 IS vs SD970 IS
37-185mm
F3.2-5.7
12MP1/2.3"2009
Canon-PowerShot-SD960-IS front thumbnailCanon SD960 IS
SX150 IS vs SD960 IS
28-112mm
F2.8-5.8
12MP1/2.3"2009
Canon-PowerShot-SD1200-IS front thumbnailCanon SD1200 IS
SX150 IS vs SD1200 IS
35-105mm
F2.8-4.9
10MP1/2.3"2009
Canon-PowerShot-SX10-IS front thumbnailCanon SX10 IS
SX150 IS vs SX10 IS
28-560mm
F2.8-5.7
10MP1/2.3"2009

Canon SX150 IS Pros and Cons

Here is a selection of upsides and downsides of the Canon SX150 IS based on things which are normally seen as essential in a camera.

built-in flash
built in lens has zoom (28-336mm 12.0 x zoom)
decently wide (28mm)
great zoom (336mm)
has face detection autofocus
has image stabilization (Optical)
has tracking autofocus
lighter than others (306 grams)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
screen is a good size (3")
very good min ISO (80)
you can focus manually
can't use external flash
doesn't have selfie friendly display
does not have phase detect autofocus
does not have RAW format
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
no external mic port
no HDMI port
no headphone port
no moving screen
no Time Lapse mode
not so great battery power (130 CIPA)
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
screen has low resolution (230 k dot)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
sluggish at long end (f5.6)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.4)
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
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Canon SX150 IS Sensor features

The Canon SX150 IS is run by the Digic 4 chip. The dimension of the sensor in the Canon SX150 IS is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor can resolve 4320 x 3240 pixels using aspect ratios of 4:3 and 3:2. The camera has Image Stabilization (Optical). Sensor stabilization is better than digital stabilization as the latter can cause cropping.

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The CCD sensor has 14 megapixels and has a native ISO range of 80 - 1600. Sadly, RAW format is not supported which means that the user has less room to maneuver in post.

The graphic underneath shows the SX150 IS's sensor size compared to other common sizes. The SX150 IS sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is highlighted in green.

Canon PowerShot SX150 IS sensor size Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

To get an idea of specific aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Canon SX150 IS dimensions

Canon SX150 IS weighs about 0.67 lbs (306 grams or 10.79 oz) & has outer proportions of 113mm x 73mm x 46mm (4.4" x 2.9" x 1.8"). The weight of general Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387 grams so the Canon SX150 IS is lighter as compared to its rivals.

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Down below is a picture of the Canon SX150 IS alongside a soda to help you to get a sense of its size.

Canon PowerShot SX150 IS dimensions scale

The top view under will show you the button arrangement on the SX150 IS.

Canon PowerShot SX150 IS topview buttons dials

Canon SX150 IS Lens features

The SX150 IS offers an inbuilt lens offering a focal range of 28-336mm making it a 12.0 x zoom which won't be huge nevertheless it would certainly be helpful in certain situations.

At it's widest 28mm, the lens has an aperture of f3.4 and that is really sluggish and not good for low light occasions and you might find it hard to get a shallow depth of field. You could also have to raise your ISO setting which causes noisy photographs. At the long end, 336mm is brilliant zoom and comes at f5.6 which is fairly slow and you might have to set slow shutter speeds.

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Canon SX150 IS Connectivity

The SX150 IS has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes
  • Wireless Yes

Cameras that come with NFC and Bluetooth compatibility are able to be controlled wirelessly by smartphones. You will be able to send photos and at times alter settings without the hassle of connecting directly with the camera.

Many apps also enable a Liveview and press the shutter in case you aren't near the camera. If the camera has a HDMI port, it can easily be hooked up to an external screen. Virtually all cameras enable you to recharge the battery through the USB socket.

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Canon SX150 IS Video features

The highest video quality in the Canon SX150 IS is 1280 x 720 and you can record in H.264 format. 720p is terrible for today's standards. You should try to get a minimum 1080p quality for decent video. The body doesn't include a microphone and headphone port which means you have absolutely no control over the audio. It is perhaps a better idea to find an alternative model in case you want decent audio for your video clips.

Photography Glossary

Canon SX150 IS Weather Sealing

Canon SX150 IS doesn't have weather sealing so wet conditions can easily affect the camera.

Canon SX150 IS Display and Viewfinder

The Canon SX150 IS has a 3" fixed display screen having a resolution of 230k dots.

Please note that the display has no touch support.

Canon PowerShot SX150 IS screen and viewfinder Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The ViewFinder specs for Canon SX150 IS are below:

  • ViewFinder None

Viewfinders are rather useful for sunny outdoor conditions which will make the camera display washed out and difficult to see.

Canon SX150 IS Shutter features

Canon SX150 IS continuous shooting rate is 1.0 frames/s. The highest shutter speed is 1/2500 sec.

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Canon SX150 IS Flash and Hot shoe features

Canon SX150 IS has just inbuilt flash with no external flash ability.

Canon SX150 IS Autofocusing features

Canon SX150 IS has only Contrast Detect Auto Focus & does not have Phase Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection focusing is a lot snappier and precise as compared to Contrast Detect focusing. The camera has Face detect making it useful for portrait photography.

The AF system has 1 focus points to pick from. It also features Tracking Auto Focus for things on the move. Canon SX150 IS features manual focus when required for low light or you need more exact focus control.

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Canon SX150 IS Battery life

The battery power (2 x AA) in the Canon SX150 IS is built to last for 130 shutters with respect to the CIPA specifications making it lesser in comparison with it's competition. The typical Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR offers the highest (600) battery life for this range of cameras.

Below is a list of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras having the strongest battery life:

Canon SX150 IS for various styles of photography

The following chart presents a summation of the Canon SX150 IS for various styles of photography. To understand more, go to the specific paragraph underneath.

Canon SX150 IS as a Portrait photography camera

The Canon SX150 IS receives a rating of 42 which is low, meaning that it is just not very good for portrait photos. Taking portrait photos leans heavily to sensor resolution, RAW support and option to work with external lighting.

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focusing manually
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
supports face detection focusing
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support

Canon SX150 IS Street photography highlights

With a decent points total of 59, the Canon SX150 IS is reasonably suitable for street photography. A decent street photography camera features a perfect balance of image quality and portability.

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has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (306 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format

Canon SX150 IS Sports photography factors

A low sports photography points tally of 39 suggests the Canon SX150 IS is just not very good for taking photos of sports. A camera should have fantastic autofocus plus shutter speeds for sports photography.

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has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (14MP)
supports tracking focus
slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
not so great battery (130 CIPA)
lack of phase detect AF

Canon SX150 IS Travel photography info

Weight is extremely critical when buying a travel camera. Over-all, the Canon SX150 IS gets a nice 64 as a travelling camera which is a fine pick to take with you on your trips.

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lighter than others in class (306g)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
great reach (336mm)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
low battery power (130 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.4)

Canon SX150 IS Landscape photography info

If you are looking to buy a camera for landscape photos, the most significant aspect will no doubt be image quality. The Canon SX150 IS at it's average rating of 46 as a landscape camera is relatively acceptable amongst its competition.

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you can focus manually
quite wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14MP)
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
low battery life (130 shots)
no Timelapse mode

Canon SX150 IS Vlogging info

A camera for vlogging preferably should posses a articulating display, mic input and ideally IBIS. Considering every thing, the Canon SX150 IS is just not very good for vlogging as it delivers a low score of 30.

Photography Glossary
decently wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focusing
lighter than others (306 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.4)
does not posses selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external microphone support

Canon SX150 IS Alternatives

If you want alternatives to the SX150 IS, below is a selection of the top rated cameras which fall within the family of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The line graph just below gives you a bird's eye view of the SX150 IS versus it's highest scored rivals suggested earlier.

Following are additional cameras you might have a look at as alternative options. To read through a thorough comparison, go to the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Make
Canon
Model
Canon PowerShot SX150 IS
Type
Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed
2012-05-14
Body design
Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type
CCD
Chip
Digic 4
Sensor size
1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions
6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area
28.1mm²
Sensor resolution
14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio
4:3 and 3:2
Maximum resolution
4320 x 3240
RAW files
Maximum native ISO
1600
Min native ISO
80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points
1
Lens
Lens mount
fixed lens
Lens focal range
28-336mm (12.0x)
Max aperture
f/3.4-5.6
Macro focus distance
1cm
Crop factor
5.8
Screen
Range of display
Fixed Type
Display sizing
3"
Display resolution
230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder
None
DXO scores
DXO All around score
not tested
DXO Color Depth score
not tested
DXO Dynamic range score
not tested
DXO Low light score
not tested
Features
Lowest shutter speed
15s
Highest shutter speed
1/2500s
Continuous shooting speed
1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation
Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range
3.00 m
Flash options
Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions
1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps), 160 x 120 (15 fps)
Maximum video resolution
1280x720
Video file format
H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless
Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight
306 gr (0.67 pounds)
Dimensions
113 x 73 x 46mm (4.4" x 2.9" x 1.8")
Other
Battery life
130 shots
Battery form
AA
Battery model
2 x AA
Self timer
Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media
SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots
Single
Price at launch
$249