Canon SX260 HS

Canon SX260 HS is Canon's Small Sensor Superzoom digital camera initially introduced on June of 2012. The camera uses a 12MP, BSI-CMOS 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a full resolution of 4000 x 3000.

Canon launched this model to replace the older Canon SX240 HS (Read Full Comparison) & afterwards launched the updated Canon SX270 HS (Read Full Comparison) to update this model.

The SX260 HS comes in at #140 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras & overall #726 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our list. Please try our Smart camera search to get camera listings based on your customized criteria.

The following is a diagram of specific factors used in the rating system.

The Canon SX260 HS has a history of related digital cameras. Down below, you can check out all earlier and most recent models as well as key specs.

You can see the SX260 HS from several angles in the gallery here.

Below is a shortlist of pros and cons of the Canon SX260 HS based on factors which are often regarded as crucial in a digital camera.

The Canon SX260 HS features the Digic 5 chip. The sensor specification on the Canon SX260 HS is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor can capture 4000 x 3000 pixels at aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera comes with Image Stabilization (Optical). Optical stabilization is superior than digital stabilization since the latter might lead to cropping.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The BSI-CMOS sensor has 12MP and supports a standard ISO range of 100 to 3200. Unfortunately, RAW format is not supported which means that you have less margin for error.

The image underneath displays the SX260 HS's sensor dimensions when compared to other popular sizes. The SX260 HS sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is showcased in green.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

To get a sense of specific aspect ratios, you can refer to the graphic below.

Canon SX260 HS weighs in at 0.51 lbs (231 gr or 8.15 ounces) & has external proportions of 106mm x 61mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3"). The weight of average Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387 gr and the Canon SX260 HS is less heavy when compared with its competitors.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Down below is a image of the Canon SX260 HS with a softdrink to help you to get a feel for its scale.

The top view just below will illustrate the button arrangement on the SX260 HS.

The SX260 HS offers an inbuilt lens providing a focal range of 25-500mm giving it a 20.0 x zoom which is ideal and does allow you to zoom all the way in.

At the widest 25mm, it comes with an aperture of f3.5 and that's somewhat slow and not good for low light events and you will probably find it hard to get a shallow depth of field. You could also need to up the ISO which causes noisy shots. With the tele end, 500mm is terrific zoom and comes at f6.8 making it quite sluggish and you would need to choose slower shutter speeds.

The SX260 HS has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• HDMI Yes
• GPS Yes

Digital cameras that contain NFC and / or Bluetooth support can easily be controlled wirelessly with smartphones. You are able to send files and sometimes change camera settings without connecting physically to the camera.

Many applications even give a Liveview and release the shutter if you are not close to the camera. If the camera includes a HDMI port, it could be hooked up to an external monitor. Almost all cameras enable you to charge the battery pack through the USB port.

The highest possible video quality on the Canon SX260 HS is 1920 x 1080 and you can capture in H.264 file format. 1080p quality gives a great balance for video quality vs file sizes but 1080p won't give you any room to crop. The camera does not offer a microphone and / or headphone socket which means you have got no control over the audio. It is probably best to shop for an alternative model if you need good audio for your videos.

There is no environment proofing in the Canon SX260 HS so you need to be careful in wet and dusty conditions.

The Canon SX260 HS houses a 3" fixed screen boasting a resolution of 461k dots.

Unfortunately the screen isn't a touch screen.

Photography Glossary

The ViewFinder specs for Canon SX260 HS are the following:

• ViewFinder None

Viewfinders can be really helpful for sunny outdoor conditions which may make the camera screen washed out and hard to see.

Canon SX260 HS continuous shooting rate is 2.0 fps. The maximum shutter speed is 1/3200s.

Canon SX260 HS comes with both inbuilt flash along with external flash support.

Canon SX260 HS comes with just Contrast Detect Auto Focus & is missing Phase Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot snappier and precise when compared with Contrast Detect autofocusing. The camera boasts Face detection which can be helpful for taking portraits of people.

It boasts 9 focus points to pick from. It also boasts Tracking Auto Focus for objects that move. Canon SX260 HS has manual focus if needed for low light conditions or you need to have more exact focus control.

The battery life (NB-6L) in the Canon SX260 HS is fashioned to last for 230 photographs with respect to the CIPA specifications making it lesser compared to it's rivals. The average Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR comes with the best (600) battery life for this group of cameras.

Following is a number of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras which have the highest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm HS35EXR
SX260 HS vs Fujifilm HS35EXR600 yesnono

Nikon B500
SX260 HS vs B500600 nonoyes

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Nikon L840
SX260 HS vs L840590 noyesno

Panasonic FZ200
SX260 HS vs FZ200540 yesnono

Leica V-Lux 4
SX260 HS vs V-Lux 4540 yesnono

The following diagram displays a outline of the Canon SX260 HS for varying categories of photography. To check out more, go to the specific paragraph underneath.

The Canon SX260 HS gets a rating of 37 which is bad, meaning that it is simply not appropriate for portraits. Taking portrait images favors heavily to sensor size, support for RAW files plus the flexibility to use off-camera lighting.

Getting a very good points tally of 61, the Canon SX260 HS is a very decent option for street photography. A decent street photography camera offers a perfect balance of picture quality plus portability.

A bad sports photography points total of 36 means the Canon SX260 HS is simply not appropriate for taking pictures of sports. A camera really should have very good tracking and fast shutter speeds for sports photography.

Size is very crucial in choosing a camera for travel. In general, the Canon SX260 HS gets a nice 61 for a travelling camera which makes it a respectable choice to buy for your trips.

For anyone who is planning to buy a digital camera for landscape pictures, the most critical factor is going to be image quality. The Canon SX260 HS with it's bad score of 41 as a landscape camera is simply not appropriate amongst its competition.

A camera for vlogging should really have a articulating display, microphone port and ideally IBIS. Considering all things, the Canon SX260 HS is simply not appropriate for vlogging as it receives a bad score of 34.

If you are searching for alternatives to the SX260 HS, here is a range of the highest placed cameras that fall into the family of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The chart followed below will give you an overview of the SX260 HS vs it's top scored rivals suggested earlier.

There are more cameras you may have a look at as alternate options. To go through a full comparison, just click on the "compare" link.