Canon SX280 HS

Canon SX280 HS is Canon's Small Sensor Superzoom digital camera originally launched on March of 2013. It has got a 12 MegaPixel, BSI-CMOS 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a max resolution of 4000 x 3000.

Canon launched this model in order to update the previous Canon SX270 HS (Read Full Comparison)

The SX280 HS places at #157 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras & over-all #776 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our collection. You should try out our Smart camera filter to find camera listings based on your custom requirements.

Below is a chart of specific factors used in the rating system.

The Canon SX280 HS is part of a family of digital cameras. You can read the full range below.

You can check the SX280 HS from different angles in the gallery here.

Below is a list of benefits and drawbacks of the Canon SX280 HS based on criterias that are usually considered necessary in a digital camera.

The Canon SX280 HS houses the Digic 6 chip. The specification of the sensor in the Canon SX280 HS is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor has the ability to capture 4000 x 3000 pixels and aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera comes with Image Stabilization (Optical). Sensor stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization as the latter can produce cropping.

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The BSI-CMOS sensor has 12 megapixels and provides a standard ISO range of 100 - 6400. Sadly, RAW files are not supported therefore you have less room to maneuver in post.

The image below illustrates the SX280 HS's sensor dimensions in comparison to other popular sizes. The SX280 HS sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is displayed in green.

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

Canon SX280 HS weighs in at 0.51 pounds (233 grams or 8.22 ounces) & has external size of 106mm x 63mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.5" x 1.3"). The weight of typical Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387 grams so the Canon SX280 HS is less heavy in comparison with other rivals.

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Below is a photo of the Canon SX280 HS next to a soda to help you get a feel for its scale.

The top view here will highlight the button design on the SX280 HS.

The SX280 HS provides a fixed lens and it has a focal range of 25-500mm giving it a 20.0 x zoom which is exceptional and does make it easier to zoom right in.

At the widest 25mm, the lens comes with an aperture of f3.5 and that is kind of slow and not the best for low light circumstances and you will likely find it hard to get good bokeh. You will likely also need to up the ISO resulting in noisy shots. With the tele end, 500mm is terrific zoom and comes with f6.8 making it quite sluggish and you might need to set slower shutter speeds.

The SX280 HS has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• Wireless Yes
• HDMI Yes
• GPS Yes

Digital cameras that contain NFC or Bluetooth compatibility can be used wirelessly via smartphones. You will be able to copy images and at times adjust settings with no need to connect physically to the camera.

Several applications even stream a Liveview and hit the shutter whenever you are not close to the camera. If the camera has a HDMI port, it can be attached to an external monitor. Most cameras will allow you to charge the battery pack with the USB port.

The max video resolution in the Canon SX280 HS is 1920 x 1080 and you can shoot in MPEG-4 and H.264 file format. 1080p resolution gives a great balance in video quality and file sizes but 1080p won't give you any room to downsample. The camera does not have a microphone or headphone port which means that you have little control over the sound. It is probably a better idea to consider an alternative camera in case you need decent sound for your videos.

Canon SX280 HS does not include environment proofing so damp conditions could damage the camera.

The Canon SX280 HS has got a 3" fixed display supporting a resolution of 461k dots.

Please note that the display screen has no touch support.

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The View Finder details for Canon SX280 HS are below:

• ViewFinder None

For bright outdoor situations which make the camera displays washed out and tough to see, viewfinders are rather helpful.

Canon SX280 HS has the ability to shoot continuously at 4.0 frames per second. The highest shutter speed is 1/3200s.

Canon SX280 HS comes with only built in flash lacking external flash support.

Canon SX280 HS comes with just Contrast Based AF & doesn't have Phase Detect AF. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot more snappier and accurate in comparison with Contrast Based autofocusing. The camera has got Face detection which can be handy for taking portraits of people.

It also comes with Tracking AF for subjects on the move. Canon SX280 HS features manual focusing when needed in low light occasions or you require more precise focusing control.

The battery pack (NB-6L) on the Canon SX280 HS is fashioned to last for 210 photos according to the CIPA standards making it lower compared with it's competition. The usual Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR has got the maximum (600) battery life in this group of cameras.

Listed below is a listing of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras that come with the best battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm HS35EXR
SX280 HS vs Fujifilm HS35EXR600 yesnono

Nikon B500
SX280 HS vs B500600 nonoyes

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Nikon L840
SX280 HS vs L840590 noyesno

Panasonic FZ200
SX280 HS vs FZ200540 yesnono

Leica V-Lux 4
SX280 HS vs V-Lux 4540 yesnono

The following graph indicates a summary of the Canon SX280 HS for varying categories of photography. To look at more, scroll to the specific paragraph below.

The Canon SX280 HS gets a points tally of 34 which is awful, meaning that it is just not good to use for portrait photography. Taking portrait photos leans heavily to sensor dimension, support for RAW photos along with the flexibility to work with off-camera flash.

Getting a very good rating of 61, the Canon SX280 HS is a fine choice to use in street photography. A very good street photography camera has a fine balance of picture quality plus portability.

A awful sports photography score of 36 indicates the Canon SX280 HS is just not good for taking pictures of sports. A camera needs excellent focusing plus fast continuous shooting for sports photography.

Weight is super important in picking a camera for travel. On the whole, the Canon SX280 HS gets a nice 61 for a travelling camera which makes it a good choice for your journeys.

For anyone who is looking to buy a camera for landscape pictures, the biggest aspect will be image quality. The Canon SX280 HS and it's awful rating of 41 for a landscape camera is just not good amongst its competition.

A vlogging camera preferably should have a moving display, microphone port and preferably IBIS. Considering all things, the Canon SX280 HS is just not good as a vlog camera as it receives a awful rating of 34.

If you need replacements to the SX280 HS, here is a collection of the highest scored cameras which fall into the class of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The chart down below shows you a summary of the SX280 HS compared to it's top scoring rivals shown earlier.

There are a bunch of cameras you might consider as alternative options. To browse through a detailed comparison, simply click on the "compare" link.