Canon SX420 IS

Canon SX420 IS is Canon's Small Sensor Superzoom digital camera originally revealed on January of 2016. The camera has a 20MP, CCD 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a peak resolution of 5152 x 3864.

The SX420 IS is placed #104 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras & all round #635 out of 1465 for cameras in our database. You can check our Smart camera finder to find camera rankings based on your customized factors.

The following is a chart of multiple criteria used in the scoring system.

The Canon SX420 IS has a history of related cameras. Here, you can check out all older and latest models as well as key features.

You can check the SX420 IS from several angles in the gallery below.

Below is a selection of positives and negatives of the Canon SX420 IS based on criterias that are generally seen as useful in a digital camera.

The Canon SX420 IS houses the DIGIC 4+ processor. The measurement of the sensor in the Canon SX420 IS is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor can resolve 5152 x 3864 pixels and aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera features Image Stabilization (Optical). In body stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization as the latter might produce cropping.

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The CCD sensor has 20MP and has a standard ISO range of 100 - 1600. Sadly, RAW files are not saved so you have less margin for error.

The picture below displays the SX420 IS's sensor dimensions in comparison to other popular sizes. The SX420 IS sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is shown in green.

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

Canon SX420 IS weighs 0.72 pounds (325g / 11.46 ounces) & the measurement of the camera is 104mm x 69mm x 85mm (4.1" x 2.7" x 3.3"). The weight of general Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387g so the Canon SX420 IS is lighter when compared to various competitors.

Photography Glossary

The following is a visual of the Canon SX420 IS alongside a soda to help you to get a feel for its scale.

The top view below will show you the button layout on the SX420 IS.

The SX420 IS includes an inbuilt lens featuring a focal range of 24-1008mm giving it a 42.0 x zoom which is great and would allow you to zoom right in.

At the widest 24mm, the lens features an aperture of f3.5 which will be rather slow and not good for low light events and you might struggle to get a shallow depth of field. You will likely also have to increase the ISO setting producing noisy images. At the tele end, 1008mm is amazing zoom and comes at f6.6 making it really sluggish and you would need to set slower shutter speeds.

The SX420 IS has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• Wireless Yes
• NFC Yes

Cameras that incorporate NFC and Bluetooth support are able to be controlled wirelessly by smartphones. You can easily transfer files and at times adjust camera settings with no need to connect physically to the camera.

Many applications even give a Liveview and press the shutter whenever you aren't close to the camera. If the camera features a HDMI port, it can easily be attached to an external screen. The majority of cameras will allow you to charge the battery through the USB port.

The highest video quality in the Canon SX420 IS is 1280 x 720 and you can shoot in MPEG-4 and H.264 file format. 720p is awful for today's standards. You should really target at least FUll HD quality for video. The camera doesn't include a microphone and headphone jack so you get little control over the sound. It is probably a better idea to get a different camera in case you want good sound for your videos.

There is no weather proofing in the Canon SX420 IS so you need to be cautious in rainy or dusty conditions.

The Canon SX420 IS has a 3 inch fixed display supporting a resolution of 230 thousand dots.

Sadly the display isn't a touch screen.

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The ViewFinder details for Canon SX420 IS are as follows:

• ViewFinder None

Viewfinders can be pretty helpful for bright outdoor conditions which may make the camera screen washed out and difficult to see.

Canon SX420 IS continuous shooting speed is 0.5 frames/s. The maximum shutter speed is 1/4000 seconds.

Canon SX420 IS features only integrated flash without external flash ability.

Canon SX420 IS features just Contrast Based AF & lacks Phase Detect AF. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot more faster & exact when compared to Contrast Based autofocusing. The camera has Face detection which makes it valuable for people photography.

Canon SX420 IS can use manual focusing when needed for low light conditions or you need to have more exact control on focusing.

The battery power (NB-11LH) in the Canon SX420 IS is designed to last for 195 pictures with respect to the CIPA standards which is lesser when compared to it's rivals. The typical Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR has got the highest (600) battery life for this kind of cameras.

Underneath is a listing of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras that come with the highest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm HS35EXR
SX420 IS vs Fujifilm HS35EXR600 yesnono

Nikon B500
SX420 IS vs B500600 nonoyes

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Nikon L840
SX420 IS vs L840590 noyesno

Panasonic FZ200
SX420 IS vs FZ200540 yesnono

Leica V-Lux 4
SX420 IS vs V-Lux 4540 yesnono

The following graph provides a summation of the Canon SX420 IS for specific kinds of photography. To learn more, have a look at the specific section below.

The Canon SX420 IS receives a rating of 44 which is bad, meaning that it is simply not acceptable for portraits. Shooting portrait photos leans heavily to sensor size, RAW support and flexibility to work with off-camera lighting.

Coming in at a average score of 52, the Canon SX420 IS is somewhat acceptable to buy for street photography. A decent street photography camera has a perfect balance of image quality plus portability.

A bad sports photography score of 41 suggests the Canon SX420 IS is simply not acceptable for taking pictures of sports. A camera needs to have good tracking and fast shutter speeds for sports photography.

Weight is extremely critical in choosing a travel camera. On the whole, the Canon SX420 IS gets a very good 61 for a travelling camera which makes it a very decent choice to purchase for your holidays.

If you are looking to pick a camera for landscape photography, the most important aspect will no doubt be image quality. The Canon SX420 IS and it's modest grade of 47 for a landscape camera is relatively acceptable in the current market.

A vlogging camera should offer a articulating display, mic input and ideally image stabilization. Considering all the details, the Canon SX420 IS is simply not acceptable as a vlog camera as it gets a bad score of 29.

If you are trying to find replacements to the SX420 IS, below is a selection of the top scored cameras which fall in to the family of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The chart below will give you an overview of the SX420 IS vs it's highest ranking rivals mentioned previously.

These are various other cameras you might look into as alternatives. To look at a complete comparison, simply click on the "compare" link.