Canon SX510 HS

Canon SX510 HS is Canon's Small Sensor Superzoom digital camera first revealed on August of 2013. It features a 12 MegaPixel, CMOS 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a maximum resolution of 4608 x 3456.

Canon launched this model in an effort to improve the older Canon SX500 IS (Read Full Comparison) & afterwards released the newer Canon SX520 HS (Read Full Comparison) as a way to improve this model.

The SX510 HS is positioned #152 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras & all-around #764 out of 1465 for cameras in our list. Remember to try out our Smart camera filter to get camera listings based on your personal requirements.

Here is a diagram of various criteria used in the scoring system.

The Canon SX510 HS is part of a family of cameras. You can view the full range underneath.

You can see the SX510 HS from different angles in the gallery below.

Below is a selection of pluses and minuses of the Canon SX510 HS based on features which are often viewed as important in a digital camera.

The Canon SX510 HS is run by the Digic 4 chip. The measurement of the sensor in the Canon SX510 HS is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor is able to resolve 4608 x 3456 pixels at 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 CMOS sensor has 12MP and includes a standard ISO range of 80 - 3200. Sadly, RAW format is not supported which means that you have less room to maneuver in post.

The picture underneath displays the SX510 HS's sensor dimensions in comparison to other popular sizes. The SX510 HS sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is highlighted in green.

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

Canon SX510 HS weighs 0.77 lb (349 grams or 12.31 ounces) & has external measurements of 104mm x 70mm x 80mm (4.1" x 2.8" x 3.1"). The weight of normal Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387 grams so the Canon SX510 HS is on par when compared to various competitors.

Photography Glossary

Here is a shot of the Canon SX510 HS besides a soft drink so you can get a feel for its scale.

The top view underneath will highlight the button layout on the SX510 HS.

The SX510 HS is equipped with a built-in lens providing a focal range of 24-720mm giving it a 30.0 x zoom which is very good and would let you zoom all the way in.

At the widest 24mm, the lens features an aperture of f3.4 making it fairly slow and not ideal for low light circumstances and you might find it hard to get good bokeh. You would also have to up the ISO setting causing noisy images. At the tele end, 720mm is excellent zoom and comes at f5.8 making it really sluggish and you would need to utilize slower shutter speeds.

The SX510 HS has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• Wireless Yes
• HDMI Yes

Cameras that include NFC and Bluetooth connectivity can be used wirelessly through smartphones. You can easily transfer files and at times alter camera settings without connecting directly to the camera.

Several applications even provide a Liveview and click the shutter in case you aren't close to the camera. If the camera has a HDMI port, it can be connected to an external monitor. Almost all cameras enable you to charge the battery through the USB port.

The maximum video resolution in the Canon SX510 HS is 1920 x 1080 and you can capture in MPEG-4 and H.264 file format. 1080p resolution gives a great balance between video quality vs file sizes but FULL HD won't give you any room to downsample. The camera doesn't feature a microphone and headphone socket which means you have no control over the audio. It is probably a better idea to consider a different model if you want decent audio for your videos.

Canon SX510 HS doesn't include weather proofing so rainy conditions might damage the camera.

The Canon SX510 HS features a 3" fixed screen boasting a resolution of 461k dots.

Sadly the screen isn't a touch screen.

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The View Finder specs for Canon SX510 HS are the following:

• ViewFinder None

Viewfinders can be pretty helpful during sunny outdoor situations which might make the camera screen washed out and hard to see.

Canon SX510 HS continuous shooting rate is 4.0 frames/s. The maximum shutter speed is 1/1600 sec.

Canon SX510 HS features only in-built flash without external flash ability.

Canon SX510 HS features just Contrast Detect Auto Focus & does not have Phase Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot more quicker and accurate when compared with Contrast Detect autofocusing. The camera features Face detection which can be useful for portrait photography.

The AF system features 1 focus points to choose from. It also has Tracking Auto Focus for things that move. Canon SX510 HS features manual focus if needed during low light occasions or you require more accurate focus control.

The battery (NB-6LH) for the Canon SX510 HS is fashioned to last for 250 images based on the CIPA measurements making it less compared to it's rivals. The general Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR has the highest possible (600) battery life within this class of cameras.

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

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm HS35EXR
SX510 HS vs Fujifilm HS35EXR600 yesnono

Nikon B500
SX510 HS vs B500600 nonoyes

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Nikon L840
SX510 HS vs L840590 noyesno

Panasonic FZ200
SX510 HS vs FZ200540 yesnono

Leica V-Lux 4
SX510 HS vs V-Lux 4540 yesnono

The following bar chart displays a overview of the Canon SX510 HS for various kinds of photography. To check out more, visit the specific paragraph underneath.

The Canon SX510 HS has a points total of 34 which is horrible, meaning that it is simply not appropriate to use for portrait photos. Shooting portrait photos leans heavily to sensor dimension, RAW support in addition to the flexibility to utilize off-camera flash.

Coming in at a average score of 50, the Canon SX510 HS is fairly acceptable to buy for street photography. A good street photography camera has a good balance of image quality plus portability.

A horrible sports photography score of 36 indicates the Canon SX510 HS is simply not appropriate for shooting sports. A camera needs to have very good tracking plus fast shutter speeds for sports photography.

Weight is very crucial in getting a travel camera. Over-all, the Canon SX510 HS gets a decent 54 for a travelling camera which makes it somewhat acceptable to take with you on your journeys.

When you're planning to pick a digital camera for landscape pictures, the most critical factor will be image quality. The Canon SX510 HS with it's horrible grade of 40 as a landscape camera is simply not appropriate within the current marketplace.

A vlogging camera should really have a articulating display, mic port and if possible IBIS. Taking everything into account, the Canon SX510 HS is simply not appropriate for vlogging as it receives a horrible score of 31.

If you are looking for alternatives to the SX510 HS, here is a list of the highest placed cameras that fall into the class of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The chart down below shows you a summary of the SX510 HS vs it's highest scoring rivals mentioned previously.

There are more cameras you may take into account as alternative options. To go through a extensive comparison, just click on the "compare" link.