Canon Powershot
SX40
 vs
Sony Cyber-shot
DSC-HX20V

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V

56

  
Canon Powershot SX40

49

  

Reasons to buy the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V

Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
921k dots
Size
 Really small
Compact 107x62x35 mm
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
12,800 ISO
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
3D
 Takes 3D photos
View photos in 3D on 3D televisions
Thickness
 Thin
1.4"
 

Reasons to buy the Canon Powershot SX40

Aperture
 Wide aperture
f/2.7
Zoom
 Great zoom
35x
High-speed framerate
 High speed movies
240 fps
Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Macro focus
 Great macro
0 cm
 

differences

Advantages of the Canon SX40
Zoom Significantly more zoom 35x vs 20x
Help
 More than 3x more zoom
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Aperture Wider aperture f/2.7 vs f/3.2
Help
 At its widest zoom, the SX40's lens captures marginally more light (0.5 f-stops)
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies 240 fps vs None
Help
 Capture events too fast for the naked eye and play them back in super-slow motion
External flash Supports an external flash Yes vs No
Help
 An external flash often produces better looking flash images
Wide angle Slightly better wide angle 24 mm vs 25 mm
Help
 Almost the same
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Digital vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Battery life Longer battery life 380 shots vs 320 shots
Help
 Around 20% more shots per battery charge
Macro focus Better macro capability 0 cm vs 1 cm
Help
 Almost the same
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed 1/3200s vs 1/1600s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Canon Powershot SX40 Learn more about
the Canon SX40

Advantages of the Sony DSC-HX20V
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 921k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 4x higher resolution screen
Size Much smaller 107x62x35 mm vs 123x92x108 mm
Help
 5.3x smaller
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The DSC-HX20V's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
 More than 10% larger screen
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
GPS Has a GPS Yes vs No
Help
 Automatically geotags your photos when traveling
Thickness Much thinner 1.4" vs 4.3"
Help
 3.1x thinner
Weight Much lighter 254 g vs 600 g
Help
 2.4x lighter
Longest exposure Longer exposures 30s vs 15s
Help
 2x longer exposures
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V Learn more about
the Sony DSC-HX20V
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digicams, and ignoring price

Canon Powershot SX40 Canon Powershot SX40
49 vs 56
Explain scores
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a super zoom with a travel zoom.

similarities

Compared to recent digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Continuous shooting Fast continuous shooting Help
SX40:10.3 fps
DSC-HX20V:10 fps
Macro focus Good macro capabilities Help
SX40:0 cm
DSC-HX20V:1 cm
Sensor type Better sensor types Help
Better in low light
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting weaknesses shared by these two products.

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon Coolpix P510

Nikon Coolpix P510

Super zoom

$335 - $339
Zoom Has significantly more zoom
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the Coolpix P510 vs the Powershot SX40
Compare the Coolpix P510 vs the Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
Canon PowerShot SX260 HS

Canon PowerShot SX260 HS

Travel zoom

$240 - $269
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Battery life Has a slightly shorter battery life
Compare the PowerShot SX260 HS vs the Powershot SX40
Compare the PowerShot SX260 HS vs the Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V

Super zoom

$327 - $348
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V vs the Powershot SX40
Compare the Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V vs the Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V

Canon Powershot SX40 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

Super zoom

$429 - $450
Zoom Much more zoom
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Battery life Shorter battery life
Compare the PowerShot SX50 HS vs the Powershot SX40
Canon PowerShot SX500 IS

Canon PowerShot SX500 IS

Super zoom

$248 - $249
Size Significantly smaller
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Supports 24p No 24p support
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Compare the PowerShot SX500 IS vs the Powershot SX40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

Super zoom

$720
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Supports 24p No 24p support
Zoom Significantly less zoom
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ150 vs the Powershot SX40
Fujifilm FinePix HS30 EXR

Fujifilm FinePix HS30 EXR

Super zoom

$299 - $339
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera
Supports 24p No 24p support
Zoom Less zoom
Compare the FinePix HS30 EXR vs the Powershot SX40
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Super zoom

$595
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution
Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag
Supports 24p No 24p support
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Compare the PowerShot SX30 IS vs the Powershot SX40

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20

Panasonic Lumix ZS20

Travel zoom

$299 - $325
Touch screen Has a touch screen
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Screen resolution Significantly lower resolution screen
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Compare the Lumix ZS20 vs the Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
Panasonic ZS30/TZ40

Panasonic Lumix ZS30

Travel zoom

$399
Touch screen Has a touch screen
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Aperture Slightly narrower aperture
Compare the Lumix ZS30 vs the Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V

Travel zoom

$366
Lowest price More expensive
Compare the Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V vs the Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX300

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX300

Travel zoom

$328
Battery life Significantly longer battery life
Size Slightly smaller
Screen resolution Significantly lower resolution screen
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Compare the Cyber-shot DSC-WX300 vs the Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V

Travel zoom

$413
Weight Slightly lighter
Macro focus Significantly worse macro capability
Zoom Less zoom
Compare the Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V vs the Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V

appearance

Canon Powershot SX40 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
Canon Powershot SX40 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
Canon Powershot SX40 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V

discussion

Showing 1 comments

Dominik (3:36 AM, June 12, 2012)
iam thinking about buying one of these cameras for an everyday use. now take away the price and the fact that the canon has more optical zoom. witch camera produses better image quality (lowlight and normal light) outside and inside. also what about the Video quality? I was going to buy a bridging camera like a canon G1x or a compact camera with interchangeable lenses like the nex7 but the price just put me off. so what do you guys think? I like to use them in and outdoors. taking shots when traveling panorama, animals, people... a bit all around.