Updated (September, 2011): Compare the Canon PowerShot SX120 IS vs Canon Powershot SX40

Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

47

"HD image quality is excellent and the stereo mics do a good job of picking up voices at distances of up to several metres."
cameralabs.com | talking about the SX30 IS's video-quality
"The PowerShot SX30 IS is a super-zoom truly worthy of the name. It will, without doubt, prove even more popular than its predecessors."
cameralabs.com | talking about the SX30 IS's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Aperture
Wide aperture
f/2.7
Zoom
Great zoom
35x
Wide angle
Wide angle lens
24 mm
Screen flips out
Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Viewfinder
Great viewfinder
Digital
External flash
External flash
Better lighting
Canon PowerShot SX120 IS

31

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot SX120 IS

Size
Really small
Mid size 111x71x45 mm
Thickness
Thin
1.8"
Weight
Light-weight
285 g

differences

Advantages of the Canon SX120 IS

Size Much smaller 111x71x45 mm vs 123x92x108 mm
Help
3.4x smaller
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
More than 10% larger screen
Thickness Much thinner 1.8" vs 4.3"
Help
2.4x thinner
Weight Much lighter 285 g vs 601 g
Help
2.1x lighter
Lowest price Significantly cheaper $225.24 vs $419.99
Help
The best price we've seen is $195 cheaper (around 50% less)
Canon PowerShot SX120 IS Learn more about
the Canon SX120 IS

Advantages of the Canon SX30 IS

Wide angle Much better wide angle 24 mm vs 36 mm
Help
More than 30% better wide angle
Zoom Much more zoom 35x vs 10x
Help
Around 12.5x more zoom
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
True resolution Much higher true resolution 9.8 MP vs 8.6 MP
Help
Capture more than 10% more detail in your photos
Movie format Higher resolution movies 720p @ 30fps vs 480p @ 30fps
Help
Shoots high resolution HD (720p) video
Sensor size Larger sensor 1/2.3" 6.2x4.6mm vs 1/2.5" 5.8x4.3mm
Help
More than 10% larger sensor
External flash Supports an external flash Yes vs No
Help
An external flash often produces better looking flash images
Aperture Slightly wider aperture f/2.7 vs f/2.8
Help
At its widest zoom, the SX30 IS's lens captures marginally more light (0.1 f-stops)
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Digital vs None
Help
A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Macro focus Better macro capability 0 cm vs 1 cm
Help
Almost the same
Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag 320 ms vs 430 ms
Help
Around 30% less delay when taking photos
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/3200s vs 1/2500s
Help
More than 20% faster max shutter speed
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS Learn more about
the Canon SX30 IS
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digicams, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot SX120 IS Canon PowerShot SX120 IS
31 vs 47
Explain scores
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS Canon PowerShot SX30 IS
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon PowerShot SX30 IS. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a travel zoom with a super zoom.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Aperture Wide aperture Help
SX120 IS:f/2.8
SX30 IS:f/2.7
Macro focus Good macro capabilities Help
SX120 IS:1 cm
SX30 IS:0 cm
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
SX120 IS:1/2500s
SX30 IS:1/3200s
Light sensitivity (boost) No boost ISO Help
Lacks boost light sensitivity
Weight Heavy Help
SX120 IS:285 g
SX30 IS:601 g
Thickness Quite thick Help
SX120 IS:1.8"
SX30 IS:4.3"
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
SX120 IS:0.9 fps
SX30 IS:1.1 fps
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
1,600 ISO
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons
Screen resolution Low resolution screens Help
230k dots
Movie format Poor movies Help
SX120 IS:480p @ 30fps
SX30 IS:720p @ 30fps

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon Powershot SX40

Canon Powershot SX40

Super zoom

$347 - $380

Movie format Records higher quality movies
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Canon PowerShot SX150 IS

Canon PowerShot SX150 IS

Travel zoom

$136 - $179

Lowest price Is slightly less expensive
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Wide angle Has a significantly narrower wide angle lens
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V

Super zoom

$399

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a much higher resolution screen
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS

Canon PowerShot SX230 HS

Travel zoom

$239 - $307

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Macro focus Significantly worse macro focusing
Wide angle Has a significantly narrower wide angle lens

Canon PowerShot SX120 IS Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon PowerShot SX130 IS

Canon PowerShot SX130 IS

Travel zoom

$130 - $245

Wide angle Much better wide angle
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Weight Slightly heavier
Canon ELPH 100 HS

Canon ELPH 100 HS

Compact

$106 - $189

Wide angle Much better wide angle
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Zoom Less zoom
Macro focus Worse macro capability
Fujifilm FinePix S1800

Fujifilm FinePix S1800

Super zoom

Wide angle Much better wide angle
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Aperture Narrower aperture
Size Larger
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$356 - $430

Wide angle Much better wide angle
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Zoom Slightly less zoom
Macro focus Worse macro capability
Canon PowerShot SX240 HS

Canon PowerShot SX240 HS

Travel zoom

$354 - $419

Wide angle Much better wide angle
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Macro focus Significantly worse macro capability

Canon PowerShot SX30 IS Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon Coolpix P500

Nikon Coolpix P500

Super zoom

$300

Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Image stabilization Worse image stabilization
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100v

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100v

Super zoom

$409

Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Zoom Significantly less zoom
Wide angle Significantly worse wide angle
Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR

Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Super zoom

$299 - $335

Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Zoom Significantly less zoom
Size Larger
Nikon Coolpix P510

Nikon Coolpix P510

Super zoom

$397 - $400

Zoom Significantly more zoom
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Aperture Narrower aperture
External flash No external flash support
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100

Super zoom

$611

Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Zoom Much less zoom
Wide angle Worse wide angle

appearance

Canon PowerShot SX120 IS Canon PowerShot SX30 IS
Canon PowerShot SX120 IS Canon PowerShot SX30 IS
Canon PowerShot SX120 IS Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

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