Canon SX20 IS features a 28-560 mm F2.8-5.7 20× zoom lens whereas Nikon P500 features a 23-810 mm F3.4-5.7 36× zoom lens.
Nikon P500 has 5mm wider coverage than the Canon SX20 IS. On the other hand, with a max aperture of f2.80, Canon SX20 IS is faster at widest end.
On the tele end, Nikon P500 has 250mm longer reach than the Canon SX20 IS. Both cameras has a max aperture of f5.70 at tele end.
Wide Coverage
DSLR-Like Cameras
Telezoom
DSLR-Like Cameras
Max Aperture at Tele
DSLR-Like Cameras
Max Aperture at Wide
DSLR-Like Cameras
In this section, we rank and compare Canon SX20 IS and Nikon P500 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.
Canon SX20 IS for Portrait Photography
Nikon P500 for Portrait Photography
Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/2.3 sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
Read the details
Canon SX20 IS for Street Photography
Nikon P500 for Street Photography
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Live-view
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Medium sized Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
23 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Medium sized Body
Small 1/2.3 sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Canon SX20 IS for Sports Photography
Nikon P500 for Sports Photography
Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
560 mm Tele Lens
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Max shutter speed: 1/3200s
No RAW shooting capability
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.70
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
810 mm Tele Lens
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1500s
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 220 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.70
Read the details
Canon SX20 IS for Daily Photography
Nikon P500 for Daily Photography
20.0X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
600g
Body Thickness 87mm
Read the details
35.2X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/2.3 sensor
No RAW shooting capability
494g
Body Thickness 103mm
Read the details
Canon SX20 IS for Landscape Photography
Nikon P500 for Landscape Photography
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
23 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.3 sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
You may have already made your decision regarding which camera best suits your needs and budget. However, if you're curious about how we rated the Canon SX20 IS and the Nikon P500, below you'll find their scores across five different aspects.
Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.
Here is a summary of how Canon SX20 IS and Nikon P500 scores compare:
Canon SX20 IS
Ranked
#69 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked
#704 out of 1282 in all Cameras
Nikon P500
Ranked
#54 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked
#658 out of 1282 in all Cameras
Nikon P500 has a higher Overall Score than the Canon SX20 IS and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.
General |
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS |
Nikon Coolpix P500 |
Brand |
Canon |
Nikon |
Announced |
2010-07-06 |
2011-02-09 |
Body Type |
SLR-like (bridge) |
SLR-like (bridge) |
Sensor |
|
|
Type |
CCD |
BSI-CMOS |
Size |
1/2.3-inch |
1/2.3-inch |
Dimensions |
6.17 x 4.55 mm |
6.17 x 4.55 mm |
Area |
28.07mm2 |
28.07mm2 |
Megapixels |
12 megapixels |
12 megapixels |
Max Resolution |
4000 x 3000 |
4000 x 3000 |
Max Native Light sensitivity |
1,600 ISO |
3,200 ISO |
Min Native Light sensitivity |
80 ISO |
160 ISO |
RAW Support |
|
|
Autofocus |
|
|
AF Touch |
|
|
AF Continuous |
|
|
AF Single |
|
|
AF Tracking |
|
|
AF Selective |
|
|
AF Center |
|
|
AF Multi Area |
|
|
AF Live View |
|
|
AF Face Detection |
|
|
AF Contrast Detection |
|
|
AF Phase Detection |
|
|
Number of Focus Points |
9 |
9 |
Lens |
|
|
Manual Focus |
|
|
Lens Mount |
fixed lens |
fixed lens |
Lens Focal Range |
28-560 mm (20×) |
23-810 mm (36×) |
Max Aperture |
F2.8-5.7 |
F3.4-5.7 |
Macro Focus Range |
0cm |
1cm |
Screen |
|
|
Type |
Fully Articulated |
Tilting |
Size |
2.50" |
3.00" |
Resolution |
230k dots |
921k dots |
Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
Viewfinder |
Electronic |
Electronic |
Photography Features |
|
|
Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/3200s |
1/1500s |
Shutter Priority |
|
|
Aperture Priority |
|
|
Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
Custom White Balance |
|
|
Built-in Image Stabilization |
Optical |
Sensor-shift |
Built-in Flash |
|
|
Flash Range |
6.80 m |
8.00 m |
Max Flash Sync |
1/500s |
n/a |
External Flash |
|
|
Continuous Shooting |
1.0 fps |
1.0 fps |
Multi-Segment Metering |
|
|
Average Metering |
|
|
Spot Metering |
|
|
Partial Metering |
|
|
AF-Area Metering |
|
|
Center Weighted Metering |
|
|
AE Bracketing |
|
|
WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
Max Video Resolution |
1280 x 720 |
1920 x 1080 |
Video Formats |
H.264 |
MPEG-4, H.264 |
Microphone Port |
|
|
Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
Wireless Connectivity |
None |
None |
HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
Environmental Sealing |
|
|
Weight |
600g |
494g |
Dimensions |
128 x 88 x 87mm |
116 x 84 x 103mm |
Battery Life |
n/a |
220 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
Timelapse Recording |
|
|
GPS |
None |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |