Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs.
In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon SX30 IS and Canon ELPH 520 HS side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Canon SX30 IS has external dimensions of 123 x 92 x 108 mm (4.84 x 3.62 x 4.25″) and weighs 601 g (1.32 lb / 21.20 oz) (including batteries). Canon ELPH 520 HS has external dimensions of 87 x 54 x 19 mm (3.43 x 2.13 x 0.75″) and weighs 155 g (0.34 lb / 5.47 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon SX30 IS and Canon ELPH 520 HS. Canon ELPH 520 HS is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 36mm narrower, 38mm shorter and 89mm thinner than Canon SX30 IS.
![Canon SX30 IS vs Canon ELPH 520 HS Camera Size Comparison - Front View]()
Comparison image of Canon SX30 IS and Canon ELPH 520 HS Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Canon ELPH 520 HS is significantly lighter (446g ) than the Canon SX30 IS which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.
Weight Comparison
Compact Cameras
Thickness Comparison
Compact Cameras
Weather Sealing
Unfortunately neither Canon PowerShot SX30 IS nor Canon ELPH 520 HS (IXUS 500 HS) provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections: Top Bridge Cameras with Weather Sealing Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing
LCD Screen Size and Features
Canon ELPH 520 HS's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon SX30 IS's 2.7" screen.
On the other hand, Canon SX30 IS sports a
Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. On the other hand, Canon ELPH 520 HS has a fixed type screen which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to SX30 IS.
Canon SX30 IS has a 14.0MP 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Digic 4 processor. On the other hand, Canon ELPH 520 HS has a 10.0MP 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features DIGIC 5 processor.
Below you can see the SX30 IS and ELPH 520 HS sensor size comparison.
![Canon SX30 IS vs Canon ELPH 520 HS Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon SX30 IS and Canon ELPH 520 HS Cameras
Canon SX30 IS and Canon ELPH 520 HS have sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.
Canon SX30 IS features a 24-840 mm F2.7-5.8 35× zoom lens whereas Canon ELPH 520 HS features a 28-336 mm F3.4-5.6 12× zoom lens.
Canon SX30 IS has 4mm wider coverage than the Canon ELPH 520 HS. At f2.70, it is also faster at widest end.
On the tele end, Canon SX30 IS has 504mm longer reach than the Canon ELPH 520 HS. However, with a max aperture of f5.60, Canon ELPH 520 HS is faster at tele end.
Wide Coverage
DSLR-Like Cameras
Max Aperture at Tele
Compact Cameras
Max Aperture at Wide
Compact Cameras
In this section, we rank and compare Canon SX30 IS and Canon ELPH 520 HS 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 SX30 IS for Portrait Photography
Canon ELPH 520 HS for Portrait Photography
Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Street Photography
Canon ELPH 520 HS for Street Photography
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Live-view
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.70
24 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
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Sports Photography
Canon ELPH 520 HS for Sports Photography
Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
840 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: f5.80
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
336 mm Tele Lens
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 190 shots
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Daily Photography
Canon ELPH 520 HS for Daily Photography
35.0X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
601g
Body Thickness 108mm
Read the details
Compact Body
155g
Body Thickness 19mm
12.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Landscape Photography
Canon ELPH 520 HS for Landscape Photography
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Canon SX30 IS and Canon ELPH 520 HS, below you can find their scores in five different aspects.
Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 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 SX30 IS and Canon ELPH 520 HS scores compare:
Canon SX30 IS
Ranked
#69 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked
#626 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Canon ELPH 520 HS
Ranked
#32 out of 155 in Ultracompact cameras
Ranked
#863 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Canon SX30 IS is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Canon ELPH 520 HS in all criteria except one: Portability. Canon ELPH 520 HS is significantly smaller than Canon SX30 IS. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Canon ELPH 520 HS. Otherwise, Canon SX30 IS is the better camera overall.
| General |
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS |
Canon ELPH 520 HS |
| Brand |
Canon |
Canon |
| Announced |
2010-09-14 |
2012-01-09 |
| Body Type |
SLR-like (bridge) |
Ultracompact |
Sensor |
|
|
| Type |
CCD |
BSI-CMOS |
| Size |
1/2.3" |
1/2.3" |
| Dimensions |
6.17 x 4.55 mm |
6.17 x 4.55 mm |
| Area |
28.07mm2 |
28.07mm2 |
| Megapixels |
14 megapixels |
10 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
4320 x 3240 |
3648 x 2736 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
1,600 ISO |
3,200 ISO |
| Min Native Light sensitivity |
80 ISO |
100 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 |
24-840 mm (35×) |
28-336 mm (12×) |
| Max Aperture |
F2.7-5.8 |
F3.4-5.6 |
| Macro Focus Range |
0cm |
1cm |
Screen |
|
|
| Type |
Fully Articulated |
Fixed type |
| Size |
2.7" |
3" |
| Resolution |
230k dots |
461k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
Electronic |
None |
Photography Features |
|
|
| Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/3200s |
1/4000s |
| Shutter Priority |
|
|
| Aperture Priority |
|
|
| Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
| Custom White Balance |
|
|
| Image Stabilization |
Optical |
Optical |
| Built-in Flash |
|
|
| Flash Range |
6.80 m |
2.50 m |
| External Flash |
|
|
| Continuous Shooting |
1.0 fps |
3.0 fps |
| Multi-Segment |
|
|
| Average |
|
|
| Spot |
|
|
| Partial |
|
|
| AF-Area |
|
|
| Center Weighted |
|
|
| AE Bracketing |
|
|
| WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
| Max Video Resolution |
1280 x 720 |
1920 x 1080 |
| Video Formats |
Motion JPEG |
H.264 |
| Microphone Port |
|
|
| Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
| Wireless Connectivity |
Eye-Fi Connected |
None |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
601g |
155g |
| Dimensions |
123 x 92 x 108mm |
87 x 54 x 19mm |
| Battery Life |
n/a |
190 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
|
|
| GPS |
None |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |