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 Pentax K-500 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). Pentax K-500 has external dimensions of 130 x 97 x 71 mm (5.12 x 3.82 x 2.8″) and weighs 646 g (1.42 lb / 22.79 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon SX30 IS and Pentax K-500. Canon SX30 IS is 7mm narrower and 5mm shorter than Pentax K-500 but it is also 37mm thicker. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Canon SX30 IS has a built-in lens but Pentax K-500 doesn't. Once you put a lens on K-500, its thickness will increase significantly.
![Canon SX30 IS vs Pentax K-500 Camera Size Comparison - Front View]()
Comparison image of Canon SX30 IS and Pentax K-500 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 SX30 IS is 45g lighter than the Pentax K-500 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.
Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on K-500, the total kit will weigh much higher.
Weather Sealing
Unfortunately neither Canon PowerShot SX30 IS nor Pentax K-500 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 DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing
LCD Screen Size and Features
Pentax K-500'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, Pentax K-500 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, Pentax K-500 has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features PRIME M processor.
Below you can see the SX30 IS and K-500 sensor size comparison.
![Canon SX30 IS vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon SX30 IS and Pentax K-500 Cameras
As seen above, Pentax K-500 has a 13.3x Larger sensor area than Canon SX30 IS. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
In this section, we rank and compare Canon SX30 IS and Pentax K-500 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
Pentax K-500 for Portrait Photography
Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
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
Large APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Street Photography
Pentax K-500 for Street Photography
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
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
Large APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Large Body
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Sports Photography
Pentax K-500 for Sports Photography
Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
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
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/6000s
9 Cross Type Focus sensors
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 710 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 6.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Daily Photography
Pentax K-500 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
Large APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Large Body
646g
Body Thickness 71mm
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Landscape Photography
Pentax K-500 for Landscape Photography
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
Large APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
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 Pentax K-500, 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 Pentax K-500 scores compare:
Canon SX30 IS
Ranked
#69 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked
#626 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Pentax K-500
Ranked
#25 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked
#200 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Pentax K-500 is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Canon SX30 IS in all criteria.
It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money
| General |
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS |
Pentax K-500 |
| Brand |
Canon |
Pentax |
| Announced |
2010-09-14 |
2013-11-27 |
| Body Type |
SLR-like (bridge) |
Compact SLR |
Sensor |
|
|
| Type |
CCD |
CMOS |
| Size |
1/2.3" |
APS-C |
| Dimensions |
6.17 x 4.55 mm |
23.7 x 15.7 mm |
| Area |
28.07mm2 |
372.09mm2 |
| Megapixels |
14 megapixels |
16 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
4320 x 3240 |
4928 x 3264 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
1,600 ISO |
51,600 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 |
11 |
Lens |
|
|
| Manual Focus |
|
|
| Lens Mount |
fixed lens |
Pentax KAF2 |
| Lens Focal Range |
24-840 mm (35×) |
no lens |
| Max Aperture |
F2.7-5.8 |
no lens |
| Macro Focus Range |
0cm |
no lens |
Screen |
|
|
| Type |
Fully Articulated |
Fixed type |
| Size |
2.7" |
3" |
| Resolution |
230k dots |
921k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
Electronic |
Optical (pentaprism) |
| Viewfinder Coverage |
n/a |
100% |
| Viewfinder Magnification |
n/a |
0.61x |
Photography Features |
|
|
| Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/3200s |
1/6000s |
| Shutter Priority |
|
|
| Aperture Priority |
|
|
| Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
| Custom White Balance |
|
|
| Image Stabilization |
Optical |
Sensor-shift |
| Built-in Flash |
|
|
| Flash Range |
6.80 m |
12.00 m (at ISO 100) |
| Max Flash Sync |
n/a |
1/180s |
| External Flash |
|
|
| Continuous Shooting |
1.0 fps |
6.0 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 |
MPEG-4, H.264 |
| Microphone Port |
|
|
| Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
| Wireless Connectivity |
Eye-Fi Connected |
None |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
601g |
646g |
| Dimensions |
123 x 92 x 108mm |
130 x 97 x 71mm |
| Battery Life |
n/a |
710 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
|
|
| GPS |
None |
Optional |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
| DxO Overall Score |
not tested |
79 |
| DxO Color Depth |
not tested |
23.7 |
| DxO Dynamic Range |
not tested |
13.1 |
| DxO Low Light ISO |
not tested |
1087 |
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |