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 Sigma SD1 Merrill 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). Sigma SD1 Merrill has external dimensions of 146 x 113 x 80 mm (5.75 x 4.45 x 3.15″) and weighs 790 g (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon SX30 IS and Sigma SD1 Merrill. Canon SX30 IS is 23mm narrower and 21mm shorter than Sigma SD1 Merrill but it is also 28mm thicker. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Canon SX30 IS has a built-in lens but Sigma SD1 Merrill doesn't. Once you put a lens on SD1 Merrill, its thickness will increase significantly.
![Canon SX30 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Camera Size Comparison - Front View]()
Comparison image of Canon SX30 IS and Sigma SD1 Merrill 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 significantly lighter (189g ) than the Sigma SD1 Merrill which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.
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 SD1 Merrill, the total kit will weigh much higher.
Weather Sealing
Thanks to the weather sealed body of SD1 Merrill, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to SX30 IS.
LCD Screen Size and Features
Sigma SD1 Merrill'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, Sigma SD1 Merrill 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, Sigma SD1 Merrill has a 15.0MP APS-C (24 x 16 mm ) sized CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor and features Dual True II processor.
Below you can see the SX30 IS and SD1 Merrill sensor size comparison.
![Canon SX30 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon SX30 IS and Sigma SD1 Merrill Cameras
As seen above, Sigma SD1 Merrill has a 13.7x 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 Sigma SD1 Merrill 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
Sigma SD1 Merrill 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 (24 x 16 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Street Photography
Sigma SD1 Merrill 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 (24 x 16 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Sports Photography
Sigma SD1 Merrill 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
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
No Image Stabilization
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/s
Focus Points
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Daily Photography
Sigma SD1 Merrill 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 (24 x 16 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
790g
Body Thickness 80mm
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Landscape Photography
Sigma SD1 Merrill 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 (24 x 16 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
No Live-view
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 Sigma SD1 Merrill, 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 Sigma SD1 Merrill scores compare:
Canon SX30 IS
Ranked
#69 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked
#626 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Sigma SD1 Merrill
Ranked
#83 out of 94 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked
#780 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Canon SX30 IS has a higher Overall Score than the Sigma SD1 Merrill. It also has more features, more compact body and offers higher value for the money. But there is one area that SX30 IS trails behind the SD1 Merrill: Imaging.
If image quality is the most important aspect in a camera, choose the Sigma SD1 Merrill. If not, we recommend the Canon SX30 IS.
| General |
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS |
Sigma SD1 Merrill |
| Brand |
Canon |
Sigma |
| Announced |
2010-09-14 |
2012-04-10 |
| Body Type |
SLR-like (bridge) |
Mid-size SLR |
Sensor |
|
|
| Type |
CCD |
CMOS (Foveon X3) |
| Size |
1/2.3" |
APS-C |
| Dimensions |
6.17 x 4.55 mm |
24 x 16 mm |
| Area |
28.07mm2 |
384.00mm2 |
| Megapixels |
14 megapixels |
15 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
4320 x 3240 |
4800 x 3200 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
1,600 ISO |
6,400 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 |
n/a |
Lens |
|
|
| Manual Focus |
|
|
| Lens Mount |
fixed lens |
Sigma SA Bayonet |
| 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 |
460k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
Electronic |
Optical (pentaprism) |
| Viewfinder Coverage |
n/a |
96% |
| Viewfinder Magnification |
n/a |
0.64x |
Photography Features |
|
|
| Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/3200s |
n/a |
| Shutter Priority |
|
|
| Aperture Priority |
|
|
| Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
| Custom White Balance |
|
|
| Image Stabilization |
Optical |
No |
| Built-in Flash |
|
|
| Flash Range |
6.80 m |
no built-in flash |
| Max Flash Sync |
n/a |
s |
| External Flash |
|
|
| Continuous Shooting |
1.0 fps |
n/a |
| Multi-Segment |
|
|
| Average |
|
|
| Spot |
|
|
| Partial |
|
|
| AF-Area |
|
|
| Center Weighted |
|
|
| AE Bracketing |
|
|
| WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
| Max Video Resolution |
1280 x 720 |
None |
| Video Formats |
Motion JPEG |
n/a |
| Microphone Port |
|
|
| Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
| Wireless Connectivity |
Eye-Fi Connected |
None |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
601g |
790g |
| Dimensions |
123 x 92 x 108mm |
146 x 113 x 80mm |
| Battery Life |
n/a |
n/a |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
|
|
| GPS |
None |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |