CameraDecision
  • CAMERAS
  • LENSES
  • TOOLS
    • Smart Find
    • 1-on-1 Comparison
    • Size Comparison
  • BRANDS
    • Sony Cameras
    • Canon Cameras
    • Nikon Cameras
    • Pentax Cameras
    • Fujifilm Cameras
    • Olympus Cameras
    • Panasonic Cameras
    • Leica Cameras
    • Samsung Cameras
  • BODY TYPE
    • Mirrorless Cameras
    • DSLR Cameras
    • Compact Cameras
    • Bridge Cameras
    • Waterproof Cameras

Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A6000 Comparison

x
Camera to replace
Change

Canon SX30 IS

14 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CCD Sensor

Canon SX30 IS
CHECK PRICE
CHECK PRICE
Change

Sony A6000

24 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A6000
CHECK PRICE
CHECK PRICE
Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A6000 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Canon SX30 IS, which was introduced in September 2010 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 14.0MP 1/2.3" sensor whereas Sony A6000, which was introduced in April 2014 is a Advanced Mirrorless camera with a 24.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, SX30 IS is 4 years older than A6000. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Canon SX30 IS and Sony A6000 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon SX30 IS Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2010-09-14
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" CCD Sensor
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 24-840 mm F2.7-5.8 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 2.7" Fully Articulated Screen
  • Electronic viewfinder
  • 1 fps continuous shooting
  • HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • 601g. 123 x 92 x 108 mm
  • Replaced Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Compare

Sony A6000 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-04-23
  • 24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 25600 ( expands to 51200)
  • Sony E Mount
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 1440k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 11 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 344g. 120 x 67 x 45 mm
  • Replaced Sony Alpha NEX-6 Compare

Canon SX30 IS was replaced by Canon PowerShot SX40 HS. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS vs Canon PowerShot SX30 IS
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS vs Sony Alpha a6000

Sony A6000 was replaced by Sony Alpha a6300. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha a6300 vs Sony Alpha a6000
Sony Alpha a6300 vs Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon SX30 IS and Sony A6000 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Canon PowerShot SX30 IS over Sony Alpha a6000
Image Stabilization
Optical vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies


Reasons to choose Sony Alpha a6000 over Canon PowerShot SX30 IS
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs Eye-Fi Connected Better connectivity
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution
24 MP vs 14 MP 71% more pixels
Max ISO
25.600 vs 1.600 1500% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
179 vs 9 170 more focus points
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.7" 0.3 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution
922k dots vs 230k dots 300% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/4000s vs 1/3200s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
11.0fps vs 1.0fps 10 fps faster
Weight
344 g vs 601 g 257 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area
15.28µm2 vs 2.01µm2 660% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720 Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support
UHS-I vs none Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds

Common Strengths of Canon PowerShot SX30 IS and Sony Alpha a6000
Adjustable LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Tilting Flexible shooting positions
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic) Better framing and control
Common Weaknesses of Canon PowerShot SX30 IS and Sony Alpha a6000
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A6000: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

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 Sony A6000 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). Sony A6000 has external dimensions of 120 x 67 x 45 mm (4.72 x 2.64 x 1.77″) and weighs 344 g (0.76 lb / 12.13 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon SX30 IS and Sony A6000. Sony A6000 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 3mm narrower, 25mm shorter and 63mm thinner than Canon SX30 IS. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Canon SX30 IS has a built-in lens but Sony A6000 doesn't. Once you put a lens on A6000, its thickness will increase significantly.

Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A6000 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Canon SX30 IS and Sony A6000 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. Sony A6000 is significantly lighter (257g ) than the Canon SX30 IS 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 A6000, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Canon PowerShot SX30 IS nor Sony Alpha a6000 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 Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A6000's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon SX30 IS's 2.7" screen.

Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A6000: Sensor Comparison

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, Sony A6000 has a 24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor.

Sony A6000's sensor provides 10MP more than Canon SX30 IS's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Below you can see the SX30 IS and A6000 sensor size comparison.

Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A6000 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon SX30 IS and Sony A6000 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A6000 has a 13.1x 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.

What types of Photography are Canon SX30 IS and Sony A6000 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Canon SX30 IS and Sony A6000 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

AVERAGE

Sony A6000 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Canon SX30 IS for Street Photography

GOOD

Sony A6000 for Street Photography

GOOD
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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Canon SX30 IS for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A6000 for Sports Photography

GOOD
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
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Continuous Shooting: 11.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
179 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Canon SX30 IS for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A6000 for Daily Photography

GOOD
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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
344g
Body Thickness 45mm
Read the details

Canon SX30 IS for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sony A6000 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A6000: OUR DECISION

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 Sony A6000, 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 Sony A6000 scores compare:

Canon SX30 IS
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #69 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked #626 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Sony A6000
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #29 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #187 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Sony A6000 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

Canon SX30 IS
Canon SX30 IS
CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

Sony A6000
Sony A6000
CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

Sony A6000 vs Canon SX30 IS Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Canon PowerShot SX30 IS Sony Alpha a6000
Brand Canon Sony
Announced 2010-09-14 2014-04-23
Body Type SLR-like (bridge) Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CCD CMOS
Size 1/2.3" APS-C
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 28.07mm2 366.60mm2
Megapixels 14 megapixels 24 megapixels
Max Resolution 4320 x 3240 6000 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity 1,600 ISO 25,600 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 51200 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 9 179
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Sony E
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 Tilting
Size 2.7" 3"
Resolution 230k dots 922k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution n/a 1,440k dots
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 100%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.7x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/3200s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Optical No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 6.80 m 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 1.0 fps 11.0 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, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 601g 344g
Dimensions 123 x 92 x 108mm 120 x 67 x 45mm
Battery Life n/a 360 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 82
DxO Color Depth not tested 24.1
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 13.1
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 1347
Report a correction Report a correction


FOLLOW US


Most Popular Cameras
Nikon Z7
46 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon Z Mount
Sony A6000
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Sony E Mount
Sony A7 III
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Sony E Mount
Fujifilm X-T3
26 MP | APS-C Sensor | Fujifilm X Mount
Canon R
30 MP | Full frame Sensor | Canon RF Mount
Sony A6400
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Sony E Mount
Nikon D5600
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Nikon F Mount
Nikon D850
46 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon F Mount
Top Rated Bridge Cameras
Top Bridge Cameras Under $200
Top Bridge Cameras Under $500
Top Bridge Cameras Under $750
Top Bridge Cameras Under $1000
Top Rated Mirrorless Cameras
Top Mirrorless Cameras Under $500
Top Mirrorless Cameras Under $750
Top Mirrorless Cameras Under $1000
Top Mirrorless Cameras Under $1500
Latest Cameras
Leica SL2-S
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Leica L Mount
Leica Q2 Monochrom
47 MP | Full frame Sensor | 28 mm
Fujifilm X-S10
26 MP | APS-C Sensor | Fujifilm X Mount
Nikon Z7 II
46 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon Z Mount
Nikon Z6 II
25 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon Z Mount
Canon M50 II
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Canon EF-M Mount
Sony A7c
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Sony E Mount
Panasonic S5
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Leica L Mount
Copyright © 2020 by CameraDecision
About Feedback Privacy Cameras

Report a Correction