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 A57 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 A57 has external dimensions of 132 x 98 x 81 mm (5.2 x 3.86 x 3.19″) and weighs 618 g (1.36 lb / 21.80 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon SX30 IS and Sony A57. Canon SX30 IS is 9mm narrower and 6mm shorter than Sony A57 but it is also 27mm thicker. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Canon SX30 IS has a built-in lens but Sony A57 doesn't. Once you put a lens on A57, its thickness will increase significantly.
![Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A57 Camera Size Comparison - Front View]()
Comparison image of Canon SX30 IS and Sony A57 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 17g lighter than the Sony A57 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 A57, the total kit will weigh much higher.
Weather Sealing
Unfortunately neither Canon PowerShot SX30 IS nor Sony SLT-A57 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
Sony A57's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon SX30 IS's 2.7" screen.
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 A57 has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Below you can see the SX30 IS and A57 sensor size comparison.
![Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A57 Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon SX30 IS and Sony A57 Cameras
As seen above, Sony A57 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.
In this section, we rank and compare Canon SX30 IS and Sony A57 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
Sony A57 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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Street Photography
Sony A57 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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Sports Photography
Sony A57 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
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 12.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
3 Cross Type Focus sensors
15 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 550 shots
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Daily Photography
Sony A57 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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
618g
Body Thickness 81mm
Read the details
Canon SX30 IS for Landscape Photography
Sony A57 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 (23.5 x 15.6 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 Sony A57, 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 A57 scores compare:
Canon SX30 IS
Ranked
#69 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked
#626 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Sony A57
Ranked
#10 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked
#150 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Sony A57 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 |
Sony SLT-A57 |
| Brand |
Canon |
Sony |
| Announced |
2010-09-14 |
2012-09-13 |
| Body Type |
SLR-like (bridge) |
Compact SLR |
Sensor |
|
|
| Type |
CCD |
CMOS |
| Size |
1/2.3" |
APS-C |
| Dimensions |
6.17 x 4.55 mm |
23.5 x 15.6 mm |
| Area |
28.07mm2 |
366.60mm2 |
| Megapixels |
14 megapixels |
16 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
4320 x 3240 |
4912 x 3264 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
1,600 ISO |
16,000 ISO |
| Max Boosted Light Sensitivity |
- |
25600 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 |
15 |
Lens |
|
|
| Manual Focus |
|
|
| Lens Mount |
fixed lens |
Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| 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 |
Fully Articulated |
| Size |
2.7" |
3" |
| Resolution |
230k dots |
921k 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 |
Sensor-shift |
| Built-in Flash |
|
|
| Flash Range |
6.80 m |
10.00 m (@ ISO 100) |
| Max Flash Sync |
n/a |
1/160s |
| External Flash |
|
|
| Continuous Shooting |
1.0 fps |
12.0 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, H.264 |
| Microphone Port |
|
|
| Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
| Wireless Connectivity |
Eye-Fi Connected |
Eye-Fi Connected |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
601g |
618g |
| Dimensions |
123 x 92 x 108mm |
132 x 98 x 81mm |
| Battery Life |
n/a |
550 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
|
|
| GPS |
None |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
| DxO Overall Score |
not tested |
75 |
| DxO Color Depth |
not tested |
23.4 |
| DxO Dynamic Range |
not tested |
13.0 |
| DxO Low Light ISO |
not tested |
785 |
|
Report a correction |
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