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Canon SX540 HS vs Sony RX10 III Comparison

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Canon SX540 HS

20 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Canon SX540 HS
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Sony RX10 III

20 MP | 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Sony RX10 III
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Canon SX540 HS vs Sony RX10 III Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Bridge cameras from Canon and Sony. Canon SX540 HS was introduced to market in January 2016 and Sony RX10 III was launched in March 2016. There is only 3 months difference between SX540 HS and RX10 III so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Both cameras have 20.0MP sensors but Canon SX540 HS's sensor is 1/2.3-inch sized whereas Sony RX10 III has a 1-inch sensor.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Canon SX540 HS and Sony RX10 III before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon SX540 HS Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2016-01-05
  • 20MP - 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 24-1200 mm F3.4-6.5 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 5.9 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 442g. 120 x 82 x 92 mm

Sony RX10 III Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2016-03-29
  • 20MP - 1-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 125 - 12800 ( expands to 64-25600)
  • 24-600 mm F2.4-4.0 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3 Tilting Screen
  • 2359k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 14.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • 960fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 1051g. 133 x 94 x 127 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II Compare

Sony RX10 III was replaced by Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV vs Canon PowerShot SX540 HS

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon SX540 HS and Sony RX10 III compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Canon PowerShot SX540 HS over Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III
Weight
442 g vs 1051 g 609 g lighter
Focal Length - Tele
1200mm vs 600mm 600 mm longer tele reach
Optical Zoom
50× vs 25x more flexible focal coverage


Reasons to choose Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III over Canon PowerShot SX540 HS
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Electronic vs None Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max ISO
12.800 vs 3.200 300% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Resolution
1.229k dots vs 461k dots 166% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting
14.0fps vs 5.9fps 8.1 fps faster
Battery Life
420 shots vs 205 shots 215 more frames with a single charge
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Max Aperture - Wide
2.40 vs 3.40 faster lens at wide
Max Aperture - Tele
4.00 vs 6.50 faster lens at tele
Flash Coverage
10.8m vs 5.5m 5.3m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
5.82µm2 vs 1.39µm2 318% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
Top LCD
Yes vs No Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Webcam Function
Yes vs No Use your camera as a Webcam

Common Strengths of Canon PowerShot SX540 HS and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III
Wireless Connection
Yes vs Yes Better connectivity
Image Stabilization
Optical vs Optical Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution
20 MP vs 20 MP Bigger prints and more details
Manual Focusing
Yes vs Yes both have manual focusing modes
Manual Exposure
Yes vs Yes better exposure control
Focal Length - Wide
24mm vs 24mm Very good wide angle coverage
Focal Length - Tele
1200mm vs 600mm Very good Telezoom
NFC Connection
Yes vs Yes Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Common Weaknesses of Canon PowerShot SX540 HS and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III
Canon SX540 HS vs Sony RX10 III: 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 SX540 HS and Sony RX10 III side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Canon SX540 HS has external dimensions of 120 x 82 x 92 mm (4.72 x 3.23 x 3.62″) and weighs 442 g (0.97 lb / 15.59 oz) (including batteries). Sony RX10 III has external dimensions of 133 x 94 x 127 mm (5.24 x 3.7 x 5″) and weighs 1051 g (2.32 lb / 37.07 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon SX540 HS and Sony RX10 III. Canon SX540 HS is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 13mm narrower, 12mm shorter and 35mm thinner than Sony RX10 III.

Canon SX540 HS vs Sony RX10 III Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Canon SX540 HS and Sony RX10 III Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Canon SX540 HS and Sony RX10 III.

Canon SX540 HS vs Sony RX10 III Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Canon SX540 HS and Sony RX10 III Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Canon SX540 HS and Sony RX10 III.
Canon SX540 HS vs Sony RX10 III Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Canon SX540 HS and Sony RX10 III Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Canon SX540 HS is significantly lighter (609g ) than the Sony RX10 III which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Weight Comparison

Bridge Cameras

SX540 HS
RX10 III
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Bridge Cameras

SX540 HS
RX10 III
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of RX10 III, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to SX540 HS.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Canon SX540 HS and Sony RX10 III's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

On the other hand, Sony RX10 III features a Tilting screen where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels whereas the Canon SX540 HS has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to RX10 III.
Canon SX540 HS vs Sony RX10 III: Sensor Comparison

Both Canon SX540 HS and Sony RX10 III have 20.0 MP resolution sensors but Canon SX540 HS's sensor is 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) and Sony RX10 III's sensor is 1-inch (13.2 x 8.8 mm ).

Since Sony RX10 III's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Canon SX540 HS.

Below you can see the SX540 HS and RX10 III sensor size comparison.

Canon SX540 HS vs Sony RX10 III Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon SX540 HS and Sony RX10 III Cameras


As seen above, Sony RX10 III has a 4.1x Larger sensor area than Canon SX540 HS. 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.

Canon SX540 HS vs Sony RX10 III Lens Specs Comparison

Canon SX540 HS features a 24-1200 mm F3.4-6.5 50× zoom lens whereas Sony RX10 III features a 24-600 mm F2.4-4.0 25x zoom lens.

Both cameras have a wide angle coverage of 24mm. On the other hand, with a max aperture of f2.40, Sony RX10 III is faster than Canon SX540 HS at this focal length. On the tele end, Canon SX540 HS has 600mm longer reach than the Sony RX10 III. However, with a max aperture of f4.00, Sony RX10 III is faster at tele end.

Wide Coverage

DSLR-Like Cameras

SX540 HS
RX10 III
Widest - Samsung WB2200F
Average
Telezoom

DSLR-Like Cameras

SX540 HS
RX10 III
Longest - Nikon P1000
Average
Max Aperture at Tele

DSLR-Like Cameras

SX540 HS
RX10 III
Fastest - Olympus 1
Average
Max Aperture at Wide

DSLR-Like Cameras

SX540 HS
RX10 III
Fastest - Sony RX10 III
Average
What types of Photography are Canon SX540 HS and Sony RX10 III Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Canon SX540 HS and Sony RX10 III 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 SX540 HS for Portrait Photography

POOR

Sony RX10 III for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
RAW shooting capability
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Canon SX540 HS for Street Photography

GOOD

Sony RX10 III for Street Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Manual Focus Mode
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Medium sized Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Image Stabilization
RAW shooting capability
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.40
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Canon SX540 HS for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Sony RX10 III for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Wireless Connection
1200 mm Tele Lens
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.9fps
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 205 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f6.50
Read the details
Image Stabilization
RAW shooting capability
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Fast Continuous Shooting: 14.0fps
Environmental Sealings
25 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
600 mm Tele Lens
Fast Lens at Tele: f4.00
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
Read the details

Canon SX540 HS for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Sony RX10 III for Daily Photography

GOOD
50.0X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
442g
Body Thickness 92mm
Read the details
RAW shooting capability
Environmental Sealings
25.0X Optical Zoom
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
1051g
Body Thickness 127mm
Read the details

Canon SX540 HS for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sony RX10 III for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Environmental Sealings
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Read the details

Canon SX540 HS vs Sony RX10 III: 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 SX540 HS and Sony RX10 III, 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 SX540 HS and Sony RX10 III scores compare:

Canon SX540 HS
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #52 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked #560 out of 1225 in all Cameras
Sony RX10 III
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #6 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked #144 out of 1225 in all Cameras

Sony RX10 III is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Canon SX540 HS in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Canon SX540 HS. Otherwise, Sony RX10 III is the better camera overall.

Canon SX540 HS
Canon SX540 HS
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Sony RX10 III
Sony RX10 III
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Sony RX10 III vs Canon SX540 HS Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Canon PowerShot SX540 HS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III
Brand Canon Sony
Announced 2016-01-05 2016-03-29
Body Type SLR-like (bridge) SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Size 1/2.3-inch 1-inch
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 13.2 x 8.8 mm
Area 28.07mm2 116.16mm2
Megapixels 20 megapixels 20 megapixels
Max Resolution 5184 x 3888 5472 x 3648
Max Native Light sensitivity 3,200 ISO 12,800 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 25600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 80 ISO 125 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity - 64 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 n/a 25
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens Focal Range 24-1200 mm (50×) 24-600 mm (25x)
Max Aperture F3.4-6.5 F2.4-4.0
Macro Focus Range 0cm 3cm
Screen
Type Fixed type Tilting
Size 3" 3
Resolution 461k dots 1,229k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder 2,359k dots
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 100%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.7x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/2000s 1/2000s
Max Electronic Shutter n/a 1/32000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Optical Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.50 m (at Auto ISO) 10.80 m (at Auto ISO)
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.9 fps 14.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 3840 x 2160
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 442g 1051g
Dimensions 120 x 82 x 92mm 133 x 94 x 127mm
Battery Life 205 shots 420 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 70
DxO Color Depth not tested 23.1
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 12.6
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 472
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