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 Sony A7S and Canon SX30 IS side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7S has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 489 g (1.08 lb / 17.25 oz) (including batteries). 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).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Canon SX30 IS. Canon SX30 IS is 4mm narrower and 2mm shorter than Sony A7S but it is also 60mm thicker. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Canon SX30 IS has a built-in lens but Sony A7S doesn't. Once you put a lens on A7S, its thickness will increase significantly.
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Canon SX30 IS 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 A7S is significantly lighter (112g ) 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 A7S, the total kit will weigh much higher.
Weather Sealing
With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7S has a big advantage over SX30 IS which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.
LCD Screen Size and Features
Sony A7S's 3 LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon SX30 IS's 2.7" screen.
Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Canon SX30 IS has a 14.0MP 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Digic 4 processor.
Below you can see the A7S and SX30 IS sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Canon SX30 IS Cameras
As seen above, Sony A7S has a 30.5x 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 Sony A7S and Canon SX30 IS 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.
Sony A7S for Portrait Photography
Canon SX30 IS for Portrait Photography
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
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
Sony A7S for Street Photography
Canon SX30 IS for Street Photography
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
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
Sony A7S for Sports Photography
Canon SX30 IS for Sports Photography
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
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
Sony A7S for Daily Photography
Canon SX30 IS for Daily Photography
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details
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
Sony A7S for Landscape Photography
Canon SX30 IS for Landscape Photography
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details
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
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 Sony A7S and Canon SX30 IS, 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 Sony A7S and Canon SX30 IS scores compare:
Sony A7S
Ranked
#39 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#71 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Canon SX30 IS
Ranked
#69 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked
#626 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Sony A7S 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 |
Sony Alpha A7S |
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS |
Brand |
Sony |
Canon |
Announced |
2014-04-06 |
2010-09-14 |
Body Type |
SLR-style mirrorless |
SLR-like (bridge) |
Sensor |
|
|
Type |
CMOS |
CCD |
Size |
Full frame |
1/2.3" |
Dimensions |
35.8 x 23.9 mm |
6.17 x 4.55 mm |
Area |
855.62mm2 |
28.07mm2 |
Megapixels |
12 megapixels |
14 megapixels |
Max Resolution |
4240 x 2832 |
4320 x 3240 |
Max Native Light sensitivity |
409,600 ISO |
1,600 ISO |
Min Native Light sensitivity |
100 ISO |
80 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 |
25 |
9 |
Lens |
|
|
Manual Focus |
|
|
Lens Mount |
Sony E |
fixed lens |
Lens Focal Range |
no lens |
24-840 mm (35×) |
Max Aperture |
no lens |
F2.7-5.8 |
Macro Focus Range |
no lens |
0cm |
Screen |
|
|
Type |
Tilting |
Fully Articulated |
Size |
3 |
2.7" |
Resolution |
1,230k dots |
230k dots |
Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
Viewfinder |
Electronic |
Electronic |
Viewfinder Resolution |
2,359k dots |
n/a |
Viewfinder Coverage |
100% |
n/a |
Viewfinder Magnification |
0.71x |
n/a |
Photography Features |
|
|
Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/8000s |
1/3200s |
Shutter Priority |
|
|
Aperture Priority |
|
|
Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
Custom White Balance |
|
|
Image Stabilization |
No |
Optical |
Built-in Flash |
|
|
Flash Range |
no built-in flash |
6.80 m |
External Flash |
|
|
Continuous Shooting |
5.0 fps |
1.0 fps |
Multi-Segment |
|
|
Average |
|
|
Spot |
|
|
Partial |
|
|
AF-Area |
|
|
Center Weighted |
|
|
AE Bracketing |
|
|
WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
Max Video Resolution |
3840 x 2160 |
1280 x 720 |
Video Formats |
MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC |
Motion JPEG |
Microphone Port |
|
|
Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
Wireless Connectivity |
Built-In |
Eye-Fi Connected |
HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
Environmental Sealing |
|
|
Weight |
489g |
601g |
Dimensions |
127 x 94 x 48mm |
123 x 92 x 108mm |
Battery Life |
360 shots |
n/a |
Other Features |
|
|
Timelapse Recording |
With Downloadable App |
|
GPS |
None |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
DxO Overall Score |
87 |
not tested |
DxO Color Depth |
23.9 |
not tested |
DxO Dynamic Range |
13.2 |
not tested |
DxO Low Light ISO |
3702 |
not tested |
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |