Canon SX10 Comparison Review

The Canon PowerShot SX10 IS is a fixed lens compact camera that was revealed to the public in September 2008 and is equipped with a 1/2.3-inch sensor. It offers a resolution of 10 megapixel.

Is the Canon SX10 a good camera? The SX10 has a Camera Elo of 992. This rating puts the SX10 below average of all superzoom compact cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (small sensor cameras), the SX10 also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Canon SX10 is more than 16 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2008.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Canon SX10 vis-à-vis a credit card. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon SX10 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Canon SX10	123 mm	88 mm	87 mm	600 g	..	n	Sep 2008	US$ 399	ebay.com
2.		Canon 450D	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	524 g	500	n	Jan 2008	US$ 799	ebay.com
3.		Canon 1000D	126 mm	98 mm	65 mm	502 g	500	n	Jun 2008	US$ 449	ebay.com
4.		Canon 1100D	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	495 g	700	n	Feb 2011	US$ 449	ebay.com
5.		Canon S120	100 mm	59 mm	29 mm	217 g	230	n	Aug 2013	US$ 449	ebay.com
6.		Canon SX1	128 mm	88 mm	88 mm	615 g	..	n	Sep 2008	US$ 599	ebay.com
7.		Canon SX20	123 mm	88 mm	87 mm	600 g	..	n	Aug 2009	US$ 399	ebay.com
8.		Canon SX30	123 mm	92 mm	108 mm	601 g	370	n	Sep 2010	US$ 429	ebay.com
9.		Canon SX40	123 mm	92 mm	108 mm	600 g	380	n	Sep 2011	US$ 429	ebay.com
10.		Canon SX50	123 mm	87 mm	106 mm	595 g	315	n	Sep 2012	US$ 429	ebay.com
11.		Canon XC10	125 mm	102 mm	122 mm	1040 g	370	n	Apr 2015	US$ 2 499	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Canon SX10 was launched in the US market at a price of $399. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check SX10 offers at
ebay.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Canon SX10 features a 1/2.3-inch sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 5.6. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Canon SX10 among the smaller-sensor digicams that favor affordability and compact design.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon SX10	1/2.3	10.0	3648	2736	480/30p	19.0	10.3	144	35
2.		Canon 450D	APS-C	12.2	4272	2848	none	21.9	10.8	692	61
3.		Canon 1000D	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.0	10.9	719	62
4.		Canon 1100D	APS-C	12.2	4272	2848	720/30p	21.9	11.0	755	62
5.		Canon S120	1/1.7	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60p	21.3	11.9	246	56
6.		Canon SX1	1/2.3	10.0	3648	2736	1080/30p	19.0	10.3	144	35
7.		Canon SX20	1/2.3	12.0	4000	3000	720/30p	19.2	10.5	225	37
8.		Canon SX30	1/2.3	14.0	4320	3240	720/30p	19.4	10.7	320	39
9.		Canon SX40	1/2.3	12.0	4000	3000	1080/24p	19.6	10.9	409	41
10.		Canon SX50	1/2.3	12.0	4000	3000	1080/24p	20.3	11.2	179	47
11.		Canon XC10	1-inch	12.0	4000	3000	4K/30p	21.7	11.8	197	61
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The SX10 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the SX10 can use is 480/30p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon SX10 and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Canon SX10	202	n	2.5 / 230	swivel	n	1/3200s	0.7/s	Y	Y
2.		Canon 450D	optical	n	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.5/s	Y	n
3.		Canon 1000D	optical	n	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
4.		Canon 1100D	optical	n	2.7 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
5.		Canon S120	none	n	3.0 / 922	fixed	Y	1/2000s	12.1/s	Y	Y
6.		Canon SX1	202	n	2.8 / 230	swivel	n	1/3200s	4.0/s	Y	Y
7.		Canon SX20	202	n	2.5 / 230	swivel	n	1/3200s	0.7/s	Y	Y
8.		Canon SX30	202	n	2.7 / 230	swivel	n	1/3200s	0.6/s	Y	Y
9.		Canon SX40	202	n	2.7 / 230	swivel	n	1/3200s	10.3/s	Y	Y
10.		Canon SX50	202	n	3.0 / 461	swivel	n	1/2000s	2.2/s	Y	Y
11.		Canon XC10	none	n	3.0 / 1030	tilting	Y	1/2000s	3.8/s	n	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is hinged on the side and can be flipped out for odd-angle shots in both portrait and landscape orientation. Also, this fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment is often appreciated by videographers for its flexibility. Moreover, v-loggers like the design because the screen can be turned to be front-facing.

One convenient feature of the SX10 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Canon SX10	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon 450D	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Canon 1000D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Canon 1100D	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Canon S120	-	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
6.		Canon SX1	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	YES	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Canon SX20	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	YES	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Canon SX30	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	YES	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Canon SX40	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	YES	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Canon SX50	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Canon XC10	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-

The SX10 has a zoom lens built in (5-100mm f/2.8-5.7), which, in full frame equivalent terms, provides a focal length range from 28 to 560mm. The camera is, hence, ready to shoot, while remaining more compact in size than an interchangeable lens camera with an optic that offers similar focal length and aperture specifications.

Further information on the features and operation of the SX10 can be found in the free online Canon SX10 Manual or on the Canon support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the SX10. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is where reviews by experts come in. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Canon SX10	..	+ +	..	..	..	4/5	Sep 2008	US$ 399	ebay.com
2.		Canon 450D	..	+ +	..	+ +	4/5	4.5/5	Jan 2008	US$ 799	ebay.com
3.		Canon 1000D	..	82/100	..	+ +	3.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2008	US$ 449	ebay.com
4.		Canon 1100D	..	80/100	..	69/100	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	US$ 449	ebay.com
5.		Canon S120	..	+ +	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2013	US$ 449	ebay.com
6.		Canon SX1	..	+ +	..	+	..	3.5/5	Sep 2008	US$ 599	ebay.com
7.		Canon SX20	..	+ +	..	73/100	..	4/5	Aug 2009	US$ 399	ebay.com
8.		Canon SX30	3/5	+ +	..	..	3.5/5	4/5	Sep 2010	US$ 429	ebay.com
9.		Canon SX40	..	+	..	..	4.5/5	4/5	Sep 2011	US$ 429	ebay.com
10.		Canon SX50	3/5	+ +	..	72/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	US$ 429	ebay.com
11.		Canon XC10	..	..	..	80/100	..	..	Apr 2015	US$ 2 499	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Check SX10 offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just make your choice using the following search menu. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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