Canon SX510 Comparison Review

The Canon PowerShot SX510 HS is a fixed lens compact camera that was announced in August 2013 and is equipped with a 1/2.3-inch sensor. It offers a resolution of 15.9 megapixel.

Is the Canon SX510 a good camera? The SX510 has a Camera Elo of 1342. This rating puts the SX510 below average of all superzoom compact cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (small sensor cameras), the SX510 also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Canon SX510 is more than 11 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2013.

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

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Canon SX510 vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon SX510 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 SX510	104 mm	70 mm	80 mm	349 g	250	n	Aug 2013	EUR 329	ebay.com
2.		Canon G15	107 mm	76 mm	40 mm	352 g	350	n	Sep 2012	EUR 579	ebay.com
3.		Canon M	109 mm	66 mm	32 mm	298 g	230	n	Jul 2012	EUR 599	ebay.com
4.		Canon SX400	104 mm	69 mm	80 mm	313 g	190	n	Jul 2014	EUR 179	ebay.com
5.		Canon SX420	104 mm	69 mm	85 mm	325 g	195	n	Jan 2016	EUR 299	ebay.com
6.		Canon SX500	104 mm	70 mm	80 mm	341 g	195	n	Aug 2012	EUR 319	ebay.com
7.		Canon SX520	120 mm	82 mm	92 mm	441 g	210	n	Jul 2014	EUR 299	ebay.com
8.		Canon SX600	104 mm	61 mm	26 mm	188 g	290	n	Jan 2014	EUR 249	ebay.com
9.		Canon SX700	113 mm	66 mm	35 mm	269 g	250	n	Feb 2014	EUR 349	ebay.com
10.		Leica X2	124 mm	69 mm	52 mm	345 g	450	n	May 2012	EUR 1 749	ebay.com
11.		Sony H200	123 mm	83 mm	87 mm	530 g	240	n	Jan 2013	EUR 249	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 SX510 was launched in the US market at a price of $249. 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 SX510 offers at
ebay.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant 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. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better 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 SX510 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 SX510 among the smaller-sensor digicams that favor affordability and compact design.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon SX510	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/24p	20.0	11.3	586	45
2.		Canon G15	1/1.7	12.0	4000	3000	1080/24p	19.9	11.5	165	46
3.		Canon M	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.1	11.2	827	65
4.		Canon SX400	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	720/30p	20.1	11.5	672	46
5.		Canon SX420	1/2.3	19.9	5152	3864	720/25p	20.3	11.7	806	48
6.		Canon SX500	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	720/30p	19.8	11.1	494	43
7.		Canon SX520	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/30p	20.1	11.5	672	46
8.		Canon SX600	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/30p	20.0	11.4	620	45
9.		Canon SX700	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	20.1	11.4	629	45
10.		Leica X2	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	none	23.2	12.4	1275	74
11.		Sony H200	1/2.3	15.2	5184	2930	720/30p	19.9	11.2	529	44
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The SX510 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the SX510 can use is 1080/24p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon SX510 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 SX510	none	n	3.0 / 461	fixed	n	1/1600s	3.8/s	Y	Y
2.		Canon G15	optical	n	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/4000s	2.1/s	Y	Y
3.		Canon M	none	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/4000s	4.3/s	n	n
4.		Canon SX400	none	n	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/1600s	0.8/s	Y	Y
5.		Canon SX420	none	n	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	0.5/s	Y	Y
6.		Canon SX500	none	n	3.0 / 461	fixed	n	1/1600s	0.8/s	Y	Y
7.		Canon SX520	none	n	3.0 / 461	fixed	n	1/2000s	1.6/s	Y	Y
8.		Canon SX600	none	n	3.0 / 461	fixed	n	1/2000s	3.9/s	Y	Y
9.		Canon SX700	none	n	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/3200s	8.5/s	Y	Y
10.		Leica X2	optional	n	2.7 / 230	fixed	n	1/2000s	5.0/s	Y	n
11.		Sony H200	none	n	3.0 / 460	fixed	n	1/1500s	0.8/s	Y	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One convenient feature of the SX510 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 SX510 HS 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 SX510	-	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
2.		Canon G15	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Canon M	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Canon SX400	-	stereo / mono	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Canon SX420	-	mono / mono	-	-	-	2.0	Y	Y	-
6.		Canon SX500	-	stereo / mono	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Canon SX520	-	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Canon SX600	-	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
9.		Canon SX700	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
10.		Leica X2	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Sony H200	-	mono / mono	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-

It is notable that the SX510 offers wifi support. Wifi can be a very convenient means to transfer image data to an off-camera location.

The SX510 has a zoom lens built in (4.3-129mm f/3.4-5.8), which, in full frame equivalent terms, provides a focal length range from 24 to 720mm. 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 SX510 can be found in the free online Canon SX510 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 says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the SX510 in practical situations. 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 why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known 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 SX510	..	+ +	..	..	4.5/5	4/5	Aug 2013	EUR 329	ebay.com
2.		Canon G15	4/5	+	..	76/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	EUR 579	ebay.com
3.		Canon M	3/5	+	..	..	4/5	4/5	Jul 2012	EUR 599	ebay.com
4.		Canon SX400	..	+	..	..	..	..	Jul 2014	EUR 179	ebay.com
5.		Canon SX420	..	..	..	..	..	3/5	Jan 2016	EUR 299	ebay.com
6.		Canon SX500	..	+ +	..	..	4/5	4/5	Aug 2012	EUR 319	ebay.com
7.		Canon SX520	..	+	..	..	3.5/5	3.5/5	Jul 2014	EUR 299	ebay.com
8.		Canon SX600	..	+	..	..	4/5	4/5	Jan 2014	EUR 249	ebay.com
9.		Canon SX700	..	+ +	..	..	4/5	4/5	Feb 2014	EUR 349	ebay.com
10.		Leica X2	3/5	..	..	..	3/5	4/5	May 2012	EUR 1 749	ebay.com
11.		Sony H200	..	..	..	..	3.5/5	3.5/5	Jan 2013	EUR 249	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Check SX510 offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review with another camera, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. 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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