Canon PowerShot SX500 IS vs. Canon PowerShot SX280 HS
Comparison
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Canon PowerShot SX500 IS | Canon PowerShot SX280 HS | ||||
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Megapixels
16.00
12.10
Max. image resolution
4608 x 3456
4000 x 3000
Sensor
Sensor type
CCD
CMOS
Sensor size
1/2.3" (~ 6.16 x 4.62 mm)
1/2.3" (~ 6.16 x 4.62 mm)
Sensor size comparison
Sensor size is generally a good indicator of the quality of the camera.
Sensors can vary greatly in size. As a general rule, the bigger the
sensor, the better the image quality.
Bigger sensors are more effective because they have more surface area to capture light. An important factor when comparing digital cameras is also camera generation. Generally, newer sensors will outperform the older.
Learn more about sensor sizes »
Bigger sensors are more effective because they have more surface area to capture light. An important factor when comparing digital cameras is also camera generation. Generally, newer sensors will outperform the older.
Learn more about sensor sizes »
Actual sensor size
Note: Actual size is set to screen → change »
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Canon PowerShot SX500 IS | Canon PowerShot SX280 HS |
Surface area:
28.46 mm² | vs | 28.46 mm² |
Difference: 0 mm² (0%)
SX500 IS and SX280 HS sensors are the same size.
Pixel pitch tells you the distance from the center of one pixel (photosite) to the center of the next. It tells you how close the pixels are to each other.
The bigger the pixel pitch, the further apart they are and the bigger each pixel is. Bigger pixels tend to have better signal to noise ratio and greater dynamic range.
The bigger the pixel pitch, the further apart they are and the bigger each pixel is. Bigger pixels tend to have better signal to noise ratio and greater dynamic range.
Pixel or photosite area affects how much light per pixel can be gathered.
The larger it is the more light can be collected by a single pixel.
Larger pixels have the potential to collect more photons, resulting in greater dynamic range, while smaller pixels provide higher resolutions (more detail) for a given sensor size.
Larger pixels have the potential to collect more photons, resulting in greater dynamic range, while smaller pixels provide higher resolutions (more detail) for a given sensor size.
Relative pixel sizes:
vs
Pixel area difference: 0.57 µm² (32%)
A pixel on Canon SX280 HS sensor is approx. 32% bigger than a pixel on Canon SX500 IS.
Pixel density tells you how many million pixels fit or would fit in one
square cm of the sensor.
Higher pixel density means smaller pixels and lower pixel density means larger pixels.
Higher pixel density means smaller pixels and lower pixel density means larger pixels.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers,
click here.
Specs
Canon SX500 IS
Canon SX280 HS
Total megapixels
16.60
12.80
Effective megapixels
16.00
12.10
Optical zoom
30x
20x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 80 ,100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Auto 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
Macro focus range
1 cm
5 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
24 - 720 mm
25 - 500 mm
Aperture priority
Yes
Yes
Max. aperture
f3.4 - f5.8
f3.5 - f6.8
Metering
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
Yes
Yes
Min. shutter speed
15 sec
15 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/1600 sec
1/3200 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
None
None
White balance presets
5
6
Screen size
3"
3"
Screen resolution
461,000 dots
461,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
1280x720 (25p)
1920x1080 (60/30)
Storage types
SD/SDHC/SDXC
SD/SDHC/SDXC
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
Lithium-Ion NB-6L rechargeable battery
Battery Pack NB-6L
Weight
341 g
233 g
Dimensions
104.0 x 69.5 x 80.2 mm
106.4 x 62.8 x 32.6 mm
Year
2012
2013
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Diagonal
Diagonal is calculated by the use of Pythagorean theorem:
where w = sensor width and h = sensor height
Diagonal = √ | w² + h² |
Canon SX500 IS diagonal
The diagonal of SX500 IS sensor is not 1/2.3 or 0.43" (11 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of
that value - 7.7 mm. If you want to know why, see
sensor sizes.
w = 6.16 mm
h = 4.62 mm
w = 6.16 mm
h = 4.62 mm
Diagonal = √ | 6.16² + 4.62² | = 7.70 mm |
Canon SX280 HS diagonal
The diagonal of SX280 HS sensor is not 1/2.3 or 0.43" (11 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of
that value - 7.7 mm. If you want to know why, see
sensor sizes.
w = 6.16 mm
h = 4.62 mm
w = 6.16 mm
h = 4.62 mm
Diagonal = √ | 6.16² + 4.62² | = 7.70 mm |
Surface area
Surface area is calculated by multiplying the width and the height of a sensor.
SX500 IS sensor area
Width = 6.16 mm
Height = 4.62 mm
Surface area = 6.16 × 4.62 = 28.46 mm²
Height = 4.62 mm
Surface area = 6.16 × 4.62 = 28.46 mm²
SX280 HS sensor area
Width = 6.16 mm
Height = 4.62 mm
Surface area = 6.16 × 4.62 = 28.46 mm²
Height = 4.62 mm
Surface area = 6.16 × 4.62 = 28.46 mm²
Pixel pitch
Pixel pitch is the distance from the center of one pixel to the center of the
next measured in micrometers (µm). It can be calculated with the following formula:
Pixel pitch = | sensor width in mm | × 1000 |
sensor resolution width in pixels |
SX500 IS pixel pitch
Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4612 pixels
Sensor resolution width = 4612 pixels
Pixel pitch = | 6.16 | × 1000 | = 1.34 µm |
4612 |
SX280 HS pixel pitch
Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4011 pixels
Sensor resolution width = 4011 pixels
Pixel pitch = | 6.16 | × 1000 | = 1.54 µm |
4011 |
Pixel area
The area of one pixel can be calculated by simply squaring the pixel pitch:
You could also divide sensor surface area with effective megapixels:
Pixel area = pixel pitch²
You could also divide sensor surface area with effective megapixels:
Pixel area = | sensor surface area in mm² |
effective megapixels |
SX500 IS pixel area
Pixel pitch = 1.34 µm
Pixel area = 1.34² = 1.8 µm²
Pixel area = 1.34² = 1.8 µm²
SX280 HS pixel area
Pixel pitch = 1.54 µm
Pixel area = 1.54² = 2.37 µm²
Pixel area = 1.54² = 2.37 µm²
Pixel density
Pixel density can be calculated with the following formula:
One could also use this formula:
Pixel density = ( | sensor resolution width in pixels | )² / 1000000 |
sensor width in cm |
One could also use this formula:
Pixel density = | effective megapixels × 1000000 | / 10000 |
sensor surface area in mm² |
SX500 IS pixel density
Sensor resolution width = 4612 pixels
Sensor width = 0.616 cm
Pixel density = (4612 / 0.616)² / 1000000 = 56.06 MP/cm²
Sensor width = 0.616 cm
Pixel density = (4612 / 0.616)² / 1000000 = 56.06 MP/cm²
SX280 HS pixel density
Sensor resolution width = 4011 pixels
Sensor width = 0.616 cm
Pixel density = (4011 / 0.616)² / 1000000 = 42.4 MP/cm²
Sensor width = 0.616 cm
Pixel density = (4011 / 0.616)² / 1000000 = 42.4 MP/cm²
Sensor resolution
Sensor resolution is calculated from sensor size and effective megapixels. It's slightly higher
than maximum (not interpolated) image resolution which is usually stated on camera specifications.
Sensor resolution is used in pixel pitch, pixel area, and pixel density formula.
For sake of simplicity, we're going to calculate it in 3 stages.
1. First we need to find the ratio between horizontal and vertical length by dividing the former with the latter (aspect ratio). It's usually 1.33 (4:3) or 1.5 (3:2), but not always.
2. With the ratio (r) known we can calculate the X from the formula below, where X is a vertical number of pixels:
3. To get sensor resolution we then multiply X with the corresponding ratio:
Resolution horizontal: X × r
Resolution vertical: X
1. First we need to find the ratio between horizontal and vertical length by dividing the former with the latter (aspect ratio). It's usually 1.33 (4:3) or 1.5 (3:2), but not always.
2. With the ratio (r) known we can calculate the X from the formula below, where X is a vertical number of pixels:
(X × r) × X = effective megapixels × 1000000 → |
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Resolution horizontal: X × r
Resolution vertical: X
SX500 IS sensor resolution
Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor height = 4.62 mm
Effective megapixels = 16.00
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3468 × 1.33 = 4612
Resolution vertical: X = 3468
Sensor resolution = 4612 x 3468
Sensor height = 4.62 mm
Effective megapixels = 16.00
r = 6.16/4.62 = 1.33 |
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Resolution vertical: X = 3468
Sensor resolution = 4612 x 3468
SX280 HS sensor resolution
Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor height = 4.62 mm
Effective megapixels = 12.10
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3016 × 1.33 = 4011
Resolution vertical: X = 3016
Sensor resolution = 4011 x 3016
Sensor height = 4.62 mm
Effective megapixels = 12.10
r = 6.16/4.62 = 1.33 |
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Resolution vertical: X = 3016
Sensor resolution = 4011 x 3016
Crop factor
Crop factor or focal length multiplier is calculated by dividing the diagonal
of 35 mm film (43.27 mm) with the diagonal of the sensor.
Crop factor = | 43.27 mm |
sensor diagonal in mm |
SX500 IS crop factor
Sensor diagonal in mm = 7.70 mm
Crop factor = | 43.27 | = 5.62 |
7.70 |
SX280 HS crop factor
Sensor diagonal in mm = 7.70 mm
Crop factor = | 43.27 | = 5.62 |
7.70 |
35 mm equivalent aperture
Equivalent aperture (in 135 film terms) is calculated by multiplying lens aperture
with crop factor (a.k.a. focal length multiplier).
SX500 IS equivalent aperture
Crop factor = 5.62
Aperture = f3.4 - f5.8
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.4 - f5.8) × 5.62 = f19.1 - f32.6
Aperture = f3.4 - f5.8
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.4 - f5.8) × 5.62 = f19.1 - f32.6
SX280 HS equivalent aperture
Crop factor = 5.62
Aperture = f3.5 - f6.8
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.5 - f6.8) × 5.62 = f19.7 - f38.2
Aperture = f3.5 - f6.8
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.5 - f6.8) × 5.62 = f19.7 - f38.2
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