How much dynamic range does the Canon S120 offer?

According to measurements carried out by DXO Mark, the sensor in the Canon PowerShot S120 provides a maximum of 11.9 EV of dynamic range (DR). DR is defined as the ratio between the highest and lowest brightness a camera can capture. A value of 12 EV or above is considered excellent.

High dynamic range of a camera sensor is particularly desirable for scenes with a mix of very bright and very dark parts, such as in some landscape photography settings. It helps to avoid that highlights get washed out or that detail in shadows is lost.

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Canon S120 to those of several similar cameras. The reported DXO values are indicators of the sensor's imaging quality (higher is better). In addition to dynamic range (DXO Landscape), the listing also covers color depth (DXO Portrait) and high-ISO noise (DXO Sports). Larger sensor cameras tend to outperform cameras of the same generation that are equipped with a smaller imager. On the other hand, larger sensors are more expensive and require bigger and heavier lenses than smaller light receptors.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon S120	1/1.7	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60p	21.3	11.9	246	56
2.		Canon G9 X Mark II	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	21.9	12.5	522	65
3.		Canon G9 X	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	21.5	12.3	495	63
4.		Canon G1 X Mark II	1.5-inch	13.0	4160	3120	1080/30p	21.5	10.8	581	58
5.		Canon G16	1/1.7	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60p	21.0	11.7	230	54
6.		Canon G1 X	1.5-inch	14.2	4352	3264	1080/24p	21.7	10.8	644	60
7.		Canon G15	1/1.7	12.0	4000	3000	1080/24p	19.9	11.5	165	46
8.		Canon SX50	1/2.3	12.0	4000	3000	1080/24p	20.3	11.2	179	47
9.		Canon G12	1/1.7	10.0	3648	2736	720/24p	20.4	11.2	161	47
10.		Panasonic LF1	1/1.7	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60i	20.8	11.6	211	52
11.		Panasonic LX7	1/1.7	10.0	3648	2736	1080/60p	20.7	11.7	147	50

In the United States, the S120 was initially launched in August 2013 at a price of $449.

Check S120 offers at
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Camera to camera comparisons

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