Canon SX40 Comparison Review

The Canon PowerShot SX40 HS is a fixed lens compact camera that was revealed to the public in September 2011 and is equipped with a 1/2.3-inch sensor. It offers a resolution of 12 megapixel.

Is the Canon SX40 a good camera? The SX40 has a Camera Elo of 1353. This rating puts the SX40 below average of all superzoom compact cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (small sensor cameras), the SX40 also ranks below average. – Well, the Canon SX40 is more than 9 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2011.

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 SX40 vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon SX40 alongside a set of comparators. If you want to review a camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also 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 (USD)	Street Price
	Canon SX40	123 mm	92 mm	108 mm	600 g	380	n	Sep 2011	429
	Canon G1 X	117 mm	81 mm	65 mm	534 g	250	n	Jan 2012	799
	Canon G15	107 mm	76 mm	40 mm	352 g	350	n	Sep 2012	499
	Canon SX50	123 mm	87 mm	106 mm	595 g	315	n	Sep 2012	429
	Canon 1100D	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	495 g	700	n	Feb 2011	449
	Canon SX30	123 mm	92 mm	108 mm	601 g	370	n	Sep 2010	429
	Canon G12	112 mm	76 mm	48 mm	401 g	370	n	Sep 2010	499
	Canon SX20	123 mm	88 mm	87 mm	600 g	..	n	Aug 2009	399
	Canon SX10	123 mm	88 mm	87 mm	600 g	..	n	Sep 2008	399
	Panasonic FZ150	124 mm	82 mm	92 mm	528 g	410	n	Aug 2011	499
	Panasonic FZ100	124 mm	82 mm	92 mm	540 g	410	n	Jul 2010	499
Notes: 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 SX40 was launched in the US market at a price of $429. 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.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have 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 are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Canon SX40 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 SX40 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 following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of comparators.

Sensor Characteristics

	Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
	Canon SX40	1/2.3	12.0	4000	3000	1080/24p	..	..	..	..
	Canon G1 X	1.5-inch	14.2	4352	3264	1080/24p	21.7	10.8	644	60
	Canon G15	1/1.7	12.0	4000	3000	1080/24p	19.9	11.5	165	46
	Canon SX50	1/2.3	12.0	4000	3000	1080/24p	20.3	11.2	179	47
	Canon 1100D	APS-C	12.2	4272	2848	720/30p	21.9	11.0	755	62
	Canon SX30	1/2.3	14.0	4320	3240	720/30p	..	..	..	..
	Canon G12	1/1.7	10.0	3648	2736	720/24p	20.4	11.2	161	47
	Canon SX20	1/2.3	12.0	4000	3000	720/30p	..	..	..	..
	Canon SX10	1/2.3	10.0	3648	2736	480/30p	..	..	..	..
	Panasonic FZ150	1/2.3	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60p	19.4	10.9	132	40
	Panasonic FZ100	1/2.3	14.0	4320	3240	1080/60i	..	..	..	..

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The SX40 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the SX40 can use is 1080/24p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Canon SX40 in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

	Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Size (inch)	LCD Resolution (000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Mech Shutter Speed	Shutter Flaps (1/sec)	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
	Canon SX40	202	n	2.7	230	swivel	n	1/3200s	10.3	Y	Y
	Canon G1 X	optical	n	3.0	922	Swivel	n	1/4000s	1.9	Y	Y
	Canon G15	optical	n	3.0	922	fixed	n	1/4000s	2.1	Y	Y
	Canon SX50	202	n	3.0	461	swivel	n	1/2000s	2.2	Y	Y
	Canon 1100D	optical	n	2.7	230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n
	Canon SX30	202	n	2.7	230	swivel	n	1/3200s	0.6	Y	Y
	Canon G12	optical	n	2.8	461	swivel	n	1/4000s	1.1	Y	Y
	Canon SX20	202	n	2.5	230	swivel	n	1/3200s	0.7	Y	Y
	Canon SX10	202	n	2.5	230	swivel	n	1/3200s	0.7	Y	Y
	Panasonic FZ150	202	n	3.0	460	swivel	n	1/2000s	12.0	Y	Y
	Panasonic FZ100	202	n	3.0	460	swivel	n	1/2000s	11.0	Y	Y

One convenient feature of the SX40 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 SX40 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 Microphone	Internal Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
	Canon SX40	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	YES	2.0	-	-	-
	Canon G1 X	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Canon G15	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Canon SX50	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Canon 1100D	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Canon SX30	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	YES	2.0	-	-	-
	Canon G12	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Canon SX20	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	YES	2.0	-	-	-
	Canon SX10	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
	Panasonic FZ150	Y	stereo	-	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Panasonic FZ100	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-

The SX40 has a zoom lens built in (4.3-151mm f/2.7-5.8), which, in full frame equivalent terms, provides a focal length range from 24 to 840mm. 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.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the SX40 in practical situations. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is where reviews by experts come in. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog).

Review Scores

	Camera Model	camera   labs	dp review	ephoto   zine	imaging resource	photography   blog	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
	Canon SX40	+	..	4.5/5	5/5	4/5	Sep 2011	429
	Canon G1 X	+	76/100	4/5	4/5	4.5/5	Jan 2012	799
	Canon G15	+	76/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	499
	Canon SX50	+ +	72/100	4.5/5	..	4.5/5	Sep 2012	429
	Canon 1100D	80/100	69/100	4/5	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	449
	Canon SX30	+ +	..	3.5/5	4.5/5	4/5	Sep 2010	429
	Canon G12	+	73/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2010	499
	Canon SX20	+ +	73/100	..	4/5	4/5	Aug 2009	399
	Canon SX10	+ +	..	..	4.5/5	4/5	Sep 2008	399
	Panasonic FZ150	+ +	76/100	4/5	5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2011	499
	Panasonic FZ100	+	..	4.5/5	..	4.5/5	Jul 2010	499
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

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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