Canon SX70 Comparison Review

The Canon PowerShot SX70 HS is a fixed lens compact camera that was announced in September 2018 and is equipped with a 1/2.3-inch sensor. It offers a resolution of 20.2 megapixel.

Is the Canon SX70 a good camera? The SX70 has a Camera Elo of 2017. This rating puts the SX70 among the top 50 percent of all superzoom compact cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (small sensor cameras), the SX70 ranks among the top 20 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 4-star performance rating.

Headline Specifications

Canon SX70
Fixed lens compact camera
21-1365mm f/3.4-6.5
20.2 MP, 1/2.3" Sensor
4K/30p Video
ISO 100-3200
Electronic viewfinder (2360k dots)
3.0" LCD, 922k dots
Swivel screen (not touch-sensitive)
10 shutter flaps per second
325 shots per battery charge
127 x 91 x 117 mm, 608 g

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 SX70 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 SX70 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.

Camera Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life (CIPA)	Weather Sealing (yes/no)	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Canon SX70	5.0 in	3.6 in	4.6 in	21.4 oz	325	n	Sep 2018	549			Canon SX70
	Canon SX740« »	4.3 in	2.5 in	1.6 in	10.5 oz	265	n	Jul 2018	399			Canon SX740
	Canon 77D« »	5.2 in	3.9 in	3.0 in	19.0 oz	600	n	Feb 2017	899			Canon 77D
	Canon G9 X Mark II« »	3.9 in	2.3 in	1.2 in	7.3 oz	235	n	Jan 2017	529			Canon G9 X Mark II
	Canon M100« »	4.3 in	2.6 in	1.4 in	10.7 oz	295	n	Aug 2017	499			Canon M100
	Canon SL2« »	4.8 in	3.7 in	2.8 in	16.0 oz	650	n	Jun 2017	549	-		Canon SL2
	Canon SX730« »	4.3 in	2.5 in	1.6 in	10.6 oz	250	n	Apr 2017	399	-		Canon SX730
	Canon SX60« »	5.0 in	3.7 in	4.5 in	22.9 oz	340	n	Sep 2014	549	-		Canon SX60
	Nikon B700« »	4.9 in	3.3 in	4.2 in	19.9 oz	350	n	Feb 2016	499			Nikon B700
	Panasonic FZ80« »	5.1 in	3.7 in	4.7 in	21.7 oz	330	n	Jan 2017	399			Panasonic FZ80
	Sony HX400V« »	5.1 in	3.7 in	4.1 in	23.3 oz	300	n	Feb 2014	499			Sony HX400V
Convert to Metric
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Canon SX70 was launched in the US market at a price of $549. 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 sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants 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. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Canon SX70 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 SX70 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 determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The SX70 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the SX70 can use is 4K/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Canon SX70 along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

One convenient feature of the SX70 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 SX70 HS and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

It is notable that the SX70 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

The SX70 has a zoom lens built in (3.8-247.0mm f/3.4-6.5), which, in full frame equivalent terms, provides a focal length range from 21 to 1365mm. 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 comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the SX70. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is where reviews by experts come in. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog).

Review Scores

	Camera Model						Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Canon SX70	-	-	3.5/5	-	3.5/5	Sep 2018	549			Canon SX70
	Canon SX740« »	+	-	4/5	-	4/5	Jul 2018	399			Canon SX740
	Canon 77D« »	-	82/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2017	899			Canon 77D
	Canon G9 X Mark II« »	-	75/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2017	529			Canon G9 X Mark II
	Canon M100« »	+	-	4/5	-	3.5/5	Aug 2017	499			Canon M100
	Canon SL2« »	+ +	78/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2017	549	-		Canon SL2
	Canon SX730« »	+	-	4/5	-	4/5	Apr 2017	399	-		Canon SX730
	Canon SX60« »	+ +	75/100	4/5	-	4.5/5	Sep 2014	549	-		Canon SX60
	Nikon B700« »	+	-	4/5	-	4/5	Feb 2016	499			Nikon B700
	Panasonic FZ80« »	+ +	-	4.5/5	-	4.5/5	Jan 2017	399			Panasonic FZ80
	Sony HX400V« »	+ +	-	4/5	-	4/5	Feb 2014	499			Sony HX400V
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (-) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review of this and another camera, just make your choice using the following search menu. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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