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 2168. This rating puts the SX70 among the top 40 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.

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 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 (USD)	Street Price
1.		Canon SX70	127 mm	91 mm	117 mm	608 g	325	n	Sep 2018	549
2.		Canon SX740	110 mm	64 mm	40 mm	299 g	265	n	Jul 2018	399
3.		Canon 77D	131 mm	100 mm	76 mm	540 g	600	n	Feb 2017	899
4.		Canon 200D	122 mm	93 mm	70 mm	453 g	650	n	Jun 2017	549
5.		Canon 800D	131 mm	100 mm	76 mm	532 g	600	n	Feb 2017	749
6.		Canon G9 X Mark II	98 mm	58 mm	31 mm	206 g	235	n	Jan 2017	529
7.		Canon M100	108 mm	67 mm	35 mm	302 g	295	n	Aug 2017	499
8.		Canon SX730	110 mm	64 mm	40 mm	300 g	250	n	Apr 2017	399
9.		Fujifilm XF10	113 mm	64 mm	41 mm	279 g	330	n	Jul 2018	499
10.		Sony HX99	102 mm	58 mm	36 mm	242 g	370	n	Aug 2018	449
11.		Sony HX95	102 mm	58 mm	36 mm	242 g	370	n	Aug 2018	429
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 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.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon SX70	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	..	..	..	..
2.		Canon SX740	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	..	..	..	..
3.		Canon 77D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.6	13.3	971	78
4.		Canon 200D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.6	13.4	1041	79
5.		Canon 800D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	..	..	..	..
6.		Canon G9 X Mark II	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	21.9	12.5	522	65
7.		Canon M100	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.5	12.9	1272	78
8.		Canon SX730	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	1080/60p	..	..	..	..
9.		Fujifilm XF10	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/15p	..	..	..	..
10.		Sony HX99	1/2.3	18.0	4896	3672	4K/30p	..	..	..	..
11.		Sony HX95	1/2.3	18.0	4896	3672	4K/30p	..	..	..	..

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.

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)	Mech Shutter Speed	Shutter Flaps (1/sec)	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Canon SX70	2360	n	3.0 / 922	swivel	n	1/2000s	10.0	Y	Y
2.		Canon SX740	none	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	n	1/3200s	10.0	Y	Y
3.		Canon 77D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	6.0	Y	n
4.		Canon 200D	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0	Y	n
5.		Canon 800D	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	6.0	Y	n
6.		Canon G9 X Mark II	none	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/2000s	8.2	Y	Y
7.		Canon M100	none	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	6.1	Y	n
8.		Canon SX730	none	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	n	1/3200s	5.9	Y	Y
9.		Fujifilm XF10	none	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/4000s	6.0	Y	n
10.		Sony HX99	638	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/2000s	10.0	Y	Y
11.		Sony HX95	638	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	n	1/2000s	10.0	Y	Y

The LCD screen on the Canon PowerShot SX70 HS is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is hinged on the side and can be flipped out for odd-angle shots in both portrait and landscape orientation. Also, this fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment is often appreciated by videographers for its flexibility. Moreover, v-loggers like the design because the screen can be turned to be front-facing.

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.

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 SX70	-	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
2.		Canon SX740	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
3.		Canon 77D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
4.		Canon 200D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
5.		Canon 800D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
6.		Canon G9 X Mark II	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
7.		Canon M100	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
8.		Canon SX730	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
9.		Fujifilm XF10	-	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
10.		Sony HX99	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
11.		Sony HX95	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y

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 (3.8-247mm 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 (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 (USD)	Street Price
1.		Canon SX70	..	+ +	3.5/5	..	3.5/5	3.5/5	Sep 2018	549
2.		Canon SX740	..	+	3.5/5	..	4/5	4/5	Jul 2018	399
3.		Canon 77D	4.5/5	..	4/5	82/100	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2017	899
4.		Canon 200D	4/5	+ +	4/5	78/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2017	549
5.		Canon 800D	4.5/5	..	3.5/5	80/100	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2017	749
6.		Canon G9 X Mark II	4/5	..	4/5	75/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2017	529
7.		Canon M100	3/5	+	..	..	4/5	3.5/5	Aug 2017	499
8.		Canon SX730	..	+	..	..	4/5	4/5	Apr 2017	399
9.		Fujifilm XF10	..	..	4/5	75/100	4/5	4.5/5	Jul 2018	499
10.		Sony HX99	..	..	..	..	4/5	4.5/5	Aug 2018	449
11.		Sony HX95	..	..	..	..	..	..	Aug 2018	429
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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