Canon PowerShot SX500 IS Review

Overall Score

41

Main Features

  • 16 MP 1/2.3 CCD Sensor
  • 24-720 mm (30x) F3.4-5.8 Zoom Lens
  • 80 - 1600 ISO
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • 1 fps continuous shooting
  • 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • Built-In Wireless
  • 104 x 70 x 80 mm, 341g.
  • Price Category:
  • Replaced by: PowerShot SX510 HS

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Canon PowerShot SX500 IS Overview


First introduced in August, 2012, Canon PowerShot SX500 IS is a 16 MP Compact with a 1/2.3 (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sized CCD sensor.

Canon replaced PowerShot SX500 IS with Canon SX510 HS. Follow the link to read our detailed comparison of these models:

Compare Canon SX500 IS with Canon SX510 HS


Canon SX500 IS comes with a 6.16 x 4.62 mm CCD sensor, which has a diagonal of 7.7 mm (0.3").

- Full Frame
- Canon PowerShot SX500 IS

Sensor resolution of Canon SX500 IS ~ 4613 x 3468 pixels.

Canon SX500 IS has Crop Factor: 5.62

The sensor has a surface area of 28.5 mm².

There are approximate 15,997,884 photosites (pixels) on this area.


Proc and Cons of Canon SX500 IS


Get to know this camera closer. Let's look at the features and characteristics of this model. Compare Canon PowerShot SX500 IS with competitors in small sensor superzoom cameras.

Pros
Built-in Wireless
AF Face Detection
Manual Focus
24 mm Wide Angle Lens
Optical Image Stabilization
1.0 fps Continuous Shooting
Manual Exposure Mode
5.8 Lens at Tele
2 AE Bracketing Range
Cons
No Bluetooth
No Touch Screen
No Built-in Viewfinder
Low Max Native ISO: 1600
Slow Lens at Tele: F5.8
Slow Continuous Shooting: 461 fps
No Articulating Screen
No Full HD Video
No Environmental Sealing
No External Flash
Slow Lens at Wide: F3.4
Low Screen Resolution: 461k dots
Low Battery Life: 195 shots
Type Scores

Canon PowerShot SX500 IS has an Overall Score of 41/100 and ranked #374 out of 802 in Compact cameras, and ranked #765 out of 1222 in all cameras.

Canon SX500 IS Scores
Imaging score
21
Features score
41
Value for money score
58
Portability score
88
Overall score
41
Average Scores in Small Sensor Superzoom
Imaging Score
25
Features Score
51
Value For Money Score
61
Portability Score
85
Overall score
45

Physical Dimensions of Canon SX500 IS


Canon PowerShot SX500 IS weighs 341g and has external dimensions of 104 x 70 x 80mm (4.09 x 2.76 x 3.15"). Considering that the average weight of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras is 392g, Canon SX500 IS is 51 grams less than the average weight of cameras in this category. Canon SX500 IS is less by 9mm more than the average length in Small Sensor Superzoom.

Weight Comparison
Small Sensor Superzoom Cameras


Canon SX500 IS
341g
Average weight
392g
Min weight
136g
Max weight
1415g

Thickness Comparison
Small Sensor Superzoom Cameras


Canon SX500 IS
80mm
Average Thickness
65mm
Min Thickness
0mm
Max Thickness
181mm

Here is the front and top view image of Canon PowerShot SX500 IS with the dimensions:

Canon PowerShot SX500 IS

Size Compared to Major Competitors


Model Weight PowerShot SX500 IS Dimensions PowerShot SX500 IS
Canon PowerShot SX510 HS Canon SX510 HS 349 g 341 g 104 x 70 x 80 mm 104 x 70 x 80 mm
Canon PowerShot SX530 HS Canon SX530 HS 442 g 341 g 120 x 82 x 92 mm 104 x 70 x 80 mm
Canon PowerShot SX410 IS Canon SX410 IS 325 g 341 g 104 x 69 x 85 mm 104 x 70 x 80 mm
Canon PowerShot SX60 HS Canon SX60 HS 650 g 341 g 128 x 93 x 114 mm 104 x 70 x 80 mm
Canon PowerShot G16 Canon G16 356 g 341 g 109 x 76 x 40 mm 104 x 70 x 80 mm
Canon PowerShot SX420 IS Canon SX420 IS 325 g 341 g 104 x 69 x 85 mm 104 x 70 x 80 mm
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Canon SX50 HS 595 g 341 g 123 x 87 x 106 mm 104 x 70 x 80 mm
Canon PowerShot SX520 HS Canon SX520 HS 441 g 341 g 120 x 82 x 92 mm 104 x 70 x 80 mm

Specifications of Canon PowerShot SX500 IS


General
Brand Canon
Model PowerShot SX500 IS
Announced August, 2012
Body Type Compact
Lens
Lens Mount fixed lens
Manual Focus
Focal Lens Multiplier
Number of Lenses 0
Macro Focus Range 1
Screen
Screen Size 3"
Screen Type Fixed
Screen Resolution 461k pixels
Touch Screen
Live View
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage n/a%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.0
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 1
Number of Cross Focus Points 0
Photography Features
RAW Support
Min Shutter Speed 1/15 sec
Max Shutter Speed 1/1600 sec
Continuous Shooting 1.0 fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.00
Flash Modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External Flash
AE Bracketing
AE Bracketing Range ±2 EV
WB Bracketing
Sensor
Sensor Size 1/2.3
Sensor Type CCD
Sensor Dimensions 6.16 x 4.62 mm
Sensor Area 28.5 mm²
Sensor Resolution 16 MP
Max Image Resolution 4608 x 3456
Max Native ISO 1600
Min Native ISO 80
Max Boosted ISO 0
Min Boosted ISO 0
Video Features
4K
Max Video Resolution 1280 x 720
Video Formats H.264
Timelapse Recording
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Exposure Modes
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
Connectivity
GPS None
Wireless Connectivity Built-In
Bluetooth
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Battery
Battery Life 195 shots
Battery Type Battery Pack
Battery Model NB-6L
Physical
Weight 341 g
Physical Dimensions 104 x 70 x 80 mm
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Shock Proof
Storage
Storage Type SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage Slots 1
Other Features
Self Timer
Selfie Friendly

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