Sony Alpha 7S II vs Canon PowerShot SX280 HS

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Sony Alpha 7S II and the Canon PowerShot SX280 HS, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Sony Alpha 7S II was introduced in October 2015 and Canon PowerShot SX280 HS was introduced in March 2013. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Alpha 7S II over Canon PowerShot SX280 HS.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon PowerShot SX280 HS over Sony Alpha 7S II.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Sony Alpha 7S II and Canon PowerShot SX280 HS have 3.0" screens with 1,229k dot and 461k dot resolutions respectively. Sony Alpha 7S II has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Canon PowerShot SX280 HS has a Fixed screen

Electronic Viewfinder on Sony Alpha 7S II

Sony Alpha 7S II has a built-in 0.5" Electronic viewfinder with 2,359k dot resolution. It has a 100% coverage and 0.78x magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Canon PowerShot SX280 HS.

Sony Alpha 7S II features a 12.2 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.6 x 23.8 mm and a total area of 847.3 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 102,400 and expands to 50 - 409,600 in boosted mode. Canon PowerShot SX280 HS features a 12.1 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 20.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400.

Canon PowerShot SX280 HS has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Sony Alpha 7S II is equipped with BIONZ X processor and can take pictures up to 4240 x 2832 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4240 x 2384, 2768 x 1848, 2768 x 1560, 2128 x 1416, 2128 x 1200, 1376 x 920, 1376 x 776 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Canon PowerShot SX280 HS is equipped with DIGIC 6 processor and can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4000 x 3000, 4000 x 2248, 4000 x 2664, 2992 x 2992, 2816 x 2112, 2816 x 1880, 2816 x 1584, 2112 x 2112, 1920 x 1080, 1600 x 1200, 1600 x 1064, 1200 x 1200, 640 x 480, 640 x 424, 640 x 360, 480 x 480 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in image stabilization. On Sony Alpha 7S II it means that you are still getting vibration reduction when it is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in GPS on Canon PowerShot SX280 HS

Canon PowerShot SX280 HS has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Cameras have built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n 2.4 GHz on Sony Alpha 7S II) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

NFC on Sony Alpha 7S II

Sony Alpha 7S II has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Sony Alpha 7S II has a Micro HDMI and Canon PowerShot SX280 HS has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Sony Alpha 7S II comes with NP-FW50 battery pack with battery life of 370 shots and Canon PowerShot SX280 HS comes with NB-6L battery pack with battery life of 210 shots.

External Storage Slots

Sony Alpha 7S II has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo Hybrid (UHS-I) card slot. Canon PowerShot SX280 HS has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Sony Alpha 7S II, and up to 1/3200 sec on Canon PowerShot SX280 HS. Sony Alpha 7S II can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps. Canon PowerShot SX280 HS can shoot continuously up to 3.8 fps.

Focusing

Sony Alpha 7S II has 169 focusing points and Canon PowerShot SX280 HS has . Sony Alpha 7S II has detection range from -4 to +20 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Sony Alpha 7S II ranges from -3 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Sony Alpha 7S II and ±2 range on Canon PowerShot SX280 HS. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sony Alpha 7S II and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon PowerShot SX280 HS.

Flash

Canon PowerShot SX280 HS has a built-in flash with maximum range of 3.50 m. Sony Alpha 7S II has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Sony Alpha 7S II.

Sony Alpha 7S II body has dimensions of 127 x 96 x 60 mm (5 x 3.78 x 2.36") and Canon PowerShot SX280 HS body has dimensions of 106 x 63 x 33 mm (4.17 x 2.48 x 1.3"). Sony Alpha 7S II weighs 627 g (1.38 lb / 22.12 oz) and Canon PowerShot SX280 HS weighs 233 g (0.51 lb / 8.22 oz).

Sony Alpha 7S II

Canon PowerShot SX280 HS

127 mm

96 mm

106 mm

63 mm

96 mm

63 mm

60 mm

33 mm