Canon ELPH 500 HS vs Nikon Coolpix L19: Hands-On Comparison for Compact Camera Buyers

Choosing between two budget-friendly compact cameras can be tricky - especially when both brands carry a solid reputation. I’ve spent more than a decade testing everything from pro-level DSLRs to modest point-and-shoots, so I’m here to cut through the spec sheets and marketing fluff. Let’s dig into the Canon ELPH 500 HS and Nikon Coolpix L19 to see which tiny shooter earns your hard-earned cash.

I swallowed my inner cheapskate and put both through their paces across various shooting scenarios and weighty technical tests to see where each shines - and where they buckle. If you want a no-nonsense, expert-backed comparison that covers everything from sensor performance to ergonomics, you’re in the right place.

What You’re Holding in Your Hands: Physical Size and Feel

Before firing up any shutter, I always size up how a camera feels. Portability and handling can make or break that urge to actually snap a photo, especially with small-sensor compacts geared towards casual users.

The Canon ELPH 500 HS measures approximately 101×56×25mm and weighs 185 grams, while the Nikon L19 is a bit chunkier at 97×61×29mm but lighter at 130 grams thanks to its AA batteries. Canon's slightly more elongated body offers a firmer grip, with a rubberized thumb rest that lets you hold the camera one-handed without worrying it'll slip out of your mitts. Nikon’s shorter but stubbier frame feels less secure - sometimes a bit slippery, especially with sweaty palms. The Canon also feels more solid; it's not ultra-rugged by any means, but definitely less plasticky than the L19.

If you’re a travel photographer seeking lightweight gear, the Nikon’s lighter weight is attractive, but the Canon’s more contoured body edges this one out for comfort during longer shoots.

Frontline Controls and Design Usability

A camera’s controls reflect the experience level it's built for. Are you given clubs for your thumbs, or is your workflow fluid?

Both lack the dials and buttons pro shooters crave, but the Canon offers useful exposure priority shooting modes - notably shutter and aperture priority - which allow a smidge more creative control. Nikon sticks with full auto and scene modes, making it a beginner-only device.

Canon’s touchscreen LCD is a surprise boon (more on that below), speeding up navigation. Nikon sticks to classic button navigation, which feels a bit dated and less intuitive once you’ve used touch displays.

The Heart of the Image: Sensor and Image Quality

We’re in small sensor compact territory, so temper your expectations: these cameras can’t hold a candle to today’s mirrorless or DSLR standouts. But there are differences worth noting.

Canon ELPH 500 HS

• Sensor: 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS
• Resolution: 12MP
• Area: 28.07 mm²
• ISO Range: 100-3200

Nikon Coolpix L19

• Sensor: 1/2.5-inch CCD
• Resolution: 8MP
• Area: 24.74 mm²
• ISO Range: 64-1600

Canon uses a back-illuminated CMOS sensor, which (in theory and experience) offers better low-light performance and less noise at higher ISO than the older CCD sensor Nikon wields. In practice, Canon's sensor produced cleaner images, better dynamic range, and sharper details under identical lighting conditions.

Nikon’s 8MP resolution is limiting, especially for landscape or cropping needs. Canon’s 12MP doesn’t rival modern smartphones, but it comfortably outperforms the L19 for print-worthy photos.

In controlled lab tests, Canon’s JPEGs retained more shadow detail, benefiting landscape and portrait shooters dealing with tricky light. Nikon images tended to chop shadows early and display color casts in indoor light.

Display and User Interface: The Screen You’ll Trust

A big 3.2-inch display can be tempting, but resolution and usability matter more than just size.

Canon’s “PureColor II Touch TFT LCD” at 3.2 inches and 461k dots delivers clear, bright images and is touch-enabled. I appreciated this for quickly adjusting focus points or navigating menus - faster than the fiddly buttons on the Nikon.

Nikon’s smaller 2.7-inch LCD with just 230k dots felt duller. No touchscreen means slower menu dives and less intuitive focus selection (if any). Given these cameras lack electronic viewfinders (EVFs), relying on the rear LCD is common, making Canon’s better screen a standout feature.

Autofocus Tech and Real-World Sharpness

Autofocus is critical, even in casual shooting modes, so how does each camera hold up?

The Canon ELPH 500 HS employs contrast-detection AF with 9 selectable points and supports face detection. It lacks continuous AF or eye/animal eye AF, but in practice it nailed focus reasonably quickly during daylight. In low light or macro scenarios, hunting was noticeable but not frustrating.

Nikon’s L19, unfortunately, offers only center-weighted autofocus with no face detection, resulting in more frequent missed focus, particularly when subjects were off-center or in low-contrast conditions.

For portrait or street photography - where catching expressions in focus is vital - Canon’s autofocus system is more dependable.

Zoom and Lens Performance: What’s Your Reach?

Both cameras have fixed lenses, but focal length and aperture ranges differ:

• Canon: 24–105mm equivalent, f/2.0–5.8
• Nikon: Undisclosed focal range but about 6.3x zoom; aperture f/3.1–6.7

Canon’s wider aperture at the wide end (f/2.0) helps in dim lighting and creates more background blur (bokeh), helpful for portraits or isolating subjects. Nikon’s slower lens limits this creative control.

The Canon produces noticeably sharper images across the zoom range, with less chromatic aberration. Nikon images showed some softness and edge distortion, especially toward maximum zoom.

Macro focus distance favors Canon too - 3cm versus Nikon’s 5cm - letting you get closer and capture finer details.

Shooting Modes, Video, and Special Features

Canon packs on more versatile features for creative shooters:

• Exposure modes: Shutter priority, aperture priority (Canon); none (Nikon)
• Video: Full HD 1080p at 24fps (Canon) vs VGA 640x480 at 30fps (Nikon)
• Image stabilization: Optical on Canon, none on Nikon
• Flash: Both have built-in flashes with several modes

Canon’s inclusion of optical image stabilization (OIS) is a huge plus - especially in handheld shooting and low light - reducing blur by compensating for hand shake.

Video tech underscores Canon’s superiority: 1080p HD video gives flexibility for casual filmmakers or hybrid shooters, while Nikon’s antiquated VGA video is nearly unusable in today’s landscape of high-res clips.

Battery Life and Storage

Canon uses a proprietary NB-6L rechargeable lithium-ion battery rated for about 180 shots per charge. Nikon relies on common AA batteries (2x), which makes replacement easy on the go but also heavier and potentially costly over time.

Storage-wise, both rely on common SD cards. Canon supports SDHC and SDXC formats, offering room for large files. Nikon accepts standard SD/SDHC cards plus internal memory, but its lower resolution means less demand for high-capacity cards.

Connectivity and Extras

Neither camera offers wireless (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth) or GPS, which is no surprise given their entry-level, older designs.

Canon sports a micro-HDMI output, allowing you to hook it up directly to a TV for viewing shots. Nikon skips this.

Real-World Performance Across Photography Genres

Let me unpack how both cameras stack up across popular photography niches - because specs only tell part of the story.

Portrait Photography

Canon’s faster lens (f/2.0 wide end) means you can get shallow depth-of-field effects with creamy backgrounds. Face detection AF improves sharpness on eyes, and the touch interface lets you pick focus points easily. Skin tones are rendered with decent accuracy despite small sensor limitations.

Nikon’s weaker lens and focus system make it harder to isolate subjects, and portraits can feel flat or a bit soft. Disappointingly, no face detection hampers portrait sessions.

Winner: Canon ELPH 500 HS

Landscape Photography

Landscape shooters crave resolution and dynamic range. Canon’s higher 12MP resolution yields larger prints and more cropping freedom. The sensor’s better dynamic range preserves shadow and highlight detail.

Nikon’s 8MP is adequate for web sharing but lacks detail for artistic landscapes. Plus, the smaller sensor has slightly less dynamic range.

Neither model offers weather sealing, which pros or outdoor shooters will find limiting for rugged conditions.

Winner: Canon ELPH 500 HS

Wildlife Photography

Wildlife demands speedy AF, long reach, and high burst rates. Neither camera was designed for this - continuous AF is absent on both, and limited zooms cap your reach.

Canon edges ahead slightly with faster autofocus and marginally better zoom quality.

Burst rates max out at about 3 fps on Canon; Nikon lacks continuous shooting altogether.

Neither camera is ideal here, but Canon is less inadequate.

Winner: Canon ELPH 500 HS

Sports Photography

Fast, accurate tracking and frame rates are a must for sports. Both fall flat here with no tracking AF, limited speed, and sluggish shutter response.

Canon’s 3 fps burst is barely usable; Nikon offers none. Both suffer lag times and focus hunting.

Sports shooters, run don’t walk away from these.

Winner: None

Street Photography

Street snappers value discretion and portability. Nikon’s smaller, lighter body might seem appealing, but the Canon’s better ergonomics and faster lens ultimately give it an edge.

Canon’s quiet shutter and responsive touchscreen speed up capture moments. Nikon’s bulk and slower lens limit candid action.

If ultimate compact and stealth are king, Nikon’s size helps. For quality candid capture, Canon wins.

Winner: Canon ELPH 500 HS

Macro Photography

Close shooting benefits from focusing precision and minimum focus distance.

Canon reaches 3cm, Nikon 5cm, giving Canon tighter close-ups. Its stabilized lens reduces blur, too.

Both lack focus stacking or bracketing, so manual focus trials are tricky.

Winner: Canon ELPH 500 HS

Night and Astro Photography

Low light shooting? Canon’s BSI CMOS sensor with sensitivity up to ISO 3200 and optical stabilization delivers brighter, less noisy results than Nikon’s CCD limited to ISO 1600 and no stabilization.

The maximum shutter on Canon is 15 seconds (good for star trails), while Nikon tops at 8 seconds.

Canon has slight long exposure advantages but falling short of dedicated low-light cams.

Winner: Canon ELPH 500 HS

Video Capabilities

Video geeks rejoice: Canon records Full HD 1080p at 24fps with H.264 compression and HDMI output.

Nikon’s VGA 640x480 is nearly archaic, severely limiting creative options.

Neither camera supports external mics or high framerates.

Winner: Canon ELPH 500 HS

Travel Photography

Travellers want reliable all-rounders: light, compact, versatile, and with decent battery life.

Nikon’s lighter weight and ubiquitous AA batteries appeal to some travelers who can swap batteries anywhere.

Canon’s higher image quality, touchscreen, longer zoom, and stabilization favor everyday versatility despite heavier weight and specialized batteries.

Can’t go wrong with either, but Canon’s image quality helps preserve memories better.

Winner: Tie, depending on preferences

Professional Use

Neither camera targets pros. Absence of RAW support, manual focus, fast lenses, or wireless connectivity limit inclusion in professional workflows.

Canon’s exposure priority modes offer minimal control, but not near pro demands.

Nikon lacks these controls entirely.

Both are better suited to casual users or beginners.

Winner: None

Summary of Strengths and Weaknesses

Feature	Canon ELPH 500 HS	Nikon Coolpix L19
Sensor	1/2.3" BSI-CMOS, 12MP, ISO3200	1/2.5" CCD, 8MP, ISO1600
Lens	24-105mm f/2.0-5.8	~6.3x zoom f/3.1-6.7
Autofocus	9pts, face detection, contrast	Center weighted, no face detection
Stabilization	Optical IS	None
Screen	3.2" touch, 461k dots	2.7", no touch, 230k dots
Video	1080p HD, HDMI	640x480 VGA, no HDMI
Battery	NB-6L Li-ion (~180 shots)	2x AA batteries
Weight	185g	130g
Ergonomics	Secure grip, more solid	Smaller, lighter but slippery
Price (at launch)	Around $175	Discontinued, often <$100

My Final Verdict: Who Should Buy Which?

From my hands-on experience and detailed drills across shooting disciplines, the Canon ELPH 500 HS wins on image quality, versatility, and user experience. Its better sensor, faster lens, touchscreen, stabilization, and 1080p video make it an excellent choice for casual enthusiasts and budget-conscious content creators who want solid image quality without lugging heavy gear or breaking the bank.

The Nikon Coolpix L19 feels like a relic - best reserved for absolute beginners, kids, or those who need light weight and AA batteries for convenience. But given the photos and features tradeoffs, I’d only recommend it if you strictly want a no-frills, ultra-cheap pocket camera for snapshots.

Performance Ratings at a Glance

Breaking It Down by Photography Type

Wrapping It Up: Is It Worth the Upgrade?

If you own a previous-gen compact and are eyeing an affordable upgrade, Canon ELPH 500 HS offers genuine advancements and richer creative flexibility. Nikon’s L19 is strictly for those with zero budget and zero expectations.

For photography enthusiasts, this choice is clear. Hands down, Canon delivers more bang for your buck, and your photos will thank you.

If you’re shopping for a sub-$200 compact camera today, keep in mind smartphone cameras have also come roaring ahead, often beating these models except in zoom range. Yet, for those dedicated to a dedicated camera, the Canon ELPH 500 HS remains a solid entry with its blend of ease and quality.

Happy shooting! And remember: the best camera is the one that inspires you to pick it up and press the shutter.

This hands-on review reflects years of experience with budget compacts and is rooted in practical tests and image comparisons rather than marketing hype. Your mileage may vary depending on usage and preferences, but I stand behind these findings as trustworthy guidance.

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