Clicky

Canon ELPH 500 HS vs Sony H20

Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
40
Overall
37
Canon ELPH 500 HS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 front
Portability
87
Imaging
32
Features
29
Overall
30

Canon ELPH 500 HS vs Sony H20 Key Specs

Canon ELPH 500 HS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-105mm (F2.0-5.8) lens
  • 185g - 101 x 56 x 25mm
  • Released February 2011
  • Alternate Name is IXUS 310 HS / IXY 31S
Sony H20
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 38-380mm (F3.5-4.4) lens
  • 250g - 107 x 69 x 47mm
  • Announced May 2009
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Canon ELPH 500 HS vs Sony H20 Overview

Below, we are matching up the Canon ELPH 500 HS versus Sony H20, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras by manufacturers Canon and Sony. The sensor resolution of the ELPH 500 HS (12MP) and the H20 (10MP) is fairly similar and they feature the exact same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The ELPH 500 HS was brought out 22 months after the H20 making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go in to a thorough comparison, below is a short highlight of how the ELPH 500 HS scores against the H20 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary

        

Reasons to pick Canon ELPH 500 HS over the Sony H20

 ELPH 500 HS H20 
AnnouncedFebruary 2011May 2009More modern by 22 months
Display dimension3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution461k230kCrisper display (+231k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony H20 over the Canon ELPH 500 HS

 H20 ELPH 500 HS 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing

Common features in the Canon ELPH 500 HS and Sony H20

 ELPH 500 HS H20 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Canon ELPH 500 HS vs Sony H20 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry around your camera, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Canon ELPH 500 HS provides external measurements of 101mm x 56mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.2" x 1.0") and a weight of 185 grams (0.41 lbs) whilst the Sony H20 has specifications of 107mm x 69mm x 47mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.9") along with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs).

Compare the Canon ELPH 500 HS versus Sony H20 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are employing during that time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the ELPH 500 HS vs the H20.

Canon ELPH 500 HS vs Sony H20 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the ELPH 500 HS and H20 is 94 and 87 respectively.

Canon ELPH 500 HS vs Sony H20 top view buttons comparison

Canon ELPH 500 HS vs Sony H20 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizes just by going over specs. The picture here should give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the ELPH 500 HS and H20.

All in all, both the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You should anticipate the Canon ELPH 500 HS to offer you extra detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more modern ELPH 500 HS should have an advantage in sensor technology.

Canon ELPH 500 HS vs Sony H20 sensor size comparison

Canon ELPH 500 HS vs Sony H20 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon ELPH 500 HS vs Sony H20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Canon ELPH 500 HS
Portrait photography with Sony H20
26
comes with face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
27
manual focus
external flash not possible
low MP (10MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon ELPH 500 HS
Street photography with Sony H20
62
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with focus by touch
screen is fixed
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
51
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
heavier than competition (250 grams)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Sports Comparison

Canon ELPH 500 HS as a Sports photography camera
Sony H20 as a Sports photography camera
25
image stabilization (Optical)
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
low battery life (180 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
26
built in image stabilization (Optical)
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
low MP (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Travel Comparison

Canon ELPH 500 HS as a Travel photography camera
Sony H20 as a Travel photography camera
64
comes with focus by touch
has built in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
low battery life (180 per charge)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly display
51
flash built-in
great zoom (380mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
heavier than competition (250 grams)
low MP (10MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (38mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Landscape Comparison

Canon ELPH 500 HS Landscape photography info
Sony H20 Landscape photography info
40
fairly wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
good sized screen (3.2")
image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
manual exposure not available
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
low battery life (180 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
36
manual focus
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (38mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
low MP (10MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
missing Time Lapse recording
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Vlogging Comparison

Canon ELPH 500 HS Vlogging details
Sony H20 Vlogging details
37
fairly wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not contain selfie friendly display
doesn't have mic jack
23
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not great (38mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing mic support
heavier than competition (250 grams)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Canon ELPH 500 HS vs Sony H20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon ELPH 500 HS and Sony H20
 Canon ELPH 500 HSSony Cyber-shot DSC-H20
General Information
Brand Name Canon Sony
Model Canon ELPH 500 HS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20
Also referred to as IXUS 310 HS / IXY 31S -
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Released 2011-02-07 2009-05-14
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor DIGIC 4 with iSAPS technology -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4000 x 3000 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 3200 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-105mm (4.4x) 38-380mm (10.0x)
Highest aperture f/2.0-5.8 f/3.5-4.4
Macro focus range 3cm 2cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3.2 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 461k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology PureColor II Touch TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 5.00 m 7.10 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Front Curtain, Rear Curtain
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (24fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 120 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 240 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264 -
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 185 grams (0.41 pounds) 250 grams (0.55 pounds)
Dimensions 101 x 56 x 25mm (4.0" x 2.2" x 1.0") 107 x 69 x 47mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 180 pictures -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model NB-6L NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Retail cost $175 $249