Canon A3500 IS vs Canon SD990 IS

Below, we will be contrasting the Canon A3500 IS and Canon SD990 IS, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Ultracompact and both of them are designed by Canon. The image resolution of the A3500 IS (16MP) and the SD990 IS (15MP) is pretty close but the A3500 IS (1/2.3") and SD990 IS (1/1.7") enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The A3500 IS was introduced 4 years later than the SD990 IS and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Canon A3500 IS being a Compact camera and the Canon SD990 IS being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the A3500 IS matches up versus the SD990 IS when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Canon PowerShot A3500 IS & Canon PowerShot SD990 IS. The whole galleries are viewable at Canon A3500 IS Gallery & Canon SD990 IS Gallery.

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera often, you will have to factor in its weight and volume. The Canon A3500 IS features exterior dimensions of 98mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") having a weight of 135 grams (0.30 lbs) whilst the Canon SD990 IS has sizing of 98mm x 62mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 205 grams (0.45 lbs).

Analyze the Canon A3500 IS and Canon SD990 IS in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have at that moment. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the A3500 IS and the SD990 IS.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A3500 IS and SD990 IS is 96 and 92 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to visualise the difference in sensor measurements simply by looking through technical specs. The graphic here may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the A3500 IS and SD990 IS.

As you can tell, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The A3500 IS using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Canon A3500 IS will render extra detail using its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots much more aggressively. The more recent A3500 IS will have an edge with regard to sensor tech.