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Canon A3500 IS vs Sony S950

Portability
96
Imaging
40
Features
35
Overall
38
Canon PowerShot A3500 IS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26

Canon A3500 IS vs Sony S950 Key Specs

Canon A3500 IS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 135g - 98 x 56 x 20mm
  • Released January 2013
Sony S950
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Revealed February 2009
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Canon A3500 IS vs Sony S950 Overview

On this page, we will be comparing the Canon A3500 IS and Sony S950, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras by companies Canon and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the A3500 IS (16MP) and S950 (10MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The A3500 IS was revealed 3 years later than the S950 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before getting straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a brief summary of how the A3500 IS matches up versus the S950 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon A3500 IS over the Sony S950

 A3500 IS S950 
RevealedJanuary 2013February 2009Fresher by 48 months
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony S950 over the Canon A3500 IS

 S950 A3500 IS 
Manually focus Dial precise focus

Common features in the Canon A3500 IS and Sony S950

 A3500 IS S950 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Canon A3500 IS vs Sony S950 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and size. The Canon A3500 IS features external dimensions of 98mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 135 grams (0.30 lbs) and the Sony S950 has specifications of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check the Canon A3500 IS and Sony S950 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at that time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the A3500 IS and the S950.

Canon A3500 IS vs Sony S950 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A3500 IS and S950 is 96 and 94 respectively.

Canon A3500 IS vs Sony S950 top view buttons comparison

Canon A3500 IS vs Sony S950 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is difficult to envision the difference between sensor sizing merely by reading through a spec sheet. The graphic here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A3500 IS and S950.

Clearly, the two cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same MP. You can count on the Canon A3500 IS to resolve greater detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures more aggressively. The younger A3500 IS will have an edge in sensor technology.

Canon A3500 IS vs Sony S950 sensor size comparison

Canon A3500 IS vs Sony S950 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A3500 IS vs Sony S950 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon A3500 IS Portrait photography info
Sony S950 Portrait photography info
35
good resolution (16MP)
comes with face detection focusing
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
cannot use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
26
manual focus
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
MP count low (10MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Canon A3500 IS Street photography details
Sony S950 Street photography details
67
image stabilization (Optical)
includes touch to focus
lighter than competitors (135 grams)
no moving screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
56
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Canon A3500 IS Sports photography information
Sony S950 Sports photography information
38
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
slow fps (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (200 per charge)
no phase detect AF
24
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
max frames per second very slow (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
MP count low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Canon A3500 IS Travel photography information
Sony S950 Travel photography information
68
lighter than competitors (135g)
includes touch to focus
good resolution (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
not so great battery power (200 shots)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
50
has built in flash
no Timelapse function
MP count low (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon A3500 IS
Landscape photography with Sony S950
42
relatively wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
not so great battery power (200 per charge)
lack of Timelapse mode
31
manual focus
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7")
lack of manual mode
MP count low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Canon A3500 IS
Vlogging with Sony S950
34
relatively wide (28mm)
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focusing
lighter than competitors (135 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone socket
9
no video recording
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Canon A3500 IS vs Sony S950 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A3500 IS and Sony S950
 Canon PowerShot A3500 ISSony Cyber-shot DSC-S950
General Information
Brand Name Canon Sony
Model type Canon PowerShot A3500 IS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Released 2013-01-07 2009-02-17
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip DIGIC 4 -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 1600 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-140mm (5.0x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/2.8-6.9 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing range 3cm 10cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3" 2.7"
Resolution of display 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 secs 2 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.00 m 3.50 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (25 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 None
Video file format H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 135g (0.30 pounds) 167g (0.37 pounds)
Physical dimensions 98 x 56 x 20mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 200 photographs -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID NB-11L -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Cost at launch $115 $130