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Canon A490 vs Canon SX210 IS

Portability
93
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23
Canon PowerShot A490 front
 
Canon PowerShot SX210 IS front
Portability
90
Imaging
37
Features
40
Overall
38

Canon A490 vs Canon SX210 IS Key Specs

Canon A490
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 37-122mm (F3.0-5.8) lens
  • 175g - 94 x 62 x 31mm
  • Released January 2010
Canon SX210 IS
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-392mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 220g - 103 x 61 x 38mm
  • Introduced June 2010
  • Old Model is Canon SX200 IS
  • Later Model is Canon SX230 HS
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Canon A490 vs Canon SX210 IS Overview

On this page, we will be comparing the Canon A490 vs Canon SX210 IS, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both manufactured by Canon. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the A490 (10MP) and SX210 IS (14MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The A490 was brought out 5 months before the SX210 IS and they are of a similar age. The two cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the A490 scores vs the SX210 IS when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon A490 over the Canon SX210 IS

 A490 SX210 IS 

Reasons to pick Canon SX210 IS over the Canon A490

 SX210 IS A490 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution230k115kSharper screen (+115k dot)

Common features in the Canon A490 and Canon SX210 IS

 A490 SX210 IS 
IntroducedJanuary 2010June 2010Same age
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Canon A490 vs Canon SX210 IS Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry around your camera often, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Canon A490 comes with outside measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") along with a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs) while the Canon SX210 IS has proportions of 103mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.5") with a weight of 220 grams (0.49 lbs).

Compare the Canon A490 vs Canon SX210 IS in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the A490 versus the SX210 IS.

Canon A490 vs Canon SX210 IS size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A490 and SX210 IS is 93 and 90 respectively.

Canon A490 vs Canon SX210 IS top view buttons comparison

Canon A490 vs Canon SX210 IS Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizes simply by going through specifications. The picture below may offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the A490 and SX210 IS.

Plainly, both cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit different megapixels. You can expect the Canon SX210 IS to show more detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively.

Canon A490 vs Canon SX210 IS sensor size comparison

Canon A490 vs Canon SX210 IS Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A490 vs Canon SX210 IS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon A490 Portrait photography factors
Canon SX210 IS Portrait photography factors
19
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
38
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
can't use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon A490 Street photography factors
Canon SX210 IS Street photography factors
46
fixed screen
no image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (220g)
no moving screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon A490
Sports photography with Canon SX210 IS
16
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
43
excellent zoom range (28-392mm 14.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14MP)
max fps very slow (1.0 fps)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Canon A490 Travel photography features
Canon SX210 IS Travel photography features
50
flash built-in
no Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (10MP)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
wide angle not the best (37mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
68
lighter than others (220 grams)
decent megapixels (14MP)
built-in flash
really wide (28mm)
great zoom (392mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon A490 Landscape photography information
Canon SX210 IS Landscape photography information
22
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (37mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen is small (2.5 inch)
manual exposure not available
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
no Time Lapse function
48
you can focus manually
really wide (28mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Canon A490
Vlogging with Canon SX210 IS
21
wide angle not the best (37mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
low quality video (640 x 480 resolution)
no mic socket
30
really wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (220g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have microphone support
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Canon A490 vs Canon SX210 IS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A490 and Canon SX210 IS
 Canon PowerShot A490Canon PowerShot SX210 IS
General Information
Make Canon Canon
Model Canon PowerShot A490 Canon PowerShot SX210 IS
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2010-01-05 2010-06-16
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor 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 10MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 1600 1600
Lowest native ISO 80 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 5 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 37-122mm (3.3x) 28-392mm (14.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-5.8 f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus range 1cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.5 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 115k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 secs 15 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/3200 secs
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.00 m 3.50 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in, Slow Syncro, Manual (3 levels)
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 1280x720
Video format Motion JPEG H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
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 175g (0.39 lb) 220g (0.49 lb)
Physical dimensions 94 x 62 x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") 103 x 61 x 38mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.5")
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 model 2 x AA NB-5L
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom, Face) Yes (2 sec or 10 sec, Custom)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SC/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/MMCplus HC
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $99 $226