Canon A490 vs Leica V-Lux 20
93 Imaging
33 Features
10 Overall
23


91 Imaging
35 Features
33 Overall
34
Canon A490 vs Leica V-Lux 20 Key Specs
(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
- Launched January 2010
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
- 218g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
- Launched April 2010

Canon A490 vs Leica V-Lux 20 Overview
Below, we will be matching up the Canon A490 vs Leica V-Lux 20, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Canon and Leica. The image resolution of the A490 (10MP) and the V-Lux 20 (12MP) is relatively close and they feature the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

The A490 was manufactured 3 months before the V-Lux 20 and they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).
Before diving in to a thorough comparison, below is a quick summation of how the A490 scores versus the V-Lux 20 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Canon A490 vs Leica V-Lux 20 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Canon PowerShot A490 and Leica V-Lux 20. The entire galleries are available at Canon A490 Gallery and Leica V-Lux 20 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Canon A490 over the Leica V-Lux 20
A490 | V-Lux 20 |
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Reasons to pick Leica V-Lux 20 over the Canon A490
V-Lux 20 | A490 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") |
Screen resolution | 461k | ![]() | 115k | Clearer screen (+346k dot) |
Common features in the Canon A490 and Leica V-Lux 20
A490 | V-Lux 20 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | January 2010 | ![]() | April 2010 | Same generation |
Focus manually | ![]() | Lack of manual focusing | ||
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither offers selfie screen | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Neither offers Touch screen |
Canon A490 vs Leica V-Lux 20 Physical Comparison
If you are going to carry your camera, you'll have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Canon A490 offers physical measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") with a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs) and the Leica V-Lux 20 has dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs).
Compare the Canon A490 vs Leica V-Lux 20 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with during that time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the A490 and the V-Lux 20.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A490 and V-Lux 20 is 93 and 91 respectively.

Canon A490 vs Leica V-Lux 20 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, its difficult to visualize the difference in sensor sizing merely by looking through specifications. The graphic below will help provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the A490 and V-Lux 20.
To sum up, both cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You should count on the Leica V-Lux 20 to result in more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs much more aggressively.

Canon A490 vs Leica V-Lux 20 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Canon A490 vs Leica V-Lux 20 Specifications
Canon PowerShot A490 | Leica V-Lux 20 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Canon | Leica |
Model type | Canon PowerShot A490 | Leica V-Lux 20 |
Category | Small Sensor Compact | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Launched | 2010-01-05 | 2010-04-20 |
Physical type | Compact | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Sensor type | CCD | CCD |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 27.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4000 x 3000 |
Max native ISO | 1600 | 6400 |
Lowest native ISO | 80 | 80 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Total focus points | 5 | 11 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | 37-122mm (3.3x) | 25-300mm (12.0x) |
Largest aperture | f/3.0-5.8 | f/3.3-4.9 |
Macro focusing distance | 1cm | 3cm |
Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen sizing | 2.5" | 3" |
Resolution of screen | 115 thousand dots | 461 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | None |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 15 secs | 60 secs |
Highest shutter speed | 1/2000 secs | 1/2000 secs |
Continuous shooting rate | 1.0 frames per sec | 2.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 3.00 m | 5.30 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (60 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 640x480 | 1280x720 |
Video format | Motion JPEG | Motion JPEG |
Microphone 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 | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 175g (0.39 lb) | 218g (0.48 lb) |
Dimensions | 94 x 62 x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") | 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") |
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 ID | 2 x AA | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom, Face) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage type | SC/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Card slots | One | One |
Launch cost | $99 | $779 |