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Canon A490 vs Nikon AW120

Portability
93
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23
Canon PowerShot A490 front
 
Nikon Coolpix AW120 front
Portability
92
Imaging
40
Features
45
Overall
42

Canon A490 vs Nikon AW120 Key Specs

Canon A490
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 37-122mm (F3.0-5.8) lens
  • 175g - 94 x 62 x 31mm
  • Launched January 2010
Nikon AW120
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.8-4.9) lens
  • 213g - 110 x 66 x 26mm
  • Launched February 2014
  • Previous Model is Nikon AW110
  • Later Model is Nikon AW130
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Canon A490 vs Nikon AW120 Overview

Let's examine more in depth at the Canon A490 versus Nikon AW120, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Waterproof by brands Canon and Nikon. There exists a substantial gap among the image resolutions of the A490 (10MP) and AW120 (16MP) but they possess the same exact sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The A490 was manufactured 5 years earlier than the AW120 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a short overview of how the A490 matches up versus the AW120 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Canon A490 over the Nikon AW120

 A490 AW120 

Reasons to pick Nikon AW120 over the Canon A490

 AW120 A490 
LaunchedFebruary 2014January 2010Newer by 49 months
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution921k115kClearer screen (+806k dot)

Common features in the Canon A490 and Nikon AW120

 A490 AW120 
Manually focus No manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Canon A490 vs Nikon AW120 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Canon A490 has got outer dimensions of 94mm x 62mm x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") having a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs) whilst the Nikon AW120 has proportions of 110mm x 66mm x 26mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.0") having a weight of 213 grams (0.47 lbs).

Examine the Canon A490 versus Nikon AW120 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using at the time. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the A490 against the AW120.

Canon A490 vs Nikon AW120 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A490 and AW120 is 93 and 92 respectively.

Canon A490 vs Nikon AW120 top view buttons comparison

Canon A490 vs Nikon AW120 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be hard to picture the gap in sensor dimensions simply by viewing specifications. The picture underneath will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the A490 and AW120.

To sum up, each of these cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit different megapixels. You can expect the Nikon AW120 to render greater detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The more aged A490 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Canon A490 vs Nikon AW120 sensor size comparison

Canon A490 vs Nikon AW120 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A490 vs Nikon AW120 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon A490 Portrait photography advice
Nikon AW120 Portrait photography advice
19
lack of manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
MP count low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
35
MP count good (16 megapixels)
features face detect autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon A490
Street photography with Nikon AW120
46
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
62
built in image stabilization (Optical)
environment sealing
screen is fixed
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Canon A490 Sports photography information
Nikon AW120 Sports photography information
16
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
51
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
features tracking focus
environment sealing
better than average battery power (350 shots)
no shutter priority
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon A490
Travel photography with Nikon AW120
50
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse function
MP count low (10MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
wide angle not the best (37mm)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
69
better than average battery power (350 CIPA)
environment sealing
MP count good (16MP)
flash built-in
decently wide (24mm)
missing Timelapse function
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon A490 Landscape photography information
Nikon AW120 Landscape photography information
22
lack of manual focus
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (37mm)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
tiny screen (2.5 inch)
no manual control
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
does not have Timelapse function
48
decently wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
environment sealing
better than average battery power (350 shots)
lack of manual focus
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
manual mode not available
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon A490 Vlogging factors
Nikon AW120 Vlogging factors
21
wide angle not the best (37mm)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
low res video (640 x 480 pixels)
does not have microphone port
33
decently wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
missing microphone socket
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Canon A490 vs Nikon AW120 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A490 and Nikon AW120
 Canon PowerShot A490Nikon Coolpix AW120
General Information
Company Canon Nikon
Model type Canon PowerShot A490 Nikon Coolpix AW120
Category Small Sensor Compact Waterproof
Launched 2010-01-05 2014-02-07
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
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 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 -
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 80 125
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 5 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 37-122mm (3.3x) 24-120mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-5.8 f/2.8-4.9
Macro focusing range 1cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 115 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech - OLED monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 3.00 m 5.20 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync -
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080
Max video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
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 175 grams (0.39 pounds) 213 grams (0.47 pounds)
Dimensions 94 x 62 x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") 110 x 66 x 26mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.0")
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 - 350 shots
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID 2 x AA EN-EL12
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom, Face) -
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SC/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus SD / SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Retail cost $99 $350