Clicky

Canon A490 vs Olympus SZ-12

Portability
93
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23
Canon PowerShot A490 front
 
Olympus SZ-12 front
Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36

Canon A490 vs Olympus SZ-12 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
  • Launched January 2010
Olympus SZ-12
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Released January 2012
Photography Glossary

Canon A490 vs Olympus SZ-12 Overview

Here, we will be reviewing the Canon A490 and Olympus SZ-12, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Canon and Olympus. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the A490 (10MP) and SZ-12 (14MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor sizes (1/2.3").

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The A490 was released 24 months prior to the SZ-12 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a short summary of how the A490 scores versus the SZ-12 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

        

Reasons to pick Canon A490 over the Olympus SZ-12

 A490 SZ-12 

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Canon A490

 SZ-12 A490 
ReleasedJanuary 2012January 2010More recent by 24 months
Screen size3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k115kCrisper screen (+345k dot)

Common features in the Canon A490 and Olympus SZ-12

 A490 SZ-12 
Manually focus No manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch screen Neither includes Touch screen

Canon A490 vs Olympus SZ-12 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to factor its weight and proportions. The Canon A490 features external measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") with a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs) whilst the Olympus SZ-12 has measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Take a look at the Canon A490 and Olympus SZ-12 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the A490 and the SZ-12.

Canon A490 vs Olympus SZ-12 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the A490 and SZ-12 is 93 and 89 respectively.

Canon A490 vs Olympus SZ-12 top view buttons comparison

Canon A490 vs Olympus SZ-12 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is tough to see the gap between sensor measurements merely by reading specifications. The graphic underneath will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the A490 and SZ-12.

Plainly, both of the cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit not the same MP. You can count on the Olympus SZ-12 to deliver greater detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The older A490 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Canon A490 vs Olympus SZ-12 sensor size comparison

Canon A490 vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A490 vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Canon A490
Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-12
19
no manual focus
no manual control
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
33
decent MP (14 megapixels)
offers face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
cannot use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Canon A490 Street photography information
Olympus SZ-12 Street photography information
46
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others in class (226g)
screen is fixed
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Sports Comparison

Canon A490 Sports photography information
Olympus SZ-12 Sports photography information
16
max fps very slow (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
40
incredible zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (220 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Travel Comparison

Canon A490 Travel photography details
Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography details
50
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse mode
low megapixels (10MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (37mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
65
lighter than others in class (226 grams)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
rather wide (25mm)
great reach (600mm)
missing Timelapse mode
not so great battery power (220 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Landscape Comparison

Canon A490 Landscape photography details
Olympus SZ-12 Landscape photography details
22
no manual focus
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (37mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
small screen (2.5 inches)
no manual control
no image stabilization
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
missing Time Lapse mode
40
rather wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
no manual control
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
not so great battery power (220 CIPA)
missing Timelapse mode
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Canon A490 Vlogging advice
Olympus SZ-12 Vlogging advice
21
wide angle not great (37mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
low res video (640 x 480 resolution)
missing mic socket
31
rather wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection autofocus
lighter than others in class (226 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external microphone socket
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Canon A490 vs Olympus SZ-12 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A490 and Olympus SZ-12
 Canon PowerShot A490Olympus SZ-12
General Information
Make Canon Olympus
Model type Canon PowerShot A490 Olympus SZ-12
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2010-01-05 2012-01-10
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 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 -
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 1600 1600
Minimum native ISO 80 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 5 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 37-122mm (3.3x) 25-600mm (24.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.0-5.8 f/3.0-6.9
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.5" 3"
Screen resolution 115 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1700s
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 3.00 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 175 gr (0.39 lb) 226 gr (0.50 lb)
Physical dimensions 94 x 62 x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6")
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 - 220 photographs
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID 2 x AA LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom, Face) Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SC/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $99 $350