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Canon A490 vs Panasonic FH20

Portability
93
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23
Canon PowerShot A490 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
21
Overall
30

Canon A490 vs Panasonic FH20 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
Panasonic FH20
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-224mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 178g - 100 x 56 x 28mm
  • Revealed January 2010
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-FS30
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Canon A490 vs Panasonic FH20 Overview

Following is a detailed review of the Canon A490 vs Panasonic FH20, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by manufacturers Canon and Panasonic. There is a significant difference among the resolutions of the A490 (10MP) and FH20 (14MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The A490 was introduced at a similar time to the FH20 and they are of a similar generation. The two cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before diving into a complete comparison, here is a brief view of how the A490 matches up vs the FH20 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon A490 over the Panasonic FH20

 A490 FH20 

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH20 over the Canon A490

 FH20 A490 
Screen size2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution230k115kCrisper screen (+115k dot)

Common features in the Canon A490 and Panasonic FH20

 A490 FH20 
RevealedJanuary 2010January 2010Same generation
Manually focus Lack of manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither includes Touch friendly screen

Canon A490 vs Panasonic FH20 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry around your camera, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Canon A490 features external measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FH20 has dimensions of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Contrast the Canon A490 vs Panasonic FH20 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing during that time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the A490 against the FH20.

Canon A490 vs Panasonic FH20 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the A490 and FH20 is 93 and 93 respectively.

Canon A490 vs Panasonic FH20 top view buttons comparison

Canon A490 vs Panasonic FH20 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizes merely by looking through specs. The picture below should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the A490 and FH20.

All in all, both the cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit different MP. You should expect the Panasonic FH20 to provide you with more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs way more aggressively.

Canon A490 vs Panasonic FH20 sensor size comparison

Canon A490 vs Panasonic FH20 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A490 vs Panasonic FH20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon A490 Portrait photography information
Panasonic FH20 Portrait photography information
19
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
no external flash support
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
28
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
no manual mode
external flash not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon A490 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FH20 as a Street photography camera
46
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Canon A490 Sports photography advice
Panasonic FH20 Sports photography advice
16
max fps low (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
35
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
max frames per second low (5.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Canon A490 Travel photography advice
Panasonic FH20 Travel photography advice
50
flash built-in
no Timelapse mode
low resolution sensor (10MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
wide angle not fantastic (37mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
64
MP count decent (14MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon A490 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic FH20 as a Landscape photography camera
22
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (37mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
tiny screen (2.5")
no manual exposure
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
no Timelapse mode
37
reasonably wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
no manual mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon A490 Vlogging details
Panasonic FH20 Vlogging details
21
wide angle not fantastic (37mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
video res low (640 x 480 pxls)
no external microphone socket
28
reasonably wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing mic port
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Canon A490 vs Panasonic FH20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A490 and Panasonic FH20
 Canon PowerShot A490Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20
General Information
Manufacturer Canon Panasonic
Model type Canon PowerShot A490 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20
Also called - Lumix DMC-FS30
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2010-01-05 2010-01-06
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 80 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 5 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 37-122mm (3.3x) 28-224mm (8.0x)
Max aperture f/3.0-5.8 f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing range 1cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.5" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 115k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 3.00 m 5.80 m (Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 1280x720
Video format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 175g (0.39 lb) 178g (0.39 lb)
Physical dimensions 94 x 62 x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") 100 x 56 x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1")
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 recording
Storage media SC/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Launch price $99 $179