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Canon A490 vs Panasonic ZS45

Portability
93
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23
Canon PowerShot A490 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45 front
Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
55
Overall
46

Canon A490 vs Panasonic ZS45 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
  • Revealed January 2010
Panasonic ZS45
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 249g - 108 x 60 x 32mm
  • Announced January 2015
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ57
  • Superseded the Panasonic ZS40
  • Later Model is Panasonic ZS50
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Canon A490 vs Panasonic ZS45 Overview

On this page, we are looking at the Canon A490 vs Panasonic ZS45, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Canon and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the A490 (10MP) and ZS45 (16MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The A490 was unveiled 6 years prior to the ZS45 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before getting into a in-depth comparison, here is a short summation of how the A490 matches up versus the ZS45 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Canon A490 over the Panasonic ZS45

 A490 ZS45 

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS45 over the Canon A490

 ZS45 A490 
AnnouncedJanuary 2015January 2010More recent by 60 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1040k115kClearer display (+925k dot)

Common features in the Canon A490 and Panasonic ZS45

 A490 ZS45 
Manually focus Lack of manual focusing
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither contains Touch friendly display

Canon A490 vs Panasonic ZS45 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to factor in its weight and volume. The Canon A490 has got outside dimensions of 94mm x 62mm x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS45 has sizing of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs).

Look at the Canon A490 vs Panasonic ZS45 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the A490 versus the ZS45.

Canon A490 vs Panasonic ZS45 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A490 and ZS45 is 93 and 91 respectively.

Canon A490 vs Panasonic ZS45 top view buttons comparison

Canon A490 vs Panasonic ZS45 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its tough to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements simply by going over a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will help give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the A490 and ZS45.

As you can see, the two cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different MP. You can anticipate the Panasonic ZS45 to offer you greater detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos more aggressively. The older A490 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Canon A490 vs Panasonic ZS45 sensor size comparison

Canon A490 vs Panasonic ZS45 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A490 vs Panasonic ZS45 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon A490 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic ZS45 as a Portrait photography camera
19
no manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
low MP (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
37
MP count decent (16MP)
features face detection focusing
focusing manually not possible
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon A490
Street photography with Panasonic ZS45
46
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
69
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (249g)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Canon A490 Sports photography factors
Panasonic ZS45 Sports photography factors
16
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
low MP (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
55
excellent zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16MP)
features tracking autofocus
good battery power (350 CIPA)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Canon A490 Travel photography information
Panasonic ZS45 Travel photography information
50
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse mode
low MP (10 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
wide angle not great (37mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
71
good battery power (350 per charge)
lighter than competitors (249 grams)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
long reach (480mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon A490
Landscape photography with Panasonic ZS45
22
no manual focus
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (37mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
small screen (2.5 inches)
no manual control
lack of image stabilization
low MP (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
does not have Timelapse mode
47
reasonably wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16MP)
good battery power (350 shots)
focusing manually not possible
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon A490 Vlogging advice
Panasonic ZS45 Vlogging advice
21
wide angle not great (37mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
does not have external microphone port
34
reasonably wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competitors (249 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
does not have external mic support
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Canon A490 vs Panasonic ZS45 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A490 and Panasonic ZS45
 Canon PowerShot A490Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45
General Information
Manufacturer Canon Panasonic
Model type Canon PowerShot A490 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45
Alternate name - Lumix DMC-TZ57
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2010-01-05 2015-01-06
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 5 21
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 37-122mm (3.3x) 24-480mm (20.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.0-5.8 f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing distance 1cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 115k dots 1,040k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 3.00 m 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance 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 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
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 grams (0.39 lb) 249 grams (0.55 lb)
Physical dimensions 94 x 62 x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") 108 x 60 x 32mm (4.3" 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 life - 350 images
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID 2 x AA -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom, Face) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SC/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Price at launch $99 $300