Clicky

Canon A490 vs Sony S2100

Portability
93
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23
Canon PowerShot A490 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100 front
Portability
93
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Canon A490 vs Sony S2100 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
Sony S2100
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-105mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 167g - 98 x 61 x 27mm
  • Released January 2010
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Canon A490 vs Sony S2100 Overview

Its time to look a little more closely at the Canon A490 vs Sony S2100, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras by competitors Canon and Sony. The sensor resolution of the A490 (10MP) and the S2100 (12MP) is very well matched and both cameras have the identical sensor sizing (1/2.3").

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The A490 was brought out at a similar time to the S2100 so they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before we go into a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the A490 matches up against the S2100 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary

        

Reasons to pick Canon A490 over the Sony S2100

 A490 S2100 

Reasons to pick Sony S2100 over the Canon A490

 S2100 A490 
Display size3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution230k115kCrisper display (+115k dot)

Common features in the Canon A490 and Sony S2100

 A490 S2100 
ReleasedJanuary 2010January 2010Similar age
Manual focus No manual focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Canon A490 vs Sony S2100 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor its weight and measurements. The Canon A490 offers exterior 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) and the Sony S2100 has proportions of 98mm x 61mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check out the Canon A490 vs Sony S2100 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at that time. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the A490 vs the S2100.

Canon A490 vs Sony S2100 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A490 and S2100 is 93 and 93 respectively.

Canon A490 vs Sony S2100 top view buttons comparison

Canon A490 vs Sony S2100 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its difficult to envision the contrast between sensor measurements only by reading through specs. The visual below should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the A490 and S2100.

All in all, both of those cameras feature the identical sensor size but not the same megapixels. You can expect to see the Sony S2100 to give extra detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos way more aggressively.

Canon A490 vs Sony S2100 sensor size comparison

Canon A490 vs Sony S2100 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A490 vs Sony S2100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon A490 Portrait photography details
Sony S2100 Portrait photography details
19
no manual focus
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
20
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Street Comparison

Canon A490 Street photography advice
Sony S2100 Street photography advice
46
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
46
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Sports Comparison

Canon A490 Sports photography advice
Sony S2100 Sports photography advice
16
max fps very slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
17
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,200s)
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Travel Comparison

Canon A490 as a Travel photography camera
Sony S2100 as a Travel photography camera
50
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse recording
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (37mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
50
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon A490
Landscape photography with Sony S2100
22
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (37mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inch)
no manual mode
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
does not have Timelapse recording
27
pretty good screen size (3")
focusing manually not possible
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not possible
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
missing Time Lapse function
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Canon A490 Vlogging highlights
Sony S2100 Vlogging highlights
21
wide angle not the best (37mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low res video (640 x 480 pixels)
does not have microphone port
22
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
missing mic support
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Canon A490 vs Sony S2100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A490 and Sony S2100
 Canon PowerShot A490Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100
General Information
Company Canon Sony
Model Canon PowerShot A490 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2010-01-05 2010-01-07
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 1600 3200
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 5 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 37-122mm (3.3x) 33-105mm (3.2x)
Max aperture f/3.0-5.8 f/3.1-5.6
Macro focus distance 1cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.5 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 115 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 15s 1s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1200s
Continuous shutter rate 1.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.00 m 3.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 640x480
Video format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic 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 None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 175 gr (0.39 lbs) 167 gr (0.37 lbs)
Physical dimensions 94 x 62 x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") 98 x 61 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery model 2 x AA 2 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom, Face) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SC/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, optional SD, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at release $99 $0