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Canon A490 vs Sony WX50

Portability
93
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23
Canon PowerShot A490 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX50 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37

Canon A490 vs Sony WX50 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
  • Released January 2010
Sony WX50
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
  • 117g - 92 x 52 x 19mm
  • Announced January 2012
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Canon A490 vs Sony WX50 Overview

Here is a detailed assessment of the Canon A490 versus Sony WX50, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras by manufacturers Canon and Sony. There is a significant difference between the image resolutions of the A490 (10MP) and WX50 (16MP) but they possess the exact same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The A490 was unveiled 3 years before the WX50 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the A490 grades against the WX50 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon A490 over the Sony WX50

 A490 WX50 

Reasons to pick Sony WX50 over the Canon A490

 WX50 A490 
AnnouncedJanuary 2012January 2010Fresher by 25 months
Screen dimension2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution461k115kClearer screen (+346k dot)

Common features in the Canon A490 and Sony WX50

 A490 WX50 
Manual focus Lack of manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither features Touch friendly screen

Canon A490 vs Sony WX50 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry your camera frequently, you have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Canon A490 enjoys outside dimensions of 94mm x 62mm x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") along with a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs) and the Sony WX50 has dimensions of 92mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Take a look at the Canon A490 versus Sony WX50 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the A490 vs the WX50.

Canon A490 vs Sony WX50 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the A490 and WX50 is 93 and 96 respectively.

Canon A490 vs Sony WX50 top view buttons comparison

Canon A490 vs Sony WX50 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's tough to imagine the contrast between sensor sizing just by going over a spec sheet. The graphic underneath will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the A490 and WX50.

As you can see, both the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You should expect the Sony WX50 to offer greater detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots much more aggressively. The older A490 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Canon A490 vs Sony WX50 sensor size comparison

Canon A490 vs Sony WX50 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A490 vs Sony WX50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon A490 Portrait photography information
Sony WX50 Portrait photography information
19
no manual focus
no manual exposure
no external flash support
MP count low (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
34
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
features face detect autofocus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon A490 Street photography advice
Sony WX50 Street photography advice
46
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (117 grams)
no articulating screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon A490
Sports photography with Sony WX50
16
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
44
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16MP)
features tracking focus
no shutter priority
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Canon A490 Travel photography information
Sony WX50 Travel photography information
50
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse recording
MP count low (10 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
wide angle not great (37mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
69
lighter than competition in class (117g)
decent megapixels (16MP)
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
no Time Lapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon A490 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony WX50 as a Landscape photography camera
22
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (37mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen is small (2.5 inches)
no manual exposure
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
lack of Time Lapse recording
38
really wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
tiny screen (2.7")
no manual control
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon A490 Vlogging features
Sony WX50 Vlogging features
21
wide angle not great (37mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
low quality video (640 x 480 resolution)
lack of external mic jack
35
really wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (117g)
slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no mic jack
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Canon A490 vs Sony WX50 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A490 and Sony WX50
 Canon PowerShot A490Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX50
General Information
Company Canon Sony
Model Canon PowerShot A490 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX50
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Released 2010-01-05 2012-01-30
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - BIONZ
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 5 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 37-122mm (3.3x) 25-125mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.0-5.8 f/2.6-6.3
Macro focus distance 1cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.5 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 115k dot 461k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology - Clearfoto TFT LCD display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.00 m 5.30 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
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 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 175g (0.39 lb) 117g (0.26 lb)
Dimensions 94 x 62 x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") 92 x 52 x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 life - 240 photos
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery model 2 x AA NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom, Face) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SC/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Price at launch $99 $250