Canon SD4000 IS vs Sony A500

Its time to look more closely at the Canon SD4000 IS and Sony A500, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Canon and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SD4000 IS (10MP) and the A500 (12MP) is relatively comparable but the SD4000 IS (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizing.

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The SD4000 IS was announced 12 months later than the A500 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both cameras have different body design with the Canon SD4000 IS being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief summary of how the SD4000 IS grades versus the A500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The whole galleries are provided at Canon SD4000 IS Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera, you need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Canon SD4000 IS provides outer measurements of 100mm x 54mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.1" x 0.9") along with a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check out the Canon SD4000 IS and Sony A500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the SD4000 IS compared to the A500.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the SD4000 IS and A500 is 94 and 63 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements simply by going through technical specs. The visual underneath should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the SD4000 IS and A500.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The SD4000 IS using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF tougher and the Sony A500 will provide greater detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The fresher SD4000 IS provides an edge with regard to sensor tech.