Canon SD960 IS vs Leica V-Lux 5

Let's look a little more in depth at the Canon SD960 IS and Leica V-Lux 5, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by rivals Canon and Leica. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the SD960 IS (12MP) and V-Lux 5 (20MP) and the SD960 IS (1/2.3") and V-Lux 5 (1") feature totally different sensor size.

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The SD960 IS was unveiled 12 years prior to the V-Lux 5 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Canon SD960 IS being a Compact camera and the Leica V-Lux 5 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving in to a full comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the SD960 IS scores against the V-Lux 5 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Canon PowerShot SD960 IS and Leica V-Lux 5. The full galleries are available at Canon SD960 IS Gallery and Leica V-Lux 5 Gallery.

For those who are going to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor in its weight and volume. The Canon SD960 IS offers external dimensions of 98mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.1" x 0.9") and a weight of 145 grams (0.32 lbs) while the Leica V-Lux 5 has sizing of 137mm x 97mm x 132mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 5.2") along with a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

Take a look at the Canon SD960 IS and Leica V-Lux 5 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have at the time. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the SD960 IS against the V-Lux 5.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SD960 IS and V-Lux 5 is 95 and 55 respectively.

More often than not, it's difficult to visualise the difference in sensor measurements simply by seeing specifications. The graphic below may give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the SD960 IS and V-Lux 5.

Plainly, both cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The SD960 IS with its smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Leica V-Lux 5 will provide more detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older SD960 IS will be behind in sensor technology.