Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus E-500

Following is a comprehensive comparison of the Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus E-500, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Canon and Olympus. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the SD970 IS (12MP) and E-500 (8MP) and the SD970 IS (1/2.3") and E-500 (Four Thirds) have different sensor size.

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The SD970 IS was unveiled 3 years after the E-500 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Canon SD970 IS being a Compact camera and the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short summary of how the SD970 IS scores against the E-500 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Canon PowerShot SD970 IS & Olympus E-500. The full galleries are provided at Canon SD970 IS Gallery & Olympus E-500 Gallery.

If you are planning to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to think about its weight and volume. The Canon SD970 IS enjoys outer dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 26mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 1.0") along with a weight of 160 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Olympus E-500 has sizing of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs).

See the Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus E-500 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the SD970 IS versus the E-500.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the SD970 IS and E-500 is 94 and 70 respectively.

Usually, it's hard to imagine the contrast in sensor sizes just by looking through specifications. The image underneath may give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the SD970 IS and E-500.

Plainly, both of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The SD970 IS with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Canon SD970 IS will provide you with greater detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures more aggressively. The younger SD970 IS provides an edge in sensor innovation.