Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus SH-50
94 Imaging
35 Features
24 Overall
30
![Canon PowerShot SD970 IS front Canon PowerShot SD970 IS front](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/cameras/w300/fronton/Canon-PowerShot-SD970-IS.jpg)
![Olympus SH-50 front Olympus SH-50 front](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/cameras/gallery/medium/Olympus-SH-50/Olympus-SH-50-front.jpg)
88 Imaging
40 Features
48 Overall
43
Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus SH-50 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 1600
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 37-185mm (F3.2-5.7) lens
- 160g - 96 x 57 x 26mm
- Announced February 2009
- Also referred to as Digital IXUS 990 IS
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 125 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
- 269g - 112 x 63 x 42mm
- Announced January 2013
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/samsung-evo-microsd-cards-featur-218x150.jpg)
Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus SH-50 Overview
Lets look much closer at the Canon SD970 IS and Olympus SH-50, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Canon and Olympus. There is a sizeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the SD970 IS (12MP) and SH-50 (16MP) but they use the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/tiktok-218x150.jpg)
The SD970 IS was brought out 4 years prior to the SH-50 which is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).
Before delving in to a in depth comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the SD970 IS scores against the SH-50 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/snapchat-218x150.jpg)
Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus SH-50 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Canon PowerShot SD970 IS and Olympus SH-50. The entire galleries are available at Canon SD970 IS Gallery and Olympus SH-50 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Canon SD970 IS over the Olympus SH-50
SD970 IS | SH-50 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen resolution | 461k | ![]() | 460k | Clearer screen (+1k dot) |
Reasons to pick Olympus SH-50 over the Canon SD970 IS
SH-50 | SD970 IS | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | January 2013 | ![]() | February 2009 | Newer by 47 months |
Manual focus | ![]() | Dial exact focusing | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Canon SD970 IS and Olympus SH-50
SD970 IS | SH-50 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical screen size |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Lack of selfie screen |
Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus SH-50 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is planning to travel with your camera often, you will need to consider its weight and proportions. The Canon SD970 IS features outside measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 26mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 1.0") having a weight of 160 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Olympus SH-50 has measurements of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).
See the Canon SD970 IS and Olympus SH-50 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.![Camera Size Comparison with Lenses Camera Size Comparison with Lenses](https://pxlmag.com/db/assets/camera-size-comparison-animation.gif)
Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you select during that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the SD970 IS against the SH-50.
![Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus SH-50 size comparison Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus SH-50 size comparison](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/camera-compare/Canon-PowerShot-SD970-IS-vs-Olympus-SH-50-size-comparison.jpg)
Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the SD970 IS and SH-50 is 94 and 88 respectively.
![Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus SH-50 top view buttons comparison Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus SH-50 top view buttons comparison](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/camera-compare/Canon-PowerShot-SD970-IS-vs-Olympus-SH-50-top-view-buttons-comparison.jpg)
Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus SH-50 Sensor Comparison
Usually, its difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by reviewing technical specs. The image here will give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the SD970 IS and SH-50.
As you can tell, both of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You should count on the Olympus SH-50 to offer you more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SD970 IS is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.
![Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus SH-50 sensor size comparison Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus SH-50 sensor size comparison](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/sensor-compare/Canon-PowerShot-SD970-IS-vs-Olympus-SH-50-sensor-size-comparison.png)
Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus SH-50 Screen and ViewFinder
![Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus SH-50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus SH-50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/camera-compare/Canon-PowerShot-SD970-IS-vs-Olympus-SH-50-screen-back-comparison.jpg)
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/No-Surprise-Pentax-17-Pre-Orders-218x150.jpg)
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/maxresdefault-218x150.jpg)
Street Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photography-glossary-218x150.jpg)
Sports Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ai-licence-218x150.jpg)
Travel Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LP3_cut_13f_0212-218x150.jpg)
Landscape Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/iphone-optical-stabilization-218x150.jpg)
Vlogging Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Approach-to-AI-Generated-Content-218x150.jpg)
Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus SH-50 Specifications
Canon PowerShot SD970 IS | Olympus SH-50 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Canon | Olympus |
Model | Canon PowerShot SD970 IS | Olympus SH-50 |
Alternate name | Digital IXUS 990 IS | - |
Category | Small Sensor Compact | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Announced | 2009-02-18 | 2013-01-08 |
Body design | Compact | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | - | TruePic VI |
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 | 12MP | 16MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 4608 x 3456 |
Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 6400 |
Lowest native ISO | 80 | 125 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Number of focus points | 9 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | 37-185mm (5.0x) | 25-600mm (24.0x) |
Largest aperture | f/3.2-5.7 | f/3.0-6.9 |
Macro focus distance | 2cm | 5cm |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Display resolution | 461 thousand dot | 460 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | None |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 15 seconds | 15 seconds |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/1600 seconds | 1/2000 seconds |
Continuous shooting speed | 1.0fps | 12.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 3.50 m | 4.00 m |
Flash options | Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288) |
Maximum video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Mic input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Built-In |
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 | 160 gr (0.35 lb) | 269 gr (0.59 lb) |
Dimensions | 96 x 57 x 26mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 1.0") | 112 x 63 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") |
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 model | NB-5L | SLB-10A |
Self timer | Yes (2, 10, Custom, Face) | Yes (2 or 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage media | SD/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HD /MMCplus | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Price at launch | - | $300 |