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Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus TG-4

Portability
94 Imaging
34 Features
24 Overall
30
Canon PowerShot SD970 IS front
 
Olympus Tough TG-4 front
Portability
90 Imaging
40 Features
51 Overall
44

Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Key Specs

Canon SD970 IS
(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
  • Revealed February 2009
  • Also Known as Digital IXUS 990 IS
Olympus TG-4
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 247g - 112 x 66 x 31mm
  • Introduced April 2015
  • Superseded the Olympus TG-3
  • Successor is Olympus TG-5
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Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Overview

Let's take a more detailed look at the Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus TG-4, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Waterproof by companies Canon and Olympus. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the SD970 IS (12MP) and TG-4 (16MP) but they use the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SD970 IS was released 7 years earlier than the TG-4 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting through a thorough comparison, below is a quick summary of how the SD970 IS grades against the TG-4 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon SD970 IS over the Olympus TG-4

          

          

            
 SD970 IS TG-4 
Screen resolution461k460kClearer screen (+1k dot)
          

        


        

          

            
Reasons to pick Olympus TG-4 over the Canon SD970 IS

          

          

            
 TG-4 SD970 IS 
IntroducedApril 2015February 2009More modern by 74 months
Manually focus  More exact focusing
          

        


        

          

            
Common features in the Canon SD970 IS and Olympus TG-4

          

          

            
 SD970 IS TG-4 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen  Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen  Neither contains Touch friendly screen
          

        

        

	
	
	
	

        

          

            
Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Physical Comparison

          

          

            
For those who are looking to carry around your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Canon SD970 IS has got outside measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 26mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 1.0") and a weight of 160 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-4 has measurements of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs).
Analyze the Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus TG-4 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses
Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen at the time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the SD970 IS versus the TG-4.
Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus TG-4 size comparison
Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SD970 IS and TG-4 is 94 and 90 respectively.
Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus TG-4 top view buttons comparison          

        


        

          

            
Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Sensor Comparison

          

          

            
Quite often, it is very tough to visualize the gap between sensor sizes merely by checking specs. The pic here should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the SD970 IS and TG-4.
All in all, each of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different resolution. You can count on the Olympus TG-4 to give greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SD970 IS is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

            Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus TG-4 sensor size comparison
          

        


        

          

            
Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Screen and ViewFinder

          

          

                      

          Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Screen and Viewfinder comparison        


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Photography Type Scores

          

        

        
Portrait Comparison
Canon SD970 IS Portrait photography highlights
Olympus TG-4 Portrait photography highlights
26
 includes face detection autofocus
 manual focus not available
 lack of manual exposure
 external flash not possible
 MP count low (12 megapixels)
 very small sensor (1/2.3")
 lack of RAW format
46
 manual focus
 good MP (16 megapixels)
 supports face detect focus
 exports RAW formats
 no manual exposure
 no external flash support
 small sensor size (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison
Canon SD970 IS Street photography information
Olympus TG-4 Street photography information
56
 image stabilization (Optical)
 no moving screen
 very small sensor (1/2.3")
 lack of RAW format
65
 image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
 exports RAW formats
 environment proofing
 fixed screen
 small sensor size (1/2.3")
 heavier than others (247g)
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Sports Comparison
Sports photography with Canon SD970 IS
Sports photography with Olympus TG-4
25
 image stabilization (Optical)
 painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
 no shutter priority mode
 MP count low (12MP)
 very small sensor (1/2.3")
 lack of phase detect autofocus
47
 image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
 good MP (16 megapixels)
 supports tracking focus
 environment proofing
 great battery power (380 shots)
 continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
 no shutter priority mode
 small sensor size (1/2.3")
 lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison
Canon SD970 IS Travel photography factors
Olympus TG-4 Travel photography factors
51
 has built in flash
 lack of Time Lapse recording
 MP count low (12MP)
 screen is not selfie friendly
 wide angle not fantastic (37mm)
 slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
74
 great battery power (380 per charge)
 environment proofing
 good MP (16 megapixels)
 flash built-in
 relatively wide (25mm)
 very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
 heavier than others (247g)
 doesn't have selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison
 Canon SD970 IS as a Landscape photography camera
 Olympus TG-4 as a Landscape photography camera
32
 screen is a decent size (3")
 image stabilization (Optical)
 manual focus not available
 can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
 wide angle not fantastic (37mm)
 slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
 lack of manual exposure
 MP count low (12 megapixels)
 very small sensor (1/2.3")
 lack of RAW format
 lack of Time Lapse recording
62
 manual focus
 relatively wide (25mm)
 very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
 screen size is good (3 inch)
 image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
 good MP (16 megapixels)
 exports RAW formats
 environment proofing
 great battery power (380 per charge)
 lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
 no manual exposure
 small sensor size (1/2.3")
Photography Glossary
Vlogging Comparison
Vlogging with Canon SD970 IS
Vlogging with Olympus TG-4
27
 image stabilization (Optical)
 includes face detection autofocus
 wide angle not fantastic (37mm)
 slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
 screen is not selfie friendly
 low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
 lack of external mic support
34
 relatively wide (25mm)
 very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
 image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
 supports face detect focus
 video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
 doesn't have selfie friendly display
 lack of mic port
 heavier than others (247 grams)
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Canon SD970 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Specifications

          

          

                      


          

            Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SD970 IS and Olympus TG-4
 Canon PowerShot SD970 ISOlympus Tough TG-4
General Information
Brand Name Canon Olympus
Model type Canon PowerShot SD970 IS Olympus Tough TG-4
Also referred to as Digital IXUS 990 IS -
Class Small Sensor Compact Waterproof
Revealed 2009-02-18 2015-04-13
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor - TruePic VII
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 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter    
Aspect ratio 4:3 and  16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and  16:9
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW support    
Autofocusing
Focus manually    
AF touch    
AF continuous    
Single AF    
AF tracking    
AF selectice    
AF center weighted    
Multi area AF    
Live view AF    
Face detect AF    
Contract detect AF    
Phase detect AF    
Total focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 37-185mm (5.0x) 25-100mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.2-5.7 f/2.0-4.9
Macro focusing distance 2cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 461k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly    
Liveview    
Touch screen    
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority    
Aperture priority    
Manual exposure    
Change WB    
Image stabilization    
Integrated flash    
Flash distance 3.50 m 7.90 m (at ISO 1600)
Flash options Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED
Hot shoe    
Auto exposure bracketing    
WB bracketing    
Exposure
Multisegment metering    
Average metering    
Spot metering    
Partial metering    
AF area metering    
Center weighted metering    
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG H.264, Motion JPEG
Mic jack    
Headphone jack    
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth    
NFC    
HDMI    
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal    
Water proofing    
Dust proofing    
Shock proofing    
Crush proofing    
Freeze proofing    
Weight 160 gr (0.35 pounds) 247 gr (0.54 pounds)
Dimensions 96 x 57 x 26mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 1.0") 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 380 images
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery ID NB-5L LI-92B
Self timer Yes (2, 10, Custom, Face) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse shooting    
Type of storage SD/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HD /MMCplus SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Storage slots One One
Price at launch - $379