Canon SD970 IS vs Panasonic LX5
94 Imaging
34 Features
24 Overall
30


88 Imaging
35 Features
44 Overall
38
Canon SD970 IS vs Panasonic LX5 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- 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
- Other Name is Digital IXUS 990 IS
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 12800
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 24-90mm (F2.0-3.3) lens
- 271g - 110 x 65 x 43mm
- Announced December 2011
- Earlier Model is Panasonic LX3
- Later Model is Panasonic LX7

Canon SD970 IS vs Panasonic LX5 Overview
Below, we are evaluating the Canon SD970 IS and Panasonic LX5, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by manufacturers Canon and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the SD970 IS (12MP) and the LX5 (10MP) is very comparable but the SD970 IS (1/2.3") and LX5 (1/1.63") come with different sensor measurements.

The SD970 IS was unveiled 3 years before the LX5 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).
Before delving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a simple summary of how the SD970 IS matches up vs the LX5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Canon SD970 IS vs Panasonic LX5 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Canon PowerShot SD970 IS & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. The full galleries are available at Canon SD970 IS Gallery & Panasonic LX5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Canon SD970 IS over the Panasonic LX5
SD970 IS | LX5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display resolution | 461k | ![]() | 460k | Clearer display (+1k dot) |
Reasons to pick Panasonic LX5 over the Canon SD970 IS
LX5 | SD970 IS | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | December 2011 | ![]() | February 2009 | More recent by 34 months |
Focus manually | ![]() | Very accurate focus |
Common features in the Canon SD970 IS and Panasonic LX5
SD970 IS | LX5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical display measurements |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither provides selfie screen | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Neither provides Touch display |
Canon SD970 IS vs Panasonic LX5 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is going to lug around your camera regularly, you have to factor its weight and proportions. The Canon SD970 IS provides outside measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 26mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 160 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Panasonic LX5 has measurements of 110mm x 65mm x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).
Analyze the Canon SD970 IS and Panasonic LX5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the SD970 IS and the LX5.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SD970 IS and LX5 is 94 and 88 respectively.

Canon SD970 IS vs Panasonic LX5 Sensor Comparison
Typically, it is very difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements just by seeing technical specs. The visual below will provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the SD970 IS and LX5.
As you can tell, the two cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The SD970 IS using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh more challenging and the Canon SD970 IS will provide more detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively. The older SD970 IS will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Canon SD970 IS vs Panasonic LX5 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Canon SD970 IS vs Panasonic LX5 Specifications
Canon PowerShot SD970 IS | Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Canon | Panasonic |
Model | Canon PowerShot SD970 IS | Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 |
Also called | Digital IXUS 990 IS | - |
Category | Small Sensor Compact | Small Sensor Compact |
Announced | 2009-02-18 | 2011-12-15 |
Physical type | Compact | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | - | Venus Engine FHD |
Sensor type | CCD | CCD |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/1.63" |
Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 8.07 x 5.56mm |
Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 44.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixel | 10 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 3648 x 2736 |
Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 12800 |
Lowest native ISO | 80 | 80 |
RAW images | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 9 | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | 37-185mm (5.0x) | 24-90mm (3.8x) |
Largest aperture | f/3.2-5.7 | f/2.0-3.3 |
Macro focus distance | 2cm | 1cm |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 4.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of screen | 461 thousand dots | 460 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | Electronic (optional) |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 15 secs | 60 secs |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/1600 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shutter rate | 1.0 frames/s | 3.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | 3.50 m | 7.20 m |
Flash options | Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 1280x720 | 1280x720 |
Video format | Motion JPEG | AVCHD Lite |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 160g (0.35 lbs) | 271g (0.60 lbs) |
Dimensions | 96 x 57 x 26mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 1.0") | 110 x 65 x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | not tested | 41 |
DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 19.6 |
DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 10.8 |
DXO Low light score | not tested | 132 |
Other | ||
Battery model | NB-5L | - |
Self timer | Yes (2, 10, Custom, Face) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HD /MMCplus | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Pricing at release | - | $294 |