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Canon SD970 IS vs Sony HX90V

Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
24
Overall
30
Canon PowerShot SD970 IS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX90V front
Portability
91
Imaging
42
Features
63
Overall
50

Canon SD970 IS vs Sony HX90V 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 referred to as Digital IXUS 990 IS
Sony HX90V
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.5-6.4) lens
  • 245g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Launched April 2015
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Canon SD970 IS vs Sony HX90V Overview

Its time to examine more in depth at the Canon SD970 IS vs Sony HX90V, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Canon and Sony. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the SD970 IS (12MP) and HX90V (18MP) but they feature the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The SD970 IS was launched 7 years prior to the HX90V and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a short view of how the SD970 IS matches up against the HX90V in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Canon SD970 IS over the Sony HX90V

 SD970 IS HX90V 

Reasons to pick Sony HX90V over the Canon SD970 IS

 HX90V SD970 IS 
LaunchedApril 2015February 2009More recent by 74 months
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution921k461kClearer display (+460k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Canon SD970 IS and Sony HX90V

 SD970 IS HX90V 
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Canon SD970 IS vs Sony HX90V Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to factor in its weight and volume. The Canon SD970 IS has external 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) whilst the Sony HX90V has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") having a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

See the Canon SD970 IS vs Sony HX90V in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the SD970 IS vs the HX90V.

Canon SD970 IS vs Sony HX90V size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SD970 IS and HX90V is 94 and 91 respectively.

Canon SD970 IS vs Sony HX90V top view buttons comparison

Canon SD970 IS vs Sony HX90V Sensor Comparison

Normally, its difficult to envision the difference in sensor measurements purely by going through specs. The visual below will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the SD970 IS and HX90V.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same MP. You can anticipate the Sony HX90V to produce more detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older SD970 IS will be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Canon SD970 IS vs Sony HX90V sensor size comparison

Canon SD970 IS vs Sony HX90V Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SD970 IS vs Sony HX90V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Canon SD970 IS
Portrait photography with Sony HX90V
26
offers face detect focusing
manual focus not available
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
MP count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
45
focusing manually
MP count good (18 megapixels)
has face detection focusing
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon SD970 IS
Street photography with Sony HX90V
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
69
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (245g)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Canon SD970 IS Sports photography advice
Sony HX90V Sports photography advice
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
low frames per second (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
MP count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
56
great zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (18MP)
has tracking autofocus
good battery power (360 per charge)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Canon SD970 IS Travel photography details
Sony HX90V Travel photography details
51
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
MP count low (12 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
wide angle not the best (37mm)
slow max aperture (f3.2)
75
good battery power (360 per charge)
lighter than competition in class (245g)
MP count good (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
relatively wide (24mm)
great zoom (720mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon SD970 IS
Landscape photography with Sony HX90V
32
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (37mm)
slow max aperture (f3.2)
no manual exposure
MP count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
53
focusing manually
relatively wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (18 megapixels)
good battery power (360 shots)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SD970 IS Vlogging info
Sony HX90V Vlogging info
27
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focusing
wide angle not the best (37mm)
slow max aperture (f3.2)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have mic socket
74
relatively wide (24mm)
screen is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (245g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not have external mic port
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Canon SD970 IS vs Sony HX90V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SD970 IS and Sony HX90V
 Canon PowerShot SD970 ISSony Cyber-shot DSC-HX90V
General Information
Brand Name Canon Sony
Model Canon PowerShot SD970 IS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX90V
Also called as Digital IXUS 990 IS -
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2009-02-18 2015-04-14
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
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 area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 18MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4000 x 3000 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 1600 12800
Min native ISO 80 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 37-185mm (5.0x) 24-720mm (30.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.2-5.7 f/3.5-6.4
Macro focus distance 2cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 461k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 638k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.5x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.50 m 5.40 m (with Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off Auto, flash on, slow sync, flash off, rear sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB 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) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG AVCHD, XAVC S
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 160g (0.35 pounds) 245g (0.54 pounds)
Dimensions 96 x 57 x 26mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 1.0") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
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 life - 360 images
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model NB-5L NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2, 10, Custom, Face) Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HD /MMCplus SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail price - $440