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Canon SD980 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill

Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
28
Overall
32
Canon PowerShot SD980 IS front
 
Sigma SD1 Merrill front
Portability
57
Imaging
56
Features
45
Overall
51

Canon SD980 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Key Specs

Canon SD980 IS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 150g - 100 x 53 x 23mm
  • Revealed August 2009
  • Other Name is Digital IXUS 200 IS
Sigma SD1 Merrill
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • No Video
  • Sigma SA Mount
  • 790g - 146 x 113 x 80mm
  • Introduced April 2012
  • Older Model is Sigma SD1
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Canon SD980 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Canon SD980 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Canon and Sigma. The resolution of the SD980 IS (12MP) and the SD1 Merrill (15MP) is very comparable but the SD980 IS (1/2.3") and SD1 Merrill (APS-C) boast different sensor sizing.

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The SD980 IS was manufactured 3 years before the SD1 Merrill and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Canon SD980 IS being a Compact camera and the Sigma SD1 Merrill being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick overview of how the SD980 IS matches up against the SD1 Merrill when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon SD980 IS over the Sigma SD1 Merrill

 SD980 IS SD1 Merrill 
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sigma SD1 Merrill over the Canon SD980 IS

 SD1 Merrill SD980 IS 
IntroducedApril 2012August 2009Fresher by 32 months
Manual focus More precise focusing
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Canon SD980 IS and Sigma SD1 Merrill

 SD980 IS SD1 Merrill 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size3"3"Same display measurement
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Canon SD980 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Canon SD980 IS comes with outer dimensions of 100mm x 53mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.1" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 150 grams (0.33 lbs) and the Sigma SD1 Merrill has dimensions of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") along with a weight of 790 grams (1.74 lbs).

Take a look at the Canon SD980 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the SD980 IS versus the SD1 Merrill.

Canon SD980 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the SD980 IS and SD1 Merrill is 95 and 57 respectively.

Canon SD980 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill top view buttons comparison

Canon SD980 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizing only by checking out technical specs. The photograph below may provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the SD980 IS and SD1 Merrill.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The SD980 IS due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh harder and the Sigma SD1 Merrill will produce extra detail due to its extra 3 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The older SD980 IS will be behind in sensor tech.

Canon SD980 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill sensor size comparison

Canon SD980 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SD980 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Canon SD980 IS
Portrait photography with Sigma SD1 Merrill
21
lack of manual focus
can't use external flash
low MP (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
65
focusing manually
MP count good (15MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no liveview
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Street Comparison

Canon SD980 IS Street photography advice
Sigma SD1 Merrill Street photography advice
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
57
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon SD980 IS Sports photography details
Sigma SD1 Merrill Sports photography details
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
max fps low (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
low MP (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
61
MP count good (15 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
weather sealing
comes with phase detect auto focus
no liveview
lack of image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon SD980 IS
Travel photography with Sigma SD1 Merrill
58
flash built-in
fairly wide (24mm)
no Time Lapse function
low MP (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
54
weather sealing
MP count good (15 megapixels)
no Time Lapse function
does not have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SD980 IS Landscape photography information
Sigma SD1 Merrill Landscape photography information
38
fairly wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
low MP (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
no Time Lapse function
63
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sigma SA mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
MP count good (15MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
no liveview
lack of image stabilization
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SD980 IS Vlogging highlights
Sigma SD1 Merrill Vlogging highlights
31
fairly wide (24mm)
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not feature selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
no mic port
9
no video shooting
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Canon SD980 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SD980 IS and Sigma SD1 Merrill
 Canon PowerShot SD980 ISSigma SD1 Merrill
General Information
Brand Canon Sigma
Model Canon PowerShot SD980 IS Sigma SD1 Merrill
Alternate name Digital IXUS 200 IS -
Class Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2009-08-19 2012-04-10
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Digic 4 Dual True II
Sensor type CCD CMOS (Foveon X3)
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 24 x 16mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 384.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 15 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 -
Highest Possible resolution 4000 x 3000 4800 x 3200
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sigma SA
Lens focal range 24-120mm (5.0x) -
Max aperture f/2.8-5.9 -
Macro focus range 3cm -
Amount of lenses - 76
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 96 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Min shutter speed 15 seconds -
Max shutter speed 1/3000 seconds -
Continuous shutter rate 1.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 6.50 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync no built-in flash
External flash
AEB
White balance 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, 15 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 None
Video file format H.264 -
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 150 gr (0.33 pounds) 790 gr (1.74 pounds)
Physical dimensions 100 x 53 x 23mm (3.9" x 2.1" x 0.9") 146 x 113 x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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-6L -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus Compact Flash (Type I, UDMA compatible)
Card slots 1 1
Retail price - $2,339