Canon SD990 IS vs Canon SX500 IS

Below, we will be reviewing the Canon SD990 IS vs Canon SX500 IS, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both manufactured by Canon. The sensor resolution of the SD990 IS (15MP) and the SX500 IS (16MP) is pretty close but the SD990 IS (1/1.7") and SX500 IS (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor measurements.

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The SD990 IS was announced 4 years prior to the SX500 IS and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Canon SD990 IS being a Ultracompact camera and the Canon SX500 IS being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a complete comparison, below is a quick view of how the SD990 IS matches up against the SX500 IS in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Canon PowerShot SD990 IS & Canon PowerShot SX500 IS. The whole galleries are provided at Canon SD990 IS Gallery & Canon SX500 IS Gallery.

When you are going to carry your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Canon SD990 IS has got exterior measurements of 98mm x 62mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 205 grams (0.45 lbs) whilst the Canon SX500 IS has proportions of 104mm x 70mm x 80mm (4.1" x 2.8" x 3.1") accompanied by a weight of 341 grams (0.75 lbs).

Take a look at the Canon SD990 IS vs Canon SX500 IS in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select during that time. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the SD990 IS versus the SX500 IS.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SD990 IS and SX500 IS is 92 and 80 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizing just by looking through specs. The visual underneath should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the SD990 IS and SX500 IS.

All in all, the 2 cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The SD990 IS having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Canon SX500 IS will provide you with extra detail with its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older SD990 IS will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.