Canon IXY DIGITAL L3 vs. Canon PowerShot A490
Comparison
| change cameras » | |||||
|
vs |
|
|||
| Canon IXY DIGITAL L3 | Canon PowerShot A490 | ||||
| check price » | check price » | ||||
Megapixels
5.00
10.00
Max. image resolution
2592 x 1944
3648 x 2736
Sensor
Sensor type
CCD
CCD
Sensor size
1/2.5" (~ 5.75 x 4.32 mm)
1/2.3" (~ 6.16 x 4.62 mm)
Sensor size comparison
Sensor size is generally a good indicator of the quality of the camera.
Sensors can vary greatly in size. As a general rule, the bigger the
sensor, the better the image quality.
Bigger sensors are more effective because they have more surface area to capture light. An important factor when comparing digital cameras is also camera generation. Generally, newer sensors will outperform the older.
Learn more about sensor sizes »
Bigger sensors are more effective because they have more surface area to capture light. An important factor when comparing digital cameras is also camera generation. Generally, newer sensors will outperform the older.
Learn more about sensor sizes »
Actual sensor size
Note: Actual size is set to screen → change »
|
|
vs |
|
| 1 | : | 1.15 |
| (ratio) | ||
| Canon IXY DIGITAL L3 | Canon PowerShot A490 | |
Surface area:
| 24.84 mm² | vs | 28.46 mm² |
Difference: 3.62 mm² (15%)
A490 sensor is approx. 1.15x bigger than IXY DIGITAL L3 sensor.
Note: You are comparing cameras of different generations.
There is a 5 year gap between Canon IXY DIGITAL L3 (2005) and Canon A490 (2010).
All things being equal, newer sensor generations generally outperform the older.
Pixel pitch tells you the distance from the center of one pixel (photosite) to the center of the next. It tells you how close the pixels are to each other.
The bigger the pixel pitch, the further apart they are and the bigger each pixel is. Bigger pixels tend to have better signal to noise ratio and greater dynamic range.
The bigger the pixel pitch, the further apart they are and the bigger each pixel is. Bigger pixels tend to have better signal to noise ratio and greater dynamic range.
Pixel or photosite area affects how much light per pixel can be gathered.
The larger it is the more light can be collected by a single pixel.
Larger pixels have the potential to collect more photons, resulting in greater dynamic range, while smaller pixels provide higher resolutions (more detail) for a given sensor size.
Larger pixels have the potential to collect more photons, resulting in greater dynamic range, while smaller pixels provide higher resolutions (more detail) for a given sensor size.
Relative pixel sizes:
vs
Pixel area difference: 2.11 µm² (74%)
A pixel on Canon IXY DIGITAL L3 sensor is approx. 74% bigger than a pixel on Canon A490.
Pixel density tells you how many million pixels fit or would fit in one
square cm of the sensor.
Higher pixel density means smaller pixels and lower pixel density means larger pixels.
Higher pixel density means smaller pixels and lower pixel density means larger pixels.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers,
click here.
Specs
Canon IXY DIGITAL L3
Canon A490
Total megapixels
5.00
Effective megapixels
5.00
10.00
Optical zoom
2.4x
3.3x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400
Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
50 cm
35 cm
Macro focus range
10 cm
1 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
38 - 90 mm
37 - 122 mm
Aperture priority
No
No
Max. aperture
f3.2 - f5.4
f3.0 - f5.8
Metering
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Centre weighted, Evaluative, Spot
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
No
No
Min. shutter speed
15 sec
15 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/1600 sec
1/2000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
None
None
White balance presets
6
6
Screen size
1.8"
2.5"
Screen resolution
118,000 dots
115,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
SD/MMC card
SDHC, Secure Digital
USB
USB 1.0
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
Lithium-Ion NB-4L battery
2 x AA batteries (Alkaline or NiMH)
Weight
120 g
135 g
Dimensions
96 x 45 x 24 mm
94 x 62 x 31 mm
Year
2005
2010
Choose cameras to compare
Popular comparisons:
- Canon IXY DIGITAL L3 vs. Canon DIGITAL IXUS i5
- Canon IXY DIGITAL L3 vs. Nikon Coolpix S6300
- Canon IXY DIGITAL L3 vs. Canon PowerShot A495
- Canon IXY DIGITAL L3 vs. Canon PowerShot A490
- Canon IXY DIGITAL L3 vs. Canon PowerShot A460
- Canon IXY DIGITAL L3 vs. Canon IXUS 285 HS
- Canon EOS 200D vs. Canon EOS 750D
- Canon EOS 1300D vs. Canon EOS 700D
- Canon EOS 600D vs. Canon EOS 1300D
- Canon EOS 800D vs. Canon EOS 750D
- Canon EOS 1300D vs. Canon EOS 1200D
Diagonal
Diagonal is calculated by the use of Pythagorean theorem:
where w = sensor width and h = sensor height
| Diagonal = √ | w² + h² |
Canon IXY DIGITAL L3 diagonal
The diagonal of IXY DIGITAL L3 sensor is not 1/2.5 or 0.4" (10.2 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of
that value - 7.19 mm. If you want to know why, see
sensor sizes.
w = 5.75 mm
h = 4.32 mm
w = 5.75 mm
h = 4.32 mm
| Diagonal = √ | 5.75² + 4.32² | = 7.19 mm |
Canon A490 diagonal
The diagonal of A490 sensor is not 1/2.3 or 0.43" (11 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of
that value - 7.7 mm. If you want to know why, see
sensor sizes.
w = 6.16 mm
h = 4.62 mm
w = 6.16 mm
h = 4.62 mm
| Diagonal = √ | 6.16² + 4.62² | = 7.70 mm |
Surface area
Surface area is calculated by multiplying the width and the height of a sensor.
IXY DIGITAL L3 sensor area
Width = 5.75 mm
Height = 4.32 mm
Surface area = 5.75 × 4.32 = 24.84 mm²
Height = 4.32 mm
Surface area = 5.75 × 4.32 = 24.84 mm²
A490 sensor area
Width = 6.16 mm
Height = 4.62 mm
Surface area = 6.16 × 4.62 = 28.46 mm²
Height = 4.62 mm
Surface area = 6.16 × 4.62 = 28.46 mm²
Pixel pitch
Pixel pitch is the distance from the center of one pixel to the center of the
next measured in micrometers (µm). It can be calculated with the following formula:
| Pixel pitch = | sensor width in mm | × 1000 |
| sensor resolution width in pixels |
IXY DIGITAL L3 pixel pitch
Sensor width = 5.75 mm
Sensor resolution width = 2579 pixels
Sensor resolution width = 2579 pixels
| Pixel pitch = | 5.75 | × 1000 | = 2.23 µm |
| 2579 |
A490 pixel pitch
Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor resolution width = 3647 pixels
Sensor resolution width = 3647 pixels
| Pixel pitch = | 6.16 | × 1000 | = 1.69 µm |
| 3647 |
Pixel area
The area of one pixel can be calculated by simply squaring the pixel pitch:
You could also divide sensor surface area with effective megapixels:
Pixel area = pixel pitch²
You could also divide sensor surface area with effective megapixels:
| Pixel area = | sensor surface area in mm² |
| effective megapixels |
IXY DIGITAL L3 pixel area
Pixel pitch = 2.23 µm
Pixel area = 2.23² = 4.97 µm²
Pixel area = 2.23² = 4.97 µm²
A490 pixel area
Pixel pitch = 1.69 µm
Pixel area = 1.69² = 2.86 µm²
Pixel area = 1.69² = 2.86 µm²
Pixel density
Pixel density can be calculated with the following formula:
One could also use this formula:
| Pixel density = ( | sensor resolution width in pixels | )² / 1000000 |
| sensor width in cm |
One could also use this formula:
| Pixel density = | effective megapixels × 1000000 | / 10000 |
| sensor surface area in mm² |
IXY DIGITAL L3 pixel density
Sensor resolution width = 2579 pixels
Sensor width = 0.575 cm
Pixel density = (2579 / 0.575)² / 1000000 = 20.12 MP/cm²
Sensor width = 0.575 cm
Pixel density = (2579 / 0.575)² / 1000000 = 20.12 MP/cm²
A490 pixel density
Sensor resolution width = 3647 pixels
Sensor width = 0.616 cm
Pixel density = (3647 / 0.616)² / 1000000 = 35.05 MP/cm²
Sensor width = 0.616 cm
Pixel density = (3647 / 0.616)² / 1000000 = 35.05 MP/cm²
Sensor resolution
Sensor resolution is calculated from sensor size and effective megapixels. It's slightly higher
than maximum (not interpolated) image resolution which is usually stated on camera specifications.
Sensor resolution is used in pixel pitch, pixel area, and pixel density formula.
For sake of simplicity, we're going to calculate it in 3 stages.
1. First we need to find the ratio between horizontal and vertical length by dividing the former with the latter (aspect ratio). It's usually 1.33 (4:3) or 1.5 (3:2), but not always.
2. With the ratio (r) known we can calculate the X from the formula below, where X is a vertical number of pixels:
3. To get sensor resolution we then multiply X with the corresponding ratio:
Resolution horizontal: X × r
Resolution vertical: X
1. First we need to find the ratio between horizontal and vertical length by dividing the former with the latter (aspect ratio). It's usually 1.33 (4:3) or 1.5 (3:2), but not always.
2. With the ratio (r) known we can calculate the X from the formula below, where X is a vertical number of pixels:
| (X × r) × X = effective megapixels × 1000000 → |
|
Resolution horizontal: X × r
Resolution vertical: X
IXY DIGITAL L3 sensor resolution
Sensor width = 5.75 mm
Sensor height = 4.32 mm
Effective megapixels = 5.00
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 1939 × 1.33 = 2579
Resolution vertical: X = 1939
Sensor resolution = 2579 x 1939
Sensor height = 4.32 mm
Effective megapixels = 5.00
| r = 5.75/4.32 = 1.33 |
|
Resolution vertical: X = 1939
Sensor resolution = 2579 x 1939
A490 sensor resolution
Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor height = 4.62 mm
Effective megapixels = 10.00
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 2742 × 1.33 = 3647
Resolution vertical: X = 2742
Sensor resolution = 3647 x 2742
Sensor height = 4.62 mm
Effective megapixels = 10.00
| r = 6.16/4.62 = 1.33 |
|
Resolution vertical: X = 2742
Sensor resolution = 3647 x 2742
Crop factor
Crop factor or focal length multiplier is calculated by dividing the diagonal
of 35 mm film (43.27 mm) with the diagonal of the sensor.
| Crop factor = | 43.27 mm |
| sensor diagonal in mm |
IXY DIGITAL L3 crop factor
Sensor diagonal in mm = 7.19 mm
| Crop factor = | 43.27 | = 6.02 |
| 7.19 |
A490 crop factor
Sensor diagonal in mm = 7.70 mm
| Crop factor = | 43.27 | = 5.62 |
| 7.70 |
35 mm equivalent aperture
Equivalent aperture (in 135 film terms) is calculated by multiplying lens aperture
with crop factor (a.k.a. focal length multiplier).
IXY DIGITAL L3 equivalent aperture
Crop factor = 6.02
Aperture = f3.2 - f5.4
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.2 - f5.4) × 6.02 = f19.3 - f32.5
Aperture = f3.2 - f5.4
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.2 - f5.4) × 6.02 = f19.3 - f32.5
A490 equivalent aperture
Crop factor = 5.62
Aperture = f3.0 - f5.8
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.0 - f5.8) × 5.62 = f16.9 - f32.6
Aperture = f3.0 - f5.8
35-mm equivalent aperture = (f3.0 - f5.8) × 5.62 = f16.9 - f32.6
Enter your screen size (diagonal)
My screen size is
inches
Actual size is currently adjusted to screen.
If your screen (phone, tablet, or monitor) is not in diagonal, then the actual size of a sensor won't be shown correctly.
If your screen (phone, tablet, or monitor) is not in diagonal, then the actual size of a sensor won't be shown correctly.