Canon PowerShot
SX20 IS
 vs
Olympus
SP-590 UZ

Updated (September, 2010): Compare the Canon PowerShot SX30 IS vs Olympus SP-590 UZ

Olympus SP-590 UZ

58

Reasons to buy the Olympus SP-590 UZ

Light sensitivity (boost)
 High ISO (boost)
6,400 ISO
Weight
 Light-weight
413 g
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Digital
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

57

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Digital
External flash
 External flash
Better lighting

differences

Advantages of the Canon SX20 IS
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Movie format Higher resolution movies 720p @ 30fps vs 480p @ 30fps
Help
 Shoots high resolution HD (720p) video
External flash Supports an external flash Yes vs No
Help
 An external flash often produces better looking flash images
Macro focus Better macro capability 0 cm vs 1 cm
Help
 Almost the same
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 9.8 MP vs 9.8 MP
Help
 Almost the same
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/3200s vs 1/2000s
Help
 Around 40% faster max shutter speed
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Learn more about
the Canon SX20 IS

Advantages of the Olympus SP-590 UZ
Zoom More zoom 26x vs 20x
Help
 Around 70% more zoom
Screen size Larger screen 2.7" vs 2.5"
Help
 Around 10% larger screen
Wide angle Better wide angle 26 mm vs 28 mm
Help
 Around 10% better wide angle
Size Smaller 116x84x81 mm vs 128x88x87 mm
Help
 Around 20% smaller
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 6 fps vs 0.7 fps
Help
 More than 8.5x faster continuous shooting
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 6,400 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Weight Significantly lighter 413 g vs 600 g
Help
 More than 30% lighter
Thickness Slightly thinner 3.2" vs 3.4"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Olympus SP-590 UZ Learn more about
the Olympus SP-590 UZ
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent super zooms, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Canon PowerShot SX20 IS
57 vs 58
Explain scores
Olympus SP-590 UZ Olympus SP-590 UZ
Green arrow Too close to call! Snapsort considers these cameras too competitive to make a clear recommendation.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonPowerShot SX20 IS
 Canon PowerShot SX20 IS vs Olympus SP-590 UZ
OlympusSP-590 UZ
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
0
0
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
0
Vote Vote
Features Low light image quality Low light image quality
Lack of noise, sharp details
0
0
Vote Vote
Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
0
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
0
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
0
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
0
0
Vote Vote
Performance Image stabilization
Ability to reduce blur from hand shake
0
0
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Zoom Great zoom Help
SX20 IS:20x
SP-590 UZ:26x
Aperture Wide aperture Help
f/2.8
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
SX20 IS:Lens
SP-590 UZ:Lens, Sensor shift
Macro focus Good macro capabilities Help
SX20 IS:0 cm
SP-590 UZ:1 cm
Viewfinder Both have digital viewfinders Help
Digital
Thickness Quite thick Help
SX20 IS:3.4"
SP-590 UZ:3.2"
Weight Heavy Help
SX20 IS:600 g
SP-590 UZ:413 g
Size Large Help
SX20 IS:128x88x87 mm
SP-590 UZ:116x84x81 mm
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
1,600 ISO
Screen size Very small screens Help
SX20 IS:2.5"
SP-590 UZ:2.7"
Screen resolution Low resolution screens Help
230k dots
Movie format Poor movies Help
SX20 IS:720p @ 30fps
SP-590 UZ:480p @ 30fps

Compared to recent super zooms

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
Supports RAW No RAW support Help
Less editing fidelity
Zoom Poor zoom Help
SX20 IS:20x
SP-590 UZ:26x

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Powershot SX40

Canon Powershot SX40

Super zoom

$379
Zoom Has much more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the Powershot SX40 vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Compare the Powershot SX40 vs the SP-590 UZ
Nikon Coolpix P100

Nikon Coolpix P100

Super zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Coolpix P100 vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Compare the Coolpix P100 vs the SP-590 UZ
Nikon Coolpix P500

Nikon Coolpix P500

Super zoom

$339 - $350
Zoom Has way more more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Coolpix P500 vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Compare the Coolpix P500 vs the SP-590 UZ
Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR

Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Super zoom

$310 - $475
Zoom Has slightly more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the FinePix HS20 vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Compare the FinePix HS20 vs the SP-590 UZ
Nikon Coolpix L120

Nikon Coolpix L120

Super zoom

$227 - $230
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Screen resolution Has a significantly higher resolution screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
Compare the Coolpix L120 vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Compare the Coolpix L120 vs the SP-590 UZ
Nikon Coolpix P90

Nikon Coolpix P90

Super zoom

$525
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Light sensitivity Much higher maximum light sensitivity
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Coolpix P90 vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Compare the Coolpix P90 vs the SP-590 UZ
Fujifilm FinePix HS10

Fujifilm FinePix HS10

Super zoom

$496
Zoom Has slightly more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the FinePix HS10 vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Compare the FinePix HS10 vs the SP-590 UZ

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS

Canon PowerShot SX220 HS

Travel zoom

$305 - $379
Screen size Much larger screen
Size Much smaller
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Aperture Narrower aperture
Compare the PowerShot SX220 HS vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Super zoom

$420
Zoom Much more zoom
Wide angle Significantly better wide angle
Size Larger
Thickness Thicker
Compare the PowerShot SX30 IS vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Canon PowerShot SX10 IS

Canon PowerShot SX10 IS

Super zoom
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Compare the PowerShot SX10 IS vs the PowerShot SX20 IS

Olympus SP-590 UZ Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus SP-610 UZ

Olympus SP-610 UZ

Super zoom

$308
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Aperture Narrower aperture
Zoom Less zoom
Compare the SP-610 UZ vs the SP-590 UZ
Olympus SP-810 UZ

Olympus SP-810 UZ

Super zoom

$329
Zoom Much more zoom
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Macro focus Significantly worse macro capability
Continuous shooting Shoots slower
Compare the SP-810 UZ vs the SP-590 UZ
Olympus SP-800 UZ

Olympus SP-800 UZ

Super zoom

$310 - $379
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Wide angle Worse wide angle
Compare the SP-800 UZ vs the SP-590 UZ
Olympus SP-570 UZ

Olympus SP-570 UZ

Super zoom
Supports RAW Shoots RAW
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Zoom Less zoom
Longest exposure Shorter max exposures
Compare the SP-570 UZ vs the SP-590 UZ
Pentax X90

Pentax X90

Super zoom

$265
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Continuous shooting Shoots slower
Image stabilization Worse image stabilization
Compare the X90 vs the SP-590 UZ

appearance

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Olympus SP-590 UZ
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Olympus SP-590 UZ
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Olympus SP-590 UZ

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

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