Updated (January, 2011): Compare the Canon PowerShot S95 vs Olympus XZ-1

Canon PowerShot S90

44

vs
Olympus XZ-1

43
 
 
 
 

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot S90

We are not aware of any reasons to consider buying the Canon PowerShot S90 over the Olympus XZ-1.
 

Reasons to buy the Olympus XZ-1

Screen type
 OLED Screen
Bright and vivid
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Panorama
 In-camera panoramas
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama
External flash
 External flash
Better lighting
 
Differences | Recommendations | Similarities | Competitors | Appearance | Discussion

differences

Advantages of the Canon S90
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 46.0 vs 34.0
Help
 Around 40% better image quality
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 185 ISO vs 117 ISO
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 The S90 has a slight edge (0.7 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11 EV vs 10.4 EV
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 0.6 f-stops more dynamic range
Color depth Better color depth 20.2 bits vs 18.8 bits
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 Distinguishes 1.4 more bits of color
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs None
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 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Image stabilization Better image stabilization Lens vs Sensor shift
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 Less risk of blur
Size Smaller 100x58x30 mm vs 110x64x42 mm
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 More than 40% smaller
Weight Lighter 198 g vs 275 g
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 Around 30% lighter
Thickness Thinner 1.2" vs 1.7"
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 Around 30% thinner
Canon PowerShot S90 Learn more about
the Canon S90

Advantages of the Olympus XZ-1
Screen type Has an OLED screen OLED vs LCD
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 OLED screens are often brighter and more vibrant than typical LCD screens
Sensor size Larger sensor 1/1.6" 8.3x6.2mm vs 1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm
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 Around 20% larger sensor
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
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 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
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 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Movie format Higher resolution movies 720p @ 30fps vs 480p @ 30fps
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 Shoots high resolution HD (720p) video
Aperture Wider aperture f/1.8 vs f/2.0
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 At its widest zoom, the XZ-1's lens captures marginally more light (0.3 f-stops)
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 7 fps vs 0.9 fps
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 Around 8x faster continuous shooting
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 614k dots vs 461k dots
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 More than 30% higher resolution screen
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
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 The XZ-1's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Battery life Longer battery life 320 shots vs 220 shots
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 Around 50% more shots per battery charge
External flash Supports an external flash Yes vs No
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 An external flash often produces better looking flash images
Longest exposure Much longer exposures 60s vs 15s
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 4x longer exposures
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/2000s vs 1/1600s
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 20% faster max shutter speed
Olympus XZ-1 Learn more about
the Olympus XZ-1
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro digicams, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot S90 Canon PowerShot S90
44 vs 43
Explain scores
Olympus XZ-1 Olympus XZ-1
Green arrow Too close to call! Snapsort considers these cameras too competitive to make a clear recommendation.

similarities

Compared to recent digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Aperture Very wide aperture Help
S90:f/2.0
XZ-1:f/1.8
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
S90:1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm
XZ-1:1/1.6" 8.3x6.2mm
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
S90:11 EV
XZ-1:10.4 EV
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Movie format Poor movies Help
S90:480p @ 30fps
XZ-1:720p @ 30fps
Wide angle Poor wide angle Help
28 mm
Zoom Poor zoom Help
S90:3.8x
XZ-1:4x

Compared to recent pro digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
S90:1/1600s
XZ-1:1/2000s
Viewfinder No viewfinders Help
Can only preview photos on the screen
Waterproof Not waterproof Help
Stay on land
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
10 MP
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
S90:3,200 ISO
XZ-1:6,400 ISO
Screen resolution Low resolution screens Help
S90:461k dots
XZ-1:614k dots
Color depth Poor color depth Help
S90:20.2 bits
XZ-1:18.8 bits
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
S90:46.0
XZ-1:34.0

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$299
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Macro focus Slightly worse macro focusing
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the XZ-1
Canon PowerShot S110

Canon PowerShot S110

Pro digicam

$349 - $399
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Wide angle Has a slightly wider wide angle lens
Macro focus Slightly worse macro focusing
Compare the PowerShot S110 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the PowerShot S110 vs the XZ-1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

Pro digicam

$348 - $398
Aperture Has a slightly wider aperture
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX7 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX7 vs the XZ-1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$455
Wide angle Has a slightly wider wide angle lens
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the XZ-1
Canon PowerShot S95

Canon PowerShot S95

Pro digicam

$461 - $602
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the PowerShot S95 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the PowerShot S95 vs the XZ-1
Fujifilm Finepix X10

Fujifilm Finepix X10

Pro digicam

$394 - $549
Sensor size Has a marginally larger sensor
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the XZ-1
Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100

Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100

Pro digicam

$648 - $760
Sensor size Has a much larger sensor
Low light performance Is much less noisy at high ISO
Lowest price Is much more expensive
Macro focus Significantly worse macro focusing
Compare the Cybershot DSC-RX100 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the Cybershot DSC-RX100 vs the XZ-1

Canon PowerShot S90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Pro digicam
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Sensor size Larger sensor
Low light performance Significantly more noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX3 vs the PowerShot S90
Canon PowerShot SX280 HS

Canon PowerShot SX280 HS

Travel zoom

$268 - $299
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Zoom More zoom
Aperture Much narrower aperture
Supports RAW No RAW support
Compare the PowerShot SX280 HS vs the PowerShot S90
Nikon Coolpix P300

Nikon Coolpix P300

Pro digicam
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Supports RAW No RAW support
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Compare the Coolpix P300 vs the PowerShot S90

Olympus XZ-1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus XZ-2 iHS

Olympus XZ-2 iHS

Pro digicam

$499
Overall image quality Much better image quality
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Sensor size Significantly smaller sensor
Compare the XZ-2 iHS vs the XZ-1
Olympus Stylus XZ-10

Olympus Stylus XZ-10

Pro digicam

$399
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Compare the Stylus XZ-10 vs the XZ-1

appearance

Canon PowerShot S90 Olympus XZ-1
Canon PowerShot S90 Olympus XZ-1
Canon PowerShot S90 Olympus XZ-1

discussion

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