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

Olympus XZ-1

60

Winner

Olympus XZ-1

"It doesn't bristle with dials or buttons and only the most basic shooting settings have direct access."
dpreview.com | talking about the XZ-1's button-layout
"The XZ-1 combines simple direct controls with an excellent lens to create probably the best photographers' compact currently available."
dpreview.com | talking about the XZ-1's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Olympus XZ-1

Supports RAW
Shoots RAW
Better editing
Aperture
Wide aperture
f/1.8
Light sensitivity
High ISO
6,400 ISO
Screen type
OLED Screen
Bright and vivid
Macro focus
Great macro
1 cm
External flash
External flash
Better lighting
Canon PowerShot S90

57

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot S90

Supports RAW
Shoots RAW
Better editing
Light sensitivity (boost)
High ISO (boost)
12,800 ISO
Weight
Light-weight
198 g

differences

Advantages of the Canon S90

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

Advantages of the Olympus XZ-1

Sensor size Much larger sensor 1/1.7" 8.3x6.2mm vs 1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm
Help
Around 20% larger sensor
Screen type Has an OLED screen OLED vs LCD
Help
OLED screens are often brighter and more vibrant than typical LCD screens
Movie format Higher resolution movies 720p @ 30fps vs 480p @ 30fps
Help
Shoots high resolution HD (720p) video
Aperture Wider aperture f/1.8 vs f/2.0
Help
At its widest zoom, the XZ-1's lens captures marginally more light (0.3 f-stops)
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
The XZ-1's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 7 fps vs 0.9 fps
Help
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
External flash Supports an external flash Yes vs No
Help
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
Help
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
57 vs 60
Explain scores
Olympus XZ-1 Olympus XZ-1
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Olympus XZ-1.

advice

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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-1:1/1.7" 8.3x6.2mm
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons
Wide angle Poor wide angle Help
28 mm
Movie format Poor movies Help
S90:480p @ 30fps
XZ-1:720p @ 30fps
Zoom Poor zoom Help
S90:3.8x
XZ-1:4x

Compared to recent pro digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
S90:100x58x30 mm
XZ-1:110x64x42 mm
Viewfinder No viewfinders Help
Can only preview photos on the screen
External mic jack Neither has an external mic jack Help
Limited to the in-camera mic
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
10 MP
Supports 24p No support for 24p Help
Missing that film look

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$356 - $430

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Wide angle Has a significantly wider wide angle lens
Battery life Has a significantly shorter battery life
Macro focus Slightly worse macro focusing
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$350

Wide angle Has a significantly wider wide angle lens
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Weight Is slightly heavier
Canon PowerShot S95

Canon PowerShot S95

Pro digicam

$340 - $389

Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Battery life Has a significantly shorter battery life
Fujifilm Finepix X10

Fujifilm Finepix X10

Pro digicam

$599

Sensor size Has a significantly larger sensor
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$390 - $496

Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Samsung TL500

Samsung TL500

Pro digicam

Wide angle Has a significantly wider wide angle lens
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Weight Is significantly heavier
Nikon Coolpix P300

Nikon Coolpix P300

Pro digicam

$299

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Wide angle Has a significantly wider wide angle lens
Battery life Has a slightly shorter battery life
Macro focus Slightly worse macro focusing

Canon PowerShot S90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Pro digicam

$573

Sensor size Much larger sensor
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Low light performance Significantly more noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Worse image quality

Olympus XZ-1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon Coolpix P310

Nikon Coolpix P310

Pro digicam

$300 - $315

Movie format Higher resolution movies
Wide angle Significantly better wide angle
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Supports RAW No RAW support

appearance

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

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