Canon PowerShot
S90
 vs
Panasonic Lumix
DMC-FZ38

Updated (August, 2010): Compare the Canon PowerShot S95 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38

Canon PowerShot S90

60

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot S90

Aperture
 Wide aperture
f/2.0
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
46.0
Size
 Really small
Compact 100x58x30 mm
Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
185 ISO
Sensor size
 Large sensor
1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm
Light sensitivity (boost)
 High ISO (boost)
12,800 ISO
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38

42

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38

Supports RAW
 Shoots RAW
Better editing
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Digital
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds

differences

Advantages of the Canon S90
Aperture Significantly wider aperture f/2.0 vs f/2.8
Help
 At its widest zoom, the S90's lens captures slightly more light (1 f-stop)
Size Much smaller 100x58x30 mm vs 118x76x89 mm
Help
 4.4x smaller
Sensor size Much larger sensor 1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm vs 1/2.3" 6.1x4.6mm
Help
 More than 50% larger sensor
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
 More than 10% larger screen
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 461k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 2x higher resolution screen
Thickness Much thinner 1.2" vs 3.5"
Help
 2.9x thinner
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The S90's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The S90's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Weight Significantly lighter 198 g vs 397 g
Help
 2x lighter
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 10 MP vs 9.8 MP
Help
 Almost the same
Canon PowerShot S90 Learn more about
the Canon S90

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-FZ38
Zoom More zoom 18x vs 3.8x
Help
 More than 23x more zoom
Movie format Higher resolution movies 720p @ 30fps vs 480p @ 30fps
Help
 Shoots high resolution HD (720p) video
Wide angle Better wide angle 27 mm vs 28 mm
Help
 Almost the same
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Digital vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Longest exposure Much longer exposures 60s vs 15s
Help
 4x longer exposures
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 2.3 fps vs 0.9 fps
Help
 More than 2.5x faster continuous shooting
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/2000s vs 1/1600s
Help
 20% faster max shutter speed
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-FZ38
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digicams, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot S90 Canon PowerShot S90
60 vs 42
Explain scores
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon PowerShot S90. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a pro digicam with a super zoom.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonPowerShot S90
 Canon PowerShot S90 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38
PanasonicLumix DMC-FZ38
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
Aperture Wide aperture Help
S90:f/2.0
DMC-FZ38:f/2.8
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
Movie format Poor movies Help
S90:480p @ 30fps
DMC-FZ38:720p @ 30fps

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$320 - $468
Wide angle Has a slightly wider wide angle lens
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Weight Is slightly heavier
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$389 - $500
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Light sensitivity (boost) Lacks boost light sensitivity
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Canon IXUS 220 HS

Canon IXUS 220 HS

Compact

$193 - $288
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Wide angle Has a slightly wider wide angle lens
Supports RAW Doesn't shoot RAW
Macro focus Slightly worse macro focusing
Compare the IXUS 220 HS vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the IXUS 220 HS vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Canon PowerShot SX130 IS

Canon PowerShot SX130 IS

Travel zoom

$127 - $245
Lowest price Is much less expensive
Fastest shutter speed Has a faster max shutter speed
Light sensitivity (boost) Lacks boost light sensitivity
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the PowerShot SX130 IS vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the PowerShot SX130 IS vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38

Canon PowerShot S90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot S95

Canon PowerShot S95

Pro digicam

$369
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Compare the PowerShot S95 vs the PowerShot S90
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$414 - $430
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Sensor size Smaller sensor
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PowerShot S90
Nikon Coolpix P300

Nikon Coolpix P300

Pro digicam

$277
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Wide angle Significantly better wide angle
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Light sensitivity (boost) No boost ISO
Compare the Coolpix P300 vs the PowerShot S90
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Pro digicam

$707
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Wide angle Significantly better wide angle
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Low light performance Significantly more noise at high ISO
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX3 vs the PowerShot S90
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS

Canon PowerShot SX230 HS

Travel zoom

$219 - $304
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Aperture Much narrower aperture
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Compare the PowerShot SX230 HS vs the PowerShot S90

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45

Super zoom

$362 - $429
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Zoom More zoom
Size Slightly larger
Weight Heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ45 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

Super zoom

$469 - $470
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Size Larger
Weight Heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ150 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Nikon Coolpix L120

Nikon Coolpix L120

Super zoom

$227 - $230
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Aperture Narrower aperture
Supports RAW No RAW support
Compare the Coolpix L120 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Nikon Coolpix P500

Nikon Coolpix P500

Super zoom

$339 - $350
Zoom Much more zoom
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Supports RAW No RAW support
Compare the Coolpix P500 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47

Super zoom

$299 - $329
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Supports RAW No RAW support
Size Slightly larger
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ47 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38

appearance

Canon PowerShot S90 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38
Canon PowerShot S90 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38
Canon PowerShot S90 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38

Find similar cameras

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discussion Which do you think is better?

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