Canon PowerShot
S90
 vs
Panasonic Lumix
DMC-GF1

Updated (November, 2010): Compare the Canon PowerShot S95 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Canon PowerShot S90

60

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot S90

Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Lens
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

30

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

Interchangeable lenses
 Interchangeable lenses
Many lenses to choose from
Sensor type
 CMOS Sensor
Better in low light
External flash
 External flash
Better lighting
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds

differences

Advantages of the Canon S90
Image stabilization Image stabilization Lens vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Size Smaller 100x58x30 mm vs 119x71x36 mm
Help
 More than 40% smaller
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11 EV vs 10.3 EV
Help
 0.7 f-stops more dynamic range
Weight Lighter 198 g vs 330 g
Help
 40% lighter
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
Lowest price Cheaper $535.65 vs $999.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $464 cheaper (around 50% less)
Thickness Slightly thinner 1.2" vs 1.4"
Help
 More than 10% thinner
Canon PowerShot S90 Learn more about
the Canon S90

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-GF1
Movie format Higher resolution movies 720p @ 30fps vs 480p @ 30fps
Help
 Shoots high resolution HD (720p) video
Overall image quality Better image quality 54.0 vs 46.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
Interchangeable lenses Has interchangeable lenses Yes vs No
Help
 Can take advantage of a variety of lenses
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 513 ISO vs 185 ISO
Help
 The DMC-GF1 has excellent image quality 1.5 f-stops higher ISO than the S90
True resolution Higher true resolution 12 MP vs 10 MP
Help
 Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos
Color depth Better color depth 21.2 bits vs 20.2 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1 more bits of color
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
External flash Supports an external flash Yes vs No
Help
 An external flash often produces better looking flash images
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 3 fps vs 0.9 fps
Help
 Around 3.5x faster continuous shooting
Longest exposure Much longer exposures 60s vs 15s
Help
 4x longer exposures
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/4000s vs 1/1600s
Help
 2.5x faster max shutter speed
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-GF1
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot S90 Canon PowerShot S90
60 vs 30
Explain scores
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
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 mirrorless interchangeable-lens.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonPowerShot S90
 Canon PowerShot S90 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
PanasonicLumix DMC-GF1
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
0
1
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
1
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
1
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
1
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
1
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
1
0
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
S90:11 EV
DMC-GF1:10.3 EV
Movie format Poor movies Help
S90:480p @ 30fps
DMC-GF1:720p @ 30fps

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$414 - $430
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Wide angle Has a significantly wider wide angle lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Battery life Has a slightly shorter battery life
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$320 - $468
Wide angle Has a significantly wider wide angle lens
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$569 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
Fujifilm Finepix X10

Fujifilm Finepix X10

Pro digicam

$583 - $600
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
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
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
Nikon 1 J1

Nikon 1 J1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$597 with 10-30mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Battery life Has a slightly shorter battery life
Compare the 1 J1 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the 1 J1 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$599 - $600 body only

$698 - $699 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Startup delay Has slightly more startup delay
Compare the NEX-5N vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the NEX-5N vs the Lumix DMC-GF1

Canon PowerShot S90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot S95

Canon PowerShot S95

Pro digicam

$369
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Compare the PowerShot S95 vs the PowerShot S90
Nikon Coolpix P300

Nikon Coolpix P300

Pro digicam

$277
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Wide angle Significantly better wide angle
Supports RAW No RAW support
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 Slightly 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
Supports RAW No RAW support
Compare the PowerShot SX230 HS vs the PowerShot S90

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$754 body only

$916 - $964 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Color depth Worse color depth
Battery life Shorter battery life
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$329 - $379 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Battery life Shorter battery life
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF2 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$700 body only

$439 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Overall image quality Slightly worse image quality
Color depth Worse color depth
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
Fujifilm FinePix X100

Fujifilm FinePix X100

Boutique

$1,189 - $1,419
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range
Startup delay Much more startup delay
Screen size Smaller screen
Compare the FinePix X100 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
Olympus PEN E-PL1

Olympus PEN E-PL1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$280 - $299 with 14-42mm lens
Image stabilization Image stabilization
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
Screen resolution Lower resolution screen
Compare the PEN E-PL1 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1

appearance

Canon PowerShot S90 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
Canon PowerShot S90 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
Canon PowerShot S90 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

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?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of these cameras here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

Showing 0 comments