Updated (August, 2011): Compare the Canon PowerShot S95 vs Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

67

Winner

Sony NEX-5N

Reasons to buy the Sony NEX-5N

Overall image quality
Great image quality
77.0
Light sensitivity
High ISO
25,600 ISO
Touch screen
Touch screen
Less buttons
Supports 24p
24p movies
For that film look
Color depth
Great color depth
23.6 bits
Dynamic range
Wide dynamic range
12.7 EV
Canon PowerShot S90

59

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot S90

Aperture
Wide aperture
f/2.0
Size
Really small
Compact 100x58x30 mm
Image stabilization
Image stabilization
Lens
Thickness
Thin
1.2"
Weight
Light-weight
198 g
Built-in flash
Built-in flash
Usually standard

differences

Advantages of the Canon S90

Image stabilization Image stabilization Lens vs None
Help
Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Size Slightly smaller 100x58x30 mm vs 111x59x38 mm
Help
Around 30% smaller
Weight Lighter 198 g vs 269 g
Help
Around 30% lighter
Thickness Slightly thinner 1.2" vs 1.5"
Help
Around 20% thinner
Canon PowerShot S90 Learn more about
the Canon S90

Advantages of the Sony NEX-5N

Overall image quality Much better image quality 77.0 vs 46.0
Help
Around 70% better image quality
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 60fps vs 480p @ 30fps
Help
Shoots high resolution Full HD (1080p) video at a higher frame rate
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 25,600 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
The NEX-5N's maximum light sensitivity is 3 f-stops better
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 461k dots
Help
Around 2x higher resolution screen
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
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
Get that real film feel
Touch screen Has a touch screen Yes vs No
Help
Fewer buttons to worry about and direct interaction with camera menus
Color depth Better color depth 23.6 bits vs 20.2 bits
Help
Distinguishes 3.4 more bits of color
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 16 MP vs 10 MP
Help
Capture more than 60% more detail in your photos
Sensor size Much larger sensor APS-C 23.4x15.6mm vs 1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm
Help
Around 8.5x larger sensor
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.7 EV vs 11 EV
Help
1.7 f-stops more dynamic range
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 1,079 ISO vs 185 ISO
Help
The NEX-5N has excellent image quality 2.5 f-stops higher ISO than the S90
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 10 fps vs 0.9 fps
Help
More than 11x faster continuous shooting
Interchangeable lenses Has interchangeable lenses Yes vs No
Help
Can take advantage of a variety of lenses
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
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed 1/4000s vs 1/1600s
Help
2.5x faster max shutter speed
Longest exposure Longer exposures 30s vs 15s
Help
2x longer exposures
Sony NEX-5N Learn more about
the Sony NEX-5N
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot S90 Canon PowerShot S90
59 vs 67
Explain scores
Sony NEX-5N Sony NEX-5N
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Sony NEX-5N. 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.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting weaknesses shared by these two products.

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens

Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Canon PowerShot G1X

Canon PowerShot G1X

Boutique

$799 - $800

Viewfinder Has a viewfinder
Longest exposure Significantly longer exposures
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$356 - $430

Wide angle Has a significantly wider wide angle lens
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$433 body only

Longest exposure Significantly longer exposures
Battery life Has a slightly shorter battery life
Dynamic range Has slightly narrower dynamic range

Canon PowerShot S90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon PowerShot S95

Canon PowerShot S95

Pro digicam

$340 - $389

Supports 24p Supports 24p
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Pro digicam

$573

Wide angle Significantly better wide angle
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Color depth Worse color depth
Fujifilm Finepix X10

Fujifilm Finepix X10

Pro digicam

$599

Movie format Higher resolution movies
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera
Screen size Smaller screen
Size Larger
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$350

Wide angle Significantly better wide angle
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Size Larger
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$390 - $496

Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Screen size Smaller screen

Sony NEX-5N Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,200 body only

$1,350 - $1,499 with 18-55mm lens

External mic jack Has an external mic jack
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Touch screen No touch screen
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$569 with 18-55mm lens

Startup delay Less startup delay
Supports 24p No 24p support
Touch screen No touch screen
Nikon 1 J1

Nikon 1 J1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$547 with 10-30mm lens

High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Sony NEX-F3

Sony NEX-F3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$600 with 18-55mm lens

External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Built-in flash Built-in flash
Touch screen No touch screen
Movie continuous focus Doesn't focus continuously recording movies
Sony NEX C3

Sony NEX C3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$548 with 16mm lens

Startup delay Less startup delay
Weight Slightly lighter
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Supports 24p No 24p support

appearance

Canon PowerShot S90 Sony NEX-5N
Canon PowerShot S90 Sony NEX-5N
Canon PowerShot S90 Sony NEX-5N

discussion

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