Canon PowerShot
S90
 vs
Sony Alpha
NEX-5

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

Canon PowerShot S90

60

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
Sony Alpha NEX-5

54
Runner-up

Sony Alpha NEX-5
"The system for manually positioning AF points is quick and easy to use."
dpreview.com | talking about the NEX-5's auto-focus
"High quality video mode"
dpreview.com | talking about the NEX-5's video-quality

Reasons to buy the Sony Alpha NEX-5

Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 30fps
Size
 Really small
Compact 111x59x38 mm
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
12,800 ISO
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.2 EV
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures

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
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
Weight Lighter 198 g vs 287 g
Help
 More than 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-5
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 480p @ 30fps
Help
 Shoots high resolution Full HD (1080p) video
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 69.0 vs 46.0
Help
 50% better image quality
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
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 461k dots
Help
 Around 2x higher resolution screen
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The NEX-5's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Color depth Better color depth 22.2 bits vs 20.2 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 2 more bits of color
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 796 ISO vs 185 ISO
Help
 The NEX-5 has excellent image quality 2.1 f-stops higher ISO than the S90
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 11 EV
Help
 1.2 f-stops more dynamic range
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 14 MP vs 10 MP
Help
 Capture more than 40% more detail in your photos
Interchangeable lenses Has interchangeable lenses Yes vs No
Help
 Can take advantage of a variety of lenses
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 7 fps vs 0.9 fps
Help
 Around 8x faster continuous shooting
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 Much 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 Alpha NEX-5 Learn more about
the Sony NEX-5
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot S90 Canon PowerShot S90
60 vs 54
Explain scores
Sony Alpha NEX-5 Sony Alpha NEX-5
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 Sony Alpha NEX-5
SonyAlpha NEX-5
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
0
2
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
2
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
2
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
2
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
2
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

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

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$599 - $600 body only

$698 - $699 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Startup delay Has slightly more startup delay
Compare the NEX-5N vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the NEX-5N vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony Alpha NEX-3

Sony Alpha NEX-3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$479 - $548 with 16mm lens
Storage slots Has more storage slots
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Alpha NEX-3 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the Alpha NEX-3 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Nikon 1 J1

Nikon 1 J1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$597 with 10-30mm lens
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the 1 J1 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the 1 J1 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$389 - $500
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Fujifilm Finepix X10

Fujifilm Finepix X10

Pro digicam

$583 - $600
Focus points Has slightly more focus points
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v

Travel zoom

$289 - $328
Zoom Has slightly more zoom
Wide angle Has a significantly wider wide angle lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Supports RAW Doesn't shoot RAW
Compare the Cybershot DSC-HX9v vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the Cybershot DSC-HX9v vs the Alpha NEX-5

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
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$414 - $430
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Supports 24p Supports 24p
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
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

Sony Alpha NEX-5 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony NEX C3

Sony NEX C3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$499 - $550 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly slower
Compare the NEX C3 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Lowest price Significantly more expensive
Weight Heavier
Compare the NEX-7 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Autofocus Faster autofocus
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Size Significantly larger
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Alpha NEX-5
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Autofocus Faster autofocus
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Screen resolution Significantly lower resolution screen
Compare the D3100 vs the Alpha NEX-5

appearance

Canon PowerShot S90 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Canon PowerShot S90 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Canon PowerShot S90 Sony Alpha NEX-5

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?

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