Updated (September, 2011): Compare the Canon Powershot S100 vs Canon PowerShot SX120 IS

Canon PowerShot S95

70

"Image quality is still excellent, with a usable ISO range of 80-800 and fast f/2.0 maximum aperture, albeit only at the wide-angle lens setting, making the S95 very well-suited to low-light, hand-held photography."
photographyblog.com | talking about the S95's iso-noise
"Something that was glaringly missing from the S90 - HD video capture - has been rectified on the S95, with 720p movies at 1280x720 pixels resolution available at 24fps complete with stereo sound."
photographyblog.com | talking about the S95's video-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot S95

Aperture
Wide aperture
f/2.0
Supports 24p
24p movies
For that film look
Sensor size
Large sensor
1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm
HDR
In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Light sensitivity (boost)
High ISO (boost)
12,800 ISO
Supports RAW
Shoots RAW
Better editing
Canon PowerShot SX120 IS

31

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot SX120 IS

Macro focus
Great macro
1 cm

differences

Advantages of the Canon S95

Wide angle Much better wide angle 28 mm vs 36 mm
Help
More than 20% better wide angle
Aperture Significantly wider aperture f/2.0 vs f/2.8
Help
At its widest zoom, the S95's lens captures slightly more light (1 f-stop)
Sensor size Much larger sensor 1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm vs 1/2.5" 5.8x4.3mm
Help
More than 70% larger sensor
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
Get that real film feel
True resolution Much higher true resolution 10 MP vs 8.6 MP
Help
Capture around 20% more detail in your photos
Movie format Higher resolution movies 720p @ 24fps vs 480p @ 30fps
Help
Shoots high resolution HD (720p) video but at a lower frame rate
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Supports RAW Shoots RAW Yes vs No
Help
Digitally develop your own photos with precise image control
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 461k dots vs 230k dots
Help
More than 2x higher resolution screen
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
Size Smaller 99x58x29 mm vs 111x71x45 mm
Help
2.1x smaller
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
The S95's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Weight Lighter 193 g vs 285 g
Help
More than 30% lighter
Thickness Thinner 1.2" vs 1.8"
Help
More than 30% thinner
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 1.9 fps vs 0.9 fps
Help
More than 2x faster continuous shooting
Canon PowerShot S95 Learn more about
the Canon S95

Advantages of the Canon SX120 IS

Macro focus Significantly better macro capability 1 cm vs 5 cm
Help
Focus on subjects 5x closer to the lens
Zoom More zoom 10x vs 3.8x
Help
More than 7x more zoom
Lowest price Cheaper $225.24 vs $340.00
Help
The best price we've seen is $115 cheaper (more than 30% less)
Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag 430 ms vs 610 ms
Help
Around 30% less delay when taking photos
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed 1/2500s vs 1/1600s
Help
Around 40% faster max shutter speed
Canon PowerShot SX120 IS Learn more about
the Canon SX120 IS
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digicams, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot S95 Canon PowerShot S95
70 vs 31
Explain scores
Canon PowerShot SX120 IS Canon PowerShot SX120 IS
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon PowerShot S95. 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 travel zoom.

advice

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I am considering either the S95 or the SX120 IS,
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2 people recommend the Canon S95:

" I also agree with Alex.  The faster glass and larger sensor in the S95 will allow for faster shu..."

"Hi Randy, I'm recommending the S95, but you should consider its successor the S100. The S100 (and ..."

similarities

Compared to recent digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Aperture Wide aperture Help
S95:f/2.0
SX120 IS:f/2.8
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
S95:1.9 fps
SX120 IS:0.9 fps
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons
Wide angle Poor wide angle Help
S95:28 mm
SX120 IS:36 mm
Movie format Poor movies Help
S95:720p @ 24fps
SX120 IS:480p @ 30fps

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
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS

Canon PowerShot SX230 HS

Travel zoom

$239 - $307

Movie format Records higher quality movies
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Macro focus Significantly worse macro focusing
Aperture Has a much narrower aperture
Canon Powershot SX40

Canon Powershot SX40

Super zoom

$347 - $380

Zoom Has way more more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Nikon Coolpix S9100

Nikon Coolpix S9100

Travel zoom

$237 - $289

Zoom Has slightly more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS

Canon PowerShot SX220 HS

Travel zoom

$281 - $332

Movie format Records higher quality movies
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Macro focus Significantly worse macro focusing
Aperture Has a much narrower aperture

Canon PowerShot S95 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$350

Wide angle Significantly better wide angle
Battery life Much longer battery life
Supports 24p No 24p support
HDR Lacks in-camera HDR
Olympus XZ-1

Olympus XZ-1

Pro digicam

$499 - $500

Screen type Has an OLED screen
Sensor size Much larger sensor
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Supports 24p No 24p support
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v

Travel zoom

$319 - $330

Movie format Higher resolution movies
Wide angle Significantly better wide angle
Aperture Much narrower aperture
Supports 24p No 24p support
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$390 - $496

Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Battery life Much longer battery life
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Screen size Smaller screen
Nikon Coolpix P300

Nikon Coolpix P300

Pro digicam

$299

Movie format Higher resolution movies
Wide angle Significantly better wide angle
Supports 24p No 24p support
Sensor size Much smaller sensor

Canon PowerShot SX120 IS Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon PowerShot SX130 IS

Canon PowerShot SX130 IS

Travel zoom

$130 - $245

Wide angle Much better wide angle
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Weight Slightly heavier
Canon PowerShot SX150 IS

Canon PowerShot SX150 IS

Travel zoom

$136 - $179

Wide angle Much better wide angle
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Weight Slightly heavier
Canon ELPH 100 HS

Canon ELPH 100 HS

Compact

$106 - $189

Wide angle Much better wide angle
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Zoom Less zoom
Macro focus Worse macro capability
Fujifilm FinePix S1800

Fujifilm FinePix S1800

Super zoom

Wide angle Much better wide angle
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Aperture Narrower aperture
Size Larger
Canon PowerShot SX240 HS

Canon PowerShot SX240 HS

Travel zoom

$354 - $419

Wide angle Much better wide angle
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Macro focus Significantly worse macro capability

appearance

Canon PowerShot S95 Canon PowerShot SX120 IS
Canon PowerShot S95 Canon PowerShot SX120 IS
Canon PowerShot S95 Canon PowerShot SX120 IS

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