Canon PowerShot
S95
 vs
Pentax Optio
W90

Updated (September, 2011): Compare the Canon Powershot S100 vs Pentax Optio WG-1

Canon PowerShot S95

77
"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
Size
 Really small
Compact 99x58x29 mm
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
Pentax Optio W90

52
Runner-up

Pentax Optio W90

Reasons to buy the Pentax Optio W90

Size
 Really small
Compact 108x59x25 mm
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
6,400 ISO
Macro focus
 Great macro
1 cm
Thickness
 Thin
1"
Weight
 Light-weight
164 g
Waterproof
 Waterproof
Great at the beach

differences

Advantages of the Canon S95
Aperture Much wider aperture f/2.0 vs f/3.5
Help
 At its widest zoom, the S95's lens captures much more light (1.6 f-stops)
Sensor size Much larger sensor 1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm vs 1/2.3" 6.2x4.6mm
Help
 More than 50% larger sensor
Image stabilization Image stabilization Lens vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
 More than 10% larger screen
Supports RAW Shoots RAW Yes vs No
Help
 Digitally develop your own photos with precise image control
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
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
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 10 MP vs 9.8 MP
Help
 Almost the same
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 1.9 fps vs 1.3 fps
Help
 Around 50% faster continuous shooting
Longest exposure Longer exposures 15s vs 4s
Help
 Around 4x longer exposures
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/1600s vs 1/1500s
Help
 Around 10% faster max shutter speed
Canon PowerShot S95 Learn more about
the Canon S95

Advantages of the Pentax W90
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The W90's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Macro focus Significantly better macro capability 1 cm vs 5 cm
Help
 Focus on subjects 5x closer to the lens
Waterproof Waterproof Yes vs No
Help
 Great for vacations and holidays at the beach, or around the pool
Size Slightly smaller 108x59x25 mm vs 99x58x29 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Thickness Thinner 1" vs 1.2"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
Weight Lighter 164 g vs 193 g
Help
 Around 20% lighter
Zoom Slightly more zoom 5x vs 3.8x
Help
 Around 80% more zoom
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 290 ms vs 610 ms
Help
 2.1x less delay when taking photos
Pentax Optio W90 Learn more about
the Pentax W90
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent compacts, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot S95 Canon PowerShot S95
77 vs 52
Explain scores
Pentax Optio W90 Pentax Optio W90
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 waterproof.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent compacts

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
S95:1/1600s
W90:1/1500s
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
S95:1.9 fps
W90:1.3 fps
Movie format HD (720p) video Help
S95:720p @ 24fps
W90:720p @ 30fps
Wide angle Poor wide angle Help
28 mm
Zoom Poor zoom Help
S95:3.8x
W90:5x

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant shared competitors found.

Canon PowerShot S95 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$356 - $430
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Sensor size Smaller sensor
Weight Slightly heavier
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PowerShot S95
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$350
Sensor size Much larger sensor
Wide angle Significantly better wide angle
Size Much larger
Supports 24p No 24p support
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the PowerShot S95
Olympus XZ-1

Olympus XZ-1

Pro digicam

$499 - $500
Screen type Has an OLED screen
Sensor size Much larger sensor
Size Much larger
Supports 24p No 24p support
Compare the XZ-1 vs the PowerShot S95
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v

Travel zoom

$319 - $330
Zoom Much more zoom
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Aperture Much narrower aperture
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Compare the Cybershot DSC-HX9v vs the PowerShot S95
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$390 - $496
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Battery life Much longer battery life
Size Much larger
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the PowerShot S95

Pentax Optio W90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Pentax Optio WG-1

Pentax Optio WG-1

Waterproof

$246 - $264
Image stabilization Image stabilization
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Size Larger
Compare the Optio WG-1 vs the Optio W90
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2

Waterproof
Image stabilization Image stabilization
Aperture Wider aperture
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Macro focus Significantly worse macro capability
Compare the Lumix DMC-TS2 vs the Optio W90
Pentax Optio WG-2

Pentax Optio WG-2

Waterproof

$324
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Size Significantly larger
Thickness Thicker
Compare the Optio WG-2 vs the Optio W90
Nikon Coolpix AW100

Nikon Coolpix AW100

Waterproof

$280
Image stabilization Image stabilization
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Aperture Narrower aperture
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Compare the Coolpix AW100 vs the Optio W90
Pentax Optio W80

Pentax Optio W80

Waterproof
Size Smaller
Weight Slightly lighter
Screen size Smaller screen
True resolution Slightly lower true resolution
Compare the Optio W80 vs the Optio W90

appearance

Canon PowerShot S95 Pentax Optio W90
Canon PowerShot S95 Pentax Optio W90
Canon PowerShot S95 Pentax Optio W90

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