Canon S90 vs Sony RX100

Sony RX100 advantages over Canon S90

• Focus peaking
  Peaker vs Non-peaker
  Your camera will highlight what's in focus
• Larger sensor
  1 inch vs 1/1.7 inch
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 2.41 vs 2.08 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• In-camera panoramas
  Yes vs No
  Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
• Better color depth

  Better color depth

  Color depth refers to the number of unique colors that a sensor can faithfully capture. Cameras with better color depth will demonstrate smoother transitions from one color to the next, and avoid "banding" in areas with subtle shading. (Blue skies are an example of where you might see color banding.)

  More color depth is generally better, but you'll struggle to notice a difference between two cameras with less than 1 bit of difference. Color depth above 22 bits is considered excellent.

  Want to learn more? Head over to our full glossary entry on color depth

  Color depth test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  RX100 test data on DxO Mark S90 test data on DxO Mark
  22.6 vs 20.2 bits
  Capture richer, more accurate colors
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  RX100 test data on DxO Mark S90 test data on DxO Mark
  390 vs 185 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• More dynamic range

  More dynamic range

  Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

  Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

  Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  RX100 test data on DxO Mark S90 test data on DxO Mark
  12.4 vs 11.0 evs
  Retain detail in highlight and shadows
• Longer stills battery life
  More info

  Longer stills battery life

  Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

  Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

  330 vs 220 shots
  Capture more photos
• Manual focus
  Yes vs No
  AF is for the weak. Real photographers focus manually.
• Higher max flash sync
  1/2000 vs 1/500 sec
  Reduce the effect of ambient light in flash shots
• HDMI out
  HDMI out vs None
  Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
• More dots on screen
  1229k vs 461k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• Shoots 1080p video
  Yes vs No
  You'll want this if you shoot video
• Less shutter lag
  0.15 vs 0.43 sec
  Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
• More pixels
  20.2 vs 10.0 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Shoots 60p video
  Yes vs No
  A faster framerate can give you more editing options
• Longer exposure
  30 vs 15 sec
  Long exposures for night shots
• Bulb shutter
  Bulb vs No bulb
  Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures
• Faster JPEG shooting
  10.0 fps vs 0.9 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Higher extended ISO
  25600 vs 12800 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility