Canon PowerShot S120 vs Canon PowerShot S90

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon PowerShot S120 and the Canon PowerShot S90, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon PowerShot S120 was introduced in November 2013 and Canon PowerShot S90 was introduced in April 2010. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon PowerShot S120 over Canon PowerShot S90.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon PowerShot S90 over Canon PowerShot S120.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon PowerShot S120 and Canon PowerShot S90 have 3.0" Fixed screens with 922k dot and 461k dot resolutions respectively. Canon PowerShot S120 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Canon PowerShot S120 features a 12.1 megapixel 1/1.7-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 7.44 x 5.58 mm and a total area of 41.5 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 12,800. Canon PowerShot S90 features a 10.0 megapixel 1/1.7-inch CCD sensor with dimensions of 7.44 x 5.58 mm and a total area of 31.1 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 3,200.

Canon PowerShot S120 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Canon PowerShot S120 is equipped with DIGIC 6 processor and can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4000 x 3000, 4000 x 2248, 4000 x 2664, 2992 x 2992, 2816 x 2112, 2816 x 1880, 2816 x 1584, 2112 x 2112, 1920 x 1080, 1600 x 1200, 1600 x 1064, 1200 x 1200, 640 x 480, 640 x 424, 640 x 360, 480 x 480 with 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Canon PowerShot S90 is equipped with DIGIC 4 processor and can take pictures up to 3648 x 2736 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3648 x 2048, 2816 x 2112, 2272 x 1704, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 with 4:3, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in [y] image stabilization.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Canon PowerShot S120

Canon PowerShot S120 has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Canon PowerShot S120 has a Mini HDMI and Canon PowerShot S90 has an HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon PowerShot S120 comes with NB-6LH battery pack with battery life of 230 shots and Canon PowerShot S90 comes with NB-6L battery pack.

External Storage Slots

Canon PowerShot S120 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot. Canon PowerShot S90 has a single SD/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus card card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/2000 sec on Canon PowerShot S120, and up to 1/1600 sec on Canon PowerShot S90. Canon PowerShot S120 can shoot continuously up to 12.1 fps. Canon PowerShot S90 can shoot continuously up to 0.9 fps.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 7.00 m on Canon PowerShot S120 and 6.50 m on Canon PowerShot S90. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/500 sec on Canon PowerShot S90.

Canon PowerShot S120 body has dimensions of 100 x 59 x 29 mm (3.94 x 2.32 x 1.14") and Canon PowerShot S90 body has dimensions of 100 x 58 x 31 mm (3.94 x 2.28 x 1.22"). Canon PowerShot S120 weighs 217 g (0.48 lb / 7.65 oz) and Canon PowerShot S90 weighs 195 g (0.43 lb / 6.88 oz).

Canon PowerShot S120

Canon PowerShot S90

100 mm

59 mm

100 mm

58 mm

59 mm

58 mm