Canon S90 vs Nikon AW120

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Canon S90 versus Nikon AW120, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Waterproof by competitors Canon and Nikon. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the S90 (10MP) and AW120 (16MP) and the S90 (1/1.7") and AW120 (1/2.3") possess different sensor size.

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The S90 was announced 4 years prior to the AW120 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the S90 scores versus the AW120 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Canon PowerShot S90 and Nikon Coolpix AW120. The whole galleries are viewable at Canon S90 Gallery and Nikon AW120 Gallery.

If you are planning to carry your camera often, you'll need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Canon S90 has got outer measurements of 100mm x 58mm x 31mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 1.2") having a weight of 195 grams (0.43 lbs) whilst the Nikon AW120 has proportions of 110mm x 66mm x 26mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.0") with a weight of 213 grams (0.47 lbs).

See the Canon S90 versus Nikon AW120 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the S90 compared to the AW120.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the S90 and AW120 is 92 and 92 respectively.

Quite often, it can be hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizing just by going through a spec sheet. The visual below should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the S90 and AW120.

Clearly, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The S90 having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Nikon AW120 will produce extra detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The older S90 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.