Canon S95 vs Nikon A900

Below is a in depth review of the Canon S95 and Nikon A900, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Canon and Nikon. There is a sizeable difference between the image resolutions of the S95 (10MP) and A900 (20MP) and the S95 (1/1.7") and A900 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The S95 was launched 6 years earlier than the A900 and that is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before getting straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a brief overview of how the S95 scores against the A900 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Canon PowerShot S95 and Nikon Coolpix A900. The complete galleries are provided at Canon S95 Gallery and Nikon A900 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to factor in its weight and size. The Canon S95 has got outer dimensions of 100mm x 58mm x 30mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 195 grams (0.43 lbs) and the Nikon A900 has specifications of 113mm x 67mm x 40mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.6") with a weight of 289 grams (0.64 lbs).

Examine the Canon S95 and Nikon A900 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the S95 and the A900.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the S95 and A900 is 93 and 88 respectively.

Usually, its hard to see the contrast between sensor measurements just by going over a spec sheet. The visual here will offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the S95 and A900.

Clearly, both the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The S95 due to its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Nikon A900 will deliver more detail utilizing its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older S95 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.