Canon S95 vs Sony S980
93 Imaging
34 Features
42 Overall
37


94 Imaging
34 Features
17 Overall
27
Canon S95 vs Sony S980 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-105mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
- 195g - 100 x 58 x 30mm
- Launched November 2010
- Old Model is Canon S90
- Later Model is Canon S100
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 3200
- 1280 x 720 video
- 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
- 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
- Announced February 2009

Canon S95 vs Sony S980 Overview
The following is a extensive assessment of the Canon S95 and Sony S980, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras by rivals Canon and Sony. The sensor resolution of the S95 (10MP) and the S980 (12MP) is fairly similar but the S95 (1/1.7") and S980 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizing.

The S95 was manufactured 22 months after the S980 making them a generation away from one another. The two cameras have the same body design (Compact).
Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick summation of how the S95 scores versus the S980 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Canon S95 vs Sony S980 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Canon PowerShot S95 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The entire galleries are available at Canon S95 Gallery & Sony S980 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Canon S95 over the Sony S980
S95 | S980 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | November 2010 | ![]() | February 2009 | Newer by 22 months |
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Display resolution | 461k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper display (+231k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Canon S95
S980 | S95 |
---|
Common features in the Canon S95 and Sony S980
S95 | S980 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | More precise focusing | ||
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | No selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Neither offers Touch friendly display |
Canon S95 vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera, you will need to factor its weight and volume. The Canon S95 offers outer dimensions of 100mm x 58mm x 30mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 1.2") having a weight of 195 grams (0.43 lbs) whilst the Sony S980 has sizing of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).
Check out the Canon S95 and Sony S980 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use at that time. Following is a front view size comparison of the S95 and the S980.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the S95 and S980 is 93 and 94 respectively.

Canon S95 vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it's tough to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions just by reading a spec sheet. The image underneath will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the S95 and S980.
As you can see, both of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The S95 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Sony S980 will offer greater detail due to its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics more aggressively. The more modern S95 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Canon S95 vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Canon S95 vs Sony S980 Specifications
Canon PowerShot S95 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Canon | Sony |
Model | Canon PowerShot S95 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 |
Type | Small Sensor Compact | Small Sensor Compact |
Launched | 2010-11-23 | 2009-02-17 |
Physical type | Compact | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | Digic 4 | - |
Sensor type | CCD | CCD |
Sensor size | 1/1.7" | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 7.44 x 5.58mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor surface area | 41.5mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4000 x 3000 |
Highest native ISO | 3200 | 3200 |
Minimum native ISO | 80 | 80 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 9 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | 28-105mm (3.8x) | 33-132mm (4.0x) |
Maximum aperture | f/2.0-4.9 | f/3.3-5.2 |
Macro focus distance | 5cm | 10cm |
Focal length multiplier | 4.8 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 3 inches | 2.7 inches |
Screen resolution | 461k dots | 230k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | None |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 15s | 2s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/1600s | 1/1600s |
Continuous shooting rate | 1.0 frames/s | 1.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 6.50 m | 3.50 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash synchronize | 1/500s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (24 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | 1280x720 | 1280x720 |
Video data format | H.264 | Motion JPEG |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 195 gr (0.43 lbs) | 167 gr (0.37 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 100 x 58 x 30mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 1.2") | 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 47 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | 20.4 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | 11.3 | not tested |
DXO Low light score | 153 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery model | NB-6L | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus card | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal |
Card slots | - | One |
Launch cost | $495 | $300 |