Clicky

Canon SX400 IS vs Pentax X90

Portability
81
Imaging
40
Features
31
Overall
36
Canon PowerShot SX400 IS front
 
Pentax X90 front
Portability
69
Imaging
35
Features
34
Overall
34

Canon SX400 IS vs Pentax X90 Key Specs

Canon SX400 IS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.4-5.8) lens
  • 313g - 104 x 69 x 80mm
  • Announced July 2014
Pentax X90
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-676mm (F2.8-5.0) lens
  • 428g - 111 x 85 x 110mm
  • Released July 2010
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Canon SX400 IS vs Pentax X90 Overview

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Canon SX400 IS versus Pentax X90, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by manufacturers Canon and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the SX400 IS (16MP) and X90 (12MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The SX400 IS was unveiled 4 years later than the X90 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Canon SX400 IS being a Compact camera and the Pentax X90 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief view of how the SX400 IS grades against the X90 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary

        

Reasons to pick Canon SX400 IS over the Pentax X90

 SX400 IS X90 
ReleasedJuly 2014July 2010More recent by 50 months
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")

Reasons to pick Pentax X90 over the Canon SX400 IS

 X90 SX400 IS 
Manually focus Very exact focus

Common features in the Canon SX400 IS and Pentax X90

 SX400 IS X90 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display resolution230k230kIdentical display resolution
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Canon SX400 IS vs Pentax X90 Physical Comparison

When you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Canon SX400 IS offers physical measurements of 104mm x 69mm x 80mm (4.1" x 2.7" x 3.1") having a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Pentax X90 has sizing of 111mm x 85mm x 110mm (4.4" x 3.3" x 4.3") along with a weight of 428 grams (0.94 lbs).

Contrast the Canon SX400 IS versus Pentax X90 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the SX400 IS compared to the X90.

Canon SX400 IS vs Pentax X90 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SX400 IS and X90 is 81 and 69 respectively.

Canon SX400 IS vs Pentax X90 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX400 IS vs Pentax X90 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's hard to visualise the difference in sensor measurements just by viewing specs. The graphic below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the SX400 IS and X90.

All in all, the two cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but not the same megapixels. You should anticipate the Canon SX400 IS to render more detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics more aggressively. The more modern SX400 IS is going to have a benefit in sensor technology.

Canon SX400 IS vs Pentax X90 sensor size comparison

Canon SX400 IS vs Pentax X90 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX400 IS vs Pentax X90 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Canon SX400 IS
Portrait photography with Pentax X90
35
good megapixels (16MP)
supports face detection focusing
manual focus not available
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
29
has manual focus
can't use external flash
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Street Comparison

Canon SX400 IS Street photography advice
Pentax X90 Street photography advice
52
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Sports Comparison

Canon SX400 IS as a Sports photography camera
Pentax X90 as a Sports photography camera
42
incredible zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
max fps low (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (190 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
42
great zoom range (26-676mm 26.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides tracking autofocus
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Travel Comparison

Canon SX400 IS Travel photography info
Pentax X90 Travel photography info
60
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
decently wide (24mm)
long zoom (720mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
terrible battery power (190 per charge)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.4)
51
has built in flash
fairly wide (26mm)
very long reach (676mm)
no Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (12MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Landscape Comparison

Canon SX400 IS as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax X90 as a Landscape photography camera
40
decently wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.4)
manual exposure not available
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
terrible battery power (190 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
35
has manual focus
fairly wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is small (2.7")
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
no Time Lapse function
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX400 IS Vlogging info
Pentax X90 Vlogging info
28
decently wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focusing
slow maximum aperture (f3.4)
display isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external mic support
23
fairly wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external mic jack
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Canon SX400 IS vs Pentax X90 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX400 IS and Pentax X90
 Canon PowerShot SX400 ISPentax X90
General Information
Brand Canon Pentax
Model type Canon PowerShot SX400 IS Pentax X90
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2014-07-29 2010-07-06
Body design Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Powered by Digic 4+ Prime
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-720mm (30.0x) 26-676mm (26.0x)
Max aperture f/3.4-5.8 f/2.8-5.0
Macro focusing distance 0cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Display resolution 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames per second -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 5.00 m 9.10 m
Flash settings Auto, on, off, slow synchro -
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 313g (0.69 pounds) 428g (0.94 pounds)
Physical dimensions 104 x 69 x 80mm (4.1" x 2.7" x 3.1") 111 x 85 x 110mm (4.4" x 3.3" x 4.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 190 pictures -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID NB-11LH D-L106
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail cost $229 $350