Pictures: Sony HX5 vs. Canon S90

Well, it's a comparison I've been meaning to do, and I finally got out and did some shooting. So, if we send the HX5 up against an arguable Superman in the segment, will the HX5 hold its own, or will it get punted off the planet, and into outer space? Let's have a look!

These are resized and hit with a little bit of unsharp mask, but that's the only processing. I might post some originals eventually, but let's just have a look at the bigger picture, for now. These will always be the HX5 followed by the S90, and here we go:

Obligatory fountain shot:

One of the most obvious differences is a pretty big one in terms of contrast. Unless mentioned otherwise, these are all base-ISO "P mode" shots, with various exposure compensation levels, as I tried to get roughly equivalent exposures for each pair.

State Capitol building:

Not a good comparison at all -- in between shots, the sun had gone behind a cloud for the S90 shot. Still, it's all kind of interesting....

Obligatory brick church shot:

One of the better comparisons I've got. I wish I had gotten the positioning a little closer. See the rather substantial vignetting in the S90's blue sky?

Now we head indoors, to compare S90 at high ISO vs. HX5 in HHT mode. I kept the S90 in "P mode," and changed it to auto ISO. Then, I tried to match the S90 exposures to the HX5 HHT shots.

First up: Handheld at the chamber doorway:

Very interesting -- a huge difference. So, what do you think?

Second: Rail-aided balcony shots:

Finally, for this group, a substantial zoom into the podium area:

I suppose I should at the least make this group available in original, unprocessed size....

More in subsequent replies....

Tom Hoots
http://thoots.zenfolio.com