Despite some speculation when announced in February 2005, the S90 is not the successor to the highly-rated S85, but is one of two near-identical entry-level four million pixel cameras from Sony (the other being the S60; the main difference is that the S90 has a 2.5-inch screen and ships with rechargeable batteries). Although ostensibly a budget camera (with a street price of around $290) the S90 has more than its fair share of features, including seven scene modes, Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar 3x zoom, full manual exposure mode, VGA/30fps MPEG movie mode and a claimed 420-shot maximum battery life (using the CIPA standard).

  • 4.1 effective megapixels
  • Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens (3x optical zoom)
  • F2.8 - F5.6, 39-117mm (35mm equiv.)
  • Long life STAMINA battery: up to 420 shots per charge
  • 2.5” LCD (115,000 pixels)
  • Manual exposure function
  • Real Imaging Processor
  • Optional Cyber-shot Station dock
  • Scene selection (7 modes)
  • Histogram indication
  • Optional tele and wide lens adaptors
  • 32MB internal memory, plus Memory Stick PRO slot

Sony DSC-S90 Key specifications

Street price • US: $300
• UK: £190
Body Material plastic
Sensor

• 1/2.7" Super HAD CCD
• 4.1 million pixels total
• 4.1 million effective pixels
Image sizes

• 2304 x 1728
• 2304 x 1536 (3:2)
• 2048 x 1536
• 1280 x 960
• 640 x 480

Movie clips • 640 x 480 @ 16 / 30 fps
• 160 x 112 @ 8 fps
• Limited only by the capacity of the memory card
• MPEG VX with sound
Lens

• Carl Zeiss 39 - 117mm equiv. (3x optical zoom)
• F2.8-F5.6
• 2x digital zoom

Focus • 5-Area Multi-Point AF
• Center AF
• 5-Step Manual
• 10cm macro mode (Wide)
Shooting mode

• Auto
• Program
• Manual
• Twilight
• Twilight portrait
• Soft Snap
• Landscape
• Beach
• Snow
• Candle
• AE compensation -2.0EV to +2.0 EV in 1/3EV steps
Shutter Speeds • 1/8 – 1/1000 sec (Auto)
• 2 – 1/1000 sec (Program Auto)
• 30 – 1/1000 sec (Manual)
Apertures f2.8 – f5.6 (W), f5.2 – f10 (T)
Metering • Multi Pattern
• Spot
Sensitivity • Auto
• ISO 80
• ISO 100
• ISO 200
• ISO 400
White Balance • Auto
• Daylight
• Cloudy
• Fluorescent
• Incandescent
Image parameters

• Saturation (3 levels)
• Contrast (3 levels)
• Sharpness (3 levels)
• Color effects (Sepia, Black and White)
Continuous 0.7 fps up to four frames
Flash • Built-in
• Modes: Auto, forced on, forced off, slow sync, red-eye reduction
• Range: 1.6 – 12.5 ft. (0.5 – 3.8m)
Storage • Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO
• 32MB internal memory
• No removable media supplied
Viewfinder • Real Image Optical
LCD monitor • 2.5 " TFT, 115,000 pixels
Connectivity • USB
• A/V out
• DC-IN
Power • 2x AA type battery (alkaline, NiMH, NiMM)
• 2x AA NiMH 'STAMINA' batteries + charger included
In the box*

• DSC-S90 camera
• BC-CS2A NiMHBattery Charger
• 2 x NiMH batteries + battery case
• A/V & USB Cable
• Wrist Strap
• Software CD-ROM (Picture Package™ for Sony v1.0 (Windows), Pixela™ ImageMixer VCD2 (Macintosh/Windows), SPVD-012.1 USB Driver, Cyber-shot Life tutorial (Windows)
Other features

• PictBridge and DPOF compatible
• Live Histogram & playback histogram
• Autofocus Illuminator
• Optional 2.6x Tele converter lens (VCL-DH2630) $130
• Optional 1.7x Tele converter lens (VCL-DH1730) $99
• Optional 0.7x Wide converter lens (VCL-DH0730) $99
• Optional Camera Dock (Cyber-shot Station CSS-SA) $80
• Optional Slave flash + bracket (HVL-FSL1B) $100
• Optional waterproof case (Marine Pack MPK-SA) $100
• Optional filter kits and filter adapter

Weight (inc batt) 253 g (8.9 oz)
Dimensions 108 x 52 x 26mm (4.25 x 2.1 x 1in)

* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area