Sony Cyber-shot S90 Review

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
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May 18, 2005
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Feb 19, 2005
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May 16, 2008
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May 2, 2008
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