Specifications#
- Brand
- Canon
- Model
- PowerShot S90
- Camera type
- Compact
- Released
- 2009-01-01
- Sensor size
- 7.4 × 5.5 mm (1/1.7" sensor)
- Crop factor
- 4.67×
- Resolution
- 10 MP (3,648 × 2,736 px)
- Continuous shooting
- 0.9 fps
- Weight
- 175 g (6.2 oz)
- Sensor
- 1/1.7" CCD
- Storage
- Secure Digital card
- AF points / area
- TTL (9-point AiAF) 1-point AF (fixed to centre)
- Metering
- Evaluative, Center-Weighted Average, Spot
- Flash
- Internal
- Battery
- Canon NB-6L Li-Ion
- Dimensions
- 100.0 mm × 58.4 mm × 30.9 mm (W × H × D)
- Lens
- 6.0–22.5 mm (35mm equivalent: 28–105 mm) f/2.0–f/4.9
- Drive
- Approx. 0.9 frame/s
Specifications merged from Wikipedia, Wikidata, Lensfun and openMVG. Spot an error? Tell us.
Sensor size compared#
Focal length equivalents & field of view#
Multiply any focal length by 4.67 to get the full-frame field of view. For fixed-lens cameras use the real focal length printed on the lens (e.g. “6.1–18.3 mm”), not the 35 mm equivalent.
| Lens on this camera | Full-frame equivalent | Horizontal | Vertical | Diagonal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 mm | 19 mm | 85.8° | 69.2° | 98.4° |
| 4.5 mm | 21 mm | 79.2° | 63.0° | 91.7° |
| 5 mm | 23 mm | 73.3° | 57.8° | 85.6° |
| 6 mm | 28 mm | 63.6° | 49.4° | 75.3° |
| 8 mm | 37 mm | 49.9° | 38.1° | 60.1° |
| 10 mm | 47 mm | 40.8° | 30.9° | 49.7° |
| 12 mm | 56 mm | 34.4° | 25.9° | 42.2° |
| 15 mm | 70 mm | 27.9° | 20.9° | 34.3° |
| 20 mm | 93 mm | 21.1° | 15.7° | 26.1° |
| 25 mm | 117 mm | 16.9° | 12.6° | 21.0° |
| 30 mm | 140 mm | 14.1° | 10.5° | 17.6° |
| 40 mm | 187 mm | 10.6° | 7.9° | 13.2° |
| 50 mm | 234 mm | 8.5° | 6.3° | 10.6° |
| 70 mm | 327 mm | 6.1° | 4.5° | 7.6° |
| 100 mm | 467 mm | 4.3° | 3.2° | 5.3° |
| 150 mm | 701 mm | 2.8° | 2.1° | 3.5° |
Depth of field table#
Total depth of field at each subject distance, using a circle of confusion of 6.4 µm (the 0.030 mm full-frame standard scaled by the crop factor).
| Focal | Aperture | 50.0 cm | 1.00 m | 2.00 m | 3.00 m | 5.00 m | 10.0 m | Hyperfocal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 mm | f/2 | 47.3 cm | 4.44 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 1.25 m |
| 4 mm | f/2.8 | 80.9 cm | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 89.4 cm |
| 4 mm | f/4 | 2.18 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 62.7 cm |
| 4 mm | f/8 | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 31.5 cm |
| 9 mm | f/2 | 7.8 cm | 32.2 cm | 1.40 m | 3.67 m | 21.2 m | ∞ | 6.31 m |
| 9 mm | f/2.8 | 11.0 cm | 46.2 cm | 2.20 m | 7.13 m | ∞ | ∞ | 4.51 m |
| 9 mm | f/4 | 16.0 cm | 69.8 cm | 4.20 m | 57.0 m | ∞ | ∞ | 3.16 m |
| 9 mm | f/8 | 34.5 cm | 2.08 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 1.59 m |
| 15 mm | f/2 | 2.8 cm | 11.3 cm | 45.9 cm | 1.05 m | 3.10 m | 16.9 m | 17.5 m |
| 15 mm | f/2.8 | 3.9 cm | 15.8 cm | 65.1 cm | 1.52 m | 4.74 m | 44.0 m | 12.5 m |
| 15 mm | f/4 | 5.6 cm | 22.8 cm | 95.6 cm | 2.31 m | 8.42 m | ∞ | 8.77 m |
| 15 mm | f/8 | 11.2 cm | 47.4 cm | 2.28 m | 7.64 m | ∞ | ∞ | 4.39 m |
| 25 mm | f/2 | 1.0 cm | 4.0 cm | 16.3 cm | 36.8 cm | 1.03 m | 4.28 m | 48.7 m |
| 25 mm | f/2.8 | 1.4 cm | 5.6 cm | 22.8 cm | 51.7 cm | 1.46 m | 6.26 m | 34.8 m |
| 25 mm | f/4 | 2.0 cm | 8.0 cm | 32.7 cm | 74.5 cm | 2.13 m | 9.86 m | 24.3 m |
| 25 mm | f/8 | 3.9 cm | 16.1 cm | 66.7 cm | 1.56 m | 4.91 m | 50.1 m | 12.2 m |
Equivalent aperture#
Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.
Diffraction & pixel pitch#
With 2.04 µm pixels, diffraction starts to soften pixel-level detail around f/3.0. For maximum sharpness keep landscapes between f/2.8 and f/3; stopping down further trades detail for depth of field.
| Aperture | Airy disk diameter | Spread over | At 100% view |
|---|---|---|---|
| f/2.8 | 3.8 µm | 1.8 px | sharp |
| f/4 | 5.4 µm | 2.6 px | slight softening |
| f/5.6 | 7.5 µm | 3.7 px | visibly soft |
| f/8 | 10.7 µm | 5.3 px | visibly soft |
| f/11 | 14.8 µm | 7.2 px | visibly soft |
| f/16 | 21.5 µm | 10.5 px | visibly soft |
| f/22 | 29.5 µm | 14.5 px | visibly soft |
Maximum print sizes#
At 10 MP the Canon PowerShot S90 produces 3,648 × 2,736 pixel images. See the 10 megapixel guide or the print size calculator.
| Resolution | Typical use | Inches | Centimetres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 DPI | Photo-lab quality | 12.2 × 9.1 in | 31 × 23 cm |
| 240 DPI | Fine-art inkjet | 15.2 × 11.4 in | 39 × 29 cm |
| 200 DPI | Wall print | 18.2 × 13.7 in | 46 × 35 cm |
| 150 DPI | Poster, viewed from 1 m+ | 24.3 × 18.2 in | 62 × 46 cm |
Night-sky exposure limits#
Longest exposure before stars trail. The NPF rule accounts for pixel pitch and is stricter than the classic 500 rule — use it for pin-sharp stars on high-resolution sensors.
| Focal length | 500 rule | NPF f/1.8 | NPF f/2.8 | NPF f/4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 mm (19 mm eq.) | 26.8 s | 31.0 s | 39.8 s | 50.3 s |
| 5 mm (23 mm eq.) | 21.4 s | 24.8 s | 31.8 s | 40.2 s |
| 6 mm (28 mm eq.) | 17.8 s | 20.7 s | 26.5 s | 33.5 s |
| 7 mm (33 mm eq.) | 15.3 s | 17.7 s | 22.7 s | 28.7 s |
| 11 mm (51 mm eq.) | 9.7 s | 11.3 s | 14.5 s | 18.3 s |
Handheld shutter speed guide#
The reciprocal rule uses the equivalent focal length. High-resolution sensors may need one stop faster than this for pixel-sharp results.
| Focal length | No stabilisation (1/equiv. focal) | With 3-stop IS | With 5-stop IBIS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mm | 1/25 s | 0.3 s | 1.3 s |
| 11 mm | 1/50 s | 1/6 s | 0.6 s |
| 21 mm | 1/100 s | 1/13 s | 0.3 s |
| 43 mm | 1/200 s | 1/25 s | 1/6 s |
Lens#
The Canon PowerShot S90 has a built-in, non-interchangeable lens. Use the real focal length of that lens with the tables above; its full-frame equivalent is that number × 4.67.
Similar cameras#
Other 1/1.7" cameras from around the same time.
Frequently asked questions#
What is the crop factor of the Canon PowerShot S90?
The Canon PowerShot S90 has a crop factor of 4.67× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 9.3 mm vs 43.3 mm).
What size is the Canon PowerShot S90 sensor?
7.4 × 5.5 mm (1/1.7"), an area of 41 mm² — 5% of full frame.
Is the Canon PowerShot S90 full frame?
No — its sensor is 1/1.7", which is 21.0× smaller in area than full frame.
How many megapixels does the Canon PowerShot S90 have?
10 megapixels (3,648 × 2,736 pixels), enough for a 12 × 9 inch print at 300 DPI.
How long can I expose the night sky with the Canon PowerShot S90?
With a 5 mm lens (23 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 21 s and the stricter NPF rule at f/2.8 gives 32 s.
Sources & licences#
- Wikipedia: Canon PowerShot S90 — CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikidata Q5033263 — CC0
- Lensfun camera database — CC BY-SA 3.0
- openMVG sensor width database — MPL-2.0
Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources