Nikon D3S vs Pentax X90

Nikon D3S advantages over Pentax X90

• Larger sensor
  35mm vs 1/2.33 inch
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 8.46 vs 1.53 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• RAW file ability
  Yes vs No
  Gives you more flexibility to develop your photos later
• Fast startup
  ~0.30 vs 2.9 sec
  Faster startup lets you catch the moment
• Longer stills battery life
  More info

  Longer stills battery life

  Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

  Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

  4200 vs 255 shots
  Capture more photos
• Manual focus
  Yes vs No
  AF is for the weak. Real photographers focus manually.
• Shoots 24p video
  Yes vs No
  Gives your movies a big-screen feel
• More dots on screen
  920k vs 230k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• Hot shoe
  Hot shoe vs None
  Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
• Less shutter lag
  0.20 vs 0.65 sec
  Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
• Dual card slots
  Yes vs No
  Gives you more storage flexibility
• Longer exposure
  30 vs 4 sec
  Long exposures for night shots
• Bulb shutter
  Bulb vs No bulb
  Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures
• Faster JPEG shooting
  9.0 fps vs 1.1 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  90 vs 9 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
• Faster shutter
  1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  102400 vs 6400 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility