Canon PowerShot S90 Digital Camera 3.0 inch LCD

DangermouseZilla

at 3:47 am

I have a Canon PowerShot G10 and when the G11 was introduced I was tempted to upgrade to the newer model, but I didn’t feel that I would gain much by doing so. The general consensus is that the G11 offers little over the G10 in terms of image quality – and I’m incredibly happy with the G10 (even if it does have a known bug where every-so-often I get a black line in an image).

However the S90 intrigued me – it offered the same sensor as the G11 but in a smaller package. Although I love the G10, it’s certainly not small, and I find that it isn’t with me as often as I’d like (I can’t just slip it into my pocket). I’ve had the lucky chance to play with an S90 and compare directly with my G10 – and I was very impressed.

My initial impressions were that it didn’t feel as rugged as the G10. The G10 is metal and feels like a ‘proper’ camera whereas the S90 feels much like any other point-and-shoot. It’s when you start taking photo’s though that you see why it costs a good £200+ compared to more basic cameras…

…The photos I took were easily comparable to the G10. When I first looked at the photos at 100% the G10 images looked terrible next to the S90, but the G10 images are much larger (nearly 15MP as opposed to 10MP) and when I zoomed out so that I could see the equivalent image coverage on the S90 images the two looked very similar. The G10 edged it slightly, but only just, and even then is was purely a matter of opinion. Given that the S90 is a small camera, it’s incredible that it manages to achieve images which compare to the high end (not quite so) compacts which themselves are often said to perform favourably compared to some SLRs. The Panasonic LX3 is a similar rival, but for me the zoom on the S90 is the trump card – I like to have around 3x, but the S90 has a 3.8x zoom.

The S90 is a lot easier to control than other small cameras I’ve used, there is a control ring on the top of the camera (as with most) and there is a further control ring at the base of the lens which can be tailored to whatever function you assign it. The ring on the lens has a nice ratchet-style click to it, it might sound daft (and this is where I come across as a total amateur, which I am!) but it felt solid and was pleasant to twiddle! This helps to keep shooting options at your fingertips rather than having to constantly navigate through menus, there is still an element of menu usage but it’s kept to a minimum.

I didn’t really get to compare the flash between the cameras, but the S90 flash appeared more than adequate and although it’s not everyone’s cup-of-tea I loved the pop up flash and the smooth way it raised up. When closed, the flash fits flush with the camera and doesn’t spoil the sleek lines.

I only quickly looked at the video capabilities of the camera as it’s not something I really use, my cameras are used for still images and rarely for video. The video did look good and it was very smooth when played back on my Mac – but I know many will be disappointed at the lack of HD video capture. As I say though – it’s not an issue for me.

In a nutshell: This camera offers a similar image performance to the Canon G10 and G11 and is far superior to cheaper models of similar size. If portability is not an issue then the G10/G11 are probably the best option for you – but if you require something smaller then that’s where the S90 really shines. Most of my photographs are taken indoors and the S90 has an ace up its sleeve – an f/2.0 aperture allows twice as much light in as the G10 or G11 (f/2.8 at their widest aperture) which means less motion blur as the camera can achieve images in a quicker shutter time. The vast majority of my photos are of my family who tend to be active and animated most of the time – the chance to have a f/2.0 lens with image quality which is around the level of my G10 but in a camera which can easily fit in my pocket makes this a killer camera for me – anyone fancy buying a G10?

Rating: 5 / 5

trinbin

at 4:06 am

Having got fed up of lugging around a G9 I spent ages flitting between the S90 and a Lumix LX3. The S90 won because 1) I liked the slender design and 2) the quality of the optics. This is my 4th Canon including a 350D, a new 500D and a Ixus which was/is a wonderful little contraption.

As well as the size and quality of the images, the best aspects of this camera are its capacity to record in RAW and the wide angle fast lens. Admittedly the barrel distortion is as I suspected somewhat noticeable, but it can add a distinctive ‘look’ to your images if you don’t mind it! But it can be cleaned up via the bundled software. The adjustment ring around the lens is a very neat idea, simple to use and intuitive if you are used to manual cameras of old. And the whole business of being able to turn off all the pre-set programmes and work manually is a valuable asset. Again, if you like lots of control over your image-making then this is essential and quite rare to find on compacts. Alternatively, I’m looking forward to lots of point and ‘shoot’ moments; sometimes you just can’t be bothered with all that knob twiddling! What it doesn’t need is a capacity to record video. I don’t understand this fetish for STILL cameras to capture video and reading reviews of other makes that do not seem to do this are seen as being a ‘lesser breed’. Why not just buy a video camera! Or am I missing something?

In summary this is a fine camera, and even the quirky motorized flash is very good and yes even with those plastic (but good quality plastic) top and bottoms the build is what you would expect of Canon.
Rating: 5 / 5

G. J. Banton

at 5:30 am

Almost all the reviews on this little camera have been generously handing out praise left, right and centre so I was waiting for its arrival on the edge of my seat. Out of the box it feels sturdy and well built and, as a Canon user, familiar. Initially however I was not as blown away by the breakthrough ergonomics and features as I was expecting/hoping to be. The pop-up flash kept popping up underneath my finger, the secondary ring was too easy to spin and the infamous control ring felt awkwardly located and stiff.

Within a few hours though my fingers had forgotten the initial awkwardness, they’d moved to a new natural holding position and everything felt right. Once you get to this stage the camera just comes into its own. When you’re in a hurry Auto takes a great shot but with a few seconds on your hands the S90 gives you almost the level of control that an SLR does and you can customise all the buttons and rings to do pretty much anything you want them to.

There have been some comprehensive technical reviews of this camera already; comparing it to the G10 and G11, talking about the control ring, the sensor and the image quality. I do not however have the tech knowledge to really add to the comments on these aspects. What I will say is that so far it has been faultless in all areas. What I will emphasise here is how well this camera performs in low light. The S90 accompanied me on a night out and save for a bit of noise and graininess at high ISOs it is truly fantastic. You can get away without a flash as dusk draws in for far longer into the night than I was expecting. The customisable flash output is a great idea too; you can turn it down to take warm night time portraits and crank it up to fill a room.

In conclusion, this camera is ergonomically different to the standard point and shoot and even though on paper the control ring seems like it might be similar to the usability of a DSLR in reality it all does take a bit of getting use to. Push through that and this camera will blow you away. As one other reviewer said, it is a wolf in sheeps clothing. A fantastic addition to a kit bag or a DSLR for your pocket.
Rating: 5 / 5