Digital Cameras Reviews

Posts Tagged ‘Lens Barrel’

Canon PowerShot S90IS 10MP Digital Camera with 3 8x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3 inch LCD

Canon’s storied S Series gets a revitalized new leader in the slimmer, lighter, new PowerShot S90, the perfect everyday camera for people who are serious about great photography. Image quality is superb thanks to the new High Sensitivity System and higher ISO speeds, plus an exceptionally bright f/2.0 lens that makes portraits and low-light shots come to life. Photography enthusiasts will love the new control ring at the base of the lens barrel, designed for intuitive, pro-style manual control. A Wide-angle 3.8x Optical Zoom (equivalent to 28 – 105mm) with Canon’s Optical Image Stabilizer Full range of shooting and recording modes including RAW + JPEG for the ultimate creative control Large 3.0-inch PureColor System LCD for even greater true-to-life color reproduction Effective Pixels – Approx. 10.0 Megapixels Type – 1/1.7-inch type Charge Coupled Device (CCD) Lens – Canon 3.8x optical zoom Lens Focal Length – 6.0 (W)-22.5mm (T) f/2.0-4.9 (35mm equivalent – 28-105mm) LCD Monitor – 3.0-inch TFT color with wide viewing angle Shutter Speed – 15-1/1600 sec. ISO Sensitivity – Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600/3200 Exposure Control Method – Program AE, i-Contrast, Manual; AE Lock, Program Shift, Safety Shift, Auto ISO Shift White Balance Control – Auto, Preset (Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash, Underwater), Custom Built-in Flash – Auto, Auto w/ Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On w/ Red-eye Reduction, Flash Off; FE lock, Safety FE, Slow Synchro Shooting Modes – Auto, P, Av, Tv, M, C, Portrait, Landscape, Special Scene, Night Snapshot, Stitch Assist, Low Light, Movie Storage Media – SD/SDHC Memory Card, MultiMediaCard, MMCplus Card, HC MMCplus Card File Format – Still Image – Exif 2.2 (JPEG); Movie – MOV (Image – H.264; Audio – Linear PCM (Stereo)) Still Image – Up to 3,648 x 2,736 (Large); Movie – VGA 640 x 480 Dimensions (WxH

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars New King of Compacts
I bought this camera on 10/9, which is the first day it was available here in Kansas City. I have already taken a couple hundred shots with it comparing images side by side with my G10 at various settings. This review is of my initial impression based on the short time that I have had it. I was anxiously awaiting the release of this camera. I own a Nikon D90 DSLR, but there are many times when I prefer to just take a compact. In the past the Canon G10 has served that purpose, but the S90 boasts improved low-light performance and smaller size.

The first thing I wanted to test was image quality and noise at high ISO settings. Most photography hobbyists and pros know that low light performance is the number one factor influencing camera and lens prices. This is the main reason an f/2.8 zoom lens costs 3-5 times as much as an f/3.5-5.6 zoom. The S90 performs superbly in this regard. RAW images from the S90 set at ISO 800 were equal to or better than RAW images from the G10 set at ISO400. Both luminance and chrominance noise were lower in the S90 images. This represents a 1 stop improvement, which is what I was hoping for. These comparisons were made with all noise reduction disabled in camera and in the DPP software. I tested all other ISOs and found the S90 to be better at all ISO settings above 100 and the 2 cameras demonstrated equal IQ at the base ISOs of 80 and 100.

Canon also boasts about the S90 having a faster f/2.0 lens compared to the f/2.8 on the G10, but this part of the camera did not impress me. The lens only has the 1 stop advantage at the absolute widest setting and the max aperture closes down fast from there. The G10/G11 lens is faster at the telephoto end and the difference is negligible at all zoom settings in between. Both lenses are equally sharp throughout their zoom ranges.

The ergonomics of the camera will take me a while to get used to. I was looking for a smaller camera and the S90 definitely fits the bill. But now that I am using it, I wonder if it might be too small. I hope that it will become more comfortable in my hands as I get used to it. On the G10, I could operate all of the controls on the right-rear of the camera with the thumb of the hand holding the camera. With the S90 there are fewer controls that I can operate one-handed and at times I feel like I might drop this camera, because I just can’t get a good grip on it. Other ergonomic concerns are that the rear control ring turns too easily and I have found myself unintentionally adjusting settings because of this, which was never a problem on the G10. I think I might miss the external ISO and Exposure Compensation dials on the G10, but I have set the front control ring to adjust the ISO setting and I would honestly need to use it more before I say the controls are not easy to access; again this should improve with more use. None of the concerns I have about the size and controls on the camera would dissuade me from the purchase; the trade-off is worth it for the smaller carrying size and improved performance.

The camera ships with a newer version (3.7) of Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software. There is not much difference compared to older versions, but there is one nice improvement: the lens aberration section is enabled for images taken with the S90. This allows for correction of vignetting, CA and distortion. I do not understand why the same controls are not available for RAW files taken with the G10. There is still no straighten function in the software, which is a disappointment. Another disappointing factor about the software is that Canon has not yet released a new RAW Codec; the current version (1.5) does not support the S90 or G11. This allows raw files to be viewed in Windows and for thumbnail images to be created in Windows explorer. I am sure they are working on an update, but I wish they had this ready by the time the camera was released.

I went step-by-step through the menus and features of both cameras during my comparison and most functions are very similar. The S90 has fewer AF options and no remote control, but I do not think I will miss either of these.

I considered giving this camera only 4 stars because of the couple of hits I mentioned above, but then decided that would not be fair. The title of “Best Compact” has been debated feverishly on the web, with most votes going to the G10 and LX3. But now, I think Canon’s new release of both the S90 and G11 will put a quick end to these debates. There is no question in my mind that this pair sits above all competitors. Therefore a five star rating is the only logical choice. I highly recommend this camera.

5 Stars A Compact Camera Suited for Serious Photographers
My first impressions of the Canon S90 Compact Camera are quite good although I do have some nits:

Some functions should be easier to set. For example, Canon requires you to go into the menus to format the SD card. I would prefer to do that with buttons like I can on a DSLR. I also was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t set more functions in my custom menu (only five custom items can be set at one time.) It’s really easy to smudge the LCD because it takes up almost the entire camera back. And the manual setting of aperture is backwards. Canon set it to turn like you are looking at the camera, but it needs to be reversed because you are setting it from the back of the camera. It’s counter intuitive–and there’s no way to change the dial rotation to match what comes intuitively.

Post processing tests show that the S90 shots easy to manipulate photos. The biggest drawback are with marginal photos (extremely under exposed, for example.) I can bring back mistakes like that in poorly executed shots taken with my DSLR. With the S90, however, the photos blow out and become surrealistic looking when I try to recover them. But in fairness, we are talking about shots that should be greeted by the delete key anyway.

I shot some low light photos at ISO 2000 and 3200. Ridiculously high settings for a digital camera. And I must say that this camera handles noise extremely well. Sure, noise is there at high ISO settings. If you look closely enough you will see it, but it’s not objectionable. The image quality and detail is quite good. Focusing, even in low light, is fast and spot on the mark. There is almost no delay from the time I press the shutter button to the time the camera takes the photo. The camera does well in write speed to the SD card as well. Plus, I love being able to manually set aperture and shutter speed without using menus. That’s a terrific feature! And I haven’t yet missed having an optical viewfinder.

The S90 is a well designed, solid camera. The build quality is excellent. It’s small, but easy to handle. It has features that aren’t even on my DSLR and is quite capable. All-in-all, a very good camera and well worth the money.

5 Stars Keeper
Yes. Its a keeper. Easy to use, portable, some nice features, low light performance is amazing (tested ISO 400 and 800 mostly). Zoom is abit on a short side, but thats understandable. Love the front and rear rings and custom button. Waited a few years for this to come out. LX3 is also a great camera but zoom range and size killed it for me.

5 Stars Keeper
Yes. Its a keeper. Easy to use, portable, some nice features, low light performance is amazing (tested ISO 400 and 800 mostly). Zoom is abit on a short side, but thats understandable. Love the front and rear rings and custom button. Waited a few years for this to come out. LX3 is also a great camera but zoom range and size killed it for me.

5 Stars walk around photography
Took this out with my girls for an afternoon at the park yesterday. The ability to carry this in your pocket so easily is soooooo awesome. The quality I’m seeing so far has been great. Haven’t read the manual yet, and haven’t come close to denting what this camera seems able to do. It won’t replace my DSLR, nor did I intend for it to, but having caught the photo bug, this is an awesome tool to be able to carry with you wherever you are so you won’t be caught saying, “man I wish I had my camera with me”.

This camera is not for those who want an all in one. It takes video, but not HD. There are cheaper cameras that can take nice shots. If you want the ability to shoot RAW though, and really enjoy still photography, and never want to be caught without your camera….buy this. By the time I’ve actually played with this enough to know what all it can do, my 5 stars will be 5 stars with emphasis.

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