Canon PowerShot S90 10MP Digital Camera with 3.8X Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3-Inch LCD (Old Model)

I've agonized about which compact camera to buy, the G11 or the S90 for a couple of weeks. In the end I bought the S90 and some of the reviews really helped me, so here's my contribution to the people making that decision today: Do you own a DSLR? Definitely go with the S90. Are you looking for a camera to take in your pocket? No doubt about it, go with the S90. I've used the G10 and G11 and, believe me, there's NO WAY you are taking them in your pocket! The big differences between the two, which I'm fairly sure you all know by now are: - The focal length (105mm for the S90 and 140mm for the G11) - The manual controls - The size - The hot-shoe (only the G's have them) - The flash Well, let me start by addressing one of the main complaints I've been reading about, the fact that the rear wheel is "loose"and that you can change your definitions without noticing it. It was a concern when I bought the camera and, to my surprise, it has NEVER been an issue while shooting. I don't have small hands and I don't know how other people hold a compact camera, but for it works like clockwork, no problem whatsoever. I even dare to say that if it was a bit harder to move it, it might take from the easiness of changing your controls before shooting the picture. The difference in focal length doesn't bother me. Would it be nice to have more on the S90? Yeah, sure. But is it a concern? No, not for me. I'm strictly against using the digital zoom, but on the few times I tried just to see the result, I confess I was a bit surprised (on the good side) by it. The manual controls are exceptional, the combination of frontal ring, back ring and shortcut button make it easy to change configurations and control the camera. And for those of you wondering about the speed in doing it, I can say that I've been taking pictures to make a book about the life guard service here and it's all about speed. Sometimes I take the S90 to the beach instead of the big DSLR's because people won't even notice me taking pictures with it, and the DSLR's always cause a fuss, specially when people are being rescued and are ashamed to be seen in that light... As for the size, I bought it to have a everyday camera always with me and this is the perfect one for this. A couple of friends decided to buy one after seeing mine (one of them is abandoning his G10 for it). And I was very, very pleasantly surprised by the image quality and camera quality I got with the S90, I never regretted choosing it and now, after having handled a G10 and a G11, I think I would be mad with me if I had chosen the G11 instead of the S90. Some reviewers have questioned the built quality of the S90, but I don't have any complaints about it, and it has been living in my pocket for over a month now, receiving some fairly rough treatment sometimes. As for the shutter release on the S90, yes, it is in a bit awkward position to be sure, but after one or two days with the camera you'll adjust to it. Is it a serious problem? Not even close! Regarding the hot-shoe and flash: well, I own two DSLR's, so if I want to put a big flash on top of the camera, I'll take the big one. It might be different for people who are buying this as their only camera. I hate flash and avoid using it always, even bumping the ISO to the moon, but, on the occasion I used the in-camera flash I was amazed by it's power. When I'm shooting "professionally" I tend to go with the RAW + JPEG mode, but sometimes I prefer to use the strict JPEG mode and it has a very interesting color control that helps eliminate the need for working the files later on. Anyway, you can change that configuration in about 2 to 3 seconds if you need to (the RAW/JPEG, because the colors are even faster). A lot of reviewers and photographers talk about the S90 exceptional AutoWhite Balance, but I don't really like it, I tend to prefer choosing presets all the time (I don't like the auto WB in my NIkon's DSLR's either), but that is also very easy and fast to do in this camera. Well, that's about it. I'm sure there are other reviews discussing the technical details more deeply, but I've been a VERY HAPPY S90 owner for the past month or so and I'm sure glad that I chose the S90 instead of the G11. To tell you the truth, I don't see much reason in buying the G11, as it is not a compact camera, it is not a DSLR, it is not lightweight, so it's a middle everything. But the S90, and I've been hearing the same opinion from others for the past weeks, seems like the queen of compacts for now (I hope the manufacturers start a "fully manual compact" cameras war now). I believe that, for most buyers, the S90 will always be the smart choice!

I usually don't write reviews, but occasionally a product comes along that requires a response: The Canon S90 is such a product. I love this little camera. It is extremely easy to use and yet extremely capable. If you don't want to exercise a great deal of control, just set it on "Auto" and it will do the rest. If you want more manual control, it's controls and ease of setting them are excellent. If the light is good enough that you can see where you're going, this little camera will get a very decent picture. It the light is better, you'll get a very good picture. And if the light is really good, you'll wind up writing a review on this website. Before I buy a product, I always read the reviews on Amazon and elsewhere because I value other people's experience. However, I need to tell prospective buyers that the negatives I've read about this camera must not apply to me, because I haven't found any valid ones yet. Take battery life, for example. I bought an extra battery because a few reviewers thought the battery life this camera turns in wasn't very good. And they may be right if you typically take 200 exposures or more on your photo junkets. I rarely take more than fifteen or twenty pictures in the course of a day, even out in Yellowstone, and I'm totally satisfied with the battery life the S90 turns in. Some people complained about the daisy control on the back of the camera being too loose. I haven't found it to be a problem. Some people thought the zoom was too short, but this isn't a wildlife camera. This is a "put it in your pocket and take it along camera", and it is small enough that you can take it anywhere and almost forget you have it...until you need it or want it. Perhaps people who want a manufacturer to make a product specifically for them will have problems with this camera's layout. It's a very small camera. But if you're at all adaptable, this little gem is worth every penny. The only thing I have had to get used to is the placement of the flash; and I don't know where else you would put it except where it is. On the other hand, it's a very powerful flash for a camera this size. In fact, it turns in excellent results. In short, if you try this camera, I'd bet good money you're going to like it!

This is going to be more like a story than a product review, but maybe it will be helpful to others who were looking for the same features I was. First of all, I wasn't in the market for a camera at all: I have a Casio EX-Z750 that, frankly, is still nearly unbeatable in its class (subcompact P&S). I happened to be browsing a recent B&H catalog and noticed the Olympus E-P2 - very attractive retro look! Started reading up on it (especially the outstanding information on [...]) and decided I had to see one of these in the flesh. Found one at a local store, and while it's gorgeous, it's nowhere near as compact as I imagined from the catalog photo. And it has no viewfinder (Casio does) and no flash! But it has a large image sensor and apparently amazing image quality. So I got to thinking: what else is out there that can do better than my beautiful little Casio? I've always lamented its lack of RAW images, and eventually it will break, but pretty much everything about it is incredible. So my research turned up these cameras (data largely gathered from [...], with additional info from manufacturers' websites): Camera || Sensor size || Aperture || Focal length || Flash Canon PS S90 || .43 cm2 || f/2.0 || 28-105mm || Yes Olympus E-P2 || 2.43 cm2 || f/2.8* || 17mm* || No Panasonic LX3 || .45 cm2 || f/2.0 || 24-60mm || Yes Sigma DP2 || 2.85 cm2 || f/2.8 || 24mm || Yes * The Olympus camera has interchangeable lens; the 17mm F/2.8 was the fastest "normal" lens that fits my needs. The Panasonic's lens is a Leica that's very highly regarded. The Canon S90 is, by far, the most compact of the cameras in this group. The Olympus could never be considered a pocket camera. The Panasonic is somewhat larger than the Canon, though perhaps still "pocketable". The Sigma is really too large for a pocket, though quite a bit more compact than the Olympus. All of these cameras have RAW mode. None of them has an integral viewfinder (not many subcompact P&S cameras do, anymore, but I still like them for when the sun is shining directly on the LCD). I ruminated about all of this for quite a while before settling on the Canon. Its lens is excellent, the image sensor is the .43cm2 size (1/1.7") of the best-in-class subcompact P&S cameras, and it has RAW image mode. The other cameras were all larger - enough to be the deciding factor for me. But I really do like the idea of the very large sensor - eventually someone will offer a camera closer to my wishes, but there isn't one around at the present time. Concerning the camera itself: there's little need to repeat what's already been said very well by others. I've compared the JPEG images to my Casio (which is probably the best I've seen on any camera for color balance, saturation, etc.) and they're just as good. I haven't seen a P&S that does better. But having RAW image recording opens up a world of processing that's not possible with the Casio. There's some barrel distortion, but it's no worse than on any other camera with a similar lens (and marginally better than the Casio, which can be fairly annoying). And, for the desperate, this can be corrected with PhotoShop and other software. My only real complaints have been voiced numerous times by others: the rear control dial looseness and the flash location. The control dial on the rear of the camera is outrageously loose. It's virtually impossible to use the camera in any mode but fully automatic without inadvertantly changing whatever setting the dial controls for the chosen mode (the dial does nothing in full automatic). In fact, the entire control assembly of which it's a part is so poorly designed as to be an utter anomaly in Canon cameras. How on earth could they not notice such a shortcoming before releasing the product? Nevertheless, I knew about this and had even tried the camera in a store, and it still didn't deter me from buying it. But it will be a constant nuisance. No doubt Canon will eventually get around to addressing this, but as it can't be fixed by a firmware update, those of us who bought this camera are stuck with it. Second, the location of the pop-up flash is absurd: it's at the top left front corner of the camera, exactly where my left index finger is all the time! I've had the camera for exactly two days, and I can't count the number of times that the damn thing decided to pop up (since it's usually preferable to leave the flash in automatic than turned off all the time) and promptly retract after bumping into my finger, with the resulting "restart camera" error message. I hope that this doesn't eventually cause the flash mechanism to self-destruct, and, with luck, I may get used to holding the camera differently, but even though I knew about this before buying, it is unexpectedly annoying. Given the size and layout of the camera, it's not an unreasonable location for the flash, but still ... So it's not quite the perfect pocket camera, but for me, it's the best currently available. I really miss a viewfinder, and that control dial and flash are a royal pain. But I finally got my RAW mode on a very compact camera with a good, fast lens and a larger image sensor. So I'll carry both the Casio and the Canon for a while until I decide which one will become the spare. I suspect the Casio might end up in a drawer - unless that dial on the S90 finally drives me crazy. UPDATE 5/24/10 After less than 2 weeks, the front control ring stopped working. A search on the internet turned up nothing on this, so it apparently isn't common. Returned for replacement (as advised by Canon tech support). Oh well.

I'm a very amateur camera user. I understand the basic terms and settings (ISO, aperture, shutter speed, image stabilization, exposure) but I am impatient and like to get things set and just use the camera. I bought this camera because I wanted the ability to use the camera indoors in low light without a flash. Due to the relatively high price, my expectations were high. My cam was delivered just last week, and having used it at an event in a local bar the best word I can use to describe this camera is "magic". This camera takes in so much light it really seems like magic. The event I was documenting was in a very dimly lit room. The only lighting sources in the room were incandescent chandeliers dimmed as low as they would go. I set my iso to 1000 in aperture priority mode, f2.0 (this level is only available in the widest zoom), adjusted white balance for incandescent, and took some shots. Most of the shots used 1/6-second shutter speed, which was just fine due to the image stabilized lens. The IS performance is improved over my last Canon compact. I don't have steady hands, and I like to take quick sloppy shots. If the IS in this cam can handle my hands, a very-careful steady shooter could probably get away with 1/4 second. The resulting images were so bright and had such great color everyone that saw them was in awe. The resulting images appeared more bright and colorful than with a naked eye. Shooting with such high ISOs is like having night vision built into the camera. Noise levels were low enough and color was so good that I can easily print very nice 5x7s from this night. I took a few candid shots of people in motion at the bar, so I had to bump the ISO to 1600 to get a faster shutter speed (at ISO 1600 I got about 1/30sec in the dimly lit bar). At ISO 1600, color is still acceptable and very nice 4x6 prints, web postings, and email will be no problem. ISO 1600 on this cam is comparable to what most compact cams produce at ISO 400. I've never seen a compact cam take such great shots using high-ish ISO settings. I am just as happy with the results as when using my EOS 20D digital SLR. A critical professional may argue that this cam isn't as great as an SLR, but for normal-sized prints and digital sharing, this camera makes images that are as good as a consumer SLR. My last compact was a Canon SD800is. I love that camera, but images are mostly unusable above ISO400, due to muted color, and grain. The S90 goes two full ISO stops beyond what can be done with a typical $300 compact camera. Combine high-ISO performance with the f2.0 option and you can take great shots in 1/3 of the light required for most $300 compact cams. Adjusting camera settings is a dream. I am just as in control as I am with my EOS 20D SLR. I've used friends' canon rebel SLRs, and the controls on this compact are even better than them. Between the front ring, rear dial, and shortcut button, you have instant control of three camera functions without even really looking. All of the controls are customizable. If you've ever used other canon cameras in the past, you won't really even need to use the excellent printed manual (yes! a printed manual!). I've not taken enough shots with it to test whether the battery can actually deliver 200 from a charge, but 200 isn't really great battery performance and I bought a backup battery from an Amazon marketplace seller for longer outings (under $30 shipped). I also highly recommend the Canon compact leather case. This camera easily fits in any pocket, but I'm pretty sure that pocket lint and dust is what did in my last compact camera. The Canon compact leather case for the S90 mounts on your belt and offers light protection away from keys and pocket lint. The body is comparable in size to Canon elphs. My SD800 elph is 1/2in shorter, but the height and thickness is identical (not counting the lens ring, which makes the overall thickness of the S90 slightly thicker). I posted comparison pics between the SD800 and the S90 in the gallery. The rear display is really sharp and is viewable outdoors. I haven't bought a new camera in over three years and the display blew me away compared to my other cameras. I really can't compare the display to newer cams. Simply judging by the way it feels in the hand, the build quality is just average. The only real performance weakness is continuous shooting. Continuous shooting is really really slow. If you want a compact and think you'll ever want to photograph dimly lit subjects without a flash, this is THE camera to own. The price is 40% higher, but it takes in 300% more light. Unless you're shooting a lot of action, this cam is probably a better choice for people considering consumer-level SLRs like the Canon rebel line. I can't imagine anyone regretting buying this camera. It beats other compact pocket sized cameras by a wide margin.

I bought this camera because I want something combining both the picture quality of my Olympus C4000 (which has very good pic quality, but pretty bulky )and portability of my Nikon Coolpix L4, and also can shoot good indoor light low pic for items my wife sell on-line. I should say the low-light close up pictures are very impressive, at least compared with the other 2, and with ISO 800, there is not much grains, and the pictures shot with regular 60W floor light looks like being shot under directly sun light, and details and density is pretty impressive with accurate color. however, to my great disappointment, the pros stop there, except that benefit, this sturdily and beautifully built camera (made in japan)with exhaustive features and settings can barely beat Nikon camera (4MP, bought 4 years ago for around $150)in terms of picture quality, especially in the density and feel of space. there is easily detectable flatness and softness in everything in pictures shot under various light conditions leading the pictures to a blurry pixels after zooming in a few times in PC screen. the different density and texture of material is almost non-existent in pics shot by this camera. to me, this $400 so-call point and shoot only next to SLR is a joke considering the value and performance it offers. yes, as to the color accuracy, I can tell that the Nikon camera color is on cool side, while the Canon is on warm side, both of which are within acceptable range, but the picture quality of the latter is much much worse. if you really like the features and craftsmanship of a Japan made camera, and believe will be very happy with slightly better pic quality than that of a good camera cell phone, you may still want to consider this. otherwise, as long as you're not completely blind to what a good picture should look like, I strongly suggest you stay away from it and try other choices, which, at the price range of $250-400, are available in abundance.

As Chase Jarvis says........"The best camera is the one that's with you." So it goes with this little camera. Little in size but pretty big in features and picture quality. I also invested in the belt loop Canon leather carrying case and I have this camera with me wherever I go. So far (I've had it a few months) it's doing an excellent job. I shoot in raw (larger file size) and process in Lightroom 2 but it will certainly shoot in jpeg also. The quality is really good (even cranked up to ISO 800). It shoots well in low light. It doesn't have any extreme zoom to it but it's sufficient for most any need. I find that as small as it is, in my shaky hands, I couldn't steady it very well if it zoomed any more than it already does. I have also invested in a monopod for it and that really helps with steadying it. It does have the anti shake feature that most cameras have, but I'm pretty shaky and needed a little more (or else I have to adjust up the shutter speed). Not to mention that it's handy to be able to hold the monopod out in front of me and take my wife's and my picture in whatever setting we happen to be in (I put a small ballhead on the monopod) so I could adjust the camera to whatever angle I needed to get our self portrait shots. That's pretty nice!! Just set the timer and smile!!! The features are nice, it's picture quality is great, and it truly gives you total control if you want it (Manual). For those that don't care to learn the bells and whistles, it has a lot of modes that allow you to just preset and shoot and let the camera do the imaging. Since photography is a big hobby of mine, I'm enjoying learning it's features and are shooting more and more in manual. I like being able to tell the camera what I want instead of just letting it decide for me. I'm certainly still learning but so far I'm very pleased. In my research, I looked closely at the Canon G11 which, in my opinion, had one other feature I liked which was a hot shoe to be able to put an external flash on (or put on a pocket wizard and set up the flash somewhere else), but my main concern was having the portability. I chose this camera because I can keep it with me and that's worth more to me than having to carry a larger camera. If I want to do that, I'll take my DSLR with me. The S90 has a small pop up flash that is adequate for most needs. I'll have to admit that it takes some getting used to where to put your fingers when holding the camera as the pop up flash pops up right where you tend to want to hold it (top left hand corner from behind the camera). I had read about that quite a bit in other reviews. They're right! But it's not insurmountable to get past. I have experimented some with the small flash and found that (1) you can adjust the amount of flash coming out of it and that helps in toning down the flash for just a fill flash on a sunny day and (2) If you lay a napkin or the end of a handkerchief over the little flash that pops up, it really softens the light that comes out of it. My wife and I are going on a cruise later this year and I really wanted something I could take along easily without carrying a bunch of camera gear with me. I think this is going to do the job just fine. Not to mention I've gotten some great impromptu shots just going back and forth to work. I have no idea how sturdy this camera is or how long it will last in the day to day world, but so far so good. I would recommend this camera to anyone wanting to have that camera with them that goes beyond what a cell phone will do (at least at this point in time). With technology, who knows huh? The nice thing about it is, if you want just a point and shoot, it's here and if you want to continue to grow and learn more about it's features and other tricks you can do with it, it's capable of that too. The best of both worlds!! Enjoy!!! Hope this helps some! 12 21 2010 Still doing a great job! I've (gasp) dropped it onto concrete once. Still taking great pics!!! I really like the flexibility and the features. No regrets whatsoever with this little camera! I carry it with me every day (I bought a nice leather case that goes on my belt) and it's so easy to just take out quickly and snap a shot or two. I walk 3 miles each morning and I take it with me for some great sun rises and fog shots.

I have to admit, I'm a camera junkie. Photography is one of several hobbies I enjoy. I have owned several Nikon cameras from DSLRs to Point and Shoot (P&S) over the last few years. My current Nikon DSLR does an excellent job in low light photography, but there are times when I prefer not to carry around a large camera. I've been doing some research over the last 2-3 years and kept my eye on Nikon and Canon reviews. Canon was consistently showing well in my research. I knew I wanted a P&S that had low light capability, PSAM modes, be able to shoot RAW, and have a wide angle lens. After much research and reading reviews and comments on photography sites and here on Amazon, I selected the Canon S90. I purchased this camera back in June of this year (2010) and this has been one amazing P&S camera. I carry this camera in my purse and it basically goes everywhere with me. I never want to miss that Kodak moment. I also purchased the Canon PSC-900 deluxe leather hard case to keep the camera protected while in my purse. I've also purchased the Canon WP-DC35 underwater housing for this camera. My hubby and I enjoy snorkeling and take lots of underwater pictures. We have previous experience with an older Nikon P&S with an underwater housing that we've used for four years, so we're looking forward to putting this S90 to the underwater test in the next month. I will be back to post the results. Overall, this is a wonderful camera that has met my needs and requirements. It does a fantastic job in low light situations. I've taken pictures in the house with natural light, semi-dark restaurants (pictures of the food...what can I say), in our church (where it's difficult for most cameras to get good results), and during the evening hours with limited light. The results have been remarkable. I can't compare the S90 to my Nikon DSLR as I would be comparing apples to oranges. While the S90 is not in the same league as a DSLR, it does a heck of a job when there is limited light available. I've used the P (Program), A (Aperture), and S (Shutter) modes. Mostly, I shoot in P-mode as I prefer not to use the flash and I can adjust exposure, ISO, WB, etc. Setting the camera to Auto will automatically pop the flash up (when I don`t need it). That's annoying to me. So, when I'm in a low-light environment and I shoot in P-mode with no flash, I have to hold the camera steady. Like hold-my-breath steady. If I can take a picture without flash, I'm a happy camper. In the P&S world, the flash is often too harsh on the object. For me, the flash can make things dull, washed out, or highlight something that doesn't need to be noticed. That's why low-light capability was high on my list. It took me a short time to get used to the Canon menu. I really like having the dial or "ring" feature on the front of the camera (around the base of the lens) and well as the small one on the back of the camera. I have not had any problems with accidently moving the dials. I suppose that's the result of always checking my camera screen/settings before snapping away. The lens range on the S90 is perfect for my needs. I have not had a moment where I wished the lens could do more. I've taken over 1000 pictures from pictures of people (portraits) to buildings and landscapes/scenes to pictures of my hobbies (e.g. knitting). I've been averaging about 250 shots per battery charge. I have purchased a spare battery and actually found it came in handy several times when I ran out of juice in the middle of a photo opportunity. I noticed when the battery went from full to medium charge, it drained quickly after that. So after 6 months of use, I can honestly say this is close to a high-end P&S with all the features this camera has and capable of doing. I really like having the PSAM modes available to me as well as on the fly adjustments to exposure, white balance, ISO, etc. ** Update 01/29/11 ** I've added a review on the Canon underwater housing that I used with this camera. It works great with this camera. Great underwater pictures! I will be back to post updates, tips on using this camera, and additional settings I use. Stay tuned.

(Updated to appease the bashers who reject the notion that anyone can disagree with them and, according to them, anyone who does is clearly uninformed. Since when did individualism become an imperfection?) Overall this is a nice camera and, as with most of Canon's line, most of the features will be rather familiar. Aside from the flash being a rather awkward place, the camera will satisfy most buyers. I bought this camera several months ago and began taking pictures in various modes and scenes, and I also took the same pictures with my Canon PowerShot SD800 IS. Before buying the S90, I also tried the SD980 IS. I've been using Canon PowerShot cameras for more than a decade and after taking over 2000 test shots, I feel confident in saying that Canon's current product line is nothing short of a disappointment. It's hit or miss... (As a non sequitur, under no circumstances can you use AUTO mode! You MUST turn the mode dial and use the adjustable settings.) Shortly after the first few test shots, I contacted Canon customer support because I noticed that the newer cameras (mentioned above) did not have SUPER FINE jpeg compression. A representative told me that their Japanese developers have eliminated the SUPER FINE compression ratio and all their cameras have only FINE and NORMAL compression. That would be like buying an HDTV that only displayed SD. Yes, I know, the common user WILL NOT notice a difference...(as someone else pointed out in their review). ***Similarly, I know plenty of people who can't tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. If you buy this, or any of Canon's current product line, be warned, most of your pictures will come out severely noisy, flat, blurry and unfocused. Indoor shots are not acceptable; however, outdoor shots (taken on a clear day) came out looking really nice. Some of the reviews here are from people who either do not have the "eye", or have limited knowledge of Canon's previous camera line. However, don't take my word for it, drop the money and see for yourself. If you have a trained eye, you'll see it! Again, if you allegorize this to HD movies, there are still plenty of folks out there who cannot tell the difference between a Standard Def movie and a High Def one. Before buying this camera, do you research! Go to Canon's Website and peruse their current line; you can also download the PDF instruction booklet. Look through the documentation and search for their JPEG compression; if you only see "fine" and "normal" then don't buy it if that is important to you! Canon has really proven to be a disappointment to their most loyal consumers. I understand this camera also records in RAW format, which I haven't discussed here, but that is great for anyone who wants to go into post-editing all the time. It does provide a wider range of post-editing options, however in my experience, the images still looked very much the same. (Users can record each shot in RAW+JPEG.) I realize this is a P&S, but I've had P&S cameras in the past that produce much better images than this one, with colors more vibrant, lines sharper, better contrast with more depth. I realize this review is going to get bashed but at least I'm not just restating all the positives that have already been stated in countless other online review site, and at least I ACTUALLY OWN the camera (some people post reviews and don't even own the item!). To anyone who is going to bash and bully this review, do so not at the risk of accentuating your ignorance and intolerance towards other's ideas.