thegsrguy's Full Review: Canon PowerShot S90 Digital Camera
I read some early reviews and sneak-peeks about this camera and was antsy for it to be released. I'm glad I waited, as the S90 has surpassed all my expectations.
My previous camera was a Canon G9 -- no slouch when it came to performance. I bought the G9 because it gave SLR-quality photos in something smaller. But the G9 was still too big to really be pocketable. I eventually sold it and went for the S90 instead.
When I pulled the S90 out of the box, I was actually surprised at its heft. The camera is quite heavy for its size, but the weight gives it a feeling of sturdiness and strong build quality. The camera is metal, not cheap plastic. It's a great size though; slides in a pocket but doesn't feel too small to hold. You can absolutely operate it with just one hand, though I wish the grip was more well defined (though the camera would probably be bigger if that were the case).
Operating the camera is very straight-forward, and classic Canon. The buttons have a strong click, and the mode-selection wheel snaps to the next setting very firmly. You'll know that you pushed a button or turned the knob (no glancing down to check). The shutter button could stand to be bigger, but again you'd sacrifice that pocketability factor. Menus aren't too complex if you just place the camera in AUTO mode. For the more experienced person, or the curious, turn the knob to P and fiddle with white balance, exposure bracketing, focus, etc. Auto mode will produce very good photos, and a power-user could probably move to the P mode for a bit more control.
The flash was a bit unusual -- it's a motorized unit that slides up and down, not spring-loaded. It looks cool, but I just hope it won't break.
Of course image quality is the important thing here, and the S90 will not let you down. Using the larger CCD from the G11 means you get some really good photos. The camera is only 10.0MP, but the accuracy is absolutely worth the mediocre megapixel count. Yes, there are 12 and 14MP cameras, but their sensors are noisy -- meaning you get an extra few MP of grain and worthless data. 10.0MP still scales well beyond 8x10, so don't worry about enlargements.
Color saturation is very strong without bleeding too much. I immediately took some floral photos and the reds were intense without looking too boosted or fake. The fringing was very very low and could only be seen when viewing the photo at 100% on a large computer monitor.
Black level is definitely above average for a camera of this size. I think my G9 might have been a tad better, but if you're used to a cheaper $250 camera this thing is going to blow you away. I haven't done much night shooting, so I can't comment on the black levels in darker areas, but for most indoor or sunny shots the blacks were fine. The noise levels in the black areas were very low, though not SLR-low.
Image sharpness was impressive too. Canon doesn't overboost their edge enhancement, nor do they oversharpen. Cheaper cameras tend to do this to hide their poor optics. If you are really concerned about sharpness, shoot in RAW mode and apply your own processing. But from my experience, the camera's JPG compression isn't too aggressive. Only places I really saw too much noise was in the shadows -- and this was quickly cleaned up in Photoshop (and barely noticeable unless viewed up-close).
So far, the optics have been sufficient for what I do. The zoom lens is nothing huge at 4x. The lens is very wide-angle, starting at a 28mm equivalent. You can really capture a lot without having to step back, which is convenient for those spur-of-the-moment portrait shots. Obviously the zoom is controlled by the rocker switch or the large ring around the lens. I found the later to be awkward and give less control.
That control ring is a novel idea but it's not well carried out. It feels awkward to twist and you don't get very good fine-tuning. So far I've used it a few times and gone back to the regular buttons. I would have preferred the camera to not use that and give a totally smooth, flat front. But this is not a deal-breaker as you're not forced to use it. I was just expecting something different.
Battery life and general shooting performance is fine, but not stellar. It's a small camera with a lot of power so it eats through the battery quickly. Turn down the LCD brightness and go for a high-speed SD card to give yourself more shooting time. The high-speed card also makes the time between shots much shorter. I opted for a Sandisk Extreme card.
In summation, the Canon S90 is really a fabulous camera. Photo quality is close enough to a DSLR to fool most people, and it can be easily slid into a pocket or purse. Canon gave you some advanced features so that a pro would be happy, but keeps things simple for the novice.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 420 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
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