First off, no camera is perfect. This camera isnt perfect but its the best "pocket camera" you can buy. Period. A lot of people compare this camera to the Panasonic Lumix LX5. The LX5 is an awesome camera but I dont consider that a "pocket" camera. It is bigger and bulkier and doesnt fit in your pocket very well. I would almost compare that camera to the Canon G11 or G12. The Canon S95 is simply the best camera if you are looking for something very portable and you can take anywhere with you. I have owned the S90 and now the S95 and its the only camera I use. I take it everywhere to capture my 4 year old in all his activities. I used to lug around a DSLR camera but didnt like it because it was so big and bulky (but it took awesome photos) I looked into this camera (S90 initially) and fell in love with it and its all I use now. The S95 is basically the same but basically three things got better. Video which was good just got better because its now in HD. The sound which I thought was very good just got better because video is now in Stereo. (two very tiny speakers are now visable on the front of the camera) The S90 was very sleek and some said too sleek because when you held it, some compared it to holding a bar of soap in the bathroom. It was very slick. The body of the S95 has a texture to it now that is better and not as "slick" to the touch. One thing I also like about this camera is it takes action photos a little better. The S90 "sports" mode took photos at a snails pace of about 1 photo every second basically. (DSLR's take about 4-5 per second and are very fast) The S95 does a little better at about 2 shots every second. This still is not very good but is acceptable for a camera like this and does help if you are taking photos of action, etc. Again, no camera is perfect but this is about as close as you can get until something new comes out next year. However, if you want an awesome "pocket" camera that can take great photos (especially in low light), has a very fast lens (aperture 2.0), can be used fully manual if you want and takes very good video clips, this is the camera to buy. I am sure next year there will be some more improvements with this camera or features added and maybe Nikon or someone else will come out with something comparable to this Canon S95 but it doesnt exist right now. This little camera is the best right now. You wont be disappointed and quit looking around for something comparable because it doesnt exist. The only other camera that I looked at is the Panasonic Lumix LX5. It is a very, very good camera also (maybe a little better then this camera) but it is bigger and bulkier and really doesnt slip into your pocket very well. It also takes photos very well in low light (aperture of 2.0 also) and has a lens that is wider 24mm compared to Canon's 28mm and takes photos at around 3 shots per second compared to the S95 2 shots per second but its a little bigger and about $50 more. I encourage you to look at the Panasonic but the Canon wins for me!! Good luck and quit worrying and buy this camera!!!
Update: Here is a really neat "letter" that was written and posted on Yahoo the other day from an editor with the NY Times....I copied and pasted it into this review. Its good!
Dear Canon S95,
I don't often write love letters to gadgets. But you, you're something special.
Truth is, I've been searching for someone like you for years.
See, I love the huge light sensor that's inside an SLR. It can take sharp low-light shots without the flash. It can blur the background the way professionals do.
I just don't like how an SLR is big and heavy and obtrusive.
What I've always wanted is a little camera with a big sensor. Is that so hard?
Apparently, yes. The problem is covering a rectangular sensor chip with a circle of light from the lens. Bigger sensor? You need a bigger camera. Those are the simple bylaws of physics.
But you, oh, cute little Canon PowerShot S95! I love that you're a pocket camera, only 3.9 by 2.3 by 1.2 inches. I love your big, bright, three-inch screen, your built-in flash, your H.D.M.I. output for hi-def TV sets. I love that you turn on directly into Playback mode, without having to extend the lens.
I love the unique control ring around the dial, which I can quickly program to adjust whatever feature I want: focus, zoom, exposure, light sensitivity (ISO), aperture, even degree of color saturation (all the way to black-and-white).
I've had fun with your special modes, like the tilt-shift-lens simulator and fake fisheye.
I love the wink-driven self-timer. Yes, I set up the camera, walk into the scene, and then wink-the picture is taken two seconds later. Beats hunting around for a remote control. (Or I can ask you to wait two seconds after a new person-that would be me, joining the group-enters the frame.)
But above all, I love your enormous sensor. It's 0.59 inches diagonally-88 percent more area than most pocket cameras' sensors. And I love that you have an f/2.0 lens, a rarity among pocket cameras, meaning that you let in a lot more light.
And all of this means that you, little S95, can take amazing, sharp pictures in low light without the flash. Your designers have shrewdly dropped the ludicrous quest for more megapixels-you have 10 megapixels, just right-in favor of something that really matters, like better photos.
So many times I've used you for pictures at night, indoors, in shadow. Cathedrals, restaurants, parties. No, the results aren't as good as an SLR's-you still manage to blur a shot, especially in very dark situations when the subject is moving-but they're light-years better than any other pocket camera can do. I love to show off your photo samples.
You're even better than my last love, your predecessor, the S90. Because you're slimmer. And now you take hi-def videos-with stereo sound. You have a high-dynamic-range mode, where you combine three tripod shots at different exposures into a single photo with a really great range of darks and lights. Your controls are refined in size and placement.
Look, S95-I know you're not perfect. Your battery takes only 200 shots on a charge, which is very low. You won't let me use the optical zoom while I'm shooting video; in fact, you can't refocus while shooting video, either. (Your arch-rival, the Panasonic LX5, can zoom during video. Then again, it's porkier and requires fussing with a detached lens cap.)
And, of course, you cost twice what most pocket cams cost. You're $400.
But you are the best pocket camera on the market. I have carried you for many weeks, in many situations, and I have been thrilled by the sharpness, color, control and photographic success rate that you give me.
Yes, Canon S95, I think you and I have a long, happy future ahead of us. Heck, you may remain state-of-the-art for several months at least!
Love,
David
There is a newer model of this item:
Canon PowerShot S100 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)
$250.00
(819)
Usually ships within 5 to 6 days
$250.00
(819)
Usually ships within 5 to 6 days
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This Item  Canon PowerShot S95 10 MP Digital Camera with 3.8x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $248.00 | $123.95 | $315.00 | -7% $49.99 List: $53.99 | -7% $49.99 List: $53.99 | $512.99 |
| Delivery | — | — | Get it May 28 - Jun 3 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 23 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 23 | — |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Zoom | ||||||
| Image stabilization | ||||||
| Picture quality | ||||||
| Easy to use | ||||||
| Auto focus | ||||||
| Sold By | M&T International | PORTABLE GUY | Acute Tek (We Record SN) | Yuruida | Yuruida | Amazon.com |
| display type | LCD | LCD | LCD | LCD | LCD | LCD |
| display size | 3 inches | — | 3 inches | 2.4 inches | — | 3 inches |
| lens type | zoom | Wide Angle | fixed | — | — | zoom |
| zoom type | Optical | Optical Zoom | Optical | Digital Zoom | Digital Zoom | Optical Zoom |
| shooting modes | Sports | Easy | Scene | Automatic | Automatic | P, M, Tv, Hybrid Auto, Auto, Standard, Vivid, Neutral, B/W, Sepia, Video Snapshot, Food |
| connectivity tech | HDMI, USB | USB | USB | USB | USB | Wireless |
Reviews with images
Lovely little camera
I am totally smitten by this camera. It's very portable and takes great shots. I used to rely on my Nikon D90 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens to get the best possible shots but I don't have to lug that thing around anymore. I'm an amateur photographer but I have taken a few classes so I think I have a pretty good idea of what a "good" picture looks like and until now I would have said you could not get one from an ultra-compact. Boy have I had to change my tune.I love all the manual controls and the control ring on the front of the camera. This camera is also very easy to customize to make it work best for you. You have the ability to choose what the control ring on the front of the camera does and there is a custom setting you can set on the dial ring on the top of the camera to remember your favorite camera settings. There is also shutter priority and aperture priority mode, low light mode and manual exposure mode. The camera has manual or automatic focus and many different scene modes.There are also some fun features on this camera for the hobbyist or artistic photographer. I've been have a great time with the fisheye and miniature effects, which can also be used in video. The fisheye is pretty self explanatory for what it does and the miniature gives you a tilt-shift look to your pictures in camera. It's almost like getting a set of Lensbaby The Composer for Canon EF mount Digital SLR Cameraslenses for your camera thrown in for free, which is great because this camera would not be able to accept the mount anyway.I would suggest buying a few accessories for this camera, all of which I have outfitted my setup with. First an lcd protector, I bought the GGS Glass LCD Screen Protector for Canon PowerShot S95 and it fits perfectly. You can purchase the GGS Optical Glass LCD Screen Protector 3" for Digital Cameras for cheaper but it is a smidge smaller than the lcd on the camera. I also bought the Deluxe Leather Case PSC-3200 (for SX210IS, also compatible for S90) because it fits my camera with the custom grip from Richard Franiec attached (which can be purchased at lensmate .com). I also bought the custom lens adapter from lensmate so that I can use filters with this camera which opens up even more opportunities for creativity. I would also suggest buying another wrist strap as the one that comes with the camera is a little too long for my comfort, I'm afraid it will slip off. I'm still searching for the perfect wrist strap though, if you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them.I believe that you can take great pictures with any camera because you can fix quite a bit in post processing these day, but I also don't want to give up the ability to manually control the cameras settings in order to have a small camera. With the canon s95 I get the best of both worlds, I'm able to manually configure the camera in all the ways that please me AND I can fit it in my pocket. Oh, and did I mention that this camera shoots RAW? Awesome!While there is no one camera that is perfect for everyone I think this is close to my perfect camera. Sometimes I wish it had more optical zoom but other than that I really have no complaints. Besides, you really should move closer to your subject if you want to get a great pic rather than zooming in. This camera is also great for street photography because it is easily palmed if you want to take some stealth shots. You can set your camera to your custom settings and just shoot away!So what are you waiting for, if you're reading this review you are considering this camera. Stop. Go buy it. You'll love it just like I do.
