To say that the market for point and shoot cameras today is saturated would be an understatement. With so many great offerings from Canon, Nikon, Olympus, etc, for a camera to really stand out and catch my eye, it must be more than exceptional. After spending a few days with the Canon PowerShot S90 IS, I can definitively say that this is the most exciting point and shoot camera available on the market today, all for under $400.
When designing the S90, Canon went against the grain and actually lowered the resolution of the camera, down to 10 megapixels, from its predecessors. On first glance this might seem like a mistake, but in fact what Canon did is something I wish more companies would do. They realized that more megapixels in a tiny imaging sensor only means more “noise” or graininess, and instead went with a larger sensor at a lower resolution. What this means is that the S90 has phenomenal low light performance for a camera that fits in a shirt pocket. Add in Canon’s high-tech image stabilization, and you’re able to take as many pictures of black cats in dark rooms as you can handle.
Prints look fantastic, even at high ISO settings like 800 or 1600, I was pleasantly surprised when I made my first 8x10 print from the S90. The 3” screen on the back of the camera is clear and crisp, especially when reviewing photos in bright sunlight. If you’ve been frustrated in the past (and I know you have) with cameras that are slow to start up, focus, and shoot, you will be happy to know that the Canon S90 has almost no a lag time, not a small feat for a point and shoot camera.
Photo By Josh Lehrer
Perhaps the most innovative feature of the Canon S90 is the “control ring” around the lens. This ring turns with a satisfying “click” noise, and can be assigned a specific function by pressing the “ring func” button on the top of the camera. You can set the ring to adjust white balance, exposure compensation, focus, or zoom. Gone are the days of digging through menus to get to basic camera settings. When using the S90, I set the control ring to exposure compensation, and now I can easily brighten or darken my shots with a quick turn of the ring. There is also a shortcut button on the back that you can use to easily access settings. I set mine to ISO, since I am often changing it. Without going into any menus, I am able to quickly change my ISO and my exposure compensation on the fly.
The lens on the Canon S90 is also something of note, it is a 28-105mm equivalent, and has a maximum aperture of F2.0 on the widest end. What this means is the lens on the S90 allows for better low light performance and creative focus control than any other point and shoot on the market today. With a focal length of 28mm on the wide end, it allows for great shots in tight indoor spaces or large groups.
For control freaks like myself, the S90 offers full or partial manual controls, along with a superb Auto mode, and some entertaining scene modes. Keep an eye out for “Nostalgic” mode, a few turns of the control ring takes the image from full color and slowly turns it to black and white it to give it that “old timey” look that’s all the rage these days.
While I could go on and on about the Canon Powershot S90, it is without hesitation that I say it is my favorite point and shoot camera on the market today. Great build quality, professional features such as RAW file capture, the innovative and fun to use control ring, and a fantastic lens make this the perfect choice for anyone who is frustrated of their slow, unreliable point and shoot cameras that work fine outdoors, but become practically useless as soon as you bring them indoors. As a true “photo geek” and working photographer, this is the camera I want with me wherever I go.
Check out the Canon Powershot S90 IS at Unique Photo, come in and play with it, and be sure to give that Control Ring a few spins. You will quickly realize why I am so enthusiastic about this little camera.
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