I bought this camera based upon David Pogue's review online. If you are considering buying this camera, I suggest you read his review too. I wanted a camera that would take excellent pictures indoors without flash. This camera does that very well -- much better than my last camera, which I thought was good. I wanted a camera with a wide-angle lens to capture everything indoors. This camera does that very well. I was relatively unconcerned about full manual control of aperture, shutter speed, etc. But I have discovered that the user interface on this camera makes it so easy to dial-in the settings I want that I am now using manual control for all my pictures, getting the best pictures ever, and loving every minute of it. Although the camera is slightly thicker around the lens than my last camera, I can still easily put this camera in my pants pocket.
I have had to use every camera I have owned for a while to get so familiar with the controls that I don't have to think about them. That is true for this camera too. But the wonderful thing is that the more I use the camera, the more I discover about the features it offers and how easy it is to use them. For example, I recently learned that I can choose an alternate set of display characteristics that are accessible with the push of a button. I have chosen to have the screen divided into thirds horizontally and vertically, making it easier to attractively compose pictures. And I can turn this on or off with the push of a button. Some things that initially seemed awkward now seem to work very well.
One great thing about this camera that I have not seen in other reviews is that it remembers the way I want it to work. For example, I choose to have the flash turned off all the time as my normal way of operating. This camera remembers that. My last camera required me to manually turn off the flash every time I turned on the camera, which was annoying, and I occasionally forgot to do this, with irritating consequences. It's wonderful to have this camera ready to go as soon as I turn it on.
I've used the camera to take pictures of people playing basketball and pictures at night using long exposures and a tripod. I've been very happy with the flexibility of this camera.
One peculiar thing is that when the camera is set to automatically control the exposure, it seems that my efforts to increase or decrease the exposure by a couple of F stops do not have as great an effect as I would expect -- as if the camera is trying to keep me out of trouble. In some cases, this was frustrating, but I am now using full manual choice of the settings, so it is no problem.
Another peculiar thing is that sometimes the image on the screen is darker when I shoot the picture than when I view the picture after it has been shot. I am learning to compensate for this, and it is not a serious problem, but I think Canon could improve this a bit.
In general, this camera takes wonderful pictures easily and automatically, and it is also very easy to manually control -- it just takes some time and practice to get familiar with it. The more I use it, the better I like it. People who look at the pictures I take are usually blown away by them. And so am I.
Date:
2010-04-19 - 12:24:58
Author:
Volfart
Rating:
My point and shoot hero
I read tons of reviews on this camera before biting the bullet and buying one of my own. I was torn between this and a G10. I am a pro photographer and just wanted something I could fit easily into my purse when I didn't want to lug heavy equipment with me on vacation. Because the compactness was so important to me, I opted for the S90. I am not disappointed at all - I heart this camera and continue to be impressed at the beautiful the images coming SOOC. Some people say that they don't like the build quality and that it is almost too small. It's not an issue for me b/c I have small hands to begin with. It is very light, but no lighter than other point-and-shoots that I've used, and for the quality of the pictures, well worth the money spent. I wish the battery lasted a little longer though!
Date:
2010-04-20 - 07:01:14
Author:
Dravin
Rating:
Best small camera for low light photos
I bought this camera because it is supposed to be able to take great low light pictures without a flash and it is much more portable than other cameras that do well in low light. This camera lives up to the expectations. It takes great pictures and is compact enough to bring almost everywhere. The button layout and ease of use is not the best, but it doesn't matter much because the great low light performance out shines all the other weirdness of this camera. I hate using the flash and now I hardly ever have to.
Date:
2010-05-06 - 10:29:13
Author:
Mike miggs43
Rating:
S90 sample
I love my s90. Here is my cat:
Date:
2010-05-31 - 08:51:47
Author:
Aquilina
Rating:
I love it !
I have had two previous Canon Powershot S series cameras and this one has not disappointed. It is fast, sharp, and has great image quality for such a small camera. Once you get used to its control system (back dial and front ring) then it becomes easy and intuitive - I have rarely had to look at the manual.Close up focusing is excellent, control is superb. It is small enough to carry to places where a DSLR would nto be practical.
Here is some picture samples on the way:
