---
product_id: 1137944
title: "Canon PowerShot S100 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)"
brand: "canon"
price: "€ 8.43"
currency: EUR
in_stock: false
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/1137944-canon-powershot-s100-12-1-mp-digital-camera-with-5x
store_origin: PT
region: Portugal
---

# Full 1080p HD video 12.1MP CMOS sensor 5x Optical Zoom + OIS Canon PowerShot S100 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)

**Brand:** canon
**Price:** € 8.43
**Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock

## Summary

> 📷 Own the moment, master the shot — Canon PowerShot S100, your pocket-sized creative edge.

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Canon PowerShot S100 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) by canon
- **How much does it cost?** € 8.43 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Currently out of stock
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/1137944-canon-powershot-s100-12-1-mp-digital-camera-with-5x)

## Best For

- canon enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted canon brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Zoom Like a Boss:** 5x wide-angle optical zoom with advanced image stabilization means sharp shots from 24mm to 120mm.
- • **Cinematic Video Capture:** Record stunning Full HD 1080p videos with rich stereo sound for your storytelling needs.
- • **Pocket-Sized Powerhouse:** Compact, sleek black aluminum body with a 3-inch wide-angle LCD — style meets substance on the go.
- • **Pro-Level Image Quality:** 12.1MP high-sensitivity CMOS sensor delivers crisp, vibrant photos even in low light.
- • **Intuitive Analog Controls:** Classic dial and lens ring offer tactile control, perfect for photographers who crave precision.

## Overview

The Canon PowerShot S100 is a compact digital camera featuring a 12.1MP 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor, 5x wide-angle optical zoom with optical image stabilization, and Full HD 1080p video recording. Designed for enthusiasts and professionals alike, it offers advanced manual controls, a bright f/2.0 lens, and a 3-inch wide-angle LCD, all packed into a sleek, portable black aluminum body. Ideal for those who want DSLR-like flexibility in a pocket-friendly form.

## Description

What's in the box: Canon PowerShot S100 Digital Camera (Black), NB-5L Lithium-Ion Battery Pack (3.7v, 1120mAh), CB-2LX Charger for Canon NB-5L Lithium Battery Pack, Wrist Strap WS-DC11, IFC-400PCU USB Interface Cable, Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM, Customer Support Leaflet and 1-Year Limited Warranty.Recording Media: The camera records still images or moving images with stereo audio on SD Memory Cards (2GB or less), SDHC Memory Cards (4GB to 32GB), and SDXC Memory Cards (32GB and higher). The camera has no built-in memory, and no memory card is included with the camera.

Review: Email from Canon regarding lens error. Great camera overall. - Below is an email that I have just received from Canon weeks after registering my camera on their website. ****************************************************** Dear Michael, This service notification e-mail contains important information about your Canon PowerShot S100. Please note that product service announcement e-mails contain advisory or informational content that may be critical to the proper operation of your product, including safety, update, and instructional messages. Please carefully review the information in this e-mail as it relates to your Canon product. Thank you for using Canon products. It has been confirmed that some PowerShot S100 digital cameras encounter a lens error caused by a disconnected part inside the camera. This announcement conveys the details of the issue and Canon's service policy for affected cameras. Canon continuously strives to provide our customers with high quality, reliable products that can be used with confidence. We offer our sincerest apologies to any customers who have been inconvenienced. Phenomenon Some PowerShot S100 units (with the serial numbers listed below) may encounter a lens error due to a part becoming disconnected inside the lens. In particular, this lens error may occur when the camera is used in certain environmental conditions such as high temperature and/or humidity. Affected Product: Some PowerShot S100 Digital Cameras within the following serial number range: The first and second digits of the camera's serial number are any number from "29" through "41". For example: "29xxxxxxxxxx", "30xxxxxxxxxx"........."41xxxxxxxxxx" (The [x] characters shown above represent the remaining characters of the product's serial number.) Market Support Affected products that exhibit this phenomenon will be repaired free of charge, regardless of the warranty status, if it is confirmed that the lens error has been caused by disconnection of the part inside the lens. However, please note that affected products which are received by Canon after their service period ends (the period during which such products are expected to be serviceable), will no longer be eligible for free repair service and will be handled in accordance with Canon's then general repair standards and regulations Support This information is for residents of the United States and Puerto Rico only. If you do not reside in the USA or Puerto Rico, please contact the Canon Customer Support Center in your region. Thank you, Customer Support Operations Canon U.S.A., Inc. Contact Information for Inquiries: Canon Customer Support Center Phone: 1-800-OK-CANON (toll free) 1-800-652-2666 TTD: 1-866-251-3752 (toll free) E-mail: carecenter@cits.canon.com For additional support options:[...] ****************************************************************** I luckily received a camera with a serial number that should be unaffected by the lens errors some others are having. I am really liking my camera so far so I have no reason to give it anything other than 5 stars. I know my way around the manual settings of this camera, but I am far from a professional so I will hold off on a lengthy review. The programmable control ring really makes the manual settings easily changeable. Between the control ring and the sleek black color, its obvious you've got yourself something a little more substantial than a digital Elph. This camera just does everything it is supposed to do very well. The 5x zoom is inadequate for long distance shots, but that is not what this camera is for. If you are interested in carrying a compact digital camera with all the major settings of your DSLR, this is a great option. I think this camera makes a great compact alternative and companion to a DSLR because it is easily pocketable and has great manual settings. I recommend that you register your camera on Canon's website immediately because it guarantees you support and has provided me with this useful information that I would not have known otherwise. I plan on updating this review. UPDATE #1 In every way, I have found this camera to be a vast improvement over my previous compact digital camera, a 10.1MP Powershot ELPH SD88IS, however; it is not without issues. Notably, the battery life is very poor when the default GPS mode is active. I could not tell you exactly how many shots I have been able to get per charge, but it has been noticeably less than I would expect. I already ordered a backup battery and am considering toggling the GPS as I need it. This battery is the same basic battery that was in my 4-5 year old Elph. I think it is time Canon looks at updating these NB5L batteries. In addition, while the image quality for day shots is tremendous, I was not overly impressed shooting with a tripod at night. I could not get more than a few half decent shots of a full moon for the life of me. Despite my best efforts, I was having issues with exposure and focus. I found underexposing and bracketing the focus to make for the best shots. Reviewer Sheraz A. Choudhary states "NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHERS: a major con for me is that the s100 is locked to ISO80 for shutter speeds over 1sec. May not matter to most people but I loved shooting 15sec ISO400 shots with my s90." This certainly did not help me either. It was a real pain to see ISO80 keep flashing up as I slowed my shutter speed. If you are mainly concerned with shooting close range shots at night, you wont have a problem, but shooting stunning nighttime nature shots seems to be an issue. Neither one of these issues is a real deal-breaker for me, but I have mentally subtracted a half star off this camera and well, I'd kind of like to get my hands on the Sony DSC-RX100. Because it is almost $300 more expensive, I still feel good about my purchase of this camera.
Review: One-Stop review: Understanding all the other reviews - This camera is PHENOMENAL ... but if you want it to work right, you need to put in the time to understand how it works and to test all of the many shooting options that are offered. Perhaps, if you are looking for the best pocket camera which takes awesome photos by just turning it on, pointing and shooting, this may not be the best choice (I suspect the canon 300 HS would be one of the best for this). But if you are looking for a camera capable of taking superb pictures with excellent picture quality that require just a little understanding of how to utilize the settings, or if you want a fantastic pocket camera which allows you to manipulate all the basic controls of an old, standard film-35mm, it is hard to imagine you could find better (though if you have the money and pocketability is not of supreme importance, the Fuji Film Fine Pix x100 would be my pick ... at $1200). I spent easily over 1 month doing research on all all sorts of cameras (various models of Lumix, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, other Canons, a couple of others and the FujiFilm) before i bought this. While in the end i am very happy with my selection, it took way too long for me to sort through all the customer reviews here, the professional reviews on CNET, DPReviews, Youtube, etc. The many reviews here on desertcart helped immensely in trying to make my choice, but I have to say I was a bit confused at first and then concerned by the extremes of comments (lots of 5 stars and a good bit of 1 star reviews). I am writing this for other desertcart users in order to help make sense of this situation. (just for reference, i am a visual artist and have a good amount of experience with photography and cameras.) 1. the negative reviews are mostly because of a lens error problem which affected a good number of units of this model. fear not about this ... canon seems to have taken responsibility for this if you get one of these lemons (and in my experience with canon, they are very good with making good on their mistakes). most of the units with this problem were corrected (the S100's with a serial number beginning with numbers 29 through 41 are the ones seemingly affected by the error and most of these have been sold or recalled or fixed). 2. most of the negative reviews regarding picture quality are absurd. if you just put the thing on "auto" and press the button and hope every picture is going to be great, you will likely be disappointed. this camera takes a little more getting to know than the typical pocket camera because it is more complex, but this allows you to be able to do things that most other cameras of this sort cannot do. you just have to invest a little time. PEOPLE SAYING THAT THE IMAGE QUALITY IS CRAP ARE ALL JUST WRONG - they just have not put the time into learning how to use this camera and use it properly. i was going from an old Powershot s500 that i LOVED. this was only 5 m-pixels, but it was easy to use and took really nice, balanced photos with great ease. when i first fired up the s100, i was a bit afraid that some of what was said about the picture quality was true, but after taking 20 or sometimes 30 pictures of the same thing in the same light, i was able to really understand the differences in what the settings and modes do and was able to get a feel for using the auto-modes as well as manipulating the ISO, aperture, and shutterspeed ... and i get not just great but SUPERB photos. now, after a couple of weeks, i sometimes still need to snap 3 or 4 pictures until i get one i like, but that photo is an excellent image ... one so much better than almost every compact camera i have ever seen (and with my research, i looked at buckets of sample photos from all sorts of cameras. pros: image quality - i looked at probably about 20+ compact cameras, their sample pictures and sample shots of all of them at different ISO's: this canon had the best image quality of all of them bar the pricey fujifilm x100 (which was gorgeous but this is also not really a compact camera). at ISO 800, the s100 retains more definition and colour saturation than all of the others (i think there was an olympus that came in close ). low-light shots - MOST PEOPLE THINK THE MEGA-PIXELS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE CAMERA ... NOT SO. while the s100 has ample m-pixels, it is all about the size of the sensor and the aperture range. this camera has one of the biggest sensors (7.44 x 5.58 ... and a good quality CMOS) and the low end the aperture goes down to 2.0, so you have the ability to take really nice low-light shots. also has a good (digic 5) processor. controlability - this camera allows you to control everything important in your photo; f-stop 2.0 - 5.9 has a great range for a camera this size, ISO 80 - 6400, and 1/2000 sec. - 15 sec. shutter speed. there really aren't other cameras that can give you this. macro capability - i have never seen a camera that can take pictures at 3 cm like this, maybe a couple of full size SLRs fitted with macro lenses, but he s100 goes beyond what i imagined even possible on a camera like this data readout - has great data information for each shot, as you line up the picture and after you have taken the shot tons of options - too many for me actually, which i also think is a bit of a con; but you can always just not use the ones you do not like lens ring - gives using the camera a nice sense of control that hearkens back to the old SLRs RAW - i am not a professional and RAW has little appeal to me other than post-production manipulation, but if you want, this shoots in RAW ... personally, i find that JPEGs frequently do better in avoiding colour moire in fine resolution video quality - not even interested in video, but great quality cons: new added finger grip on front - for me it does nothing and just jets a little in the way no decent digital filtres - with all the stuff they stuck in this camera, you think they could have included some digital filtres ... i mean how often are you going to want to use the fish-eye or miniature landscape feature? cute, but i'd rather have some simple digi filtres. too may options - for some could be a plus, but for me there are too many things and features i would never use and some which are so complex i would not be able to remember how to access them lens ring sticking out - while i love the idea of the lens ring, its protruberance makes the camera just a bit more difficult to stuff in the pocket flash - before digital, i had 2 canon elph film cameras. one had a pop-up flash like this one; it broke. i almost did not buy this camera because of the pop-up flash. while this one seems so much better (it has a little motor that seems very tight and strong), i still fear i could break it. in the end, though, i am glad i got the camera because it is otherwise so great. if you still have any doubts, this is a great camera.

## Features

- 12.1 effective megapixel, 1/1.73-inch high-sensitivity CMOS sensor
- 3-inch TFT color LCD with wide viewing angle
- DIGIC 5 image processor
- Full 1080p HD video with stereo sound
- 24mm wide-angle lens (5x optical zoom, 4x digital zoom and 20x combined zoom) with optical image stabilizer

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN | B005MTME3U |
| Age Range Description | Kid |
| Aperture modes | Live View |
| Are Batteries Included | Yes |
| Aspect Ratio | Unknown |
| Auto Focus Technology | Contrast Detection, Face Detection, Live View, Multi-area, Single, Tracking |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Autofocus Points | 1 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #97,009 in Electronics ( See Top 100 in Electronics ) #856 in Digital Point & Shoot Cameras |
| Bit Depth | 8 Bit |
| Brand | Canon |
| Built-In Media | PowerShot S100 Black |
| Camera Flash | Hammerhead |
| Camera Lens | 24mm wide-angle lens with 5x optical zoom, 4x digital and image stabilizer |
| Color | Black |
| Compatible Devices | Camera, Personal Computer |
| Compatible Flash Memory Type | SD, SDHC, SDXC |
| Connectivity Technology | HDMI, USB |
| Continuous Shooting | 2.3 |
| Crop Mode | 3:2 |
| Customer Reviews | 3.9 out of 5 stars 800 Reviews |
| Digital Scene Transition | zoom |
| Digital Zoom | 4 |
| Digital-Still | Yes |
| Display Fixture Type | Fixed |
| Display Maximum Resolution | 680 x 510 |
| Display Resolution Maximum | 461,000 |
| Display Type | LCD |
| Dots Per Screen | 65,384 |
| Effective Still Resolution | 12.1 |
| Expanded ISO Maximum | 6400 |
| Expanded ISO Minimum | 80 |
| Exposure Control | Automatic |
| External-Memory Size | 8 GB |
| File Format | JPEG |
| Flash Memory Bus Interface Type | SDIO |
| Flash Memory Type | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Flash Modes | Auto, Face Detection |
| Flash Sync Speed | 15 seconds |
| Focal Length Description | 120 millimeters |
| Focus Features | AiAF TTL |
| Focus Mode | Automatic AF (AF-A), Manual Focus (MF) |
| Focus Type | Autofocus & Manual |
| Form Factor | Compact |
| Generation | 1 |
| Global Trade Identification Number | 00138031375696 |
| HDMI Type | Built-in |
| Hardware Interface | HDMI |
| Has Color Screen | Yes |
| Image Capture Type | Stills & Video |
| Image Stabilization | Optical |
| Image stabilization | Optical |
| Item Weight | 0.44 Pounds |
| JPEG Quality Level | Fine |
| Lens Construction | 10 |
| Lens Type | Wide Angle |
| Manufacturer | Canon Cameras US |
| Manufacturer Part Number | 5244B001 |
| Maximum Aperture | 5.9 Millimeters |
| Maximum Focal Length | 120 Millimeters |
| Maximum Image Size | 1920 Pixels |
| Maximum Shutter Speed | 1/2000 Seconds |
| Memory Slots Available | 1 |
| Memory Storage Capacity | 4 GB |
| Metering Methods | Multi, Center-weighted, Spot |
| Minimum Focal Length | 24 Millimeters |
| Minimum Shutter Speed | 15 seconds |
| Model Name | Canon PowerShot S100 |
| Model Number | PowerShot S100 (BK) |
| Model Series | S100 |
| Movie Mode | Yes |
| Night vision | No |
| Number of Diaphragm Blades | 7 |
| Optical Zoom | 5 |
| Photo Sensor Resolution | 12.1 MP |
| Photo Sensor Size | 1/1.7-inch |
| Photo Sensor Technology | CMOS |
| Real Angle Of View | 5 Degrees |
| Recording Capacity | 50 Minutes |
| Remote Included | No |
| Screen Size | 3 Inches |
| Self Timer | 10 Seconds |
| Sensor Type | CMOS |
| Series Number | 100 |
| Shooting Modes | Underwater |
| Skill Level | Professional |
| Special Feature | Memory Card Slot |
| Specific Uses For Product | Photography |
| Supported File Format | JPEG |
| Supported Image Format | JPEG |
| Total Still Resolution | 12.1 MP |
| Total USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
| Total USB Ports | 1 |
| Total Video Out Ports | 1 |
| UPC | 018208924103 013803137569 138031375696 |
| Unit Count | 1.0 Count |
| Video Capture Format | H.264, Motion JPEG |
| Video Output | HDMI |
| Video Resolution | FHD 1080p |
| Viewfinder | Electronic |
| Warranty Description | 1 year limited |
| White Balance Settings | Auto, Cloudy, Daylight, Flash torch |
| Wireless Technology | EyeFi |
| Zoom | Digital Zoom, Optical Zoom |

## Product Details

- **Aspect Ratio:** Unknown
- **Compatible Mountings:** Point and Shoot Camera
- **Expanded ISO Minimum:** 80
- **Image Stabilization:** Optical
- **Maximum Aperture:** 5.9 Millimeters
- **Maximum Focal Length:** 120 Millimeters
- **Metering Description:** Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
- **Optical Zoom:** 5
- **Photo Sensor Technology:** CMOS
- **Supported File Format:** JPEG

## Images

![Canon PowerShot S100 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71uvVRrbO+L.jpg)

## Questions & Answers

**Q: I own a canon g11, the automatic lens cover is too close lens and it has caused scratches. is this a problem on the s100?**
A: Actually, I own a G11 and the S100 and do not have that problem with either one.  Actually, I'm amazed you do, perhaps your G11 has been slightly damaged, or there was a piece of sand or something like that caught behind the lens cover.  Just a note, the S100 is a MUCH smaller camera and, with very similar zoom range and the same sensor, of necessity it has to give up some image perfection.  The color rendition and sharpness are excellent, but there is more barrel distortion around the edges of the frame.  I bought it for the gps capability combined with good overall image quality and have not been disappointed, but when I'm hoping for near-SLR overall quality I try to use the G11 instead.  Interestingly, I also had the lens-won't-retract failure (after many thousands of photos) and had it repaired in Hanoi (Viet Nam) for very little money.  The problem was a break in a flexible printed wiring strip (printed on clear plastic) which required significant delicate disassembly to replace.  I'm a little puzzled by the previous reviewer's conclusion that Canon was duplicitous.  There is a very complex system around the retractable lens and many things might have caused the problem, particularly impacts or abuse.  Canon apparently was willing to offer in effect to replace the lens unit or anything in it for the $175 but when they found that the problem was a known bug they did the work for free.  All service should be that bad! Anyway, the S100 has been fine for me, but so is the G11.  Best Luck to You.  kp

**Q: Does this camera include the battery, charger, memory card, and cords?**
A: Everything is included EXCEPT the memory card.

**Q: Now that the Canon S100 is thoroughly outclassed by the Sony DSC RX100, when do you think a Canon S105 or other upgrade will be released?**
A: How do you think the Canon S100 has out classed the Sony RX100. First you and clearly are not taking into account Sony's RX 100 is a much better lens from Carl Ziess for one point. A much bigger sensor with the mega pixels too. I buy the Sony before I'd buy th Canon if price wasn't a factor.... The Sony RX 100 offers much more than the Canon S100, but you do get what you pay for.

**Q: Elph 110HS or the S100?  If they are $100 different in price, why is S100 better, except manual controls?**
A: I've tried both and for me the extra $100 is beyond well worth it. S100 has much better low light performance and overall picture quality(although 110HS is very good). Video looks substantially better to me as well. The S100 is truly at another level in so many aspects. The 110HS is extremely impressive for it's low price and has to be one of the best at that price range but if you have the extra money to spend you won't regret moving to the S100(assuming you don't get the dreaded lens error).

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Email from Canon regarding lens error. Great camera overall.
*by M***D on July 3, 2012*

Below is an email that I have just received from Canon weeks after registering my camera on their website. ****************************************************** Dear Michael, This service notification e-mail contains important information about your Canon PowerShot S100. Please note that product service announcement e-mails contain advisory or informational content that may be critical to the proper operation of your product, including safety, update, and instructional messages. Please carefully review the information in this e-mail as it relates to your Canon product. Thank you for using Canon products. It has been confirmed that some PowerShot S100 digital cameras encounter a lens error caused by a disconnected part inside the camera. This announcement conveys the details of the issue and Canon's service policy for affected cameras. Canon continuously strives to provide our customers with high quality, reliable products that can be used with confidence. We offer our sincerest apologies to any customers who have been inconvenienced. Phenomenon Some PowerShot S100 units (with the serial numbers listed below) may encounter a lens error due to a part becoming disconnected inside the lens. In particular, this lens error may occur when the camera is used in certain environmental conditions such as high temperature and/or humidity. Affected Product: Some PowerShot S100 Digital Cameras within the following serial number range: The first and second digits of the camera's serial number are any number from "29" through "41". For example: "29xxxxxxxxxx", "30xxxxxxxxxx"........."41xxxxxxxxxx" (The [x] characters shown above represent the remaining characters of the product's serial number.) Market Support Affected products that exhibit this phenomenon will be repaired free of charge, regardless of the warranty status, if it is confirmed that the lens error has been caused by disconnection of the part inside the lens. However, please note that affected products which are received by Canon after their service period ends (the period during which such products are expected to be serviceable), will no longer be eligible for free repair service and will be handled in accordance with Canon's then general repair standards and regulations Support This information is for residents of the United States and Puerto Rico only. If you do not reside in the USA or Puerto Rico, please contact the Canon Customer Support Center in your region. Thank you, Customer Support Operations Canon U.S.A., Inc. Contact Information for Inquiries: Canon Customer Support Center Phone: 1-800-OK-CANON (toll free) 1-800-652-2666 TTD: 1-866-251-3752 (toll free) E-mail: carecenter@cits.canon.com For additional support options:[...] ****************************************************************** I luckily received a camera with a serial number that should be unaffected by the lens errors some others are having. I am really liking my camera so far so I have no reason to give it anything other than 5 stars. I know my way around the manual settings of this camera, but I am far from a professional so I will hold off on a lengthy review. The programmable control ring really makes the manual settings easily changeable. Between the control ring and the sleek black color, its obvious you've got yourself something a little more substantial than a digital Elph. This camera just does everything it is supposed to do very well. The 5x zoom is inadequate for long distance shots, but that is not what this camera is for. If you are interested in carrying a compact digital camera with all the major settings of your DSLR, this is a great option. I think this camera makes a great compact alternative and companion to a DSLR because it is easily pocketable and has great manual settings. I recommend that you register your camera on Canon's website immediately because it guarantees you support and has provided me with this useful information that I would not have known otherwise. I plan on updating this review. UPDATE #1 In every way, I have found this camera to be a vast improvement over my previous compact digital camera, a 10.1MP Powershot ELPH SD88IS, however; it is not without issues. Notably, the battery life is very poor when the default GPS mode is active. I could not tell you exactly how many shots I have been able to get per charge, but it has been noticeably less than I would expect. I already ordered a backup battery and am considering toggling the GPS as I need it. This battery is the same basic battery that was in my 4-5 year old Elph. I think it is time Canon looks at updating these NB5L batteries. In addition, while the image quality for day shots is tremendous, I was not overly impressed shooting with a tripod at night. I could not get more than a few half decent shots of a full moon for the life of me. Despite my best efforts, I was having issues with exposure and focus. I found underexposing and bracketing the focus to make for the best shots. Reviewer Sheraz A. Choudhary states "NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHERS: a major con for me is that the s100 is locked to ISO80 for shutter speeds over 1sec. May not matter to most people but I loved shooting 15sec ISO400 shots with my s90." This certainly did not help me either. It was a real pain to see ISO80 keep flashing up as I slowed my shutter speed. If you are mainly concerned with shooting close range shots at night, you wont have a problem, but shooting stunning nighttime nature shots seems to be an issue. Neither one of these issues is a real deal-breaker for me, but I have mentally subtracted a half star off this camera and well, I'd kind of like to get my hands on the Sony DSC-RX100. Because it is almost $300 more expensive, I still feel good about my purchase of this camera.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One-Stop review: Understanding all the other reviews
*by G***O on September 5, 2012*

This camera is PHENOMENAL ... but if you want it to work right, you need to put in the time to understand how it works and to test all of the many shooting options that are offered. Perhaps, if you are looking for the best pocket camera which takes awesome photos by just turning it on, pointing and shooting, this may not be the best choice (I suspect the canon 300 HS would be one of the best for this). But if you are looking for a camera capable of taking superb pictures with excellent picture quality that require just a little understanding of how to utilize the settings, or if you want a fantastic pocket camera which allows you to manipulate all the basic controls of an old, standard film-35mm, it is hard to imagine you could find better (though if you have the money and pocketability is not of supreme importance, the Fuji Film Fine Pix x100 would be my pick ... at $1200). I spent easily over 1 month doing research on all all sorts of cameras (various models of Lumix, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, other Canons, a couple of others and the FujiFilm) before i bought this. While in the end i am very happy with my selection, it took way too long for me to sort through all the customer reviews here, the professional reviews on CNET, DPReviews, Youtube, etc. The many reviews here on Amazon helped immensely in trying to make my choice, but I have to say I was a bit confused at first and then concerned by the extremes of comments (lots of 5 stars and a good bit of 1 star reviews). I am writing this for other Amazon users in order to help make sense of this situation. (just for reference, i am a visual artist and have a good amount of experience with photography and cameras.) 1. the negative reviews are mostly because of a lens error problem which affected a good number of units of this model. fear not about this ... canon seems to have taken responsibility for this if you get one of these lemons (and in my experience with canon, they are very good with making good on their mistakes). most of the units with this problem were corrected (the S100's with a serial number beginning with numbers 29 through 41 are the ones seemingly affected by the error and most of these have been sold or recalled or fixed). 2. most of the negative reviews regarding picture quality are absurd. if you just put the thing on "auto" and press the button and hope every picture is going to be great, you will likely be disappointed. this camera takes a little more getting to know than the typical pocket camera because it is more complex, but this allows you to be able to do things that most other cameras of this sort cannot do. you just have to invest a little time. PEOPLE SAYING THAT THE IMAGE QUALITY IS CRAP ARE ALL JUST WRONG - they just have not put the time into learning how to use this camera and use it properly. i was going from an old Powershot s500 that i LOVED. this was only 5 m-pixels, but it was easy to use and took really nice, balanced photos with great ease. when i first fired up the s100, i was a bit afraid that some of what was said about the picture quality was true, but after taking 20 or sometimes 30 pictures of the same thing in the same light, i was able to really understand the differences in what the settings and modes do and was able to get a feel for using the auto-modes as well as manipulating the ISO, aperture, and shutterspeed ... and i get not just great but SUPERB photos. now, after a couple of weeks, i sometimes still need to snap 3 or 4 pictures until i get one i like, but that photo is an excellent image ... one so much better than almost every compact camera i have ever seen (and with my research, i looked at buckets of sample photos from all sorts of cameras. pros: image quality - i looked at probably about 20+ compact cameras, their sample pictures and sample shots of all of them at different ISO's: this canon had the best image quality of all of them bar the pricey fujifilm x100 (which was gorgeous but this is also not really a compact camera). at ISO 800, the s100 retains more definition and colour saturation than all of the others (i think there was an olympus that came in close ). low-light shots - MOST PEOPLE THINK THE MEGA-PIXELS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE CAMERA ... NOT SO. while the s100 has ample m-pixels, it is all about the size of the sensor and the aperture range. this camera has one of the biggest sensors (7.44 x 5.58 ... and a good quality CMOS) and the low end the aperture goes down to 2.0, so you have the ability to take really nice low-light shots. also has a good (digic 5) processor. controlability - this camera allows you to control everything important in your photo; f-stop 2.0 - 5.9 has a great range for a camera this size, ISO 80 - 6400, and 1/2000 sec. - 15 sec. shutter speed. there really aren't other cameras that can give you this. macro capability - i have never seen a camera that can take pictures at 3 cm like this, maybe a couple of full size SLRs fitted with macro lenses, but he s100 goes beyond what i imagined even possible on a camera like this data readout - has great data information for each shot, as you line up the picture and after you have taken the shot tons of options - too many for me actually, which i also think is a bit of a con; but you can always just not use the ones you do not like lens ring - gives using the camera a nice sense of control that hearkens back to the old SLRs RAW - i am not a professional and RAW has little appeal to me other than post-production manipulation, but if you want, this shoots in RAW ... personally, i find that JPEGs frequently do better in avoiding colour moire in fine resolution video quality - not even interested in video, but great quality cons: new added finger grip on front - for me it does nothing and just jets a little in the way no decent digital filtres - with all the stuff they stuck in this camera, you think they could have included some digital filtres ... i mean how often are you going to want to use the fish-eye or miniature landscape feature? cute, but i'd rather have some simple digi filtres. too may options - for some could be a plus, but for me there are too many things and features i would never use and some which are so complex i would not be able to remember how to access them lens ring sticking out - while i love the idea of the lens ring, its protruberance makes the camera just a bit more difficult to stuff in the pocket flash - before digital, i had 2 canon elph film cameras. one had a pop-up flash like this one; it broke. i almost did not buy this camera because of the pop-up flash. while this one seems so much better (it has a little motor that seems very tight and strong), i still fear i could break it. in the end, though, i am glad i got the camera because it is otherwise so great. if you still have any doubts, this is a great camera.

### ⭐ A great camera with a fatal flaw
*by G***K on August 31, 2012*

The good is that it's a well built camera that takes sharp pictures and has a great feature set for its size. I considered the Sony RX100 and this camera, the newest pocket cameras with larger image sensors. I chose the s100 since: -RX100 didn't really have a long term track record as it was only recently released. -Smaller size and weight of the S100, excellent image quality given its size. -Much lower cost of the S100 -Lens error due to heat/humidity had been fixed in later production batches according to a recall bulletin by Canon; the camera's serial number began with 46 and was not a part of the recall -Other than the above lens error issue the camera had a good reliability record from several forums The bad is that I got the lens error where the lens gets stuck in the out position and fails to retract after extending and retracting while on vacation in Japan. I'd taken a few pictures here and there, put it back in my camera bag or pocket, repeat several times for an hour or two. After a dozen tries, the lens finally retracted but then failed to extend. Luckily, there was a Canon service center less than 20 minutes away from my hotel by foot and subway. Long story short, since I didn't have my warranty card or proof of purchase with me on my trip other than from my Amazon account which I offered to bring up given Wifi access, they "offered" to repair it for just under 11,000 yen. After pointing out that I'd be returning home to the United States before the repair completion date, they responded that I could either come back and pick it up or I could arrange to have it delivered to me (what I understand is a polite way of saying owner pays delivery cost). So let me get this straight, a camera designed and built in Japan that I bought less than a month ago fails in Japan under normal use and I would have to pay to get it repaired? I would have purchased a new camera at a local electronics store, except that all the labels/menus were in Japanese and the only one I could figure out how to use at the store was a Canon S100. After a few days of occasionally turning the camera on and off, the camera suddenly started working again for whatever reason and the lens extended. Unfortunately that particular time was while sitting in a stairwell while holding it wrong and the camera slipped from my hands and tumbled down a flight of concrete and steel stairs with the lens extended. Other than scratches and dents on the body and the lens barrel, the camera took great quality shots and worked as good as new the rest of the trip. Summing up the bad experiences with the camera: -Lens error apparently not fixed -Bad service experience overseas -Should have bought an extra battery for the trip, video and GPS seem to suck up a considerable amount of battery life -HDR mode useless without a tripod I knew the technical limitations of this camera and also that batches with the lens error fix did not have an extended track record and went with this camera anyways. I took a bet on this camera and lost (at least a few days). In any case this camera is now working fine as far as I can tell. 12/18/2013 update: Took it on a 2 week vacation, hit a lens error once when zooming and the camera shut down (retracted the lens though). I hadn't hit a lens error again until this occurrence. Started it up again and all was well, no further issues. Still not sure if I can rely on this camera though... 6/7/2015 update: Seeing this often in the past few months. Lens got stuck extending, shut down with the lens stuck in the halfway extended position. Repeat 2x until it fully retracted or extended. Lowering rating to one star.

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