Canon PowerShot S95 10 MP Digital Camera with 3.8x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD

Absolutely love this camera! I have an older canon dslr that has been my main camera for several years now, and as much as I love it and the pictures that it takes I needed something more portable. But I wasn't willing to sacrifice quality or control. This camera could not be more perfect in that regard. It takes amazing pictures and decent video, and I can still change any of the settings that I would ever really need to change. I will say that the preset settings on this camera do a pretty decent job on there own. I've been particularly impressed by the low light setting. However I love having the ability to tweak the setting if necessary. This camera is also perfect in size, nice and small without being too small, and fast too. The shutter lag is virtually non-existant! And we all know how important that last one is. Nothing is worse than missing the picture because you are waiting on your camera, and that has not been as issue with this camera! I love that this camera uses rechargeable batteries! The battery life is decent, and with the spare I bought as a backup I don't think a dead battery will ever cause me to miss a photo. My one complaint is the pop up flash. It pops up exactly where you naturally want to place your finger to hold the camera. I have gotten used to it and try to hold the camera with just my right hand. But, if anyone else is using my camera (say to take a picture with me in it) they always place their finger over the flash which sometimes prevents it from popping up. I worry that this will eventually cause the flash to break. However that is a problem I was aware of when I got the camera, and it would not prevent me from buying this camera again. The pros definitely outweigh the one con.

This is my first Amazon product review. I have just never felt the need to comment before but with this camera I just had to. A little background - I am an amateur photographer; meaning that I just do it for fun, not to make a living. I have a Canon DSLR and several lenses that I use all the time. But something was missing in my photographic arsenal. Sometimes it was inconvenient to carry the SLR and I was missing potentially great images that I would happen upon just during everyday life. A solution would be a pocket "carry around" camera and a month ago I started looking around for one. After 4 weeks of research and reading copious reviews the Canon S95 emerged as the best because it had the most features that I desired and looked to be the best value for the money. Here is my summary: Pros: - Amazing image quality - Easy to learn controls (especially if you have other Canon cameras) - Solid construction (metal, not plastic - wow!) - Fits nicely into my shirt pocket (important for me) - An astonishing range of capabilities - Great low light performance - Wheel and ring work wonderfully to change settings Cons: (these are very minor) - Price! (I paid 399.99 I now see it is down to 388.83 but you are getting a lot for your money) - The pop up flash has caught me a few times even though I knew of this issue before I bought the camera (Old habits of holding cameras this size die hard) - OK, I admit I am old school - I like a printed operations manual that I can carry with me. Canon (probably to save money) provides the manual on a CD with this camera. The S95 does so many things I need the manual to reference when I need it during this learning curve. So only getting the manual on a CD is a negative to me (Are you listening Canon? If you can't provide it with the camera maybe you could sell the printed manual as an extra? I would buy one!). Overall I am extremely pleased with this camera. It has fit the "bill" perfectly for what I wanted and I would recommend it to anyone who has a DSLR but is looking for a "carry around" camera or even to those who do not. It would be a great "step up" for those moving toward the DSLR world. Buy it, you won't be disappointed.

This review is mostly for the S90 fans who are wondering about the real life changes to the S95. I have attached most of my original review of the S90 at the bottom of this update for those who don't know much about the S80/S90/S95 series. ... 1) Let's get down to what most of you care about: The HD video. It's good. Not great, but exactly what you expected. Exactly. The 720p ability is not what everyone wanted, but it's a huge improvement and it works. Zero jellyvision and the IS stays true to form. Jaggies are minimal and sound is improved but can still be blown out by loud noise (such as a concert which I simulated with my stereo - and probably causing my neighbors to all go WT...?). One negative is that you can still not change focal length while shooting. Comparing the video to a Canon T2i with an 'L" series lens, the S90 frankly performs better. While not as sharp, there are less jaggies and the internal IS makes a huge difference. Comparing the video to an HD Flip, there is no comparison. Forget 1080p, the better optics and system will make the S95 your go-to camera for easy video. Comparing the video to an Apple iPhone 4, surprise. The iPhone is the sharpest of all four, however it's lack of IS and the jellyvision factor make the S95 far superior. Kudos to Apple though for sticking such an amazing camera in a phone (plus Apple doesn't blow out sound like the S95). I'll see if I can post some video or a link, but believe me when I tell you that the low light video is amazing. I'm an airline pilot and I've been able to record night approaches and lightening storms that no other camera including my T2i could capture. In conclusion, I'm very, very satisfied with the video upgrade. Very satisfied. 2) Feel & Handling The smooth texture of the S90 never really bothered me but that said, the new matte finish is definitely an improvement. While the specs say otherwise, the S90 feels heavier and more solid. This isn't a word, but everything is just more "clickier". It doesn't feel "platicy" anymore. I like it. 3) That Darn Backside Control Dial. O.K. I HATED that thing on the S90. The S95 provides an improvement, but am I the only one who thinks it's still too "loose"? While you won't inadvertently change settings by just bumping the backside, it's still pretty easy to do. I would have preferred something - again - "clickier" but it is definitely an improvement. Thank gawd. 4) A Kind of Big Negative/Warning If you buy the S95 buy a 3" screen protector at the same time. Unlike the S90, the back of the S95 is completely flat and there is no protective recess around the screen. I'm not sure if they've put Gorilla Glass on this new version, but I know I scratched my S90 almost immediately and the S95 looks like it might get scratched easier. That said, I like how clean the new controls are. 5) Eye-Fi No one really mentions this, but the S95 adds Eye-Fi card support built in to the OS. From what I can tell so far, it doesn't do much except have an on/off control for uploading but what it DOES do is NOT turn off the camera for power savings while uploading. Huge bonus. Mahalo Canon for working with Eye-Fi!!! 6) No Manual This really ticks me off. You know the small pocket sized manual that Canon always includes with their consumer cameras. No more. They refer you to a .pdf copy located on the CD-ROM (you can also downloaded from the support web page however that version has an irritating watermark). This just really ticks me off. I'm all for saving trees but if I spend $400 on a high end consumer camera, I still think I deserve a hard copy of the manual. Boo hiss Canon! Finally, I'll amend this review when I get a better idea of the new Hybrid IS technology and HDR functions work but I can say that without a doubt, the addition of 720p video and improving (but not fixing) the control dial make this a worthy upgrade for me. Yeah, it sucks that I had to dish out another $400 but my S90 will now become a dedicated U/W camera and considering how often I flood them (at least once every two years - that's how my beloved S80 died) it's worth it to me. For those who have never used the S90, my original review is below. The short version: You will NOT be disappointed with the S95 if you take the time to learn how to use it. Otherwise, save some $$$ and pick up the SD4000. ... ORIGINAL S90 REVIEW: Be warned, I am a self professed camera geek. I believe cameras are like surfboards; you need a quiver of surfboards/cameras for the right wave/job. The Canon S90 is - by far - my new "go to" pocket camera and the one I will always carry with me in my flight bag. I have been using it for just about a month now and after a couple thousand shots, only now am I getting comfortable with its functionality. This is NOT the camera to buy your mother-in-law for Christmas. She will never speak to you again. My other cameras are: Canon 7D - with 'L' series lenses. Pentax W60 (waterproof) - for surfing, sailing, biking, hiking, skiing and handing to the kids to beat each other with over the head. Canon SD980 - which was my *quality* pocket camera but will now be relegated purely to U/W scuba photography (since I own the U/W case anyway and would live in fear that my S90 meets the same fate as my S80 and gets flooded shark diving in Tahiti). Here's the deal with the new Canon S90: If you are willing to delve into the sub menus and experiment it will become a very, very powerful camera in your arsenal. It can do anything the G11 can do but because of the size you might have to work a little harder initially to figure out the functionality curve. It's like flying. Once your familiar with the controls (which takes awhile) the interface becomes transparent and you can make it do just about anything you want. But it will take a lot of tinkering. No lie. I'll leave the critique on picture quality for the professional sites but will just offer this: the results are very good for the size of the camera. The low light performance is best in class, period; and I've tried them all including the LX3 (which is also darn good but noisier - love that 24mm lens though). Bottom line, if you want SLR quality go buy an SLR. You're not going to get the same results with the S90. Duh. If you don't like small cameras or have large fingers then maybe you should look at something like the G11. The S90 is *too small* for all of its functionality but that's the dichotomy, isn't it? The functionality is all there but by design is forced into a sometimes frustratingly cramped interface. That said, this camera is very good at what it is: a pocket camera with a wide fast lens that can shoot in RAW. Let's talk about size. I'll agree that the build quality initially seems *cheaper* than what you would expect. That said, the case, dials, and shutter are all solid in real life day to day use. Especially the shutter. To be honest, it's a bit strange but you can't deny the light weight and I love that it's smooth and flat and easily fits into your jeans. It's as small as any compact with the exception of the lens ring/bulge and while I wish the bulge weren't there, it is what it is and the functionality of that ring is surprisingly awesome. It's definitely more pocketable than the LX3. The screen is gorgeous and I don't miss the viewfinder at all. The power up/down flash is irritating and I pray it doesn't break but I got to admit there is less red-eye than most cameras (which is supposedly why they went with the design). As long as the motor doesn't give out because I'm inadvertently holding the flash down when it tries to pop up I'll live with it and tip my hat to Canon's engineers. The control ring functionality is awesome and the Ring Function button is very, very functional and remains customized for each "mode" you select. In this way you can set up your camera for high speed Av photography different than for say Tv photography. Nice. On that functionality, making this camera do what you want really boils down to getting to know the camera. After a month, I can finally adjust aperture, shutter speed, and the four directional manual white balance without thinking about it. ISO, exposure bracketing, flash intensity, metering, and continuous shooting are just a button/spin/button/spin away. Once you've memorized the function layout, exposure adjustments are fairly quick and painless. And of course you've got the outer control ring and function ring give you instant access to two of your major settings wether that be ISO, exposure metering, manual focus, white balance, zoom, aperture, or shutter speed. You're really wasting the power of this camera if you just leave it in Av so you can shoot "fast". Whew. Exhausted yet? If you are then maybe this camera isn't for you. ;) No, seriously. However, if you are willing to commit yourself Canon has given you the tools to get the shot you want. Or I suppose you could just leave it in AUTO. I'll see if I can figure out how to upload some sample shots but here are some real life experiences I've had. Day shots of the NYC skyline are beautiful. A little soft compared to a Canon 7D with an 'L' series lens, but like I said before, duh. The same shot at night can be accomplished without a tripod at about 1/60 of a second. No blur. At an English Beat concert the other night I was snapping away at f2.0 (wide) and 1/100 of a second. Not always fast enough but about five times what I could do with my SD980. Stepping it down from ISO100 to 800 sped it up and while a little noisier, fit the concert like feel. Ice skating at night at Rockefeller Center (well lit) I was taking photos without the flash as if it were daytime. In summary, this camera rocks. UPDATE: Low light photos uploaded to Amazon. Look for NYC skyline and adjacent concert pics. Unfortunately Amazon resolution is limited but you'll get the idea of what you can get away with. The one thing I don't get is the 640X480 movie mode. I ask why, why, why knowing full well that there is an engineering answer that hasn't found its way on to the Interwebs yet. Somewhere in the software/hardware mix there must be an answer because not including HD video is inexplicable to me. On the other hand, most video I take with this kind of camera just gets uploaded to YouTube anyway so 640X480 is fine. That's what I've got a dedicated HD camcorder for. One thing I will add, the sound quality is noticeably better than any other mono point and shoot I've used. I'm not sure what's up with that but it's noticeably clearer with deeper base. Kind of a nice surprise, really. At the end of the day this is a great camera and a very worthy successor to my beloved (and flooded) Canon S80. If you want the smallest *quality* camera you can currently buy the S90 is it. There are a few issues but that beautiful fast lens makes them bearable. If you want an SLR like interface and are willing to sacrifice the size, then you should take a serious look at the G11 (or similar). This camera is too small for that kind of interface and while the top level functions are intuitive (aperture, shutter speed, ISO) you'll have to commit yourself a little to go any deeper. The beauty is, you can! Bottom line: If I lost this camera today I'd buy another tomorrow. From a camera geek that travels the world, that says a lot. Canon PowerShot S95 10 MP Digital Camera with 3.8x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch inch LCD

Finally a pocket camera that I can use as a professional photographer when I am trying to take shots of people/street scenes without walking around with my giant Canon lenses! I have been in the market for a small camera for years and have never been satisfied with the image quality until the S95 came out. This camera is AMAZING. It does about 90% of what my $3500 Canon 5D Mk II does. It is an excellent point and shoot (great for my kids and husband, who don't want to adjust anything) but I love the fact that I can go "all manual" without a fuss. I shoot in RAW but husband and kids like JPG for simplicity. The images are vibrant and sharp. Skin tones look natural. Even in extremely low light, the pics are not grainy and have excellent saturation. Focus in low light is spot on, something that is hard to achieve with most inexpensive cameras. I have shown my photographs to my students and they have a hard time guessing if it's my $5000 Canon/lens or this $400 super-mini that took the shots.... My only gripe is the ergonomics. The flash pops up RIGHT where I hold the camera so it's a bit annoying. Also, while the S95 has a more "nonslip" coating, it is not a rubberized grip like my big Cannon. I would LOVE to see some rubber on the casing to help make sure it doesn't slip out of my hands. Finally, on occasion the flash overexposes so I have the EV down -2/3. That takes care of it. I just leave it there and my pix are perfect. Cannot recommend highly enough, both to novices who want a great point and shoot and pros who want a small pocket camera that is less conspicuous than the usual "gear."

I'm a Canon guy, so while I tried to start the process of buying a small camera by evaluating all the similar models, it wasn't hard to narrow my choices to the Canon models. In the end it came down to the S95 and S100, and for the difference in price, I couldn't justify the added cost of the S100. My other camera is a Canon 5d MkII, so I'm familiar with the quality of Canon cameras, and the S95 is no exception. This camera is well built. It feels solid. And, most of all, it takes great pictures and it's easy to use. I wanted something that my wife would enjoy using, as well as a camera I could have available to me when taking the DSLR was too much for the occasion. I think I hit the sweet spot with the S95. I turn the dial to (A)uto and hand it to the wife. She is thrilled with the pictures she's able to take. I can then take it and change the settings to make it shutter speed priority, aperture priority, or use it entirely in manual mode. I can record pictures in jpeg, jpeg+raw. I can use autofocus, or I can focus manually. All with this small, thin, relatively inexpensive camera. If you like picking up your camera and taking pictures, you'll like the S95. If you like getting involved in the intricacies of photography, but want a small digital camera with tons of options, you'll like the S95. All-in-all, this is a great little camera. I am very happy with the Canon S95.

I had been struggling with buying a new camera. I typically have a very compact point and shoot AND a huge SLR and use them for varying needs. When looking at this camera I found it to be much larger than the average point and shoot which you throw in your purse or pocket and run out for a quick day of hiking or family fun time. However the great benefit is that with it's increase in size I am able to have so much more control over the camera as is possible with an SLR. I would say even for a point and shoot it is still pretty compact. the Pictures are great- will not go into huge detail here as there are tons of reviews on this area zoom , low light and faster movement is easily captured. Again this is not a total high end SLR replacement but really an amazing hybrid to get those of you with a pension for photography something smaller and more compact that allows you to do more. CONS The Flash is super Annoying - when you hold the camera you have to make sure to hold as an SLR instead of a point and shoot (right hand on corner and shutter button, left hand under the camera holding the lens area.) otherwise the flash pops up and throws you off. Camera is a little slippery in the hand, the texture or finish is maybe a little too smooth.

I've always wanted SLR quality in a compact digital camera, and this baby comes very close. For daytime, good light photography, it's probably as good as many SLR's out there, and in low light, it's far and away better than any compact I've ever used. The range of manual controls is impressive, yet the camera remains relatively easy to learn. I especially like the programmable "S" button on the back, which can be programmed to 20 different functions. I personally keep mine on AE lock (exposure lock). With many other cameras, you have to move it around the scene until you find the right exposure, then half-press the shutter (which also locks focus), then recompose while keeping the button half-pressed, and shoot. Kind of a hassle, and of course the focus is locked on whatever you locked exposure on. With the s95, I simply find the exposure level I want, then press the "S" button, which locks the exposure. Then I can freely move the camera and refocus on what I intend to photograph without having to hold down the shutter button, or lock in the focus. And there are many other uses for the "S" button if you choose! The front control ring is also programmable, being able to select from many options, including a custom option to create your own specific use. The camera is highly customizable, but without being overwhelming. It's fantastic! As far as performance goes, I have never gotten such quality images before. The daytime photographs are incredibly clean and sharp, and the in-camera adjustments and IQ are great. The light metering is generally good, as is the white balance. And if you aren't satisfied with the white balance, there is a custom white balance mode, which renders indoor evening shots under lights perfectly, once the custom white balance is applied. Apertures run from a fast f2.0 to f8.0, which can be used creatively in creating decent DOF photographs. You aren't going to get SLR DOF performance with the s95, but you can create very interesting images at f2.0. Shutter speed runs from 1/1600 to 15 seconds, perfect from getting fast action sports to perfect night time exposures. And speaking of night time exposures, this camera produces outstanding images in very low light. Using manual mode, you can create essentially grain-free long exposures, using a low ISO and slow shutter speed. I have NEVER seen such clean night images in any compact digital camera before (assuming you can find one with manual controls!). Even indoors, the camera produces very nice images, even with ISO's up to 1600. I've noticed graininess starting around ISO 400, but that's at 100% view and nitpicking the shot. Most family photos and indoor people shots are not highly scrutinized, so even ISO 800 and 1600 shots are usable. WAY better than any other small camera's ability indoors at night, that's for sure! There is also a completely customizable mode, interestingly enough called "C". You can program this to be set up any way you like it...so if you do a lot of specific shooting (night time, indoor family photos, lets say), you could set it up to have the shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc, the way you like it. That way, you don't have to enter manual mode or semi-manual and fiddle with the settings each time. You have one full-time dedicated mode for shooting the way you like! And for those who just like to point and shoot, the auto mode is acceptable. I personally use "P" mode most of the time, which is pretty much auto, with some control over settings. But if you just want to turn on the camera and shoot, auto will still render high quality images, though sometimes I have noticed with auto mode the autofocus can give me trouble. Using P-mode will still make it easy, but with some more reliable focusing. Besides, hopefully you are buying this camera with SOME intention on learning how to manually create better shots...but again, even if you just want to use the auto mode, you will get photos much nicer than any other pocket camera, a reason to buy this in and of itself. There are so many more outstanding features to list...I could go on forever. Autofocus tracking, 1.9 shot-per-second continuous mode (with AF servo!), low light mode (with ISO's up to 12,800(!!)), scene mode with countless scene choices (including HDR which does remarkably well), and of course HD video mode. Let me mention one thing about the HD video however. It's not that great, in my opinion. I also have the Canon SD940IS, and it takes beautiful HD video. This camera does not. There is a lot of "judder" when filming moving objects, or when panning the camera. It's not smooth at all when moving. The 940 is very smooth, even when walking and filming. The s95 struggles to maintain a clear video, unless filming stationary objects. Not good if you intend on making videos of your children running or playing! I think it has something to do with the type of sensors in each camera. I don't know anything about this technical stuff, but it appears this camera's sensor is more geared for still photographs and not HD video. However, there are two mics on the front of the camera, for STEREO sound! If you are buying this solely for the HD video, you may want to look elsewhere (you can get HD video in products much cheaper than this now). Still, the video is probably passable to most, and should not be a hinderance from buying this great little package! EDIT: When I first wrote the review, I did not know why the HD video was subpar to the smaller, cheaper SD940IS. The reason is that the s95 only shoots 24 frams per second of video (FPS), whereas the 940 shoots 30 FPS. The s95's video is clealy choppy, but you can change the video settings to shoot 30 FPS (but will not be true HD).

This camera is advertised and promoted by Canon as a compact camera with manual mode "loaded with all a serious photographer's must-haves"...it isn't. I contacted Canon customer service and they verified all of the following problems; (1) Most disappointing is the fact that this camera has no light meter. For those of us who understand how to use manual operation this means that even if you can control the f Stop and shutter speed separately, you will have no way of knowing if you exposure is correct. So, it is almost impossible to use manual mode and alter the depth of field or do any kind of exposure variations. Canon confirmed this. (2) This camera's highest F stop is f5.6 in telephoto and f8 in wide. This seriously limits your ability to gain long distance depth of field, so landscape photography or travel pics in which you want a large area to be in focus are out of the question. It basically works within the same range that a point and shoot camera works; at 3 to 4 times the price. (3) The operating manual is almost useless. It is nothing but an exercise in putting in the battery, turning it on and snapping a picture. It has almost no instructions about mode variations and nothing on the use of manual mode (now I know why). I spent hours working through the menus and was still having trouble using it. I got so frustrated that I called Canon; their tech support person couldn't explain it's use and had to get a supervisor to tell me that I was correct about points 1 and 2 above. (4) The zoom lever (at least on the one I received) is not smooth at all; it zooms too fast and sometimes it is slow to start. This causes a bunch of back and forth zooming to get the composition that you want. I realize that this is a compact camera but most of the controls are hard to manipulate and I have small hands. (5) It has no viewfinder. For some this will not be a problem but for me; I like looking through a viewfinder not an LCD screen. This camera has serious limitations. I didn't expect it to be the same as my SLR but it does not even come close to an SLRs manual operation and for $425, and the way Canon promotes it, it should. If you understand how to use a camera in manual mode,coupled with a light meter and this is how you want to use this camera, you will be very disappointed. If you just want to shoot pictures of the friends and family etc, then you would be much better off spending $100-$150 on a good point and shoot and using it in auto mode.

Fast shipping, item as described. This is the best digital camera I have never had. I love it!