Canon PowerShot S90 10MP Digital Camera with 3.8x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3-inch LCD

This camera has served me well, as my backup camera. I take it to more hazardous events (weather, shock, etc.) A few 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. It would be nice if the battery lasted a little longer though! I read tons of reviews on this camera before biting the bullet and buying one of my own. I was torn between this and the next model up in price. I am not 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 day trips. Because the size was so important to me, I opted for this model. I am not disappointed at all - I like this camera and continue to be impressed at the beautiful the images coming SOOC.

I recently got this camera (yes i know, the S95 just came out) and I've loved using it.

The S90 is a point and shoot camera,but not necessarily compact. It's about an inch thick and an inch and a half including the control ring. The controls feel good with the exception of the shutter button. The control ring can easily get confused for the shutter button when you're not paying attention. It only has a 3.8X zoom, but the large f/2 aperture is worth it. I've taken several low light photos at isos of 80-400. Noise isnt much of a problem until iso 800. after 800, it starts getting noisy...fast. The priority modes are a nice addition to this camera as well as the custom, program, and manual modes. The auto mode will do a good job on its own, but the camera really shines when put in manual.

The picture quality is excellent. Zoomed in at 100% there is little chromatic abberation and only some purple fringing, but it wont detract from the photo too much. It has less chromatic abberation than average (most P&S cameras ive seen have it to some extent so don't get too uptight about it). The RAW capabilities are pretty nice, but there is a great amount of barrel distortion when shot in RAW mode. The camera does a really good job of correcting it when converted to JPEG though.

This is the low light king of the P&S jungle. Sony and Casio have CMOS sensors with a mode to take several pictures at different exposures at a high speed. Not needed with the s90. The day I got it I tried using it in a dark parking lot at night in front of a few shops. I was able to see everything in the picture with the f/2 lens at iso 80 and 1/5 shutter speed. It takes some time to play with the settings and figure out what works.
Blur from hand shake isnt that bad due to the IS on this camera.

It takes some time to get used to the plethora of controls and settings. This camera isn't for novice users. If you're looking for a great point and shoot and aren't technically inclined, then search for another camera. As i said before, this camera does a decent job in auto mode, but it really shines in manual. The auto mode sometimes selects settings that may undersaturate the pictures.

Colors are for the most part accurate, but greens tend to be somewhat bright and reds and blues are very strong. Yellows tend to shift toward to green but its not that bad.

The camera operates at an average speed, with some shutter lag and as long as you prefocus, it shouldn't be that bad.


Overall, this is a great point and shoot with great low light abilities. It produces better pictures than any other point and shoot I've seen and its large sensor only adds to the experience. With decent noise handling up to iso 800, which i havent seen on any other point and shoot, it will give you a sharp image in any light.

I did a lot of research before buying this camera. I am very happy with this purchase. I've used it for one trip so far and my photos have turned out great. I'm still learning about some of its features but it was easy to use right off the bat and get good photos - and I'm not a big photographer. Amazon had it for the cheaper price.

The Canon S 90 is a wonderful camera. After I bought mine, my son and daughter also purchased a S90 from Amazon. My single issue with the camera is that the image does not on occasion rotate from horizontal to vertical. It seems to happen after I have taken a series of pictures in the horizontal. I discover more features every day.

I would be a definite prosumer. My main bag consists of a 5D Mark II and several L series lenses. I shoot nature and ballroom dancing, both of which push different extremities of my equipment. I mostly shoot in manual mode with any camera system I use, so I am writing this review from that perspective. I purchased the S90 as a primary camera for snorkeling (coupled with the Canon housing). Although I have not used it for that purpose yet, I have had a chance to play around with the camera a little. First, I will get the negatives out of the way. I have big hands, and handling this camera is somewhat a put-off. It is small and it feels like you are going to inadvertently touch buttons all the time. This will not be a problem in the underwater housing, but I have determined it as a drawback at this point...now on to the good.

This camera takes great pictures.I was shooting my puppy this morning. He was moving around a bit, and the lighting was shifting between window sunlight and tungsten light. I decided I would need to kick up the ISO, but I was reserved with this camera. I sometimes shoot up to 5200 with the Mark II, but I decided to stop at 400 on the S90 with the small sensor. I set the camera into manual, got my bearings on control (which took all of 5 seconds to figure out aperture and shutter knobs), and started to pop off a few shots. You pick the aperture with the front ring. I set this to f7.0 (I have a dachshund, so he is long and I wanted him all in focus). I then used the wheel on the back to set the shutter speed. The one thing I noticed was the live view on the camera back responded immediately. I also own an Olympus PEN, and a Leica Dlux-4, but the Canon takes the cake with its very responsive live view and beautiful screen. I grabbed my Mac and imported the RAW photos into iphoto (much quicker than lightroom for inport and previewing). I was amazed as I pixel peaked around the image. This camera does a very nice job with the small sensor. It is as good or better than the Leica with color photos (B&W will probably be another issue as that is where the Dlux-4 excels). No adjustments would be necessary, even on the RAW images. The sensor is fantastic for its size.

Overall, this is a VERY fun camera to operate (more than I can say for the Leica or PEN). I hope to add to this review after my Hawaii trip. I can tell you that this a great, compact, portable addition to a prosumer's or professional's bag (or pocket for that matter).