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

This is, without a doubt, one of the best compact cameras in the world. What makes it so great?Pros:+ Large 1/1.7" sensor. One of the main reasons why DSLRs look so much better than compacts is the size of the sensor. A larger sensor has two main benefits. One is reduced noise at the same ISO, allowing you to take pictures in lower light. For ordinary compacts noise becomes a problem even at ISO 200, but DSLRs can go all the way to ISO 1600. Another is bokeh, or the quality of out-of-focus areas. When you take a portrait, you want the background to be blurred so that only your subject is in focus. According to physics, a larger sensor allows for a narrower depth of field, and hence more out-of-focus backgrounds. The S95's sensor is about twice as large as a typical compact's 1/2.5" sensor, so it has half the noise. It's still not large enough for good bokeh, even at f/2, but you expect that of a compact.+ Full P, A, S, M modes. (Canon calls A Av and S Tv, but same thing.) These modes are very important to serious photographers because they allow more creative control over the image, such as setting exposure compensation (+/-), shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc.+ Two customizable control rings, one on the barrel of the lens and one on the rear. DSLRs have dials so that you don't have to dig around in a bunch of menus to change options. With one flick, you can set ISO and +/- in P mode, aperture and +/- in A mode, shutter speed and +/- in S mode, and aperture and shutter speed in M mode. However, you can program them to a variety of different options based on your preference.+ Customizable shortcut button, which you can set to easily access a bunch of menu items. Personally I have it on white balance.+ RAW mode, which allows the photographer more control over the end image. You can open it up in Adobe Camera Raw and edit it in Photoshop, or use the provided free software to process and edit it. RAW is great for recovering highlight and shadow detail which would have been lost in a JPEG.+ Fast f/2 lens. Most compacts have maximum aperture of f/2.8, so the S95 lens can let in twice as much light as other compacts. Combined with the larger sensor, the S95 has about four times the low-light performance of regular point-and-shoots.+ Small form factor. Small enough to fit in a pants pocket, you can enjoy your trip/party/event without dragging along a bulky DSLR.+ Shoots movies in 720p with stereo sound.+ Customizable ISO Auto. ISO Auto sets the ISO automatically in order to ensure a fast enough shutter speed, and you can set the Max ISO Speed and Rate of Change. I normally keep it on 400 and Standard. For landscapes, I use 400 and Slow. For parties, I use 800 and Fast.+ C mode, which remembers all the settings on the camera and can be accessed via the mode dial.+ My Menu, allowing quick access to five menu items of your choice.+ Exposure and focus bracketing, which allows you to take three pictures with different exposures or different focus settings in order to ensure you have a correctly exposed/focused image. But more importantly, exposure bracketing can be used for HDR (blending different images of the same subject in Photoshop to get a correctly exposed final image).Cons:- Limited zoom range. The lens only goes from 28 mm (wide, but not ultrawide) to 105 mm (medium tele), by 35 mm equivalent.- f/4.9 aperture at tele end. You lose about 2 2/3 stops of light compared to f/2 at the wide end.- No hotshoe. It would have been nice to be able to add an external flash for more power and to allow bouncing at an angle, though I suppose a gigantic flash on a tiny camera would look rather ridiculous.- Body is a little bit slippery.- No 1080p, if you really want Full HD video.Neutral:o Decent battery life. Its Canon NB-6L battery (3.7 V, 1000 mAh) is rated for 200 shots. In practice, I've only taken 120 shots in a row without a charge and haven't had the battery die on me, so the battery life is sufficient for me. I know that other premium compacts often have more robust batteries, so that might be a point of consideration or you could just get a spare NB-6L.o 10 MP resolution. Don't believe the megapixel myth which states that the more megapixels, the better. The last time I checked, Sony is coming up with a 16 MP point-and-shoot which is really excessive. The problem with more megapixels is that now they have to squeeze more pixels into the same area, so less light hits each pixel, and with less light you get more noise.o Made in Japan (actually a very weak pro). It's always nice to know that your camera is made in the country with the best quality control in the world. However, I haven't heard any complaints about Canons made in China, so I suppose the advantage is marginal at best.o Pop-up flash. On one hand, it allows the camera to be made smaller instead of having a flash directly on the front. On the other hand, it's annoying that you have to move your finger whenever the flash pops up.Compared:o With the Canon S90: The S95 fixes the problem of the loose rear dial rotating too easily by adding some soft clicks in it. Also improves video to 720p stereo (compared to VGA mono).o With the Canon S100: The S100, which was just announced, improves the lens as both ends, to 24-120 mm f/2-4.9. It now has a 12 MP CMOS sensor with DIGIC V processor (compared to 10 MP CCD with DIGIC IV). I don't believe the first two will have much effect on image quality, and we'll have a few months before the S100 ships to see how good the DIGIC V really is. The S100 also adds GPS tagging and 1080p video. It now uses a NB-5L battery (3.7V 1120 mAh) and adds a rubber grip to the front. The S100 also lets you zoom during videos.o With the Canon G12: This is where it really matters; the previous two were just versions of essentially the same product. The main differences are ergonomic: the G12 is much bigger and has better build quality but will not fit in your pocket. The internals are very similar, as both use the same 10 MP 1/1.7" CCD. The G12 has the same lens control ring but also has direct +/- and ISO dials on top, and adds an optical viewfinder. The G12 has a 28-140 f/2.8-4.5 lens, which gives you a bit more reach on the long end. The G12 has a hotshoe, if you need an external flash. The G12 uses a much bigger NB-7L battery (7.4V 1050 mAh), allowing for 370 shots.o With the Panasonic DMC-LX5: The LX5 also has a 10 MP 1/1.7" CCD (actually 10.1 MP 1/1.63", but they're virtually identical). It features a Leica 24-90 mm f/2-3.3 lens, so both have 3.8x zoom but the LX5 is wider on both ends. The LX5 has a much larger aperture at the tele end (f/3.3 vs f/4.9). Both have 720p video, but the LX5 allows zooming and manual control during videos and has better video IS while the S95 has a less leaky CCD (sometimes purple streaks can show up in video mode for a CCD). The LX5 is slightly larger and slightly more expensive. However, it lacks the unique dual control rings of the S95, which are invaluable to me.Overall:If you are a photography enthusiast who wants to travel light, this should be your top pick. You can get the G12 for more features and better build, but you'd be spending $100 more on average and sacrificing the small size. (Think about it, if you really want to go all in why not bring a DSLR?) The LX5 is also a great camera and you should consider it if you prefer its lens and video quality, but the S95 is more pocketable and features dual control rings offering quick, menu-free manual control. You could also wait until November to get the S100, but until then we can only guess at whether it's a worthy upgrade from the S95.

First off, no camera is perfect. This camera isnt perfect but its the best "pocket camera" you can buy. Period. A lot of people compare this camera to the Panasonic Lumix LX5. The LX5 is an awesome camera but I dont consider that a "pocket" camera. It is bigger and bulkier and doesnt fit in your pocket very well. I would almost compare that camera to the Canon G11 or G12. The Canon S95 is simply the best camera if you are looking for something very portable and you can take anywhere with you. I have owned the S90 and now the S95 and its the only camera I use. I take it everywhere to capture my 4 year old in all his activities. I used to lug around a DSLR camera but didnt like it because it was so big and bulky (but it took awesome photos) I looked into this camera (S90 initially) and fell in love with it and its all I use now. The S95 is basically the same but basically three things got better. Video which was good just got better because its now in HD. The sound which I thought was very good just got better because video is now in Stereo. (two very tiny speakers are now visable on the front of the camera) The S90 was very sleek and some said too sleek because when you held it, some compared it to holding a bar of soap in the bathroom. It was very slick. The body of the S95 has a texture to it now that is better and not as "slick" to the touch. One thing I also like about this camera is it takes action photos a little better. The S90 "sports" mode took photos at a snails pace of about 1 photo every second basically. (DSLR's take about 4-5 per second and are very fast) The S95 does a little better at about 2 shots every second. This still is not very good but is acceptable for a camera like this and does help if you are taking photos of action, etc. Again, no camera is perfect but this is about as close as you can get until something new comes out next year. However, if you want an awesome "pocket" camera that can take great photos (especially in low light), has a very fast lens (aperture 2.0), can be used fully manual if you want and takes very good video clips, this is the camera to buy. I am sure next year there will be some more improvements with this camera or features added and maybe Nikon or someone else will come out with something comparable to this Canon S95 but it doesnt exist right now. This little camera is the best right now. You wont be disappointed and quit looking around for something comparable because it doesnt exist. The only other camera that I looked at is the Panasonic Lumix LX5. It is a very, very good camera also (maybe a little better then this camera) but it is bigger and bulkier and really doesnt slip into your pocket very well. It also takes photos very well in low light (aperture of 2.0 also) and has a lens that is wider 24mm compared to Canon's 28mm and takes photos at around 3 shots per second compared to the S95 2 shots per second but its a little bigger and about $50 more. I encourage you to look at the Panasonic but the Canon wins for me!! Good luck and quit worrying and buy this camera!!!Update: Here is a really neat "letter" that was written and posted on Yahoo the other day from an editor with the NY Times....I copied and pasted it into this review. Its good!Dear Canon S95,I don't often write love letters to gadgets. But you, you're something special.Truth is, I've been searching for someone like you for years.See, I love the huge light sensor that's inside an SLR. It can take sharp low-light shots without the flash. It can blur the background the way professionals do.I just don't like how an SLR is big and heavy and obtrusive.What I've always wanted is a little camera with a big sensor. Is that so hard?Apparently, yes. The problem is covering a rectangular sensor chip with a circle of light from the lens. Bigger sensor? You need a bigger camera. Those are the simple bylaws of physics.But you, oh, cute little Canon PowerShot S95! I love that you're a pocket camera, only 3.9 by 2.3 by 1.2 inches. I love your big, bright, three-inch screen, your built-in flash, your H.D.M.I. output for hi-def TV sets. I love that you turn on directly into Playback mode, without having to extend the lens.I love the unique control ring around the dial, which I can quickly program to adjust whatever feature I want: focus, zoom, exposure, light sensitivity (ISO), aperture, even degree of color saturation (all the way to black-and-white).I've had fun with your special modes, like the tilt-shift-lens simulator and fake fisheye.I love the wink-driven self-timer. Yes, I set up the camera, walk into the scene, and then wink-the picture is taken two seconds later. Beats hunting around for a remote control. (Or I can ask you to wait two seconds after a new person-that would be me, joining the group-enters the frame.)But above all, I love your enormous sensor. It's 0.59 inches diagonally-88 percent more area than most pocket cameras' sensors. And I love that you have an f/2.0 lens, a rarity among pocket cameras, meaning that you let in a lot more light.And all of this means that you, little S95, can take amazing, sharp pictures in low light without the flash. Your designers have shrewdly dropped the ludicrous quest for more megapixels-you have 10 megapixels, just right-in favor of something that really matters, like better photos.So many times I've used you for pictures at night, indoors, in shadow. Cathedrals, restaurants, parties. No, the results aren't as good as an SLR's-you still manage to blur a shot, especially in very dark situations when the subject is moving-but they're light-years better than any other pocket camera can do. I love to show off your photo samples.You're even better than my last love, your predecessor, the S90. Because you're slimmer. And now you take hi-def videos-with stereo sound. You have a high-dynamic-range mode, where you combine three tripod shots at different exposures into a single photo with a really great range of darks and lights. Your controls are refined in size and placement.Look, S95-I know you're not perfect. Your battery takes only 200 shots on a charge, which is very low. You won't let me use the optical zoom while I'm shooting video; in fact, you can't refocus while shooting video, either. (Your arch-rival, the Panasonic LX5, can zoom during video. Then again, it's porkier and requires fussing with a detached lens cap.)And, of course, you cost twice what most pocket cams cost. You're $400.But you are the best pocket camera on the market. I have carried you for many weeks, in many situations, and I have been thrilled by the sharpness, color, control and photographic success rate that you give me.Yes, Canon S95, I think you and I have a long, happy future ahead of us. Heck, you may remain state-of-the-art for several months at least!Love,David