PowerShot Rumor: S95 Replacement [CR2]

[dstppy]

I was about to buy an S95 as a pocket camera / back up to my SLR but looking back announcements for S90 & S95 have both been on 19th August in 2010 & 2011 repectively so I will hang fire to either get an S100(?) or cheaper S95 depending on what it delivers. S100 sounds like evolutionary improvement on S95 which in turn was on S90 and is expected to be a 'better' camera following Canon's Kaizen strategy but I may not need it to turn out good pictures.

12mp would be nice but is not essential and wouldn't make me buy s100 over a cheap s95.
5x Zoom again good but better if wide angle goes out to 24mm (to 120) or even 27mm (to 135). Wider + 5x zoom would make me get the s100.

Other items I would like:
Even better dynamic range / low light handling / even bigger sensor (as rumored for G13). We can dream.
No change in max aperture unless it becomes f/1.8!
1080p would be interesting but is not essential. Slomo/fastmo capabilities of Nikon P300 would also be nice.
No increase in size/weight unless building in improved grip.
Move from 460k to 920k screen to rival P300 would also help in-camera review.
Improved start up time.
Closer macro focus.

The S95 (or replacement) are technically P&S cameras and thus, the (in-stock) sweet spot tends to be between The first part of November and the middle of December for hot deals. Got mine for $299 from Amazon around Thanksgiving.

That said, clearance time is always awesome for those of us that are frugal as well, but you risk missing out. Every month or so, I remind her that it's now selling for $400 . . . ;D

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I bought a S90, but I have large hands, and had to hold my finger such that I could push the buttons with the edge of my fingernail, and then, it took several tries to push it correctly. My fingers kept covering the lens when I held it, and when I did take some photos under incandescent light that normally come out fine with my DSLR, the color was horrible and hard to correct.

Outdoors in bright sun, there was no way to fram a image, just point and hope you got something. I'm glad that some are able to use it, but its not for everyone. I have a little trouble with my wife's G12 in pushing the control buttons, but It has a viewfinder, and the fold out lcd let me hold it high over my head at a outdoor concert and take photos that were not blocked by the big crowd in front of me. It was a overcast day, and I could tilt the display until I could see well enough to frame the photos.

Be sure to give one a try if your hands are large, and don't expect to use that lcd display in bright sun.

 

[gordonsbuck]

Although not in my predictions, I hope that the S100 <-- S95 will have a different lens with increased zoom ratio because the G14 would then naturally also have a new lens as well to establish product differentiation.

I really do believe that the G14 and S100 will have 12MP -- hope that these are 12MP of good pixels!

 

[junipa]

I was about to buy an S95 as a pocket camera / back up to my SLR but looking back announcements for S90 & S95 have both been on 19th August in 2010 & 2011 repectively so I will hang fire to either get an S100(?) or cheaper S95 depending on what it delivers. S100 sounds like evolutionary improvement on S95 which in turn was on S90 and is expected to be a 'better' camera following Canon's Kaizen strategy but I may not need it to turn out good pictures.

12mp would be nice but is not essential and wouldn't make me buy s100 over a cheap s95.
5x Zoom again good but better if wide angle goes out to 24mm (to 120) or even 27mm (to 135). Wider + 5x zoom would make me get the s100.

This is my dilemma also. I've been umming and erring about buying an S95 for a few months and finally thought I might as well wait until its replacement comes out. No point in buying a camera just before it's due to be superseded, right? But if the speculation on this board is correct, I don't think it'd really be worth the wait. Might as well get the S95 and be done with it.

The only thing which puts me off the S95 is lack of viewfinder. My current compact is an SX210 IS, which replaced my Ixus 850 and I hate that it doesn't have a viewfinder. I know that makes me a dinosaur but I'm thinking of getting a G12 (or whatever comes next) just for the viewfinder.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Unless your view finder images through the lens, what's the benefit to be gained by squishing the camera up against your face?

Shade. A blast of sun on the rear LCD can make it tough to compose a shot (although I've not had that issue with my S95 - the display is quite bright).

 

[dstppy]

Unless your view finder images through the lens, what's the benefit to be gained by squishing the camera up against your face?

Shade.

Listen, unless you're using a XH G1S, I think you're still gonna get a sunburn regardless of your technique.

Yes. I know I'm going to hell for that.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Being able to get rid of the view finder on compact cameras is the best thing the digital revolution ever did for that market segment. Seriously. Unless your view finder images through the lens, what's the benefit to be gained by squishing the camera up against your face?

I like to be able to frame my subjects when outdoors as well as indoors. Having no viewvinder is great for those who do not worry about framing their photo, just pointing the camera in the general direction of the subject doesn't cut it for me. I often hear complaints from P&S owners who never dreamed that a camera would not have a viewfinder, they shell out $$$ for a camera to take on Vacation to a nice sunny place like Hawaii, and then discover the camera is worthless for composing a image.

My G11 has a viewfinder, and it works very well for composing images. Not as good as a EVF, but better than point and hope.

When using liveview outdoors for macro, I have a big black cloth I put over the camera and my head so I can see to get perfect focus. Just like they did in the 1890's.

 

[kubelik]

Unless your view finder images through the lens, what's the benefit to be gained by squishing the camera up against your face?

Shade.

Listen, unless you're using a XH G1S, I think you're still gonna get a sunburn regardless of your technique.

nice one ;D

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Being able to get rid of the view finder on compact cameras is the best thing the digital revolution ever did for that market segment. Seriously. Unless your view finder images through the lens, what's the benefit to be gained by squishing the camera up against your face?

I like to be able to frame my subjects when outdoors as well as indoors.

Millions of people around (including myself) the world seem to be able to frame their photos when using a P&S outside and without a view finder, why is it that you're not?

If millions can do it, billions cannot. I'll take your word that you can somehow see that LCD display in Hawaii in the bright sun, but I've heard from lots of other photographers that they can't, and they were pretty irate about laying out big $$ on a camera that they could not use on their vacation. I made the same mistake with the d90, never again. I've helped several people find a replacement for their viewfinderless cameras, they do not want to get a useless camera again.

 

[junipa]

If millions can do it, billions cannot. I'll take your word that you can somehow see that LCD display in Hawaii in the bright sun, but I've heard from lots of other photographers that they can't, and they were pretty irate about laying out big $$ on a camera that they could not use on their vacation. I made the same mistake with the d90, never again. I've helped several people find a replacement for their viewfinderless cameras, they do not want to get a useless camera again.

This.

I replaced my old Ixus (?850) last year with an SX 210 IS as my carry-with-me-all-the-time camera. It's newer and better in many respects than the Ixus it replaced but the loss of a viewfinder is the thing I hate the most. If I can put up with the extra weight of a G12, I'm going to buy one and toss the 210.

 

[krboynton]

Just picked up the S95 (honeymooning in August and have to have it). I anticipate full HD video on the S100 and a 24-105mm f/2 lens. Wish I could have waited but video isn't that important to me and the S95 takes ridiculously good looking pictures for a point and shoot. For the people complaining about a lack of new features, what exactly are you looking for and why would you feel that Canon should pour money into R&D for every new model, particularly when the S95 is selling well. I personally would rather not pay extra money for things because Canon is doing extensive R&D for every little update.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Being able to get rid of the view finder on compact cameras is the best thing the digital revolution ever did for that market segment. Seriously. Unless your view finder images through the lens, what's the benefit to be gained by squishing the camera up against your face?

I like to be able to frame my subjects when outdoors as well as indoors.

Millions of people around (including myself) the world seem to be able to frame their photos when using a P&S outside and without a view finder, why is it that you're not?

If millions can do it, billions cannot. I'll take your word that you can somehow see that LCD display in Hawaii in the bright sun, but I've heard from lots of other photographers that they can't, and they were pretty irate about laying out big $$ on a camera that they could not use on their vacation. I made the same mistake with the d90, never again. I've helped several people find a replacement for their viewfinderless cameras, they do not want to get a useless camera again.

Ah, you don't actually have any first hand experience with using the S95 in daylight, whereas I do.

I guess owning a S90 doesn't count??

I did not save any outdoor photos before I sold it on ebay, but it was fine indoors.

 

[RickA]

My son-in-law just dunked my S90 in the Pacific so I'm waiting for the S100 to replace it. As far as a viewfinder goes, my "not-pocketable" Panasonic GH2 with electronic view finder (EVF) and an articulated LCD screen is nothing short of fantastic both indoors and out, bright light and low light, still shots and video. IMO, it's a lot easier to shoot video under any or all conditions using a viewfinder rather than holding the camera out in front of you, even when the camera has an articulated display like the GH2.

If you have never tried a camera with an EVF as well as an LCD, you really should...and the GH2 EVF automatically switches on (while turning off the external display) when you move your eye up to it. Heavenly but it doesn't come anywhere close to fitting in my pocket!

It would be great if Canon added an EVF to the S100 but that would change the form factor and weight of the camera and would probably add at least $50 to the price (maybe more) so I don't think that is likely but it would make the S100 the ultimate pocket camera. Oh wait, it is already the ultimate pocket camera!

 

[takeapic]

Any updates on info for the S95 successor?

 

[ronderick]

If you have never tried a camera with an EVF as well as an LCD, you really should...and the GH2 EVF automatically switches on (while turning off the external display) when you move your eye up to it. Heavenly but it doesn't come anywhere close to fitting in my pocket!

Sorry for going off on a tangent here.

I was wondering about the refresh speed of Panasonic camera's EVF. My only experience with EVF is Fuji's X100, but I find a real lag when "chasing" an object through the EVF, half-press the button and wait for the AF to do its job, and a split second of delay as the entire viewfinder refreshes, until finally the green square appears on the screen.

I don't know if that's a quirk for the x100 only. Do GH2 users face a similar problem with their EVF?

 

[donjensen]

Any new about a date?
My vacation starts sep 6., and I would love to have done the purchase before that.
The camera is for my wife as a supplement for my Canon 7D.

 

[hellodarren1]

We will be seeing new PowerShot cameras announced in August. I am told not to expect anything revolutionary in the line. Merely minor refreshes.

Does anybody know if it's likely that the image quality will improve? I'm currently looking to upgrade my s90 for better image quality and am unsure whether to go with the Olympus XZ-1 or wait until the s95 upgrade.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

We will be seeing new PowerShot cameras announced in August. I am told not to expect anything revolutionary in the line. Merely minor refreshes.

Does anybody know if it's likely that the image quality will improve? I'm currently looking to upgrade my s90 for better image quality and am unsure whether to go with the Olympus XZ-1 or wait until the s95 upgrade.

Image quality is not likely to get noticably better. Canon kicks out a new model every year with a few different features, maybe a longer zoom, and better video, but IQ does not take a noticible leap forward.

 

[donjensen]

We will be seeing new PowerShot cameras announced in August. I am told not to expect anything revolutionary in the line. Merely minor refreshes.

Does anybody know if it's likely that the image quality will improve? I'm currently looking to upgrade my s90 for better image quality and am unsure whether to go with the Olympus XZ-1 or wait until the s95 upgrade.

Image quality is not likely to get noticably better. Canon kicks out a new model every year with a few different features, maybe a longer zoom, and better video, but IQ does not take a noticible leap forward.

I'm just hoping for better video 1080p, and wider length 18mm.