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DPReview
DPReview has completed their review of the Canon PowerShot S90.
Final Word – DPR
Photographers looking for a serious, pocket-friendly, compact camera haven't had a lot to choose from, and the S90 offers the first real competition to Panasonic's LX3, the success of which almost certainly led Canon to revive the long-running and much missed ‘S' series. I may not have liked it when I first used it, but I soon found myself picking it up every time I went out the door.
It is, above all else, a great walkaround camera, capable of results (particularly at lower ISO settings) that most serious photographers would be more than happy with. The control system encourages photographic experimentation (unlike so many compacts, which simply make it too painful to work manually), but the automatic systems are also reliable – and intelligent – enough to give you great results if you prefer to just ‘point and shoot'. The tiny body might not make for particularly good handling, but it's small enough to carry anywhere and the image quality it produces rarely disappoints.
Read More: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons90/
CR's Take
I own this camera and love it for the most part. My biggest gripe with it is the same as DPRs; the backwheel gets spun too easily.
The solution Canon?
How about a firmware update to add a back wheel lock to the “S” button on the back. I could do away with a quick access to ISO for a back wheel lock.
I have the camera set up to have aperture on the front ring and exposure comp on the back wheel for those keeping score.
Canon Canada Rebates
The Canon Canada rebates begin on April 15, 2010.
More Info: https://www.canonrumors.com/2010/03/canon-canada-rebates-3/
cr
With the Canadian dollar pretty much at parity with the US dollar, these rebates may not be enticing enough for consumers.
I use the “s” button for white balance which in my case is essential when shooting inside my house.
The only thing which I find the S90 really lacks is a hot shoe for off-camera wireless flash-triggering. I’m unsure if the S90 or G11 is the camera for me. There is also the Samsung TL500 which is rather intriguing…
From Gizmodo: “Samsung’s new TL500 is capable of shooting RAW with a crazy fast F1.8 lens and lets you view it all on a twisting AMOLED screen. It’s possibly Samsung’s best point-and-shoot ever, and it could be a Canon S90 killer.”
Mmmm… maybe Im a bit spoiled, but i can’t believe this neat little camera doesn’t do at least 720p 24 video… i mean 640×480 30fps.. come on.. i would never get a camera that doesn’t at least do 720p… other than that.. interesting with controls and whatnot…
I own the LX3, the “competitor” mentioned in the review. To be fair, the AF macro, AF and MF switch, as well as the 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 swich are both very easy to be switched to the wrong setting (or the undesired setting) without you knowing it.
I bought a G11 for my wife the first day they were in stock, and later a S90 that was being sold used for a very low price.
Both of them did a good job, my wife did not like the colors from the S90, and even though I explained to her that the problem was mixing incandescent lights with flash and showed her how to get good color, she preferred the G11 which seemed to do better.
I just could not get used to the S90, I have very large hands and found it exceedingly difficult to operate.
I also found that in bright sunlight, with no viewfider, it was a point and hope camera.
I’ll never buy another point and shoot that cannot be used in bright sun outdoors.
I sold the S90 for a $100 profit, so it wasn’t a loss.
Looks like the the thumbs up/down is missing? Thus, I’ll have to say that I agree with you, Don. Rebates could be better.
Expect to see a currency adjustment on Canon products in the coming months. I’m not sure if they’ll raise the US prices, or drop the Canadian prices.
Only 2 comments about the Canadian rebates?! CR guy, you got to improve your Canadian readership!
So are these rebates CR1, CR2 or CR3? (My mouse was already hanging over the “Proceed with payment” at the B&H website when I caught news of the April 15 date.)
as a scuba diver, the s90 has a wide and bright lens and is small – so it travels well and the uw housing doesn’t cost a fortune.
if you’re looking for a stellar underwater camera, this is the one i found. sure, the movies aren’t hd, but they’re still fabulous.
canon: f/2.0 @ 28mm
samsung: f/1.8 @ 24mm
sounds nice! hopefully samsung has the software to back it up! (and i am sure canon will whip out the s95 soon enough in response!)
thank you for the competition. i’ve said it before, but i think the only reason the s90 exists is because of the lx3. otherwise the canon s line would’ve remained dead.
I read the review. The S90 looks like the first point’n’shoot since the CoolPix P5000 to seriously tempt me. There’s always the obligatory “if only”, so here it is: If only it had built-in GPS!
I agree.
Needs higher resolution video like the Panasonic.
I’ll get a S90 when it’ll at least do 720P.
Here’s a fix to that problem with the easily spun back control wheel on the S90. People seem to be pretty happy with it. I haven’t had an issue with mine yet so I haven’t tried the fix.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1010&thread=34800360
US price for the 85 1.2 II went up to 1,999 :(