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).

SUMMARY: A star of pocket-sized, high image quality camera, S95 does have its problems. The software is a bit buggy as it crashes, lags, and even macro button not doing what it is supposed to do. The menu system is also extremely convoluted as it is an overgrowth of the same old powershot menu since 10 years ago--the structure should have been completely revised rather than layered with hidden tag-ons. It also has flash control problems (pretty serious slow sync failures), pretty inept AF (hunts and misses a lot especially in low light), dead sensor pixels, subpar video quality, and the jpeg compression that generates a lot of artifacts (including low ISO's), something my older LX3 can easily trounce. The quality control as some mentioned here and elsewhere is also problematic, as there were dusts in the paints and scratch on the lens barrel trims on mine, not to mention hot/dead sensor pixels in both video and photo--hardly what you should expect for the money. Buyers should beware: despite the great name Canon has made for itself, they really have been taking advantage of this rather than building on it. That said, there's probably no smaller camera with this size sensor (1/1.7"), not to mention it's also a Sony EXMOR backlit CMOS, which gave it such great low light capability (and probably also artifacts). However, any decent low end DSLR should easily beat its image quality, just out of physical property of the sensor size alone (this is still about 1/5 the size of a micro 4/3 chip, or about 1/9 the size of a APS-C as found in most DSLR or some newer EVIL cameras like the Sony NEX-5). It's not quite a DSLR replacement, but rather a pocket camera for sticklers who can't suffer loss of image quality along with weight and size. The perfomance to size ratio is unique to S95, even with all the aforementioned drawbacks. FULL REVIEW: Canon isn't my favorite brand these days because it appears to me that they've been lazying around for a while now just because they are Canon; i.e. they have loyal fans who are often blind to their faults, so they weren't even trying. To me S90/S95 was something of an exception, in that they sensed (or rather, forced to recognize) the desperate need for a low light, high image quality, yet still compact performer (which is surprisingly absent in today's saturated digital camera market), and responded with a semi-sincere effort. Like many others, Canon decided to employ a larger than average sensor for better light capture(average point and shoot sensor size is 1/2.5", S95 is at 1/1.7" which is almost 50% bigger area than average, and similar to LX3/LX5's 1/1.65"; still way smaller than APS-C or micro 4/3s but the latter would require much larger bodies. For an excellent reference and visual comparison of these sizes, search "image sensor format" in Wikipedia). Additionally, they seemed to have borrowed the excellent and innovative backlit CMOS sensor from SONY for even better low light capability. While these features aren't unique to S95, what made it stand out is how Canon managed to squeeze that with a fast f/2.0 wide angle barrel lens into a body that's barely larger than a standard point and shoot. (for size comparison, the upcoming and much larger G12 supposedly uses the same sensor found in S95). I purchased a s95 because my outgoing LX3 was still too bulky (almost the size of a micro 4/3 camera with much less image quality to justify it), but otherwise I liked it a lot. I felt that Panasonic is so progressive and on point with their consumer camera line that Canon's by comparison is looking tired and confused. In fact Canon S90 was their answer to Panasonic LX3's phenomenal success in some ways, but screwed up big time when they didn't include HD video and had some serious ergonomic issues. Even S95's video looks a little contrived and noisy, which is one of my gripes. The lack of ultra wide like 23mm is also a glaring omission (though it probably preserves better optical consistency since it's so thin). However, Canon's still has among the best colors (that other makes like panasonic just can't quite match yet, in general), and on S95 they threw in some nice exposure features like contrast enhancement that really worked in correcting tricky lighting situations by artificially extending the dynamic range. The auto pop up flash looks like the ones on Panny LX series, but it goes up by itself, controlled electronically via the menus rather than a mechanical toggle switch. I thought it was cool until it started pushing my fingers around, since it's located in a convenient place where one tend to hold the camera, and often so abruptly and forcibly it almost ejected the camera out of my hands. There are some quibbles I--being somewhat anal retentive--have about this camera's quality control, something that seems to have been a constant nag with Canon's Powershots. Details like the paint isn't perfect on mine, with bubbles and hair/dust trappings in both of the two S95 I received (which is in stark contrast to Panasonic's impeccable finishes across their lines--and I've owned two LX3 and other lower end Lumix's), scratches on the lens barrel's metallic trims, and the CMOS showing some dead/hot pixels in RAW files (not the LCD display but the image sensor) uncorrected and unmapped (Canon admitted it's faulty and sent a service ticket). I had hoped being "Made in Japan" and a higher end pocket-able would mean extra attention to build quality from Canon. Alas, that evidently just isn't the case. The AF performance is also remarkably poor, often missing the foreground subjects or faces even with bright light, or completely misfocuses in low light even with assist lamp. Despite that Canon's pocket cameras had suffered from this issue before, this is still surprising, not to mention frustrating, for a camera of this class (by contrast Panny LX series's AF certainly does noticeably better). Nevertheless, despite the less-than-tact-sharp lens and miserable jpg compression (that maybe circumnavigated by shooting RAW and post process in computer with software), the camera excels in high ISO performance, color saturation/accuracy, and exposure control. The above referenced "miserable" JPEG compression is probably worth special mentioning because it really saps excessive amount of quality away from the original image as seen from the RAW files. Canon only had two JPEG compression modes (fine and normal), and both are equally horrible. I think it behooves you to try processing the RAW files (which isn't that easy as many popular imaging softwares still don't recognize the RAW output from S95 as of October 2010) and you will see how much detail is lost. This loss is expected in JPEG files, but in the S95 it's especially remarkable. I feel that they should have had at least a better compression mode or algorithm as the "fine" setting produced results that didn't do the camera justice--it can do much better, and it shouldn't require laborious RAW post processing to achieve. The control rings are really a draw for me as I yearn for the traditional and straight forward camera controls. They do work, though not nearly as straight forward, since their functions often change depending on which level of menu or function you were at. You simply cannot take your eyes off the screen to figure out what is going on. It's still the same Canon interface that's been around since the first digital Elphs a decade ago, and frankly I'm thinking that should really be drastically updated or completely revised to fully take advantage of these two rings, which by themselves a great concept in the right direction. As for now, with the convoluted menu (there's main menu, and then there's a function menu, not to mention all the function keys with their own sub menu--like flash button--and in it more subset of control keys and wheel assignments: you get the idea) the control rings are really little more than (rather laggy and confusing) fast toggle key selectors, most of the time. That isn't bad, and with ample customization options it is arguably better than directional buttons, but it can really be so much more. Battery life felt short out of the box, but it definitely improved after only a few charging cycles, typical behavior of fresh lithiums. It still felt short to me, as I often couldn't complete a day of shooting without the battery running out. However, I haven't been fair, as in the most recent excursion, it again ran out of power on me before I liked; yet this time I paid attention to the number of shots taken: I squeezed 458 photos out of it, many with daylight flash fill (high power drain bright flashes), slow sync indoor flashes, probably 20% with RAW(RAW copies not counted), 30% with exposure bracketing (3 consecutive shots), and almost a dozen short HD videos (highest power drain). I think even if it's not amazing, that's still pretty good and respectable for a camera of this size. Numbers are more convincing than my subjective feelings in this case. I (and many others) thought it was a big flaw when it didn't have at least 720HD video on S90, when AVCHD is already making its way onto consumer cameras and many competitors already have very good 1080p (e.g. Sony's TX), ideally merging a dedicated HD camcorder and high quality photo camera. It's an improvement on the S95 that now it supports H.264 720p 24fps video in stereo, but for the price segment it was almost not enough. As a point and shoot S95 is probably an overkill (although the incredibly well engineered AUTO mode is nearly foolproof, or the very mission and purpose of AUTO modes); but if you want to play with creative manual controls, RAW capability, one of the best color processing, true pocketability, and don't mind the so-so HD video, it is truly one of the best pocket cameras on the market in absolute image quality and low light performance. Update: 10/22 A few things that's worthy of a firmware upgrade, or at least users should probably demand for one: - Besides the convoluted menu controls which really slows things down at times--exposure bracketing as another example, would require you to exit all menus (the button to exit can be menu key or set key or a combination of keys, depending on where you are, often leave you fidgeting just trying to clear the screen), click the exposure compensation key, and then click the display key for bracketing, and then rotate the wheel for bracketing range; after shooting, repeat to cancel--not exactly the easiest or fastest for a pretty important function, even with those wheels. It really feels like the dated menu of other powershot cameras, or the kind that threatens you with missing the "decisive moment" if you are ever presented with one. The response of the flywheels or the menu button also isn't very direct. There's a significant lag between the wheel or button click action and software response. It's like "rowing" through a menu list rather than wheeling through them, which kind of defeats the wheels' potential. In other words, the software is a bit slow (or euphemistically, "not fast enough") for a high(er) end camera. The pretty menu transition effects (yes it's minor but it's there) also gets in the ways of speedy response and should have had an option to remove (as on some other powershot models). - Manual mode, in combination with live exposure preview, has become my favorite as the two wheels finally gets more dedicated functions as in classical camera setups, and allows this design innovation to truly shine--I can scarcely think of other similar sized cameras with better simultaneous shutter/aperture control. However, it crashed several times within the 3 weeks that I've owned it. The screen would just go black with the lens still extended, and I have to wake it up using the power button. - The slow sync flash is extremely inconsistent. Sometimes using fill flash in low light background situations get better results which is very strange (as the shutter should be so fast that backgrounds should be darkened). I haven't figured out what rhyme this slow sync goes by, but it often wouldn't brighten foreground subject enough, or at all (it would look as if the flash was off, and I was certain the subject was within the flash's range), and other times washes out the foreground subject with overexposure. I have tried first or second curtain sync, adjusting flash power (which kind of worked but not always predictably), neither really worked. It should be much less painful than this. - Ever since Digic 4, or probably even before that (but with DIGIC-IV processing being rather obvious), Canon's post processing tend to generate a smooth, glowing skin tone. I think this is one of those "innovations" several manufacturers (Fuji had one too, to the rave of Japanese/Asian beauty magazines) were able to pander to the public as a favorite feature of particularly (fashion conscious) females. It sometimes can miss, however, and make the skin tone look rather unnatural (or, without offense to those who like this feature, as if the subject's got dipped face down into a bucket of makeup). This is present on S95 as well. Even if it's not always as terrible, I sure hoped the post processing would lean towards verisimilitude where possible, particularly since it's a higher end model. - Preview exposures on screen which is a very useful Canon feature that helps tremendously when you are trying to manually set exposure controls (by contrast LX3 didn't have this). However, exposure preview (via darkening or brightening the screen) would simply go away with any of the flash modes switched on. It's okay and makes sense since it's hard to predict the outcome of the flash without firing a test burst. However, in slow sync mode, and especially manual mode, it would probably be a good idea to give an option for preview since the background would depend on exposure settings rather than flash exposure. I can't find options in the menu to change this behavior. You are left with the meter which is still okay, I suppose, but it's just another one of those UI inconsistencies that you have to think on your feet to work around (e.g. when you got used to exposure preview, you may think because you can see the results on screen that it'll appear on flash photos, which is often untrue particularly for slow syncs). - Wind noise filter in video mode doesn't seem to make any difference after some tests (and no I didn't always just blow straight into the mic to test it, but real life situations where it's often just a gentle breeze). As the mics are in the front, it's very easy to get wind noise in this camera. (11/7 addendum: tests reveal the wind filter is just a simple frequency equalizer, in that it reduces the mid-low bass frequencies typically present in wind noises; i.e. you still hear wind noise, but it has reduced bass frequencies.) That, and video compression can use some quality options, because while the results aren't horrible per se, they don't look as good as a 720p with autofocus should, even at 24fps. (also why can't they give us AF or zoom during video? I'm sure they CAN do that--CHDK was able to do it on basic Canon Elphs--and I wouldn't mind the AF/zoom noise as long as I can get the subjects in focus/frame.) - The audio pickup from the two microphones are less than underwhelming. Despite being "stereo", the sound it picks up is completely devoid of bass, making everything sound tinny. I have tested it on full frequency range speakers, so I'm pretty sure it's not the speakers but the way the sound was recorded. I don't know how Canon managed that, as it's pretty hard to imagine what happened. **11/7 addendum: tests reveal that it's the wind filter, which seems to be just a equalizer that attenuates the mid-low bass frequency range that is present in wind noises (but you can still hear the wind noise, just not as bass heavy). For fuller audio range response, the wind noise filter needs to be switched off. - a strange thing that I've discovered is that the macro button doesn't seem to do anything to the focusing range (in all modes; in AUTO it's supposed to auto detect a macro shot). In other words, I could focus down to the 5cm minimal distance with or without the macro mode on. It doesn't bother me, as it's more convenient than having to jump through hoops (of that dreaded menu) and take my eyes off the subject to get a macro shot. However, it can also be the probable cause of why AF hunts so much and misses so often. It also makes me wonder if the software is as finished as it should be. (the slow sync problem is also highly suspect) Another few s95 differences/improvements from S90 off the top of my head: the body is a nice matt/rough finish to help with grip (the same finish used to be on S90's top plate, now it's reversed with smooth finish on top of the S95 and rough around the body). it's like the Ricoh GR finish which I like. the lcd adds glass panel for duability and dust proofing the zoom toggle and shutter button is now specially shaped to avoid confusion the rear control dial now has a clicky feeling to prevent accidental adjustments (which was the most complained problem in S90) 720HD H.264 video with stereo sound hybrid image stabilization (2 axis instead of 1) support of SDXC cards? some claim a new sensor? but i doubt it. It's the same larger than average Sony EXMOR backlit CMOS sensor employed in several other brands' high end consumer models, credited for the superb low light performance. The new HDR mode isn't really that useful, in that it really REQUIRES a tripod, as the processing cannot line-up the image thus any movement would render the results useless. Better off with just exposure bracketing and post process in the computer. Some worthy competitors considered: FUJI F300EXR - Also features a break-through sensor technology with phenomenal low light/high ISO performance, excellent wide angle optics, and manual controls. The innovative sensor is slightly smaller at 1/2". SONY TX/HX series - Compact yet also with the EXMOR sensor technology employed in Canon (but smaller at 1/2.4"). Limited manual controls on some, TX's folding lens suffers in optical quality and no RAW capbility, but much better (incredible in fact) video and loaded with software shooting features. Panasonic LX3/5 - Extremely well rounded high end "compact" camera that's quite popular and already a classic. Uses Panny's own inhouse sensor at 1/1.63" with excellent results. However it is significantly more bulky that it's not truly "pocket-able" except for likes of cargo shorts pockets; and with its popularity, significantly pricier. Update: 12/16 Adobe Camera RAW 6.3 and Lightroom 3.3 updates are released. These updates support the S95's RAW format. This is important if you have been waiting to process all those RAW .cr2 images. It also resulted in a few things that I can observe: - The proper crop information is supplied, resulting in raw files with cropped borders (seems to crop quite a bit, or the same crop percentage as the jpeg results; also distortion correction is applied, contrary to RAW files produced in some other cameras, like the LX), removing the large left black edge area which was previously present and showed some bright pixels. - Proper color information is now readable, making post-processing much easier. Canon has one of the more accurate color information from RAW files, and relatively easy to process in my opinion. As it is serving as my full time go-anywhere camera, this review maybe updated continually.

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