Canon Powershot S95

welshdragon

welshdragon

welshdragon

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In my quest for the best compact camera which has both full auto and features to get more into photography I have all but settled on a Canon Powershot S95.

As the S100 is now out the s95 can be had new for £230 notes.

Anyone got the s95 and comment on its quality? Or is there a better alternative for similar price?

Thanks for your comments and help. Any feedback before I hit buy much appreciated.

Camera will be mostly used for baby shots when my little one arrive sin macrh and the usual scenery type stuff on days out/holidays etc
 
Ive ordered one too.. its was out of the S95 and Nikon p300.. in the end i stuck with the S95 as i am already familiar with Canon!!

Did you buy from Amazon?
 
Thats the one I am looking at. £230 seems a good deal. Considered the P300 but edging towards the canon. The only little niggle that puts me off is the inability to zoom whilst recording. But apparently the sensor in the canon is really good for its size so should give better low light. Think the s95 is the way forward unless anyone disagrees and can recommend something else?
 
I have had a S95 for a few months now...thankfully Tesco's Clubcard deal with Jessops meant that I didn't have to pay a penny for it or I would be a little gutted due to the recent price drop!

I haven't really had the chance to have a decent play with it and I am very far from being a user who could test its limits, however I have been very impressed so far. My main requirement was to have a camera that performed well in low light / indoor situations as most of the shots are capturing the kids in the house. My last Lumix TZ-5 really seemed to struggle here, whereas the S95 has no problem, it really surprises me how little it decides to use the flash.

As for the no zooming whilst recording, I am sure I read that too but I am also quite sure that it does do some sort of zoom whilst taking video. Perhaps it is just a digital crop rather than an optical zoom? I'll try to check it out later.
 
Thanks guys. My primary reason for upgrading from my el-cheapo casio exilim is for the impending arrival of my first child. SO low light/indoors is where it's gonna be at. I am all but convinced.

The s95, genuine case, 16gb class 10 sandisk card and spare genuine battery come to £288. I think this is a bargain
 
Okay cool. Any trusted ones, and any specific for the s95. This will be the best camera I have ever owned and really excited (slr owners please don't mock me lol).
 
I know you've already ordered it, but I've been using mine for approximately 12 months and it's absolutely fantastic. It's performed well in all sorts of environments and scenarios, for its size it's one of the best in class.

I assume you've stumbled across Ken Rockwell's site? He's a big fan, stating that the only better compact than the S95 is the S100.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/s95.htm

Best of luck with the new toy, it's a gleaming bit of kit.
 
Must say I'm very tempted with this, especially with £100 in vouchers for that site sat in my account.

I've got a Panasonic ZX3 at the moment which is a lovely compact size, but is lacking a bit in the performance stakes.

The S95 I'm guessing would be a far superior camera with manual controls and the brighter lens, whilst still retaining the small size.

I started out wanting a DSLR, then realising that the amount of time I actually would be shooting and the situations meant that would be too bulky, so seriously thought about a Micro 4/3 system. But then to get what I'd really want is still pretty pricy, when I could get the S95 for £130 after using the vouchers, then anything I can get back by selling the ZX3.

Will have to do some reading I think, but basically I think my choice is a Micro 4/3 system (want a GX1 but bit pricey compared to a GF3/S93) or this.

What's the shutter lag/autofocus speed like on this as that was one thing that was appealing on the M4/3?

Going on hols in March and could do with something by then...
 
Timing. Autofocus takes a little longer than the Panasonic LX5, about twice as long, at 0.641 second at wide-angle. That's a little slower than average for most pocket digicams, but telephoto is 0.617 second, which is average. Prefocused shutter lag is 0.096 second. Cycle time is pretty slow, taking 2.58 seconds per shot, averaged over 20 shots. In RAW mode, it's 2.88 seconds. In Continuous mode, the Canon S95 turns out 1.87 frames per second, which is pretty good, certainly better than the S90, which didn't quite manage one fps. Continuous RAW, though, dips back down, at 0.98 frames per second. Flash recycles in 6 seconds, a little slower than average, but not badly.
Click to expand...

From http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/PS95/PS95A.HTM

S95 has full manual.

A lot of reviews have said something along the lines of "If you need the quality of an SLR, but the portability of a compact, get the S95".
 
dangermouse425 said:
I know you've already ordered it, but I've been using mine for approximately 12 months and it's absolutely fantastic. It's performed well in all sorts of environments and scenarios, for its size it's one of the best in class.

I assume you've stumbled across Ken Rockwell's site? He's a big fan, stating that the only better compact than the S95 is the S100.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/s95.htm

Best of luck with the new toy, it's a gleaming bit of kit.
Click to expand...

Just had a look at that now, cheers for the link.

dangermouse425 said:
From http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/PS95/PS95A.HTM

S95 has full manual.

A lot of reviews have said something along the lines of "If you need the quality of an SLR, but the portability of a compact, get the S95".
Click to expand...

Thanks for think dude.

Marlie said:
The S95 arrived today.. just playing with it now, what settings do you guys reccomend for indoor shots of people?
Click to expand...

Just picked mine up now. May wait til tomorrow before I have a play...........
 
I am sure i saw the s95 in best buys over the weekend. Couldnt tell you how much but cheaper than 230. Though to be honest the store i went to (Hayes) was almost empty last i checked.
 
Small update: this camera so far has exceeded all my expectations. Shots in dim room with no lighting are simple awesome. Especially compared to my old exilim.
 
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