Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 40
 Portability, excellent control and very acceptable image quality November 21, 2009
Jose A. Ramirez
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you have realistic expectations on the image quality you can get from a small camera, you will be quite impressed with the s90. I mainly use a DSLR ( Canon 5DII ) but I needed something that I could carry anywhere and still have the control I"m used to with my Canon. The s90 delivers in features ( ease of use of these features ) and on size. I tend to keep things in AV mode, with the aperture control on the front ring and the shortcut button to jump to ISO settings. Between this and the little wheel on the back controlling exposure compensation you can make very quick decision on how to take the shot. The camera also starts up instantly, so you won't be missing shots due to this.
Image quality is great when there is enough light and it's capable of taking shots with very low light as well ... but they will be noisy. That being said, when I use this camera, my photos will simply be emailed to family and friends, or printed no larger than a 6 by 4 photograph. With a little noise reduction and the size reduction to fall between these parameters, the photo quality leaves nothing to complain about. Prints look great, and by the time you get to that point, the noise is completely under control.
There are certainly better cameras out there that cost a little less, but none of them will give you all of this at this small size, and that was the most important factor to me. If the camera is not with me, I won't be able to take the picture ... it's as simple as that. You can keep the camera in a coat pocket or non-jeans front pocket comfortably. ( Jeans are a little tight. ;-) )
I've ready many complaints that the back wheel is too loose. Note that this is a feature, not a defect. Personally, I didn't even have to "adapt" to this feature. I've never moved the wheel when I don't want to, as there is a nice detent on the back for your thumb. The free wheel is great for reviewing pictures and making quick adjustments to manual focus. Your mileage may vary with this, though, since it's clear that many other people have problems with it.
In conclusion, if your order of priorities are Size, Control, Image Quality - this is the camera for you. And if you will print small - or don't print at all, the image quality is excellent.
 The Canon S90, to Asia and Back November 19, 2009
Justin Shifrin
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Canon S90 is the quintessential photographer's compact digital camera. To properly test the camera, nothing short of a red-eye departing LAX headed for Asia would suffice. The small frame of the S90's body fits nicely into tight pockets (jeans, suits, etc.) and packs plentiful features that can be accessed rapidly on the fly. The S90 passed J. Stuart Studios' extensive travel photography gauntlet with flying vibrant colors (and subtle tonalities too).
The bottom line: the Canon S90 is recommended for all who want a compact point and shoot digital camera with a bevy of available manual controls.
For more of the real-world review of the Canon S90 with MANY photographs, please visit:
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 Does not do HD videos/battery life is very short November 19, 2009
Mediahound (SF Bay Area, CA United States)
0 out of 11 found this review helpful
This camera does not do HD videos and in fact the videos out of this camera look no better than what smartphones can do. This is a huge oversight and a camera that costs this much should be able to do HD, something other cameras in this price range and size have been able to do now for over a year.
Also, the battery life is quite bad and will typically not even last you through the day of usage.
For me, these negatives outweigh any positives given that there is a camera that performs better image-wise, can do HD videos and has longer battery life, the Panasonic LX3 or Leica D-LUX 4 (these two are basically the same camera).
Ideal for Candids November 18, 2009
Glenn Spiegel (Chevy Chase, MD USA)
This is the camera I've always wanted for candids--small, unobtrusive, completely silent and with good low-light capability. We've used it for a party, work events, and a musical recital, and it's perfect for getting un-self-conscious shots of people. You don't need to fire a flash in people's faces, and it can be set to operate absolutely silently.
This isn't a perfect camera. I'd like a longer zoom range and more speed at the tele end. I'd like the face detection to work better (it's fooled by music stands, for some reason). Low-light image quality could be better, though it's the best I've seen in a small camera. They could put on a little better grip, or at least put some rubber on the grip area.
That said, if you like to photograph people as they naturally act in the places where you meet them, you will *love* this camera.
superb carry-around camera November 18, 2009
Bill Sails (Dover, NH, US)
If you are looking for a high quality camera to put in your pocket when you don't want to pack your SLR, look no further.
I was also pleased to see the included software from Canon was significantly improved over that delivered earlier with my SLR.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 40
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