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Canon PowerShot S90 Field Report: Introduction, ISO and Image Samples, G11 Comparison

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Posted by Patrick on Nov 18, 2009 in Cameras, Compact, Featured Content

Canon PowerShot S90 Field Report: Introduction, ISO and Image Samples, G11 Comparison

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I’ve been playing with Canon’s PowerShot S90 for the past couple of days, and I’m liking what I’m seeing thus far. The S90 is a small digital compact camera, with a 10 megapixel, 1/1.7-inch type CCD sensor. On the back you’ve got a large 3 inch, 461K LCD display, and on the front a 28-105mm lens (4x zoom). Interestingly, the “lens bezel” is actually an interactive control ring, that you can setup to manipulate ISO, shooting mode, exposure compensation, focal length, and even white balance. It’s supposed to give an “analog” feel to the S90, and in a way it does, and regardless, I really like its functionality.

Build quality is above average. It’s a well made little camera with a pretty nice finish, but it is noticeably without any sort of grip surface or texture, just a bit of a bump on the back. How small is it? Perhaps shirt pocket-able, certainly pants pockets would be fine I’d think. Overall it’s a simple affair in all black minus any real flashy elements, it’s a handsome and to the point design.

I’m still feeling my way around the S90, but there’s quite a few things about the S90 that photographers/enthusiasts looking for a competent compact will like. There is of course the 28mm wide side on the lens with an f/2 aperture. You’ve got RAW+JPEG shooting if you need that. The sensor is a bit larger than most compacts and combined with DIGIC IV does a good job at handling noise. Then there’s some interesting creative features thrown in to like the “Nostalgic” filter which is smartly controlled in steps by turning the control ring. As a whole it makes for a compelling choice for those yearning for a talented compact camera.

Availability

The Canon PowerShot S90 is available and in stock now at B&H Photo. You can get great prices, service, and selection and support this site at the same time by shopping at B&H Photo through the links below. Thanks for your continuing support!

Canon PowerShot S90 Digital Camera

Price: $ 429.95 at B&H Photo

ISO Samples

I’ve run the S90 through our normal ISO setup, and the results are pretty good, surprisingly good in fact. The shots were taken in RAW, then opened in Canon’s DPP, with noise sliders set to zero. DPP pushes the sharpness sky high, which actually enhances the noise in higher ISO shots, so to be fair and accurate I set the sharpness slider to zero for all shots. This makes the shots look softer than they actually look on or off camera at their default settings. To add to the interest, the S90 shots are paired with samples from the Canon PowerShot G11. Both cameras use the same sensor, and you’ll notice right away that both look exactly the same. The crops are 100% samples and have not been resized or edited in anyway. The take away: Both cameras can pull off ISO 1600 with some degree of detail loss and have the exact same ISO capability as far as I can see. Use the image below to orient yourself to the respective crop positions. Click each thumbnail to expand to the 100% view. In each case the S90 is on the left, the G11 on the right. The full size set can be found here.


ISO 100	ISO 200

ISO 400	ISO 800

ISO 1600	ISO 3200


ISO 100	ISO 200

ISO 400	ISO 800

ISO 1600	ISO 3200

Image Samples

A handful of sample images taken with the S90. The unedited originals are available here, and you can click each image for a larger view.

Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160) | Aperture: f/4.5 | Focal Length: 18.2 mm | ISO Speed: 100

Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80) | Aperture: f/3.2 | Focal Length: 10.7 mm | ISO Speed: 100

Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100) | Aperture: f/4.9 | Focal Length: 22.5 mm | ISO Speed: 100

Exposure: 0.004 sec (1/250) | Aperture: f/4.9 | Focal Length: 22.5 mm | ISO Speed: 100

Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400) | Aperture: f/5.6 | Focal Length: 6 mm | ISO Speed: 100

Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160) | Aperture: f/5.6 | Focal Length: 22.5 mm | ISO Speed: 100

Exposure: 0.04 sec (1/25) | Aperture: f/2.0 | Focal Length: 6 mm | ISO Speed: 100

Get Your S90

You can get the Canon PowerShot S90 now at B&H Photo. Help us continue bringing you quality content by making all of your purchases at B&H Photo through the following links.

Canon PowerShot S90 Digital Camera

Price: $ 429.95 at B&H Photo

Also available at Amazon: $429.95

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