S90 sample pics and review

[StreetShooter]

All pictures are cropped and resized straight out of the camera. No post processing done.


ISO 800 f2.0 1/40 s


100% crop of the "e" in the centre.


ISO 1600 f2.0 1/60 s


100% crop of the "e" in the centre.

[StreetShooter]

ISO 3200 f2.0 1/3 s handheld


100% crop of the top of the car.


ISO 640 f2.0 1/60 s to show bokeh and natural skin tones


100% crop of the big toe

Apart from the image quality in low light, the other outstanding feature is the image stabilisation, which allows very low shutter speeds even when handheld.

[gohaj]

may i ask if it is from jpg or raw?

[StreetShooter]

jpg. I don't do that RAW thing...

[5nJOY]

hi any pic ISO @ 6400 & 12800?

[Shen siung]

Originally Posted by StreetShooter Apart from the image quality in low light, the other outstanding feature is the image stabilisation, which allows very low shutter speeds even when handheld.

Can I safely said that, you are satisfy with the IQ (jpeg) of this camera?

[soons]

Originally Posted by 5nJOY hi any pic ISO @ 6400 & 12800?

Is there such ISO on this camera??

[Shen siung]

Originally Posted by soons Is there such ISO on this camera??

If not wrong, we cannot set the ISO higher then 3200, but if we choose low light mode, the highest ISO could be achieved is 12800 (user manual pg 60)

[StreetShooter]

ISO 12800 f2.0 1/15 s handheld with image stabilisation. Taken in almost total darkness using low light mode. Only drawback is that you cannot specify the focus point in low light mode ie it defaults to AiAF.


100% crop of words to show details. Can still read!

[jookee]

The above results seem to be excellent for a PNS camera. Quite a good camera.

[d7t3]

Thanks StreetShooter. Not too bad at 800 and 1600. Relatively low noise, though compared to the LX3 it seems softer, though I wonder if that can be seen in a print. I find the LX3 oversharpened; this one, a bit under?

[d7t3]

The noise pattern reminds me of my D90 at 1600 up.

[StreetShooter]

OK here's my review as promised. Feel free to ask me any questions about the camera. If I have time I will answer.

Where I'm coming from

I am a DSLR user and used to lug 10 kg of equipment around on holidays in a backpack. I slowly began to realise that smaller and lighter is better. My favourite DSLR is now the 450D coupled with Tamron 17-50 f2.8 (I used to carry around a 20D with battery grip, 70-200 f2.8 IS, 24-70 f2.8, 15mm fisheye and a few other primes - almost broke my back!).

I have a series of compact digicams. My favourites used to be the Fuji F11 (great low light performance and fast operation) and the Canon Ixus 850IS (28mm, image stabilisation, but poor low-light image quality).

I have tried out the Panasonic LX3 and GF1 in the shop, but they turned out to be bigger than what I had expected. Certainly not what I consider compact cameras. I also did not like all the fiddly little controls. I wanted a camera that I could carry everywhere without thinking twice about it, and these two otherwise excellent cameras did not fit the bill. The Canon S90 does.

My shooting style is usually aperture priority mode at wide open aperture (I love bokeh - the more the better) using natural light. I seldom stop down the aperture (unless the situation calls for it - eg group shots or landscape) and almost never use the flash.

What it is and what it is not

The Canon S90 is not a DSLR and was never meant to be one. If you are looking for the image quality of a DSLR you will be disappointed. It's not even up to par with the micro four thirds image quality, but again it was never meant to be. But then you cannot find a micro four thirds camera this size.

You also won't be able to get the bokeh you can get with a DSLR or micro four thirds camera. It's just simple physics - the sensor is just too small. But you can get SOME bokeh with the f2.0 lens and a sensor that is slightly above average size for a compact digicam. And this in a very compact package - that's the appeal.

To me, there are 4 classes of cameras today (I'm leaving out the medium format Hasselblad category). There's DSLR, micro-four thirds, the S90/LX3 class and finally the rest of the compact digicams. Between the S90 and LX3, the S90 is much smaller and classier.

What I like about the Canon S90

It's very small and compact, with a sleek minimalistic design. I carry it around in an old pouch attached to my belt with a carabiner, and hardly know it's there, but when I need it I can just whip it out like pulling a gun out of a holster. The Canon logo on the front is not just painted on - it's engraved deeply into the surface. The surface is matte, hard and pretty scratch-proof, and does not smudge easily with fingerprints. Very neat and classy, and nice to fondle. The bottom of the camera is very flat, so it sits upright very solidly. The build quality is very good (no creaks anywhere) and it has a built in lens cover (no lens cap to lose, and no chance of smudging the front lens when the camera is being fondled). The LCD screen is very bright and clear and sharp, with accurate colours. The preview is also very accurate - what you see before you press the shutter button is what is recorded.

Operating speed is quick enough, though not as quick as I would like (no compact camera is, anyway). After the shutter press it does take half a second to save the picture.

The range of control is very good - full manual, Av, Tv etc. The full auto mode also takes pretty good pictures, and the nostalgic mode is nice (although I still prefer to post-process myself and tweak the look to my own liking).

I find the white balance very good and accurate, and if you don't agree with the presets, or if you are in a mixed lighting situation with very difficult white balance, you can adjust it to your precise liking. There is a white balance adjustment square that allows you to define how much red vs blue and how much green vs magenta you want. Those who know me know that I seldom bother about colour because I mostly post in B&W, but the colour accuracy of this camera is so good that I am impressed and may start posting in colour!

I like the fact that there is a shortcut button you can set to change whatever parameter you like. I use it to change white balance, since I find myself doing this more often nowadays to take advantage of the colour accuracy.

I like the auto ISO, since that automates one more aspect of my picture taking so that I can just point and shoot in Av mode at wide open. It only goes up to ISO 800, though, so if I need more speed, I have to manually change the ISO to 1600 or 3200 (or a few settings in between). I think that's a good thing, since you would want to deliberately choose such a high ISO when you use it.

I find that the image stabilizing function is very good, and am constantly amazed at how low a speed I can handhold a shot and still get sharp images.

The front control ring is useful. It's a little awkward at first, but you soon learn how to hold the camera in order to to twist the front control ring effectively. As you know, it can be programmed for changing different settings. I use it to change ISO settings, which means that the rear control dial/wheel is used for changing aperture and/or exposure compensation in Av mode. There is no way to independently set the function of the rear control wheel.

About that rear control wheel... (deep breath). I can understand why it's there, and I can understand the reason it does not move in discrete steps, but spins freely. You need that to use it to change manual focusing, and you need a second control dial for a full function camera with Manual, Av, Tv mode etc. It does the job, but not very well. The whole assembly (rear control wheel, four buttons + set/func button) sort of floats on the back of the camera and moves around loosely. A little disconcerting, but when you apply a bit more force you can see that it's very secure and not likely to drop off, contrary to first impressions. The wheel is just a little too small in diameter to spin confidently like you would the dial on the back of a DSLR. Like cleaning contact lenses, for those who know what that feels like.

It does not bother me because I don't change settings unintentionally. For the record, it changes each setting by about 8-9 stops for one complete rotation of the wheel (ie you need to rotate it 40-45 degrees before it changes any setting by one stop). You have be quite deliberate about doing that. You can also use it to flip between pictures on playback, but I don't see the advantage of using a wheel vs pressing a button for that!

I've figured out that the way you're supposed to hold the camera is to pinch it between the thumb grip and the inside of your middle finger, leaving your forefinger to press the shutter button. It can be held very firmly that way, and certainly, one-handed operation is no problem at all.

Image quality

As I said, this falls between the micro four thirds class and compact digicams, although I would say it's closer to the former than the latter. If you pixel-peep a 100% crop, you will definitely see jpg artifacts (although somehow the problem seems to be getting less as time goes by). In real life, this makes NO difference for small prints or web pictures.

Where it REALLY shines is in low light situations, where you wish you had a DSLR but only have a compact camera with you (you can't carry a DSLR everywhere). With most other compact cameras, you would not bother trying, at least without a tripod. With the S90, you can handhold a shot in almost total darkness, and still be able to get a pretty useable image. Truly amazing.

What I don't like

One thing I have found is that the minimum focusing distance is quite large. Quite often I have to switch to macro mode just to obtain focus. I'm getting used to quickly pressing the AF/MF/Macro button twice to get there, so it's not much of a problem.

The strap does not have a tightener, but I solved that by cutting a small rubber ring from some old stethoscope tubing. Very snug, and looks neat.

No viewfinder.

[Garion]

Many thanks SS for the detailed write-up and sample pics, very useful and informative, coming from a user's POV.

It seems the bestselling points of this camera are mainly its high ISO performance and its IS. I fully agree with your sentiments about the LX3 and GF1 class of cameras....no doubt excellent cameras in their own right but not exactly "compact" either - and both have the "fiddly" controls which you mentioned. I would rather prefer the form factor of S90.

I understand the camera has its own quirks - including the much debated about rear control dial. Good to hear you've adapted to it. However, I feel that this camera may not be everyone's cup of tea. Some people may or may not like it. (Well same goes for virtually any camera model)

I would suggest to anyone before going ahead to buy the cam, go down to the Vivocity showroom first to do a thorough testing and hands-on before deciding if it fits your needs or not.

[Shen siung]

Thanks StreetShooter for the hands on review.
Is that mean, from your POV, the IQ of this camera is on par with LX3?

For me, basically I look for IQ. the ergonomic features I can still try to work with it.

Just a quick check: the camera comes with a tripod mount right?

[StreetShooter]

I don't have LX3 (only tried it out in the shop) so cannot comment on IQ compared to that camera. But yes, I am satisfied with the IQ of this camera, given the limitations.

Yes, there is a metal tripod mount on the bottom.

[xhui]

Woah! Thanks SS for the review and pictures! I'm sourcing around for a friend of mine who's interested in learning a bit more on photography but not into DSLR yet. Wanted something which she could fiddle and learn in the creative mode (Av, Tv etc) and things like aperture, shutter speed, exposure, etc. Hmm, would the S90 fit the bill in general? (no preference for what kind of particular shooting style nor a budget of a DSLR). Went to the shop and was recommended the LX3, till i saw the S90 here.

Thanks for the effort SS!

[F2point8]

Mind letting me know the price?

[Shen siung]

Originally Posted by F2point8 Mind letting me know the price?

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showt...565359&page=11
At pg 7 or 8 or 9 should have, roughly $680

[lightsabre]

SS, it's a pity you don't shoot raw. I was fiddling around with the online raw files and compared them to the GF1. I found that the S90 RAW comes close to within one stop of the m43 JPEG in terms of noise performance. I know the RAW vs JPEG comparison is not fair but hey, we are comparing a 1/1.7" vs a 4/3 sensor here.

All in, all S90 RAW at ISO 800 should be comparable to ISO 1600 JPEG of m43 - plus minus.

Somehow, I also realized that somehow the RAW files of G11 seems to be a little sharper and has a marginally more details than the S90. I suspect the lens could have played a part here. However, in normal print size, the performance is really close. It is quite amazing the S90 can do...

I also see the S90 as a true pocket sized PnS with a built in automatic lens cover. I wouldn't classify the S90 and LX3/G11 in the same category.

The Advanced Compact Category:

The LX3's potruding lens base and detachable lens cap makes it less pocketable than the S90. The G11... well is just a little chunky. They also have flash mounts and supports wide angle adapter as well as some dSLR features and accessories - 1/4000 shutter speed, wireless trigger, TTL Flash etc.

I also see the sigma DP1/DP2 and some of the Ricohs in this category.

The Advanced PnS Category:

The S90 is more like the Fujifilm F200EXR - a class of PnS with 1/1.7" sensor or larger but otherwise have PnS like profiles and convenience. Maybe some Ricohs may be in this category as well (not sure, as I am not familiar with Ricohs).

I think S90 has achieved what no other cameras in this class has been able to do up till now. i.e, produce an image quality rivaling the LX3/G11 class camera while providing a true PnS convenience.