Affordable Canon PowerShot S100 Digital Camera – Black (12.1MP, Ultra Wide Angle, 5x Zoom) 3.0 inch LCD – Review
- Megapixel: 12.1 MP
- Camera type: Compact
- Optical sensor size: 1/0.0669 mm (1/1.7 “)
- Sensor type: CMOS
- Maximum image resolution: 4000 x 3000 pixels
Canon POWERSHOT S100 121MP 5X OPT 3IN LCD BLACK 5244B009 Cameras Digital Cameras
List Price: £439.00
Brilliant little camera,
Have read a lot of mixed comments elsewhere about the S100 but most of the negative ones seem to be by people who look at their computer screen more than through a lens! Have owned several Canon (primarily) dSLRs, IXUSx and Powershots and have to say this is the best small camera so far used. The feature-set is extensive and allows a high degree of manual override (although as others have pointed out, any exposure which is between 1to15sec causes ISO to default to 80 regardless of setting. This can be irksome in some more specialist situations, although in others its quite useful), customization plus a host of automaticcreative options for both still and video. I particularly like the HDR function which is subtle rather than dynamic, but definitely needs a steady handtripod – for true HDR though, auto-bracketing and post processing will still be necessary. Also, using the customizable ‘O’ ring around the lens makes for quick adjustment depending on mode and is pleasantly intuitive. It is worth reading the DPReview review ([...]) for its lab test etc. Apparently some of the pre-release models had focus shift due to lens misalignment, but not found this, in fact the lens seems pretty constant across its range . The camera shines in low light (not literally) and found the results better than on the well regarded Olympus XZ-1 (which is also a great camera, but owning an E-P3 already didn’t tempt me). The JPG engine works well as does noise reduction, but RAW is there when needed. The only negative is battery life, even with GPS switched off, which usually requires a re-charge after 3-4 hours of shootingfiddling. I got a second battery (non-Canon) to compensate but have noticed that after a couple of full charges, battery life seemed to improve a bit – not sure if it needs to self-calibrate?
Of the 3 cameras I have been tempted by recently – Olympus XZ-1, Fuji X10 and S100, the latter was the ONE. I have wanted something that would replace a beloved Powershot G11 in a smaller form factor and this is it.
Sadly I couldn’t purchase directly from Amazon (at the time of writing due to availability constraints) so had to bite the bullet at a local high street store for the higher RRP price – actually handling one was the decider!
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|Misrepresented,
This review isn’t anywhere near as comprehensive as I would normally write. I’ve only had my S100 a few hours at the time of writing but I’m furious…
Contrary to what one would expect of a high end compact like the S100 and indeed what Canon’s literature leads us to believe, the Powershot S100 does NOT have a full manual control mode.
In manual mode the S100 places automatic limits your ISO and shutter speed combinations. For those of us that like to take creative photographs of the night sky etc. this renders the S100 next to useless. An even more ridiculous state of affairs considering it’s reported superior low noise capability would otherwise make it a good choice for such use.
These limits in manual mode may not be a concern for you but just be aware that manual mode isn’t quite as flexible or indeed fully manual on the Powershot S100.
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