Burning: Canon Powershot S95 $229

[Zinn]

I don't really understand the point of a point and shoot with no adjustments (WB / Exposure / Aperture / Focus / etc...). Might as well use a cell phone at that point.

I just got my S95 from this deal yesterday... haven't really had a chance to play with it yet.

 

[bezant]

I got in for two!

 

[dandragonrage]

Not... quite.

I am not sure who you are, or what cameras you regularly use, but I am a semi-pro photographer who has about $10,000 in different equipment currently (including an iphone 4S).

The S95 is a LOT better than the iphone. It simply gathers a LOT more light, and has a lens that allows you to actually take photographs, rather than smudges.

You might be right that phone cameras have replaced P&S cameras ... for recording drunk nights with the bros. But for taking photos, there is still a light year of difference.

Uhm, what exactly are you arguing? I never so much as implied that camera phones have replaced good cameras like the S95.

 

[DigitalCancer]

I keep seeing this bumped to the top but it's been $329 since I looked at it...am I missing something?

 

[beowulf7]

A smart phone or a mp3 player with a camera will fit in an altoids can. And that is what most people have found. You either want a good picture that will be delivered by one of these high end point and shoots or a DSLR, or you get an mp3 player / smartphone. The camera selection has been dwindling and making them small does not make any sense anymore if you cannot smash image quality of smart phones. Cameras cost almost as much and do nothing other than take pics. I am curious as to why your dad does not just use his phone.

In general, I think that the P&S category will start getting squeezed out in both directions (and I just mentioned this in another thread) since smartphones are getting better lenses and 4/3s and dSLRs are becoming cheaper, more accessible, and becoming better.

I agree. A camera that size is a useless novelty that camera phones have replaced. Also, your numbers confirm what I already said: The Elph is hardly smaller. If you want to buy him the Elph than go for it. I think the reasoning you gave is terrible, but you are not required to listen to me or logic.

Well, I have to listen to the customer (in this case, my father), and he stressed small size and simplicity. If I were getting a P&S camera for me, then I'd get something like the S95 or G-series, since small size doesn't matter for me, as long as it's "small enough" to fit in a shirt pocket or back pant pocket.

I'm fairly certain that he was posting in support of the S95 and saying that getting something marginally smaller (ELPH) just for the sake of something smaller doesn't make a lot of sense.

It really goes to prove the point that most consumers just flat out don't care.
My fiancee has used my S100 and her ELPH 310 HS and doesn't know the difference whatsoever.

It's probably better off that he isn't getting the S95 for his dad as it would quite literally go to waste

Yes, no doubt that my father would've never used the RAW capability of the S95. And since I only see him 2-3 times a year, I wouldn't make that much use of it either during family vacations and whatnot. : \

 

[Falkentyne]

Dead Deal. Shows up as $329.

 

[jkw]

This is a very good and very sleek compact camera. Just picked up one myself, for a present. Yes, the S100 is better, but not by that much, and it´s $599.

The S95 is a great camera, but the S100 is indeed even much better. Also, the S100 is not $599 ... it's more like $400-450. Best Buy currently has the S100 for $429, and B&H has it for $430.

I got one earlier this year for $375 and would've paid more. For $230 this is an absolute steal even if you're not in the market for a new camera. And don't fret over the S100 being out now, unless you want GPS tagging there's really nothing that you'll look at and wish the S95 had.

Simply not true. The S100 has entirely new imaging elements, new image processor, and completely different sensor.

The S90 and S95 were both very good pocket cameras, but the S100 may be the best pocket camera I have ever used. I own all three of them.

All that said, the S95 is a great camera and a bargain at $229. Any more than $300 though, and the S100 definitely gets the nod.

From dpreview ...

Crucially, the S100's three key imaging elements are all entirely new. The lens range has been extended wider and longer, to a 24-120mm equivalent 5x zoom; it retains the fast F2 maximum aperture at wideangle but is limited to a rather less-impressive F5.9 at telephoto (an inevitable consequence of the camera's compact dimensions). Secondly the S100 debuts Canon's latest DIGIC 5 image processor, which the company says is six times faster than the previous version, allowing more sophisticated image processing and noise reduction. But perhaps most significantly, the S100's image sensor is a Canon-made 12.1 MP 'high sensitivity' CMOS sensor in the 1/1.7" format (approx 7.5 x 5.5mm); only the second home-grown sensor the company has used in a compact camera after the PowerShot SX1 IS of 2008.

[...]

The S100 is in effect a whole new camera compared to the S95; almost every key feature has been upgraded or updated:

24-120mm (equivalent) lens range, F2.0-5.9, built-in neutral density filter
12.1 MP 1/1.7" Canon CMOS sensor
DIGIC 5 image processor
ISO 80-6400
2.3 fps continuous shooting (9.6 fps for 8 frames in High-Speed burst mode)
Full HD (1080p24) movie recording; H.264 compression, MOV format
Optical zoom in movie mode
Super slow motion movie recording (640 x 480 @ 120fps, 320 x 240 @ 240 fps)
Direct movie record button
Built-in GPS unit with image tagging and logger functions

Full review: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons100/

 

[beowulf7]

^ Yes, no doubt that the S95 was priced for a fire sale in preparation of the S100. This time next year, rinse and repeat for whatever the next model will be (S105?).