Like its predecessor, the A95 delivers excellent photo quality. On CNET's test shots, the PowerShot produced well-exposed images, rendered colors relatively accurately--though a bit cooler than we usually expect--and nicely saturated. As usual for Canon, the A95's auto white balance failed miserably under our difficult tungsten lights. Noise was minimal at ISO 50, though it was higher than usual at ISO 100, and there was only occasional purple fringing along high-contrast edges. We did notice some flash falloff in the corners of macro images, but it was generally minor.
Though it performs respectably, the last-generation Digic chip in the A95 struggles to hold its own compared to better-optimized competitors. In most cases, we were able to grab the first shot in a little more than 3 seconds from power-on. Shot-to-shot times ranged between 2 to 3 seconds, the latter with flash, with shutter lag averaging around 1 second. Two continuous-shooting modes let us snap up to 14 pictures at a rate of about 1.5fps; go into Fast mode, and you'll get a continuous, unlimited capture at 2.2fps.
If you're willing to forgo cutting-edge performance in exchange for a strong set of features and excellent photo quality, then the Canon PowerShot A95 should make it onto your short list.
