Canon PowerShot S100 (Black)

Pros: The optics are great
The macro is great, and coupled with that fast lens
LCD screen is amazingly bright and crisp
Very solid build and well constructed
video is excellent for a compact camera

Cons: Autofocus performance has not improved over the S95

Summary: Let me start off by saying that my copy of this camera does not appear to have any issues with its image quality. I'm not saying that I don't believe that there are some initial quality issues with this this camera. It's just that my camera seems to work fine in that regard.

That said... at lower ISOs, I really don't see a monumental difference in RAW or JPEG between it and the S95. At ISO400 and above however...there is noticeably less noise in the S100 pics. I wouldn't go as far as to say that ISO1600 is completely noise free on the S100 but it does deliver a much cleaner picture than the S95 did. Detail capture is about the same between the two cameras. Which is to say, pretty darn good. One thing I have noticed though is that the default colors are a little flatter on the S100 vs. the S95. But this is not necessarily a bad thing. It allows you a little more room to adjust it as you see fit.

The camera feels about the same as its predecessors. Very solid build and well constructed. You have a thumb rest on the back of the camera and a tiny indent in the front for gripping. So the camera is very comfortable to shoot with. It also has an extended 5x zoom range.

Like it predecssors, one of the hallmarks of the S100 is the rotating ring on the front which you can customize to adjust almost any function you want in the camera. I cannot overemphasize how useful this feature is. My preference is customize to adjust shutter speed but you can also use it adjust ISO and aperture.

You have two menus on the camera, the regular menu and then the function menu. The function menu contains the most-accessed shooting settings (ISO adjustment, changing from JPEG to RAW). While the rest of the settings are under the regular menu.

Shooting performance is a mixed bag. Shot-to-shot times have improved on the S100 and it is quicker to start up. However, autofocus performance has not improved over the S95. It's acceptable, but, it's disappointing to see that Canon has not improved this aspect of performance over its predecessor.

The video is excellent for a compact camera. Generally very clean and excellent audio. It wouldn't take the place of a camcorder. But it's a great choice if you want a camera that shoots quick videos of decent quality.

The S100 is very good camera but I don't think in some respects it's a very compelling upgrade from the S95. It's picture quality at lower ISOs is virtually the same and its shooting performance hasn't made big enough of a leap. So if you primarily shoot stills at lower ISOs and don't do a lot of night shooting, you really aren't gaining much by upgrading. But if you shoot a lot in low light, want the extra zoom, and/or are new to the S series from Canon. The S100 should be at the top of your list. And if you're will buy the S100, I suggest you have to check for cheap price before you decide at: Checkingprices.info/canon-powershot-s100/

Hope my review helps.