Canon PowerShot S95 review

The front ring can be set to control shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, exposure compensation, manual focus, white balance, stepped zoom, i-Contrast, or aspect ratio. The functions can be set independently of shooting mode, so that, for example, it can control focus in Manual mode or shutter speed while in aperture-priority mode. Am I the only one who wishes the ring controlled metering instead of i-Contrast or aspect ratio? It's a nice design, and because of it I ended up holding the camera more like a dSLR than a compact. You can quickly access the ring control assignments via a dedicated button on the top of the camera.

On top of the camera is a mode dial for access to the typical manual controls and scene modes. Plus there's the ability to save a group of custom settings for quick mode-dial access. I find the placement of the shutter button a little too far toward the middle--I feel like I have to reach--but that's just a personal preference.

The back controls remain basically unchanged from the S90, although the dial, which you use for adjusting contextual settings, operates better and isn't quite as free-spinning as the previous model. I do have the same problem as Josh, who reviewed the S90, with the review button: I kept hitting it accidentally. Otherwise, the camera follows Canon's typical PowerShot conventions. The Func/Set button pulls up adjustable shooting parameters, including ISO, white balance, color, bracketing (exposure or focus), drive mode (single, continuous, continuous with autofocus), metering, aspect ratio, quality, and dynamic range correction.

One not-so-pleasant holdover from the S90 is the inconvenient flash placement. Although it makes sense from a red-eye prevention perspective, most people hold their fingers right where the flash pops up.

Though the camera isn't big on whizzy features, it does incorporate a now-common HDR mode, which automatically brackets and combines three exposures. For more details on the scene modes and special effects, read the review of the S90 or download the PDF of the S95's manual.

You'll still have to schlep your dSLR to photograph kids, pets, wildlife, and anything else that moves quickly or randomly, but the Canon PowerShot S95 is probably the best--if expensive--alternative that an advanced shooter will find in such a small package.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot

Raw shot-to-shot time

Typical shot-to-shot time

Shutter lag (dim)

Shutter lag (typical)

Canon PowerShot G11

2 

2.5 

2.5 

0.7 

0.4 

Canon PowerShot S95

2 

2.6 

2.3 

0.7 

0.4 

Canon PowerShot S90

1.8 

3.4 

1.8 

0.6 

0.5