Canon PowerShot S95 Review

Overall Specs And Features

The Canon S95 is a high-end point-and-shoot digital camera designed for enthusiasts who want a compact camera with strong low light performance and lots of manual control. Similar to its predecessor (S90), the S95 featured a fast f/2.0 lens and a 10-megapixel imaging sensor which has proven to be capable of producing excellent quality picture even in low light condition. The camera can also achieve an extended ISO range from ISO 320 to ISO 12800 in low light mode, capturing images at 2.5MP resolution. Another feature that the advance photographers would appreciate is the lens Control Ring. Just like the S90, the S95 provides great level of flexibility for its users to adjust settings for a variety of functions (e.g. ISO, White Balance, Shutter and Aperture, etc.) using the popular lens Control Ring.

Some other features highlight for the Canon S95 includes:

• 3.0-inch PureColor II LCD (with 461k-dot resolution)
• 720p high-definition video with stereo audio
• Full range of shooting and recording modes including RAW + JPEG for the ultimate creative control
• A 3.8x Optical Zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer, plus a 28mm Wide-Angle Lens gets you close to your subjects as well as capture more in your frame
• Canon’s HS System for improved low light performance and better image quality
• Utilizes Canon’s Hybrid Image Stabilization to compensate for angular and shift camera shake during close-up shooting

Size And Design

The design is practically all black with a muted finish. Its rounded edges make it looks pretty sleek and stylish. The whole camera is very compact, measuring 3.93″ x 2.3″ x 1.16″ (width x tall x deep), and weighing just 8 ounces when fully loaded. One complain that most users have however is the placement of the shutter and the mode dial — Canon gives the mode dial a prominent position which usually is for the shutter button on most digital camera. So when you think you’re pressing the shutter, it’s really the mode dial. This didn’t take long to overcome, but certainly need some getting use to.

Image Performance

Just like the S90, the Canon PowerShot S95 produces images of excellent quality. Colors were very accurate even in low light condition. At ISO 80 to 400, it produces noise-free images; at ISO 800, image starts to show some noise and slight color desaturation; and at ISO 1600 the noise becomes more obvious with some loss of color, but image still remain fairly clear. Even when comes to the maximum ISO of 3200 where most point-and-shoot digital camera will struggle to produce usable image, the S95 still doesn’t suffer too badly. Overall, the Canon S95 is definitely one of the best point-and-shoot camera in terms of standard picture quality and low light performance.

Shutter Lag

The S95′s shutter lag (press-to-capture, pre-focused) was 0.02 seconds, or virtually non-existent. Its auto focus acquisition (press-to-capture, no pre-focus) was 0.36 seconds, above average for a Point and Shoot digital camera.

Battery Life

The Canon S95 has a battery life that lasts for 200 shots without flash or 300 minutes of video.

Video Performance

One of the biggest complaints consumers leveled at the S90 was its lack of an HD movie mode. Canon listened to those complaints. The Canon S95 is capable of recording 720p HD video at 30fps which produces sharply focused, properly exposed, color correct videos clips. Below is a sample footage:

Price

The Canon S95 at the price of $399 is at the higher end for the point and shoot department, but the quality and features that this camera offers definitely worth the price.