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Review based on a production Canon PowerShot S100
When Canon revived its PowerShot S range with the S90 in August 2009, it was in acknowledgement of a clear demand from enthusiast photographers for high quality yet pocketable cameras offering extensive manual control. The S95, which followed almost exactly a year later, stuck with much the same formula - a relatively large sensor (at least in compact camera terms), a 28-105mm equivalent zoom lens with a fast F2 maximum aperture at wideangle, and a multi-functional control dial around the lens. But while its successor, the S100, looks much the same again on the outside, it is to all intents and purposes a brand new camera.
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.
Canon says the new sensor employs technology similar to that used in its EOS SLRs, including an on-chip noise cancellation system, and microlenses which cover more of the sensor area to improve its light-gathering characteristics.
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The S100 is available in an understated matte 'titanium' finish, as well as in black.
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Compared to PowerShot S95 - key differences
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
PowerShot S100 vs PowerShot S95 - side-by-side
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| From the front, the S100 looks very much like the S95. It's fractionally taller to accommodate the GPS unit, and has a minimalist finger-grip on the front too. |
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| From the back the most obvious change is the S100's red direct movie recording button, but a few other buttons have changed function too. The 'Ring Func' button is customisable, offering similar options to the S95's 'S' button. |
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| The S100 is, if anything, marginally slimmer than its predecessor. The shutter button is larger, with a shiny silver finish, and the addition of the GPS unit has resulted in the displacement of the Ring Func button from the top plate. |
Foreword / notes
If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read some of our Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).
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