For my circumstances, is it worth upgrading to a new camera? Traveling internationally.

[dhawk]

Greetings DP Review,

First post here but have been browsing for awhile. I will try to keep this short and sweet as I'm sure multiple posts like this are made everyday.

In 2012 I purchased my first 'point and shoot' digital camera, as I was traveling to Peru and wanted to get high quality pictures to look back on in the future. I chose the Canon S90 based on reviews and being small and lightweight. I essentially used it 100% of the time in auto mode, but am very happy with the pictures I got out of it.

In a couple weeks I will be taking off for another adventure, this time to Nepal, India and South East Asia. I've been going over all my gear and am pretty stumped over what I should do about my camera.

The most basic question I find myself asking is, should I upgrade from the Canon S90? It looks like digital cameras have come along way in a few years, but so much so that I will notice a difference? I'd really like to learn to start shooting manually and figuring out how to change settings to get the best picture. Something I can hopefully do on this trip.

If you do think it is worth upgrading from the S90 for general photography, I will be traveling with one backpack (35-40 liter), so size and weight are priorities. I like to shoot alot of landscape or 'nature' pictures. But also like to take pictures of buildings and people. I would rarely take pictures in low light conditions. 1080p video capabilities a plus.

In a nutshell. I'm not a photographer (want to start learning), but would like to capture the best pictures I can, while exploring countries I might not ever have a chance of returning to. Will the Canon S90 work fine for this? Or has technology changed so much since, that its really worth upgrading to a better point and shoot? Budget is flexible if I should upgrade. If its really worth upgrading then at max ~$300-500. If its just reasonably worth upgrading, maybe the ~$200 range.

Thanks for any insight you can give me, and apologies if this thought process is a bit incoherent.

-dhawk

 

[Julio Sánchez]

There are a lot of options.

YOu can buy a Travel zoom camera that are small enough and work fine in good light conditions.

For better IQ the new cameras with 1" sensors are a good option because thet have a good zoom range

THe next step are micro 4/3 with interchangeable lenses but you have to carry some extra lenses.

Your camera can be outside you backpack it has to be ready to shoot all the time and you can carry the camera in your hand while flying.

In all my coment alwayr recomend that the camera have to be a good viewfinder that allow you to piont and frame fast. Ring zoom is desirable for fast action.

 

[Mystery member]

In 2012 I purchased my first 'point and shoot' digital camera, as I was traveling to Peru and wanted to get high quality pictures to look back on in the future. I chose the Canon S90 based on reviews and being small and lightweight. I essentially used it 100% of the time in auto mode, but am very happy with the pictures I got out of it.

I'd really like to learn to start shooting manually and figuring out how to change settings to get the best picture. Something I can hopefully do on this trip.

If you do think it is worth upgrading from the S90 for general photography, I will be traveling with one backpack (35-40 liter), so size and weight are priorities. I like to shoot alot of landscape or 'nature' pictures. But also like to take pictures of buildings and people. I would rarely take pictures in low light conditions. 1080p video capabilities a plus.

Are you are you aware that you existing camera has a fair deal of manual control? There's a good deal of confusion about so-called "Manual Control". It can range from setting just one of the Aperture/SS parameters, exposure compensation, full manual control, or setting some of the other options. "Full Manual" is very rarely necessary.

Your camera looks OK, but some of the new ones are impressive. I like the look of some of the Panasonic Lumix compacts. There is a buying guide on DPR.

Good luck with your travels.

 

[MinAZ]

As you might imagine, the answer would invariable be "it depends." The old Canon compact cameras really had a lot of charm and did a fairly decent job on getting great quality snapshots. They are not of course among the very best cameras any more, and you can certainly get better pictures if you buy a modern top of the line camera. The question is how badly do you want it and what are you willing to put up with (and spend)?

At one extreme, if you are willing to put the time, effort, and energy into learning photography, at the end of the day you would probably be best served with a mirrorless or DSLR system. The ability to change lenses and control depth of field will change the way you photography, but the trade off is a much higher price tag, a learning curve that you have to overcome, and a much heavier bag to carry.

On the other hand, if you just want to upgrade to a more updated point and shoot with a few more megapixels, you might not notice much improvement in your pictures at all at first; in fact you might find that it takes a while to get used to the new camera and your photographs actually get worse for a while as you learn the camera instead of focusing on the photography.

So while I can not answer the question for you, I can certainly give a few suggestions.

One is to buy a small mirrorless camera like the Olympus PEN or Sony NEX series with a kit lens. These are relatively affordable and give you great potential to learn and expand if you so desire, while still being relatively easy to shoot with in one of the automatic modes if you don't. They are also quite light but still bulkier than your current setup.

Another is to look at one of the enthusiast compact cameras that have been recently introduced like the Sony RX100 III. These camera are light and pocketable and give very good images but are not cheap.

Finally, you can also go for a bridge camera. These cameras like the Panasonic FZ200 give a fantastic zoom range and decent image quality, but cannot compare with the enthusiast compacts or the mirrorless cameras in terms of low light shooting.

 

[AlbertTheLazy]

If you are happy with your results so far then why change? If there is something specific that the camera won't do then tell us.

It sounds like you need to work a little bit on your photographic knowledge and skills. For example, your S90 will allow you as much control over exposure and the like as you want. Read the manual carefully with the camera in your hand and see what it can do for you.

Have you explored its 'Scene' modes? These do things like optimising the settings for fast action rather than landscapes, or vice versa. When you are new to photography these are a good way to get more usable results under non-average conditions.

If you want to go beyond this then think in terms of aperture priority or shutter priority exposure. Learn why you would want to use a fast or slow shutter speed for a particular shot, or why a wide aperture might suit better than a small one. Don't let anybody tell you that 'you should shoot manual' for best results.

Learn about using the exposure compensation dial. It will get you out of most problems.

Look around the Web for tutorials or other information about your camera

utube canon s90

or consider buying a how-to book.

 

[Alphoid]

It depends on your budget and how much you care about camera quality.

Upgrading to a camera in the same class makes little sense. A $200 upgrade will buy you almost nothing. The S120, the current successor to the S90, is only slightly better. Switching would be a waste of money -- it would only be a marginal update. You'd have better video, slightly more zoom, and a higher shooting speed. I'd consider that worth perhaps $50 or $100 -- not $200.

On the other hand, since the S90 shipped, a new class of cameras have come out which offer dramatically better performance. These run about $400-$1000, and include the:

• Panasonic LX100, FZ1000
• Sony RX100, RX100II, RX100III, RX10, RX1
• Olympus Stylus 1
• Canon G7X

Any of these would work substantially better than your Canon S90. Probably only the Sony RX100 is in your price range (which is a slightly older model, and which pioneered this category). It takes dSLR-quality photos in a tiny package. The biggest advantage is in low light and harsh light. You said you don't need the former. The latter may or may not be helpful; I often find harsh light when traveling, and cameras like the S90 really show their limits.

The Stylus 1 trades off low-light and harsh-light performance for zoom. It's small, takes better photos than your S90, but boasts a generous 10x zoom.

If you do plan to grow more with the camera, another option is a mirrorless, where I'd suggest something from the Olympus PEN series or maybe a Fuji. Most mirrorless cameras are like a dSLR with the complex flipping mirror and optical viewfinder removed (which are what make dSLRs bulky). As a result, these are smaller than a dSLR (but larger than a compact), have similar image quality and versatility to a dSLR. The main downside relative to a dSLR is loss of optical viewfinder (you rely either on the LCD or on an electronic viewfinder for framing). These have no or almost no advantage over something like an RX100 if you plan to use just the kit, but they do offer more room for growth if you plan to buy additional lenses, etc. in the future.

 

[Glen Barrington]

Assuming it still meets your need for features, of course.

1. Image quality hasn't improved THAT much in the last 2 years. The S90 can still keep up.
2. Presumably, you know the camera and are less likely to fumble a quick grab shot. Buying cameras just before important photo opportunities is generally a bad idea, though sometimes unavoidable.
3. If it gets lost, stolen, or damaged, the damage to your emotional and/or financial health would be reduced considerably.

In my eyes, the question you need to ask yourself is, what have I felt the need for that my current camera was unable to provide? If you can't think of anything important, I would wonder if you actually need a new camera.

Then again, if you've spied a camera that just demands that you get out your checkbook or credit card for, even if you DON'T need it, and it just makes your "gear lust" go into overdrive (and you can afford it), then I'd say go for it. They're just cameras, after all!

 

[Doss]

Short answer - No.

Compacts may have come along a bit, but not that much, certainly not enough for those within your budget.

The S90, as you know, is a great travel camera. When I was doing the same trip as you (in 2010,2012) I came across many travelers using this camera and was very impressed by the images I was seeing them capture.

Also - if you plan on doing any snorkeling/diving/whitewater rafting you can pick up cheap underwater housings for the S90

 

[peevee1]

If you don't care about low light, keep the S90 until it dies.

 

[COYQ]

In 2012 I purchased my first 'point and shoot' digital camera, as I was traveling to Peru and wanted to get high quality pictures to look back on in the future. I chose the Canon S90 based on reviews and being small and lightweight. I essentially used it 100% of the time in auto mode, but am very happy with the pictures I got out of it.

If you're happy why change?

IMHO the images from small sensor P&S cameras like yours are much of a muchness. Buy a newer more expensive model and really I doubt you'll notice much if any difference - you may even find that you the results disappoint you!

To step us in IQ terms you should look at something with a larger sensor, 4/3rds models or APSc. They will be bigger, more expensive and generally require more thought in use. If you haven't yet explored the options to use your current camera out of full auto mode then I think you'd be better of perfecting your skills with the camera you own.

The other question to consider is what are you doing with the images you take? Are you making any large prints? Will they be mainly posted on the web? Another point - as someone else mentioned - is the fact that you will worry less using your 'old' camera travelling around. If it got lost/damaged/stolen you then have the perfect excuse to 'upgrade'.

 

[KCook]

If you are happy with your results so far then why change? If there is something specific that the camera won't do then tell us.

It sounds like you need to work a little bit on your photographic knowledge and skills. For example, your S90 will allow you as much control over exposure and the like as you want. Read the manual carefully with the camera in your hand and see what it can do for you.

Have you explored its 'Scene' modes? These do things like optimising the settings for fast action rather than landscapes, or vice versa. When you are new to photography these are a good way to get more usable results under non-average conditions.

If you want to go beyond this then think in terms of aperture priority or shutter priority exposure. Learn why you would want to use a fast or slow shutter speed for a particular shot, or why a wide aperture might suit better than a small one. Don't let anybody tell you that 'you should shoot manual' for best results.

Learn about using the exposure compensation dial. It will get you out of most problems.

Look around the Web for tutorials or other information about your camera

utube canon s90

or consider buying a how-to book.

 

[Doss]

....which is why I always use a larger sensor - But not everyone should be expected to take their photography so seriously

 

[COYQ]

If you are happy with your results so far then why change? If there is something specific that the camera won't do then tell us.

It sounds like you need to work a little bit on your photographic knowledge and skills. For example, your S90 will allow you as much control over exposure and the like as you want. Read the manual carefully with the camera in your hand and see what it can do for you.

Have you explored its 'Scene' modes? These do things like optimising the settings for fast action rather than landscapes, or vice versa. When you are new to photography these are a good way to get more usable results under non-average conditions.

If you want to go beyond this then think in terms of aperture priority or shutter priority exposure. Learn why you would want to use a fast or slow shutter speed for a particular shot, or why a wide aperture might suit better than a small one. Don't let anybody tell you that 'you should shoot manual' for best results.

Learn about using the exposure compensation dial. It will get you out of most problems.

Look around the Web for tutorials or other information about your camera

utube canon s90

or consider buying a how-to book.

 

[six34sigma]

Greetings DP Review,

First post here but have been browsing for awhile. I will try to keep this short and sweet as I'm sure multiple posts like this are made everyday.

In 2012 I purchased my first 'point and shoot' digital camera, as I was traveling to Peru and wanted to get high quality pictures to look back on in the future. I chose the Canon S90 based on reviews and being small and lightweight. I essentially used it 100% of the time in auto mode, but am very happy with the pictures I got out of it.

Nice camera 1/1.7" sensor, fast f/2.0-4.9 lens, 24-105 zoom.

In a couple weeks I will be taking off for another adventure, this time to Nepal, India and South East Asia. I've been going over all my gear and am pretty stumped over what I should do about my camera.

Let me ask what is going to be different about the pictures you plan to take or what you intend to do with them. You will have greater opportunity to take pictures inside temples or darker areas. Does this require a change? Will you print larger? If your current camera is going to be inadequate for the task by all means get one.

The most basic question I find myself asking is, should I upgrade from the Canon S90? It looks like digital cameras have come along way in a few years, but so much so that I will notice a difference? I'd really like to learn to start shooting manually and figuring out how to change settings to get the best picture. Something I can hopefully do on this trip.

Would not do this before an important trip. Get something simple with auto mode or keep using the S90.

If you do think it is worth upgrading from the S90 for general photography, I will be traveling with one backpack (35-40 liter), so size and weight are priorities. I like to shoot alot of landscape or 'nature' pictures. But also like to take pictures of buildings and people. I would rarely take pictures in low light conditions. 1080p video capabilities a plus.

My take is keep using the S90, its small, less of a target for thieves and does the job. That is unless you think it will fail you in some respect, low light in temples for example.

In a nutshell. I'm not a photographer (want to start learning), but would like to capture the best pictures I can, while exploring countries I might not ever have a chance of returning to. Will the Canon S90 work fine for this? Or has technology changed so much since, that its really worth upgrading to a better point and shoot? Budget is flexible if I should upgrade. If its really worth upgrading then at max ~$300-500. If its just reasonably worth upgrading, maybe the ~$200 range.

If YOU think you need to upgrade get a larger sensor camera. The Nex-6 has a APS-C sensor and its very capable, available for $500 from Amazon. It has a 16-50 lens which is an equivalent 24-75mm field of view as opposed to 24-105 on the S90. It will be a big step up. However you will also need to learn how to shoot and its menu system. Not suggested in 2 weeks.

Panasonic G5, its a micro 4/3 system camera. Comes with a 14-42 lens, equivalent to 28-84. Also $425 from Amazon.

You could swing a used D90 with a kit 18-55 or 18-105 (27-157.5mm equivalent) lens for less than $500 possibly. Try Keh dot com. But its asking a lot to go up that learning curve in two weeks. Do have to say I took my D90, my first DSLR, with me to Australia in the first two weeks of owning it but have been shooting since age 16 and did not need to figure out the details of the photographic triangle for instance.

All of the cameras I have listed are major steps up but are one generation old, the D90 is older but is a stellar performer,. The goal of the recommendations was to stay within your budget and still get you great kit. They are slightly larger than the S90, except for the D90 which is much larger. Video is definitely possible with the first two, the D90 has it and it works but is very mediocre.

Thanks for any insight you can give me, and apologies if this thought process is a bit incoherent.

In your shoes I would stay with the S90, come back and then buy a camera. By the way the US is the cheapest place in general for electronics. This from a million plus travelled miles of experience and fruitlessly searching for a "deal".

Good luck.

-dhawk

 

[dhawk]

Wow! I came back expecting maybe one or two responses. I'm not used to forums being this active, awesome!

So I'm really glad with all the feedback you guys have given. I was really on the fence about upgrading to a new camera without really learning the in's and outs of photography beforehand. I have tons to learn with the Canon S90, other than just changing it to scene mode, so I'm relieved to hear there hasn't been THAT much in terms of changes. I just wasn't sure, you never know how fast technology progresses, especially in a market as big as photography.

To change course a little bit, where would you guys point someone to start reading about how to use different controls and getting more familiar with the manual aspect of the S90? I remember seeing an S90 e-book when I purchased the camera specifically relating to its controls. "A Short Course" by Dennis Curtin. Worth getting? Or just start with the s90 manual and some youtube videos?

Thanks for all the input!