The s90 keeps pumping out

I recently picked up a canon s90 on ebay for the cool price of 50 dollars in anticipation of a trip to rio where i wanted to bring a backup camera (i currently shoot with an eos M which I enjoy very much). I'm really enjoying the s90, I had one 6 years ago, and I'm surprised how it still holds up today. With stabilization I can shoot the same images I can get with my eos m barring the subject stays still of course.  (with a 22mm f2 lens and 18-55 stm is lens. For shots I could get with the 22mm, I can get a close approximation with the s90 by dropping iso and shutter speed by 2 stops, and shots where I would be shooting at 3.5 on the 18-55 on the eos m can be shot at f2 on the s90, making the 2-3 stop advantage of the aps-c sensor not that far as I would expect). I know objectively the eos m takes a cleaner shot

, but still, holy cow does the s90 still chug out a nice image. Here are some fun shots I took.

see this happy little guy? He's as happy as I am with the picture quality of the s90 after 7 years

Mine was fantastic for five years. And then I dropped it in sand and the lens barrel has become crunchy and slow to focus. I wish it was economical to repair.

I too had an S90 5-6 years ago, and bought for the same reason you bought yours. (though I paid hundreds more...)

It was so good that I only used my SLR a couple times in the time that I owned the S90. It was so good, in such a small package... If we're honest with ourselves, 95% of the time, the images look the same, compared to the SLR, after they're shrunk to fit the computer screen. It's only when we really zoom in for detail or for lack of telephoto that we can tell the difference.

After "upgrading" to an Olympus XZ-1 and Pentax MX-1, I still missed the little S90, and replaced it just yesterday with its spiritual successor the Canon G9X. All is right in my stable, now that I have a proper pocket camera again.

Smaug01 wrote:

I too had an S90 5-6 years ago, and bought for the same reason you bought yours. (though I paid hundreds more...)

It was so good that I only used my SLR a couple times in the time that I owned the S90. It was so good, in such a small package... If we're honest with ourselves, 95% of the time, the images look the same, compared to the SLR, after they're shrunk to fit the computer screen. It's only when we really zoom in for detail or for lack of telephoto that we can tell the difference.

After "upgrading" to an Olympus XZ-1 and Pentax MX-1, I still missed the little S90, and replaced it just yesterday with its spiritual successor the Canon G9X. All is right in my stable, now that I have a proper pocket camera again.

Ye ye.  I still have my s90 workhorse and I compare it to my Nex6 (16-50mm kit lens) - you are not wrong there - on a 24" full hd panel - images look the same unless you are really pixel peeping to the nth degree !Hard to pick the different cameras in low ISO and bright conditions. The s90 fast f/2.0 lens (Nex6 ramps up the ISO really fast in comparison)  and macro capability still trumps the Sony lens.

Long live the s90 that spawned the era of high IQ compacts to the evolution of Rx100. Pity Canon couldn't win the race with a 1" of its own.

Only problem is the DIGIC processor on the s90 is getting long in the tooth. AF lock on is slow and hesitant compared to even newer IXUS compacts.

The colors tones of the s90 CCD sensor is still quite amazing I reckon. Its LCD screen trumps the NEX6 in terms of bigger screen image ( due to better aspect ratio- resulting bigger image- I am a chimper) and visibility under bright conditions.

I find it more enjoyable to shoot than the NEX6 - the s90 menu is straightforward and accessible w/o need to dive deep. The s90 is silent with no mirror slap !

Whats missing for me is though is a bigger sensor, faster and more accurate AF lock on, variable image aspect ratio, wider 24mm, faster lens thruout the zoom range, better ISO performance, panorama stitch, better manual focus control , touchscreen..........   ( yes its showing its age ) Yes , I'm ranting but I haven't replaced it yet LOL   ....... can't have it all   ( well maybe the G7X MkII might do it )

Whats missing for me is though is a bigger sensor, faster and more accurate AF lock on, variable image aspect ratio, wider 24mm, faster lens thruout the zoom range, better ISO performance, panorama stitch, better manual focus control , touchscreen.......... ( yes its showing its age ) Yes , I'm ranting but I haven't replaced it yet LOL ....... can't have it all ( well maybe the G7X MkII might do it )

Don't make that mistake and go that route of settling for slightly bigger for more performance. You WILL get the performance, but you won't carry it as much, and thus, you'll get fewer good pix.

If anything, wait for the G9X II with the new image processor, then drop the hammer.

I just bought a used S80 a week ago for $30 shipped. Large improvement over the S50 I have been using. Just wondering how much IQ improvement there is with the S90 (besides the f2 sensor).

txsizzler wrote:

I just bought a used S80 a week ago for $30 shipped. Large improvement over the S50 I have been using. Just wondering how much IQ improvement there is with the S90 (besides the f2 sensor).

According to dpreview the sensor sizes are virtually identical. DIGIC IV vs DIGIC II processor and 10MP vs 8MP with a totally different lens and with no RAW capture (s80).

I would suspect there be a noticable improvement

Curious to see if there any SOOC jpg comparisons anyone ?

Absolutely agree beautiful shots on s90 in bright conditions and still going strong but for want of sounding like being bitten by the GAS bug

• the Digic 4 processor on the s90 is getting long in the tooth (even the Digic 5 focus lock on is noticeably much faster and more precise without hesitation)
• 24mm wide angle is almost the rigeur at the wide end
• and yes the smaller sensor doesn't quite cut it compared to 1" and 4/3 offerings
• also lacking low noise high ISO offerings of newer sensors

NO doubt though still a great camera , accepting its limitations

I;ve included a shot taken with an IXUS 40 even a 4MP camera (aka SD300 ) that has no image stabilization handheld  ( do I still enjoy shooting with it sure thing even though ........ it is proving its age by todays standards )

Autumn leaf  IXUS 40

Reflection s90

Sand Dunes s90

Balcony s90

I never loved the S90, colors are often a bit weird, with too light greens. And on a big screen, like my 27 inch iMac, the images look not so sharp. For example the Nikon P510 and P610 with much smaller sensor, both look much sharper and more detailed with their 16Mp.

I also had the Canon S80, for some strange reason I have loved it for years, because of its awsome jpegs and colors that had a dslr like rendering.

Never understood the hype about the S90, it's not that good, IMO. And now 1 inch sensors are there, it's obsolete. These new sensors are a serious improvement.

Bas

txsizzler wrote:

I just bought a used S80 a week ago for $30 shipped. Large improvement over the S50 I have been using. Just wondering how much IQ improvement there is with the S90 (besides the f2 sensor).

I had both. The S80 had no IS of course. But it's jpegs and colors are SOOO good. Better than S90, MUCH better. At least in good light.

In suboptimal light the S90 is better with better noise performance, but I never got used to  the colors/jpegs.

My advice: use the S80 as a sunshine camera, it is AWSOME for holidays, beaches, colorful events etc. But on the other hand: the 1 inch sensor cameras are here now, that's serious improvement. Find a camera with good default colors/jpegs with it.

Bas

You must've had a bad copy or something. My S90 had great image quality and excellent color (for its time). My only complaint was how slow it was overall.

Bas Hamstra wrote:

txsizzler wrote:

I just bought a used S80 a week ago for $30 shipped. Large improvement over the S50 I have been using. Just wondering how much IQ improvement there is with the S90 (besides the f2 sensor).

I had both. The S80 had no IS of course. But it's jpegs and colors are SOOO good. Better than S90, MUCH better. At least in good light.

In suboptimal light the S90 is better with better noise performance, but I never got used to the colors/jpegs.

My advice: use the S80 as a sunshine camera, it is AWSOME for holidays, beaches, colorful events etc. But on the other hand: the 1 inch sensor cameras are here now, that's serious improvement. Find a camera with good default colors/jpegs with it.

Bas

I ended up getting a killer deal on an S95 back a few months ago ($40). Wonderful camera, great sharp images, beautiful and vibrant colors! The size is also a huge plus; truly pocketable! IQ in daylight is close to the same, with the S95 edging it out in overall sharpness, and DR. Low Light is better on the S95, as can be expected.

I am still using the S80, but admittedly the S95 goes with me pretty much everywhere!

Here is an exposure bracketed shot I did this afternoon with the Powershot S80. I should probably put this picture on an external site, as DPR seems to degrade the quality when uploaded from my computer on here.

Lovely afternoon!