Replacing S90

I'm looking for a new camera to replace my S90 that has served me faithfully for the last seven years. If I stay with Canon which Powershot would you recommend? I'm very interested in the G7 Mark II. I realize it's somewhat bigger than the S90, but it seems like a lot more camera.

rolandx1 wrote:

I'm looking for a new camera to replace my S90 that has served me faithfully for the last seven years. If I stay with Canon which Powershot would you recommend? I'm very interested in the G7 Mark II. I realize it's somewhat bigger than the S90, but it seems like a lot more camera.

I have a S90 since 2010. Given the G7x II isn't out yet, I won't speak to that. However, I did own a G7x for a year which has the same lens and sensor.

The autofocus on the S90 is really sluggish. The G7x is much faster and has a touch screen to move the AF point around. It makes for a much more fluid and rapid shooting experience. The G7x MKII is supposed to have faster AF speed.

Touchscreen has functionality in reviewing photos and other controls.

The G7x has a fold out screen which is nice for shooting low, selfies and even overhead. G7x 2 design has improved on the fold.

Separate exposure compensation dial is handy.

wider lens at 24 mm and going to 100mm equivalent. The lens is much faster over the focal range which is good for low light. I wouldn't call it excitingly sharp however and photos can have a smudgy look to them.

electronic level.

Neutral Density filter, I forget if the S90 has one. I don't recall.

Connectivity with other devices for sharing of photos and use of remote

Burst in jpeg is superior to S90. The G7x mkii can do fairly impressive burst fps in RAW unlike the mki.

Video is superior on the G7x.

1" Sensor is larger than the one in the S90 yielding cleaner photos at higher ISOs. The sensor is much higher resolution too.

The G7x isn't that much different in the frontal area. It is noticeably thicker which does reduce the portability. The S90 slips easier into a pocket which makes me think the G9x might be a good upgrade instead if portability is a major criteria. Anyhow, the G7x was always thick enough that it had to ride in my coat pocket or hip case less comfortably than the s90.

G7x2 has usb charging. That could be handy out and about when you don't have the charger or want to reduce the accessories floating around in the travel bag.

The G7x/G7x2 wipe the floor with the S90. Coming from the other end of DSLR land however, I never found the combination of the lens and sensor to completely blow me away.

The new G7X mkii is quite expensive. Something like th G15/G16 might be an attractive option at a lower price.

Is the G9X that much smaller? What are the main features you give up going with the G9X over the G7X? I like a smaller camera because I'm more likely to carry it with me. However this will likely be my only camera for the next 5-10 years and I'd like to get the most features I can. The price difference isn't enough to sway me either way.

Thanks. Both sites were just what I was looking for.

It's taken me a long time to replace my S90 too - mind you, it took me a long time to replace my S70. I've been using EOS M/M3 instead, and they're fantastic cameras, but not quite pocketable like the S90. But I've been spoiled for IQ with them. G9X is properly small, but has a reasonable size sensor - great little cam. Without my EOS M3, I would've gone G7X II, I think.

Well I preordered the G7 Mark II. However I found a used SX50 HS for under $300. Would this make a good complement to the G7 when I wanted longer reach at the cost of portability (pocket camera) , or do they overlap too much.

I tried some other cameras in between. I talked myself into the Olympus XZ-1, which was a fantastic camera. By far the best lens in this class. But I was fooling myself. The larger size meant that it wouldn't fit in just any pocket. For example, it isn't a pants pocket camera. It can be forced, but it's just big enough not to be comfortable.

So do yourself a favor, give up a bit of performance in favor of portability. If you don't, you'll find you're still relying on your phone more than you'd like.

I took the S90 with me as my only camera on a trip to Europe one time. After having taken the SD600 Elph the previous year, and finding the tripod was an absolute requirement, (so I could shoot at ISO 80 and have not much noise), I did the same with the S90, and the images were SLR caliber.

Now, with the G9X, I feel like I don't even need the tripod, as it has the much larger sensor and optical image stabilization. I just brace myself the best I can, and it just DELIVERS.

Here are a couple low light indoor shots with my G9X. The venue was Rainforest Cafe; I think those are all over the US, right? Look at the shutter speeds. They were all hand-held, but braced against tables, columns, etc. The OIS really works well.

forgot to give this one a bit of - exposure compensation...

Here are a couple outdoor shots, run through a film simulating preset in DxO FilmPack, which "ate" the EXIF data:

It's an awesome little camera. Just take care not to drop it. It is quite easy to drop when you don't use the wrist strap.