3Percent
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If you get the chance to find a good condition S120, grab it. This camera punches way above its specifications and still feels like a modern offering amongst the mirrorless and 1" sensor compact craze.
Lately I've had a blast combing through and optimizing my camera gear, keeping only the very best camera's and lenses from my massive kit. One of those survivors is the Canon Powershot S120, which I chose over several compacts to keep.
Literally this is a compact camera- it's tiny and yet powerful. Easily stick it in your pants or shirt pocket without hesitation. You won't experience the discomfort of carrying it this way for long periods of time either, as it is about half the size and weight of the average smart phone. It's so small, that it's less intimidating or noticeable than even a smart phone- so it makes for a great street camera.
Build quality is definitely above average, the entire camera less the card/battery compartment door is metal, and the rear lcd screen is touch screen glass. The buttons and dials and other controls definitely feel premium as well. The popup flash is activated by a switch on the side and snaps quickly up into action.
The face of the camera is a bit slippery, so an aftermarket micro grip or grip tape/tabs are recommended for more secure holding if this is a nuisance to you. The rear has a very nice and secure rubber rest for the thumb that helps tremendously with one handed shooting.
It's got wifi, time lapse movies in camera, touch screen, built in flash, customizable controls, and... it makes much higher quality images than most smart phones. There's enough customization options and controls to please the professional as well, so long as practical expectations are managed.
It's files are useable all the way up to 2,500 ISO without falling apart to the point of color bleeding or too much loss of dynamic range. Base ISO looks better than many m4/3 sensor cameras I've had in the past (and even some older APS-C!), and you can make a sharp 20x30" print with it. The total ISO range is 80-12,800, but I would stay away from the max ISO setting (6,400
Talk about a great lens too, a 24-120mm equivalent unit that shoots f/1.8 on the wide end, changing to f/5.7 on the long end. At 35mm the max aperture is still f/2.8, and it doesn't hit f/4 until about 65mm, and stills gives you an f/4.5 max aperture at 85mm equivalent- with awesome lens based image stabilization to boot. Macro performance is impressive, and at 85mm equivalent the min distance to subject is about 7", which gives you great close up performance and subject distance. That is my favorite setting for closeups.
Practically this means you won't have to boost your ISO often at all. The lens sweet spot is about f/2.8 to f/4, the latter of which I use to shoot landscapes to get the most detail and performance out of the lens and sensor combination. Wide open you'll see some softening in the corners and a touch of CA in the raw files, but the Jpegs seem well corrected and look very decent out of camera if you tweak the standard settings.
If you want the ultimate light traveler camera, this is one on a very short list I'd recommend. No it doesn't have a viewfinder but if you can live without that, its the smallest, lightest, full featured camera I'd recommend above and beyond anything else for a pocketable photo making solution.
Lately I've had a blast combing through and optimizing my camera gear, keeping only the very best camera's and lenses from my massive kit. One of those survivors is the Canon Powershot S120, which I chose over several compacts to keep.
Literally this is a compact camera- it's tiny and yet powerful. Easily stick it in your pants or shirt pocket without hesitation. You won't experience the discomfort of carrying it this way for long periods of time either, as it is about half the size and weight of the average smart phone. It's so small, that it's less intimidating or noticeable than even a smart phone- so it makes for a great street camera.
Build quality is definitely above average, the entire camera less the card/battery compartment door is metal, and the rear lcd screen is touch screen glass. The buttons and dials and other controls definitely feel premium as well. The popup flash is activated by a switch on the side and snaps quickly up into action.
The face of the camera is a bit slippery, so an aftermarket micro grip or grip tape/tabs are recommended for more secure holding if this is a nuisance to you. The rear has a very nice and secure rubber rest for the thumb that helps tremendously with one handed shooting.
It's got wifi, time lapse movies in camera, touch screen, built in flash, customizable controls, and... it makes much higher quality images than most smart phones. There's enough customization options and controls to please the professional as well, so long as practical expectations are managed.
It's files are useable all the way up to 2,500 ISO without falling apart to the point of color bleeding or too much loss of dynamic range. Base ISO looks better than many m4/3 sensor cameras I've had in the past (and even some older APS-C!), and you can make a sharp 20x30" print with it. The total ISO range is 80-12,800, but I would stay away from the max ISO setting (6,400
Talk about a great lens too, a 24-120mm equivalent unit that shoots f/1.8 on the wide end, changing to f/5.7 on the long end. At 35mm the max aperture is still f/2.8, and it doesn't hit f/4 until about 65mm, and stills gives you an f/4.5 max aperture at 85mm equivalent- with awesome lens based image stabilization to boot. Macro performance is impressive, and at 85mm equivalent the min distance to subject is about 7", which gives you great close up performance and subject distance. That is my favorite setting for closeups.
Practically this means you won't have to boost your ISO often at all. The lens sweet spot is about f/2.8 to f/4, the latter of which I use to shoot landscapes to get the most detail and performance out of the lens and sensor combination. Wide open you'll see some softening in the corners and a touch of CA in the raw files, but the Jpegs seem well corrected and look very decent out of camera if you tweak the standard settings.
If you want the ultimate light traveler camera, this is one on a very short list I'd recommend. No it doesn't have a viewfinder but if you can live without that, its the smallest, lightest, full featured camera I'd recommend above and beyond anything else for a pocketable photo making solution.
