Canon launched the last in the line of its S-Series compact photographers' cameras, the S80. And though you can see traces of the S60/S70/S80's DNA in the S90 it is a very different beast to those cameras; the S90 is smaller, sleeker - and in many ways more sophisticated, but it's lost the optical viewfinder and the lack of anything to really get hold of will undoubtedly impact on handling.
As with the Panasonic LX3, Canon has chosen to incorporate a relatively large (1/1.7", 0.43 cm²) CCD sensor which has been designed with high sensitivity, rather than just higher megapixel count in mind, to make the most of the bright lens. This 10 megapixel sensor is then mated with Canon's latest Digic 4 processor to offer what the company describes as a dual anti-noise system.
Canon S90 Key Features
- Lens Control Ring
- 10 million pixels sensor
- RAW shooting
- Fast f/2.0-4.9 maximum aperture range
- Lens covering the classic 28-105mm range
- Dual Anti-Noise System (high sensitivity sensor and Digic 4 noise reduction)
- 3.0 inch PureColor II LCD
- Optical Image Stabilization
- Smarter Scene Detection
- Low Light mode
- DIGIC 4 image processor
- HD output
Canon PowerShot S90 Spec
| Recommended price | • $429 • €469 • £449 |
|---|---|
| Sensor | • 1/1.7" Type CCD • 10 million effective pixels |
| Image sizes | • 3648 x 2736 • 3648 x 2048 • 2816 x 2112 • 2272 x 1704 • 1600 x 1200 • 640 x 480 • 320 x 240 |
| Movie clips | • 640 x 480 @ 30fps • 320 x 240 @ 30fps |
| Maximum clip length | Up to 4GB or 1 hour |
| File formats | • Still: JPEG (Exif v2.2), RAW • Movie: MOV [H.264 + Linear PCM (monaural)] |
| Lens | • 28-105mm (35mm equiv) • f = 6.0 - 22.5 mm • 3.8x optical zoom • F2.0-4.9 • Construction: 11 elements in 9 groups 7 elements in 6 groups (2 double-sided aspherical elements including 1 UA element) |
| Image stabilization | Yes (Lens-Shift) |
| Digital zoom | up to 4x |
| Focus | • Auto focus :TTL - 9-point AiAF - 1-point AF (center or Face Select and Track) • Manual focus |
| AF modes | • Single • Continuous • Servo AF/AE |
| AF lock | Yes (on/off selectable) |
| AF assist lamp | Yes |
| Focus distance | Closest focus distance 5 cm |
| Metering | • Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame) • Center-weighted average • Spot (center) |
| ISO sensitivity | • Auto • ISO 80 • ISO 100 • ISO 125 • ISO 160 • ISO 200 • ISO 250 • ISO 320 • ISO 400 • ISO 500 • ISO 640 • ISO 800 • ISO 1000 • ISO 1250 • ISO 1600 • ISO 2000 • ISO 2500 • ISO 3200 |
| AE lock | Yes |
| Exposure compensation | +/- 2EV in 1/3 stop increments |
| Shutter speed | • Auto (1 - 1/1600 sec) • 15-1/1600 sec |
| Modes | • Auto • Program AE • Shutter Priority AE • Aperture Priority AE • Manual • Custom • Scene • Low Light • Movie |
| Scene modes | • Portrait • Landscape • Night Scene • Night Snapshot • Kids & Pets • Indoor • Sunset • Foliage • Snow • Beach • Fireworks • Aquarium • Underwater • Color Accent • Color Swap • Nostalgic • Stitch Assist |
| White balance | • Auto (including Face Detection WB) • Daylight • Cloudy • Tungsten • Fluorescent • Fluorescent H • Flash • Custom • Underwater • White Balance Correction |
| Self timer | • 0-30 sec (1-10 frames) • Face Self Timer |
| Continuous shooting | • Approx. 0.9 shots/sec. • AF: Approx. 0.6 shots/sec. • LV: Approx. 0.8 shots/sec. (until memory card becomes full) |
| Image parameters | My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color) |
| Flash | • Auto, Flash On, Flash Off, Slow Sync, Red-eye reduction • Slow Sync Speed : Fastest speed 1/500 sec • +/- 2EV in 1/3 stop increments • Face Detection FE compensation • Safety FE • Flash exposure lock • Manual Power Adjustment • Second Curtain Sync • Range (Auto ISO):50cm - 6.5m (wide) / 2.5m (tele) |
| External Flash | Canon High Power Flash HF-DC1 |
| LCD monitor | • 3.0 inch PureColor LCD II (TFT) • 461,000 pixels • 100% coverage • Adjustable |
| Connectivity | • USB 2.0 Hi-Speed • HDMI mini connector • AV out (PAL / NTSC switchable) |
| Print compliance | PictBridge |
| Storage | SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus |
| Power | Rechargeable Li-ion Battery NB-6L |
| Weight (no batt) | 175 g |
| Dimensions | 100 x 58 x 31 mm |
Body and Design
 | Under the slide-out / flip open door on the base you'll find the combined battery and card compartment. The S90 uses the same slimline NB-6L (3.7V, 1000mAh) battery as several high end IXUS/ELPH models. Being so small means that the S90 will only give you 220 shots (CIPA standard testing), though we got over 300 when not using flash, which isn't terrible. |
|---|---|
 | A camera at this level should have a decent screen, and the S90 doesn't disappoint. At around 460k pixels it's not the highest resolution LCD you'll find on a compact, but it's a lot better than the 230k pixel examples you'll find on many. The menus and images are bright, sharp and contrasty - even when viewed from extreme angles. In bright sunshine it does better than most but is still hard to see in direct sunlight. It's worth noting that you can't see anything on the screen at all in vertical orientation when wearing polarized sunglasses, which is annoying. |
 | This small (18mm / 0.7" across) control cluster packs an awful lot into a tiny space. Around the edge is a freely rotating control dial (a little too freely rotating for our liking), direct buttons for flash mode, self-timer, focus mode and AE compensation (these four also act as arrow keys when navigating menus). In the middle is the familiar Canon FUNC/SET button. We'll cover the other body buttons later in the Operation & Controls section. |
 | The SXX series cameras were amongst the first to offer a true (28mm equiv) wide angle zoom, something now commonplace enough at this level to warrant only a passing mention. More impressive is that this little 3.8x (28-105mm equiv) zoom offers a fast maximum aperture of F2.0-4.9. That's a stop faster than most competitors at the wide end, but quite average at tele. The lens collapses fully into the body when powered down. |
 | Another area where Canon has put some though into the S90's design is the motorized pop-up flash.This rises quickly and smoothly using a tiny motor rather than the more usual spring and catch system . It adds - literally - nothing to the usability of the camera, but it is an incredibly satisfying thing to behold and is one of the many small details that together give the S90 the feel of a premium product. The flash itself is, inevitably, pretty feeble, able to reach 6.5m (21ft) at the wide end (dropping to 2.5m / 8.2' at the long end). |
 | The S90 is one of the few very compact cameras to sport a proper mode dial, which helps to reinforce the impression that this is a 'real' camera. To the left of the mode dial is the main shutter release, which sits in the middle of a small zoom rocker switch. Notwithstanding my earlier comments about the handling, the shutter and zoom are actually very well placed and surprisingly comfortable to use. |
 | The right hand end of the camera (viewed from the rear) houses the S90's ports, which sit under a couple of rather flimsy plastic covers. Here you'll find an HMDI connector (included mainly as a cruel reminder that the S90 doesn't even try to capture HD movies) and a combined USB / AV port. |
Source
0 comments:
Post a Comment