Canon PowerShot S90 10MP Digital Camera with 3.8X Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3-Inch LCD (Old Model)

I've agonized about which compact camera to buy, the G11 or the S90 for a couple of weeks. In the end I bought the S90 and some of the reviews really helped me, so here's my contribution to the people making that decision today:Do you own a DSLR? Definitely go with the S90.Are you looking for a camera to take in your pocket? No doubt about it, go with the S90. I've used the G10 and G11 and, believe me, there's NO WAY you are taking them in your pocket!The big differences between the two, which I'm fairly sure you all know by now are:- The focal length (105mm for the S90 and 140mm for the G11)- The manual controls- The size- The hot-shoe (only the G's have them)- The flashWell, let me start by addressing one of the main complaints I've been reading about, the fact that the rear wheel is "loose"and that you can change your definitions without noticing it. It was a concern when I bought the camera and, to my surprise, it has NEVER been an issue while shooting. I don't have small hands and I don't know how other people hold a compact camera, but for it works like clockwork, no problem whatsoever. I even dare to say that if it was a bit harder to move it, it might take from the easiness of changing your controls before shooting the picture.The difference in focal length doesn't bother me. Would it be nice to have more on the S90? Yeah, sure. But is it a concern? No, not for me. I'm strictly against using the digital zoom, but on the few times I tried just to see the result, I confess I was a bit surprised (on the good side) by it.The manual controls are exceptional, the combination of frontal ring, back ring and shortcut button make it easy to change configurations and control the camera. And for those of you wondering about the speed in doing it, I can say that I've been taking pictures to make a book about the life guard service here and it's all about speed. Sometimes I take the S90 to the beach instead of the big DSLR's because people won't even notice me taking pictures with it, and the DSLR's always cause a fuss, specially when people are being rescued and are ashamed to be seen in that light...As for the size, I bought it to have a everyday camera always with me and this is the perfect one for this. A couple of friends decided to buy one after seeing mine (one of them is abandoning his G10 for it). And I was very, very pleasantly surprised by the image quality and camera quality I got with the S90, I never regretted choosing it and now, after having handled a G10 and a G11, I think I would be mad with me if I had chosen the G11 instead of the S90.Some reviewers have questioned the built quality of the S90, but I don't have any complaints about it, and it has been living in my pocket for over a month now, receiving some fairly rough treatment sometimes. As for the shutter release on the S90, yes, it is in a bit awkward position to be sure, but after one or two days with the camera you'll adjust to it. Is it a serious problem? Not even close!Regarding the hot-shoe and flash: well, I own two DSLR's, so if I want to put a big flash on top of the camera, I'll take the big one. It might be different for people who are buying this as their only camera. I hate flash and avoid using it always, even bumping the ISO to the moon, but, on the occasion I used the in-camera flash I was amazed by it's power.When I'm shooting "professionally" I tend to go with the RAW + JPEG mode, but sometimes I prefer to use the strict JPEG mode and it has a very interesting color control that helps eliminate the need for working the files later on. Anyway, you can change that configuration in about 2 to 3 seconds if you need to (the RAW/JPEG, because the colors are even faster).A lot of reviewers and photographers talk about the S90 exceptional AutoWhite Balance, but I don't really like it, I tend to prefer choosing presets all the time (I don't like the auto WB in my NIkon's DSLR's either), but that is also very easy and fast to do in this camera.Well, that's about it. I'm sure there are other reviews discussing the technical details more deeply, but I've been a VERY HAPPY S90 owner for the past month or so and I'm sure glad that I chose the S90 instead of the G11. To tell you the truth, I don't see much reason in buying the G11, as it is not a compact camera, it is not a DSLR, it is not lightweight, so it's a middle everything. But the S90, and I've been hearing the same opinion from others for the past weeks, seems like the queen of compacts for now (I hope the manufacturers start a "fully manual compact" cameras war now).I believe that, for most buyers, the S90 will always be the smart choice!

I would be a definite prosumer. My main bag consists of a 5D Mark II and several L series lenses. I shoot nature and ballroom dancing, both of which push different extremities of my equipment. I mostly shoot in manual mode with any camera system I use, so I am writing this review from that perspective. I purchased the S90 as a primary camera for snorkeling (coupled with the Canon housing). Although I have not used it for that purpose yet, I have had a chance to play around with the camera a little. First, I will get the negatives out of the way. I have big hands, and handling this camera is somewhat a put-off. It is small and it feels like you are going to inadvertently touch buttons all the time. This will not be a problem in the underwater housing, but I have determined it as a drawback at this point...now on to the good.This camera takes great pictures.I was shooting my puppy this morning. He was moving around a bit, and the lighting was shifting between window sunlight and tungsten light. I decided I would need to kick up the ISO, but I was reserved with this camera. I sometimes shoot up to 5200 with the Mark II, but I decided to stop at 400 on the S90 with the small sensor. I set the camera into manual, got my bearings on control (which took all of 5 seconds to figure out aperture and shutter knobs), and started to pop off a few shots. You pick the aperture with the front ring. I set this to f7.0 (I have a dachshund, so he is long and I wanted him all in focus). I then used the wheel on the back to set the shutter speed. The one thing I noticed was the live view on the camera back responded immediately. I also own an Olympus PEN, and a Leica Dlux-4, but the Canon takes the cake with its very responsive live view and beautiful screen. I grabbed my Mac and imported the RAW photos into iphoto (much quicker than lightroom for inport and previewing). I was amazed as I pixel peaked around the image. This camera does a very nice job with the small sensor. It is as good or better than the Leica with color photos (B&W will probably be another issue as that is where the Dlux-4 excels). No adjustments would be necessary, even on the RAW images. The sensor is fantastic for its size.Overall, this is a VERY fun camera to operate (more than I can say for the Leica or PEN). I hope to add to this review after my Hawaii trip. I can tell you that this a great, compact, portable addition to a prosumer's or professional's bag (or pocket for that matter).