Most serious enthusiast photographers would trade megapixels and zoom range for better image quality in low light, because it better avails us of the light all around us.

We opened a RAW file with dcraw, a program that doesn't apply distortion correction, and saw some dramatic distortion at wide-angle. I had a heck of a time trying to keep the Canon S90 from blowing highlights on a bright, but cloudy day, and adjusting the EV setting didn't make enough of a difference. By selecting WB, just hold the [S] button for a moment, and the large front ring selects A/B (amber/blue) WB trim instantly! The big story with the Canon S90 is its lower-resolution sensor and a faster lens than is normally included on a small camera. All data is based on Canon standard testing methods (according to CIPA Standards) except where indicated.

There were some complaints about the S90's popup flash design, and its rear control wheel being too easy to turn. Sure, the Leicasonic has a control switch around the lens for cropping, but no ability to control anything useful around the lens as does a real camera or the S90.

IMO, its position should be switched with the on/off button, and should retain the ability to be customized if desired. However, the S90s performance makes it best suited for portraits, landscapes, and the like--but not for fast-moving subjects. The aforementioned flash is housed within the top plate so that when it's raised it is at least a centimeter away from the lens in a cursory attempt to avoid the blight of red eye. Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited. The S90's photo quality is on par with the best PowerShots, too, which is to say generally excellent.At points north, east, south and west we get options, in capture modes, for adjusting exposure compensation, flash settings, self-timer options, macro or manual focus - if not already using the front lens ring for the latter.

It's via the first folder that the user can enable such settings as iContrast and auto red eye reduction/removal, as well as blink detection and adjusting the image stabilization mode to come into effect only when taking a shot, when panning the camera, or have it on continuously. This includes the fact that there isn't a dedicated button for activating the pop up flash, so this is done via selection of the settings offered via the rear command pad/scroll wheel. I find its 28-105mm lens range adequate for most shots, but of course prefer the G series 28-140mm range, or, S120's 24-120mm range more. If you enjoyed this review, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page and also be sure to join me on twitter or facebook! The Mode dial and shutter button are great, but the zoom ring is too slow to respond, and the Ring function button is where the Power button should be.The arrival of the 'affordable' digital SLR saw most manufacturers slowly withdrawing from the high end compact camera market, but recently models like the Canon G9/G10/G11 and Panasonic's LX3 have shown that there is still demand for pocketable cameras with real photographic controls. For you, it may be a nice camera to add to your arsenal that you can bring backpacking, cycling, or any outdoor activity really. And the good news is that the Canon S90 does deliver better performance in low light, and its optical quality is impressive relative to the camera's size. This is a selection of sample images from the Canon PowerShot S90 camera, which were all taken using the 10 megapixel Fine JPEG setting.

For most of the shooting modes, it defaults to exposure compensation; however, in Scene mode, it changes the scene type you're using. This camera had trouble focusing on the center point in our INB indoor test shot, instead preferring the back wall. lens, then the ISO range from 80 to 3,200, and finally the Canon S90's DIGIC 4 processor does quite a job on the raw file before saving it as a JPEG.Unfortunately you can't adjust the ISO setting in Low Light mode, so I had to use my mini-blind to control the light in my darkened room on a rainy day. Using the included Canon software or a compatible 3rd party RAW converter, you’ll enjoy complete creative control in post-production with precise manipulation of shadows, highlights, color, and other image elements.