I picked up the new Canon s100 from Best Buy. It’s not even officially out, but they had two of them in stock. No display model even. I have not had a chance to play with the s100 very long, but I wanted to get a review out there for you guys.
The Canon s100 is close the Canon s95 in many ways. I plan on doing full comparison review as well, but for this post I will concentrate on just the s100.
The s100 comes in black and silver. I picked up the black version. The first thing you notice about this camera is it is small and solid. Canon really did put a lot of features in such a small body.
Here are some of the specifications of the Canon s100:
Max resolution – 4000 x 3000
Effective – 12.1 megapixels
Sensor Type – CMOS
Sensor Size – 1/1.6″
Processor – Digic 5
ISO Range – 80 to 6400
White balance presents – 7
Image stabilization – Yes, Optical
Uncompressed format – RAW
Screen size – 3″
Zoom – 4x
Focal length – 24 – 120mm (equiv)
Aperture – 2.0 – 5.9
Shutter speed – 15 seconds – 1/2000 sec
Video format – H.264
This little camera is truly impressive for people into photography. I say that because if you want a simple point-n-shoot camera the s100 is not for you. This little camera really shines when you get off the auto mode and you start shooting in RAW and controlling things like shutter speed and aperture. This camera is far too advance and expensive for people that have now idea what something like aperture is and how it affects your photos.
The s100 may not be up to the quality of many DSLR’s, but it is the closest thing in such a compact form. For me that is why I carry the s100/s95 type cameras. I want quality photos even when I can’t or don’t want to take my DSLR with me. I have also been toying with the idea of carrying my DSLR more and dropping a compact camera in favor of my iPhone 4s, but that does not mean the iPhone 4s photos are in the same ballpark as the Canon s100.
One of the newest features on the s100 is the high speed video for slow motion playback. Here is an example shot out my office window.
This is a fun little feature, but at this point that is all I consider it. It does not shoot this type of video at 1080p like the standard video and would not be something for profession use. Like I said though it is a fun little feature I may use form time to time.
Standard video is shot at 1080p and is on par with other small sensor 1080p video. Here is a simple shot of me walking across my office floor.
By comparison here is the same video from my iPhone 4s. The s100 does a better job (as it should)
The s95 was really meant to take photos and it does a good job of that. Shooting in RAW and controlling most aspects of the camera is where DSLR shooters will appreciate the s100. Expect to spend some time post processing images, but most DSLR shooters are used to that.
The s100 does pretty well with relativity higher ISO. I say relativity because it’s not going to keep up with the larger sensors of modern DSLRs, but it does will within the compact camera range. Here is a shat at ISO 1600.
How about ISO 400
Now let’s look at the lowest ISO of 80
All three images are pretty good. ISO 1600 will allow you to get much faster shutter speeds than ISO 80 if you need it. The camera will go all the way to ISO 6400 so there are some other options for low light photography is you can deal with the noise. Here is ISO 3200.
Then ISO 6400.
ISO 6400 has a lot of noise and would be really tough to clean up in post processing. Here is a shot at ISO 6400 in a dark warehouse.
As you can see you can get some low light shots when you need to, but these are not going to print quality. It is still nice to have the option.
The s100 looks pretty close the s95, but there are some differences. I really like that they added a video record button to the back of the camera. Canon also added runner grips to the front and back of the camera which is nice. I always feel like I am going to drop my s95, thought I never have.
The review is based on my initial reactions to the camera. I plan on writing two more reviews in the near future. I will soon put the s95 head to head with the s100. I may even throw in some iPhone 4s and Canon 7D comparisons, but the review will concentrate on the s100 vs s95. I will also provide a more in depth review of the s100 including the scene selection, in camera noise reduction, and processing of RAW photos.
Conclusion:
If you are a DSLR shooter and want a compact camera that can give you excellent results I recommend the s100. It’s pricey, but worth it for those that need to shoot RAW, have decent ISO handling, and shoot 24mm wide. This camera is not for the simple point-n-shoot person that never takes the camera off of auto.
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Nice first impressions, looking forward for the head to head comparison. Good job
Thanks for sharing. I opted for a Fuji X100, but the Canon s95 was very tempting.
I’m very impressed by the close-ups of the printer. I’m looking for a good small digital camera that can do closeups of my art. Do you still recommend this camera a year later?
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