Canon PowerShot S100 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)

I owned five Powershot S Series (s30,s50,s60,s80,s90) cameras prior to purchasing the s100. I took close to 100,000 photos with my s90 in the two years that I owned it. I am a semi-professional photographer that owns multiple Canon EOS DSLR cameras with L lenses.

First off, I don't think it's fair to compare the s100 to DSLRs, APS-C, Four Thirds cameras. These large sensor cameras are in another class and even my really old Canon 10D with 6MPs will at low ISO have better image quality than the s100. If you don't mind a larger camera that is not pocketable and are willing to spend more, the s100 is not the best camera for you. For example, the Sony NEX-5N will give superior results to the s100 in nearly all situations.

The s90, s95 and now s100 are all unique in that the are truly pocketable--all the competitors are too large for pant pockets (Panasonic LX5, Olympus XZ-1, FujiFilm X10). Some of these cameras are quite good and all of them provide faster... Read more

At the time of this writing the S100 was just released. I recently bought the S95 on the recommendation of a friend who is an avid photographer, thinking the S100 would not be released until much later. The S100 just started showing up in stores so I bought it as well, intending to return one of the cameras. So I had the opportunity to compare them both!

To preface, I'm an intermediate level photographer, and it is just a hobby. I do own a DSLR, but it is one of the lower end models in the DSLR world. Still, I have become comfortable with manual adjustments and own a few lenses for it. However the majority of my pictures end up being taken with the camera most conveniently at hand (iPhone), and in this case I was looking for something that could offer a big step up in image quality without having to carry the larger DSLR.

Both the S95 and S100 are excellent cameras. However, there are key points about the S100 that give it the advantage. The rubber grips on the... Read more

This camera, in my opinion, isn't nearly as good as the s95. However, it does have its positives, namely its user interface, wide angle lens and aesthetics.

A very surprising positive for this item, is the user interface, specifically the button layout on the back of the unit. Canon reduced the total number of buttons and moved them around. Shockingly, I immediately adjusted to the new layout and found it very hard to return the unit, mostly due to the buttons' ease. After years of Canon's old layout, I am still amazed that I adjusted in less than a week to the new layout.

The unit also features a rear thumb rest and front grip, combined with a less slick and more textured finish, the unit feels much better in your hand than the s95 ever did.

The s100 features a 24mm lens vs. the 28mm lens of the s95. That is a huge improvement in wide angle shooting and creating more life-like scenes.

Unfortunately, that's where the good ends on this... Read more