Comments about Canon Canon PowerShot S95 Digital Point & Shoot Camera, 10.0 Megapixel, with 3.8x Optical / 4x Digital Zoom, 3.0" TFT LCD:

This is a great camera! I bought mine from Adorama and it didn't include the owners manual. The manual can be downloaded as a PDF file- all 192 pages, and printed on 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper (one sheet per page). I didn't buy a compact camera intending to lug a reprinted manual the size of a very large book.

Comments about Canon Canon PowerShot S95 Digital Point & Shoot Camera, 10.0 Megapixel, with 3.8x Optical / 4x Digital Zoom, 3.0" TFT LCD:

Appearance/Size/Form FactorCompared to other cameras in the "advanced compact" category, the S95 is tiny. The S95 can easily slip into your pants pocket without anyone asking you "is that a camera in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?". If a compact camera body is one of your major requirements, the S95 should be at the top of your list.One plus the S95 has over its predecessor (the S90) is its textureized body. The S90 felt like a wet bar of soap which is not a characteristic I look for in a camera. This rubbery/grippy texture allows the user to gain a sold grip on the camera which is important when dealing with a camera this small. The S95 feels good in your hand although I do wish it had more of a physical grip similar to the Panasonic LX-5; I assume Canon decided against a grip to keep the body as slim and sleek as possible. I'm not too worried about the lack of grip as there are a few third party options to remedy this complaint e.g. Richard Franiec's custom grip.I'm not sure what people consider a good looking camera, but the S95 looks good to me. The all black body with silver lettering is a color scheme that should be familiar to most. The display takes up the majority of the real-estate on the back of the camera which is a good thing because it is a pleasure to use. Colors are bright and blacks look decent as well. My only complaint with the display, which is common among most point and shoot cameras, is it easily becomes washed out in bright sunlight. This is when I really wish Canon had offered an optional EVF for the S95.ControlsEasy access to controls is where the S95 really jumps ahead of the competition. I hate digging through levels of menus or having to cycle down a list of features just to change the ISO. Give me physical buttons! Luckily there are two dials on the S95, one in the front and one in the back of the camera. These dials allow the user to easily change the most frequently needed settings.Like it's older sibling, the S95 has a control ring around the lens which gives you quick access to settings like aperture, shutter speed, focal length, etc. The control ring has default settings based on which mode you are in but the control ring's function can easily be changed by a physical button on the top of the camera.On the back of the back of the camera is another function ring. By default, this ring is setup to manage the functions which are available by pushing on the top, bottom, left and right or the ring. I would say 99% of the time I use this ring to manage exposure compensation. The other 1% of the time it is used to manage shutter speed while I'm in Manual mode…I prefer to shoot in Aperture Priority when using the S95.Along with the dials is a programmable button on the back of the camera which can be assigned by the user; I have mine set to pull up the ISO. This can be set to a myriad of different functions like white balance or file type, but I find that setting this to ISO really gives me quick access to the essentials for getting a solid exposure.FeaturesLike any new camera, there are a million features that the S95 brings to the game. I could list them all here, but you would probably have better luck looking at a product page. To keep it short, I'll list a few of my favorite features of this camera:ISO max for auto ISO: Most new advanced point and shoot cameras have an auto ISO setting. The problem with this is not all of them give you a limit as to how high the camera will go when choosing an ISO setting. Thankfully, the S95 does. I personally like to set my ISO manually, but this is a nice feature if you are a beginner or if you just want to shoot and not worry about settings.Interval timer with shot # selection: This is something I wish my old 5D had. Not only can you select the shutter timer duration, you can also select how many shots in succession the S95 will take after the timer goes off. I could see this feature being helpful for family portraits or landscapes.Bright Lens: With a bright f/2.0 lens and IS, the S95 works surprisingly well in low-light conditions. I would like to see the aperture values stay on the brighter end as you move through the zoom range, sadly…this is not the case. I'm drooling over the newly announced Olympus XZ-1′s lens.In camera HDR: HDR seems to be all the rage right now and most manufactures are adding some sort of "built in" solution. Well, Canon has jumped on the bandwagon by adding in-camera HDR. Results are pretty good, nothing you would get by using a program like Photomatrix, but there are limitations. The biggest got'cha is you have to use a tripod to get best results. I don't know about you, but I do not carry around a tripod when using a P&S. Sony has figured out how to do this without a tripod (NEX series) so I'd like to see Canon work this out for their next model.Picture QualityI've had quite the time trying to determine how good the IQ is of the S95. Without fancy tests that I do not have access to, I can really only rely on my eye when it comes to IQ. You can't compare it to a M4/3rd system because they have a much larger sensor so it wouldn't be fair. But you also can't compare the S95 to a basic point and shoot camera because it has a much larger sensor and the S95 costs about double what you would pay for a mid-range P&S. Honestly, I would say the IQ falls right where it should, in between a basic P&S and M4/3rd setup. Head to [@] if you want a true breakdown of image quality. I can't say that I'm a "pixel peeper", I just go off of what looks good to me. If you love to zoom into 100% and check the middle and edges of your photos, then [@] should be able to help you.For me, the S95 produces perfectly good images. I usually shoot RAW but the JPEG images are so good from the S95 that I find myself shooting more and more in JPEG. Distortion is present at both ends of the zoom range but it's nothing that can't be cleaned up with a little post processing if needed.Likes * Small, easily pocketable size * Physical buttons and dials for controling basic camera functions * Menus are intuitive and well thought out * RAW capability – not all compacts can match this…that was for you Nikon and your P300. What were you thinking!?! * Good picture quality * Focus speed. I'm actually pretty impressed with this little camera's ability to focus. This quickly goes down hill as light becomes less available but this is the case with most cameras.Dislikes * While IQ is good, I personally think it can't quite match it's Micro 4/3rd competitors. I really miss my GF-1 when it comes to overall IQ. M4/3rds has the S95 beat on all fronts (image noise, dynamic range, image detail, etc.) * Price. I understand this is an advanced point and shoot but dropping [$] on a P&S is tough. * The Lens. Don't get me wrong, f/2.0 is great but it would be nice if the aperture values didn't start to skyrocket as you zoomed to longer focal lengths. The LX-5 and the newly announced XZ-1 prove it is doable…get on it Canon.ConclusionAnyone looking for a truly pocketable camera with full manual controls and decent IQ need look no further…this is the camera for you. It's direct competitors are not truly pocketable…unless you have abnormally large pockets. I tried the LX-5…no dice on getting that into my jeans. And you can forget about fitting a M4/3rd system into your pocket. Yes, you will have to sacrifice on a few things but no camera is perfect. If camera size is paramount on your list of requirements, then the S95 is your camera. If other requirements top your list like a large constant aperture, then something else like the LX-5 or XZ-1 may be a better choice for you.

Comments about Canon Canon PowerShot S95 Digital Point & Shoot Camera, 10.0 Megapixel, with 3.8x Optical / 4x Digital Zoom, 3.0" TFT LCD:

I got this as a gift for my mother, who just wanted a good, easy-to-use camera, but now I want one for myself. The picture quality is excellent, even in very low light, and it has tons of great manual features if you want them, but it also works great as a completely automatic point-and-shoot. I found it to be very snappy, and it's also remarkably small and feels very well built. Just don't use it with any case with a velcro closure, like the one included in some of the package deals here. The velcro catches on the beautiful strap that comes with the camera and tears it apart. It looks like the leather case that Canon makes for it uses a snap closure that should be fine.

Comments about Canon Canon PowerShot S95 Digital Point & Shoot Camera, 10.0 Megapixel, with 3.8x Optical / 4x Digital Zoom, 3.0" TFT LCD:

This camera is the best pocketable camera around. It allows for significant manual control when you want it and works well fully automated when you prefer. Most important is that this camera shares the same sensor as the G12 without the bulk. Giving you near dslr quality captures without the size and weight. The G12 is too big for convenience, go for a dslr instead. This S95 satisfies your need for quality captures when convenience is paramount. LOVE the two selection rings which make manual adjustments MUCH faster and easier than a menu driven system. That was the clincher for me.

Comments about Canon Canon PowerShot S95 Digital Point & Shoot Camera, 10.0 Megapixel, with 3.8x Optical / 4x Digital Zoom, 3.0" TFT LCD:

Great camera, fast lens, good feel, compact, superb image quality. Of greatest importance: the camera you carry is the best camera. This is the camera I carry.