A Canon PowerShot s95. Since I'm currently using this camera, I can't use it to take pictures of itself soooo..... this is what it looks like. I don't have such a shiny table to take this picture so its obviously not taken by me.
My previous camera was a FujiFilm Finepix F100fd which I had bought based on this review:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q408premiumgroup/
This is what it looks like.
Why then did I buy the F100fd and now the S95?
The reason I went with the F100fd in the first place was due to its superior low-light performance.*
* compared with other compact cameras at that time.
I have always believed that something should be 'fit for its purpose' and I wanted a camera that could take decent low-light pictures without using a flash. I am often asked why I don't just get a SLR and main reason is portability. I like to carry a camera around with me all the time and lugging a HUGE SLR around did not really appeal to me. Besides, with the number of people carrying SLR's nowadays, I also didn't want to look like a 'poser' as well.*
* not that I'm implying that everyone who carries a SLR around is a poser.
SO..... at the time the F100fd was touted as having some of the best High ISO low-light shooting capabilities. I must say that it was certainly a big step up from my previous PowerShot and the quality of the pictures was quite impressive.
Canon subsequently released the PowerShot S90 which boasted a f2.0 lens which promised even better low-light performance. I almost bought one at the time but I didn't quite like how the front control ring felt and there were also universal complaints about how the control ring on the back did not have any indents to prevent it from moving.
And then Canon released the S95 which fixed these issues and I couldn't resist.
So far, I am really happy with its performance and have no regrets purchasing the S95. The f2.0 lens has really made a difference and the feel and quality of the camera is great.
So how do these cameras compare in low-light conditions?
First up, the FujiFilm Finepix F100fd at ISO1600.
To be fair I shot the scene again with the F100fd at ISO800.
Because of the brighter f2.0 lens the Canon S95 could shoot at ISO1000.
No contest. The S95 is noticeably sharper (check out the wording on the notices) and less grainy. Works great!!!
The S95 also has a special low-light shooting mode which shoots at ISO3200 and reduces the pixel count to 2.5 MP.
Still acceptable if a little more grainy.
Compare this with the F100fd at ISO3200 which is virtually unusable.
The Canon S95 is GREAT and it suits my purpose. Still compact enough to be carried around everywhere I go and still capable of decent low-light shots.
