Canon Powershot S95 first impressions

Launched in the Philippines just last month, the Canon Powershot S95 came in with a suggested retail price of Php27,950. So when I saw it selling at SGD$640 (~Php21k) in Singapore last week, I grabbed the chance to make it my new point-and-shoot camera.



The Powershot S95 is one of the very few Canon point-and-shoot cameras that can do manual settings, shoot 720p HD videos and to top it off, has a nice and large f/2.0 opening (aperture).



Some of the key features of the Canon S95 include:

• 10-megapixel CCD sensor
  
• HS System
  
• 28-105mm F2.0-4.9
  
• 28mm wide, 3.8x zoom, Hybrid IS
  
• lens control ring, full manual & RAW shots
  
• 3-inch PureColor II G LCD
  
• 720p HD movies, HDMI
  
• High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode
  
• Multi-Aspect Shooting
  

The compact size and the body is reminiscent of the old Ixus line but this one has a much more solid and metallic body. The serrated ring at the base of the lens is where you control the aperture settings.



I’ve only used it a couple of times and while most of the outdoor shots are during cloudy days, the image quality is impressive as well as the HD videos. See sample clip on YouTube below:

Still have to test the camera extensively on various settings and outdoor conditions but so far, I’m really liking this camera a lot already. The bokeh at f/2.0 looks smooth and has a nice depth.

Here’s a sample photo under artificial lighting and you can see the full images on the Picasa gallery here.



Actually, after several haggling and getting some other stuff from the same store, I was able to bring the price down to SGD$550 or Php18k. Full review coming soon.