Canon PowerShot S90 10MP Digital Camera with 3.8X Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3-Inch LCD (Old Model)

I've agonized about which compact camera to buy, the G11 or the S90 for a couple of weeks. In the end I bought the S90 and some of the reviews really helped me, so here's my contribution to the people making that decision today:Do you own a DSLR? Definitely go with the S90.Are you looking for a camera to take in your pocket? No doubt about it, go with the S90. I've used the G10 and G11 and, believe me, there's NO WAY you are taking them in your pocket!The big differences between the two, which I'm fairly sure you all know by now are:- The focal length (105mm for the S90 and 140mm for the G11)- The manual controls- The size- The hot-shoe (only the G's have them)- The flashWell, let me start by addressing one of the main complaints I've been reading about, the fact that the rear wheel is "loose"and that you can change your definitions without noticing it. It was a concern when I bought the camera and, to my surprise, it has NEVER been an issue while shooting. I don't have small hands and I don't know how other people hold a compact camera, but for it works like clockwork, no problem whatsoever. I even dare to say that if it was a bit harder to move it, it might take from the easiness of changing your controls before shooting the picture.The difference in focal length doesn't bother me. Would it be nice to have more on the S90? Yeah, sure. But is it a concern? No, not for me. I'm strictly against using the digital zoom, but on the few times I tried just to see the result, I confess I was a bit surprised (on the good side) by it.The manual controls are exceptional, the combination of frontal ring, back ring and shortcut button make it easy to change configurations and control the camera. And for those of you wondering about the speed in doing it, I can say that I've been taking pictures to make a book about the life guard service here and it's all about speed. Sometimes I take the S90 to the beach instead of the big DSLR's because people won't even notice me taking pictures with it, and the DSLR's always cause a fuss, specially when people are being rescued and are ashamed to be seen in that light...As for the size, I bought it to have a everyday camera always with me and this is the perfect one for this. A couple of friends decided to buy one after seeing mine (one of them is abandoning his G10 for it). And I was very, very pleasantly surprised by the image quality and camera quality I got with the S90, I never regretted choosing it and now, after having handled a G10 and a G11, I think I would be mad with me if I had chosen the G11 instead of the S90.Some reviewers have questioned the built quality of the S90, but I don't have any complaints about it, and it has been living in my pocket for over a month now, receiving some fairly rough treatment sometimes. As for the shutter release on the S90, yes, it is in a bit awkward position to be sure, but after one or two days with the camera you'll adjust to it. Is it a serious problem? Not even close!Regarding the hot-shoe and flash: well, I own two DSLR's, so if I want to put a big flash on top of the camera, I'll take the big one. It might be different for people who are buying this as their only camera. I hate flash and avoid using it always, even bumping the ISO to the moon, but, on the occasion I used the in-camera flash I was amazed by it's power.When I'm shooting "professionally" I tend to go with the RAW + JPEG mode, but sometimes I prefer to use the strict JPEG mode and it has a very interesting color control that helps eliminate the need for working the files later on. Anyway, you can change that configuration in about 2 to 3 seconds if you need to (the RAW/JPEG, because the colors are even faster).A lot of reviewers and photographers talk about the S90 exceptional AutoWhite Balance, but I don't really like it, I tend to prefer choosing presets all the time (I don't like the auto WB in my NIkon's DSLR's either), but that is also very easy and fast to do in this camera.Well, that's about it. I'm sure there are other reviews discussing the technical details more deeply, but I've been a VERY HAPPY S90 owner for the past month or so and I'm sure glad that I chose the S90 instead of the G11. To tell you the truth, I don't see much reason in buying the G11, as it is not a compact camera, it is not a DSLR, it is not lightweight, so it's a middle everything. But the S90, and I've been hearing the same opinion from others for the past weeks, seems like the queen of compacts for now (I hope the manufacturers start a "fully manual compact" cameras war now).I believe that, for most buyers, the S90 will always be the smart choice!

(Updated to appease the bashers who reject the notion that anyone can disagree with them and, according to them, anyone who does is clearly uninformed. Since when did individualism become an imperfection?) Overall this is a nice camera and, as with most of Canon's line, most of the features will be rather familiar. Aside from the flash being a rather awkward place, the camera will satisfy most buyers. I bought this camera several months ago and began taking pictures in various modes and scenes, and I also took the same pictures with my Canon PowerShot SD800 IS. Before buying the S90, I also tried the SD980 IS. I've been using Canon PowerShot cameras for more than a decade and after taking over 2000 test shots, I feel confident in saying that Canon's current product line is nothing short of a disappointment. It's hit or miss... (As a non sequitur, under no circumstances can you use AUTO mode! You MUST turn the mode dial and use the adjustable settings.)Shortly after the first few test shots, I contacted Canon customer support because I noticed that the newer cameras (mentioned above) did not have SUPER FINE jpeg compression. A representative told me that their Japanese developers have eliminated the SUPER FINE compression ratio and all their cameras have only FINE and NORMAL compression. That would be like buying an HDTV that only displayed SD. Yes, I know, the common user WILL NOT notice a difference...(as someone else pointed out in their review). ***Similarly, I know plenty of people who can't tell the difference between 720p and 1080p.If you buy this, or any of Canon's current product line, be warned, most of your pictures will come out severely noisy, flat, blurry and unfocused. Indoor shots are not acceptable; however, outdoor shots (taken on a clear day) came out looking really nice. Some of the reviews here are from people who either do not have the "eye", or have limited knowledge of Canon's previous camera line. However, don't take my word for it, drop the money and see for yourself. If you have a trained eye, you'll see it! Again, if you allegorize this to HD movies, there are still plenty of folks out there who cannot tell the difference between a Standard Def movie and a High Def one.Before buying this camera, do you research! Go to Canon's Website and peruse their current line; you can also download the PDF instruction booklet. Look through the documentation and search for their JPEG compression; if you only see "fine" and "normal" then don't buy it if that is important to you! Canon has really proven to be a disappointment to their most loyal consumers. I understand this camera also records in RAW format, which I haven't discussed here, but that is great for anyone who wants to go into post-editing all the time. It does provide a wider range of post-editing options, however in my experience, the images still looked very much the same. (Users can record each shot in RAW+JPEG.)I realize this is a P&S, but I've had P&S cameras in the past that produce much better images than this one, with colors more vibrant, lines sharper, better contrast with more depth. I realize this review is going to get bashed but at least I'm not just restating all the positives that have already been stated in countless other online review site, and at least I ACTUALLY OWN the camera (some people post reviews and don't even own the item!). To anyone who is going to bash and bully this review, do so not at the risk of accentuating your ignorance and intolerance towards other's ideas.