Canon PowerShot S100 Review - The Best Compact Camera

Canon PowerShot S100 Review
Every once in a blue moon a digital camera saunters across my desk that changes the game at multiple levels, and the Canon PowerShot S100 ($429.99) is one of those cameras. For an advanced point-and-shoot, the PowerShot S100 is about as good as you can get, thanks to various improvements Canon made over last year's PowerShot S95. The S100 was granted a shiny new EOS-inspired 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor with Canon's brand new Digic 5 image processing, which means the image capturing hardware has been totally revamped and the S100 can capture up to 8fps in Burst mode at full resolution. Thanks to the new imaging sytstem, HD video has been boosted to 1080p Full HD at 24fps with 720p now at 30fps rather than 24fps. We also get a more generous 5x optical zoom this year compared to the S95′s modest 3.8x optical range, and a wider 24mm lens compared to last year's 28mm lens, all of this without sacrificing added camera bulk. Canon adorned the PowerShot S100 with front and rear grips for enhanced stability and bathed the S100 in a stealthy matte finish, which gave the camera points on the catwalk as well. Lastly, GPS capability joins the PowerShot S100 with map logging and Map Utility software powered by Google.
Other camera manufacturers should fear the Canon PowerShot S100. Its 12-megapixel 1/1.7-inch back-illuminated CMOS sensor was created from the ground up by Canon using EOS technology found in the company's DSLR lineup. New Digic 5 processing made the camera faster and better at noise management. Canon also built the lens in house, adding more elements to refine pixels, and the results paid off. The S100 exhibited the best imaging performance I've ever seen from an advanced point-and-shoot. That includes the PowerShot G12, which shares the same sensor with the PowerShot S95. I could shoot at ISO 800 and attain results that fell in line with an ISO 200 performance. The S100 can now reach ISO 6400 and the quality is what you'd expect from a point-and-shoot at ISO 1600 a few years ago. Canon's noise management is fantastic with this camera, even in 1080p HD videos. Colors were beautifully natural yet vibrant and detail was spot on to the last grain. The S100 is also quick with its F/2.0 lens and ability to perform well at higher ISO levels, so action shots were a breeze. RAW and JPEG quality were so close at times, though RAW held the edge in most conditions. Hands down, the Canon PowerShot S100 is the best in its class when it comes to image quality. Continue reading:
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