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The Canon PowerShot S100 is a sleek, compact digital camera featuring a 12.1MP 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor and DIGIC 5 image processor for outstanding image quality. It offers a 5x wide-angle optical zoom with advanced optical image stabilization, enabling sharp photos across various shooting scenarios. With full 1080p HD video recording, a 3-inch wide-angle LCD, and a customizable control ring, it blends professional manual controls with portability. Ideal for enthusiasts seeking DSLR-like control in a pocket-friendly form, it supports RAW shooting, advanced autofocus, and GPS tagging, making it a versatile tool for creative photography and seamless media sharing.
| ASIN | B005MTME3U |
| Age Range Description | Kid |
| Are Batteries Included | Yes |
| Aspect Ratio | Unknown |
| Auto Focus Technology | Contrast Detection, Face Detection, Live View, Multi-area, Single, Tracking |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Autofocus Points | 1 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #147,941 in Electronics ( See Top 100 in Electronics ) #1,278 in Digital Point & Shoot Cameras |
| Bit Depth | 8 Bit |
| Brand | Canon |
| Built-In Media | PowerShot S100 Black |
| Camera Flash | Hammerhead |
| Camera Lens | 10 |
| Color | Black |
| Compatible Devices | Camera, Personal Computer |
| Compatible Mountings | Point and Shoot Camera |
| Connectivity Technology | HDMI, USB |
| Continuous Shooting | 2.3 |
| Crop Mode | 3:2 |
| Customer Reviews | 4.0 out of 5 stars 791 Reviews |
| Digital Scene Transition | zoom |
| Digital Zoom | 4 |
| Digital-Still | Yes |
| Display Fixture Type | Fixed |
| Display Resolution Maximum | 461,000 |
| Display Type | LCD |
| Dots Per Screen | 65,384 |
| Effective Still Resolution | 12.1 |
| Expanded ISO Minimum | 80 |
| Exposure Control | Automatic |
| External-Memory Size | 8 GB |
| File Format | JPEG |
| Flash Memory Bus Interface Type | SDIO |
| Flash Memory Type | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Flash Modes | Auto, Face Detection |
| Focal Length Description | 120 millimeters |
| Focus Features | AiAF TTL |
| Focus Mode | Automatic AF (AF-A), Manual Focus (MF) |
| Focus Type | Autofocus & Manual |
| Form Factor | Compact |
| Global Trade Identification Number | 00138031375696 |
| HDMI Type | Built-in |
| Hardware Interface | HDMI |
| Has Color Screen | Yes |
| Has Self-Timer | Yes |
| ISO Range | Auto, 80, 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200, 4000, 5000, 6400 |
| Image Capture Type | Stills & Video |
| Image Stabilization | Optical |
| Image stabilization | Optical |
| Item Weight | 0.44 Pounds |
| JPEG Quality Level | Fine |
| Lens Construction | 10 |
| Lens Type | Wide Angle |
| Light Sensitivity | ISO 80 to ISO 6400 |
| Manufacturer | Canon Cameras US |
| Maximum Aperture | 5.9 Millimeters |
| Maximum Focal Length | 120 Millimeters |
| Maximum Image Size | 1920 Pixels |
| Maximum Shutter Speed | 1/2000 Seconds |
| Memory Slots Available | 1 |
| Memory Storage Capacity | 4 GB |
| Metering Methods | Multi, Center-weighted, Spot |
| Minimum Focal Length | 24 Millimeters |
| Minimum Shutter Speed | 15 seconds |
| Model Name | Canon PowerShot S100 |
| Model Number | PowerShot S100 (BK) |
| Model Series | S100 |
| Movie Mode | Yes |
| Night vision | No |
| Number of Diaphragm Blades | 7 |
| Optical Zoom | 5 |
| Photo Sensor Resolution | 12.1 MP |
| Photo Sensor Size | 1/1.7-inch |
| Photo Sensor Technology | CMOS |
| Real Angle Of View | 5 Degrees |
| Recording Capacity | 50 Minutes |
| Remote Included | No |
| Screen Size | 3 Inches |
| Self Timer | 10 Seconds |
| Sensor Type | CMOS |
| Series Number | 100 |
| Shooting Modes | Underwater |
| Skill Level | Professional |
| Special Feature | Memory Card Slot |
| Specific Uses For Product | Photography |
| Supported File Format | JPEG |
| Supported Image Format | JPEG |
| Supported Media Type | ProductImage, EnhancedContent |
| Total Still Resolution | 12.1 MP |
| Total USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
| Total USB Ports | 1 |
| Total Video Out Ports | 1 |
| UPC | 018208924103 013803137569 138031375696 |
| Video Output | HDMI |
| Video Resolution | FHD 1080p |
| Viewfinder | Electronic |
| Warranty Description | 1 year limited |
| White Balance Settings | Auto, Cloudy, Daylight, Flash torch |
| Wireless Technology | EyeFi |
| Zoom | Digital Zoom, Optical Zoom |
G**O
One-Stop review: Understanding all the other reviews
This camera is PHENOMENAL ... but if you want it to work right, you need to put in the time to understand how it works and to test all of the many shooting options that are offered. Perhaps, if you are looking for the best pocket camera which takes awesome photos by just turning it on, pointing and shooting, this may not be the best choice (I suspect the canon 300 HS would be one of the best for this). But if you are looking for a camera capable of taking superb pictures with excellent picture quality that require just a little understanding of how to utilize the settings, or if you want a fantastic pocket camera which allows you to manipulate all the basic controls of an old, standard film-35mm, it is hard to imagine you could find better (though if you have the money and pocketability is not of supreme importance, the Fuji Film Fine Pix x100 would be my pick ... at $1200). I spent easily over 1 month doing research on all all sorts of cameras (various models of Lumix, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, other Canons, a couple of others and the FujiFilm) before i bought this. While in the end i am very happy with my selection, it took way too long for me to sort through all the customer reviews here, the professional reviews on CNET, DPReviews, Youtube, etc. The many reviews here on Amazon helped immensely in trying to make my choice, but I have to say I was a bit confused at first and then concerned by the extremes of comments (lots of 5 stars and a good bit of 1 star reviews). I am writing this for other Amazon users in order to help make sense of this situation. (just for reference, i am a visual artist and have a good amount of experience with photography and cameras.) 1. the negative reviews are mostly because of a lens error problem which affected a good number of units of this model. fear not about this ... canon seems to have taken responsibility for this if you get one of these lemons (and in my experience with canon, they are very good with making good on their mistakes). most of the units with this problem were corrected (the S100's with a serial number beginning with numbers 29 through 41 are the ones seemingly affected by the error and most of these have been sold or recalled or fixed). 2. most of the negative reviews regarding picture quality are absurd. if you just put the thing on "auto" and press the button and hope every picture is going to be great, you will likely be disappointed. this camera takes a little more getting to know than the typical pocket camera because it is more complex, but this allows you to be able to do things that most other cameras of this sort cannot do. you just have to invest a little time. PEOPLE SAYING THAT THE IMAGE QUALITY IS CRAP ARE ALL JUST WRONG - they just have not put the time into learning how to use this camera and use it properly. i was going from an old Powershot s500 that i LOVED. this was only 5 m-pixels, but it was easy to use and took really nice, balanced photos with great ease. when i first fired up the s100, i was a bit afraid that some of what was said about the picture quality was true, but after taking 20 or sometimes 30 pictures of the same thing in the same light, i was able to really understand the differences in what the settings and modes do and was able to get a feel for using the auto-modes as well as manipulating the ISO, aperture, and shutterspeed ... and i get not just great but SUPERB photos. now, after a couple of weeks, i sometimes still need to snap 3 or 4 pictures until i get one i like, but that photo is an excellent image ... one so much better than almost every compact camera i have ever seen (and with my research, i looked at buckets of sample photos from all sorts of cameras. pros: image quality - i looked at probably about 20+ compact cameras, their sample pictures and sample shots of all of them at different ISO's: this canon had the best image quality of all of them bar the pricey fujifilm x100 (which was gorgeous but this is also not really a compact camera). at ISO 800, the s100 retains more definition and colour saturation than all of the others (i think there was an olympus that came in close ). low-light shots - MOST PEOPLE THINK THE MEGA-PIXELS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE CAMERA ... NOT SO. while the s100 has ample m-pixels, it is all about the size of the sensor and the aperture range. this camera has one of the biggest sensors (7.44 x 5.58 ... and a good quality CMOS) and the low end the aperture goes down to 2.0, so you have the ability to take really nice low-light shots. also has a good (digic 5) processor. controlability - this camera allows you to control everything important in your photo; f-stop 2.0 - 5.9 has a great range for a camera this size, ISO 80 - 6400, and 1/2000 sec. - 15 sec. shutter speed. there really aren't other cameras that can give you this. macro capability - i have never seen a camera that can take pictures at 3 cm like this, maybe a couple of full size SLRs fitted with macro lenses, but he s100 goes beyond what i imagined even possible on a camera like this data readout - has great data information for each shot, as you line up the picture and after you have taken the shot tons of options - too many for me actually, which i also think is a bit of a con; but you can always just not use the ones you do not like lens ring - gives using the camera a nice sense of control that hearkens back to the old SLRs RAW - i am not a professional and RAW has little appeal to me other than post-production manipulation, but if you want, this shoots in RAW ... personally, i find that JPEGs frequently do better in avoiding colour moire in fine resolution video quality - not even interested in video, but great quality cons: new added finger grip on front - for me it does nothing and just jets a little in the way no decent digital filtres - with all the stuff they stuck in this camera, you think they could have included some digital filtres ... i mean how often are you going to want to use the fish-eye or miniature landscape feature? cute, but i'd rather have some simple digi filtres. too may options - for some could be a plus, but for me there are too many things and features i would never use and some which are so complex i would not be able to remember how to access them lens ring sticking out - while i love the idea of the lens ring, its protruberance makes the camera just a bit more difficult to stuff in the pocket flash - before digital, i had 2 canon elph film cameras. one had a pop-up flash like this one; it broke. i almost did not buy this camera because of the pop-up flash. while this one seems so much better (it has a little motor that seems very tight and strong), i still fear i could break it. in the end, though, i am glad i got the camera because it is otherwise so great. if you still have any doubts, this is a great camera.
M**D
Email from Canon regarding lens error. Great camera overall.
Below is an email that I have just received from Canon weeks after registering my camera on their website. ****************************************************** Dear Michael, This service notification e-mail contains important information about your Canon PowerShot S100. Please note that product service announcement e-mails contain advisory or informational content that may be critical to the proper operation of your product, including safety, update, and instructional messages. Please carefully review the information in this e-mail as it relates to your Canon product. Thank you for using Canon products. It has been confirmed that some PowerShot S100 digital cameras encounter a lens error caused by a disconnected part inside the camera. This announcement conveys the details of the issue and Canon's service policy for affected cameras. Canon continuously strives to provide our customers with high quality, reliable products that can be used with confidence. We offer our sincerest apologies to any customers who have been inconvenienced. Phenomenon Some PowerShot S100 units (with the serial numbers listed below) may encounter a lens error due to a part becoming disconnected inside the lens. In particular, this lens error may occur when the camera is used in certain environmental conditions such as high temperature and/or humidity. Affected Product: Some PowerShot S100 Digital Cameras within the following serial number range: The first and second digits of the camera's serial number are any number from "29" through "41". For example: "29xxxxxxxxxx", "30xxxxxxxxxx"........."41xxxxxxxxxx" (The [x] characters shown above represent the remaining characters of the product's serial number.) Market Support Affected products that exhibit this phenomenon will be repaired free of charge, regardless of the warranty status, if it is confirmed that the lens error has been caused by disconnection of the part inside the lens. However, please note that affected products which are received by Canon after their service period ends (the period during which such products are expected to be serviceable), will no longer be eligible for free repair service and will be handled in accordance with Canon's then general repair standards and regulations Support This information is for residents of the United States and Puerto Rico only. If you do not reside in the USA or Puerto Rico, please contact the Canon Customer Support Center in your region. Thank you, Customer Support Operations Canon U.S.A., Inc. Contact Information for Inquiries: Canon Customer Support Center Phone: 1-800-OK-CANON (toll free) 1-800-652-2666 TTD: 1-866-251-3752 (toll free) E-mail: [email protected] For additional support options:[...] ****************************************************************** I luckily received a camera with a serial number that should be unaffected by the lens errors some others are having. I am really liking my camera so far so I have no reason to give it anything other than 5 stars. I know my way around the manual settings of this camera, but I am far from a professional so I will hold off on a lengthy review. The programmable control ring really makes the manual settings easily changeable. Between the control ring and the sleek black color, its obvious you've got yourself something a little more substantial than a digital Elph. This camera just does everything it is supposed to do very well. The 5x zoom is inadequate for long distance shots, but that is not what this camera is for. If you are interested in carrying a compact digital camera with all the major settings of your DSLR, this is a great option. I think this camera makes a great compact alternative and companion to a DSLR because it is easily pocketable and has great manual settings. I recommend that you register your camera on Canon's website immediately because it guarantees you support and has provided me with this useful information that I would not have known otherwise. I plan on updating this review. UPDATE #1 In every way, I have found this camera to be a vast improvement over my previous compact digital camera, a 10.1MP Powershot ELPH SD88IS, however; it is not without issues. Notably, the battery life is very poor when the default GPS mode is active. I could not tell you exactly how many shots I have been able to get per charge, but it has been noticeably less than I would expect. I already ordered a backup battery and am considering toggling the GPS as I need it. This battery is the same basic battery that was in my 4-5 year old Elph. I think it is time Canon looks at updating these NB5L batteries. In addition, while the image quality for day shots is tremendous, I was not overly impressed shooting with a tripod at night. I could not get more than a few half decent shots of a full moon for the life of me. Despite my best efforts, I was having issues with exposure and focus. I found underexposing and bracketing the focus to make for the best shots. Reviewer Sheraz A. Choudhary states "NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHERS: a major con for me is that the s100 is locked to ISO80 for shutter speeds over 1sec. May not matter to most people but I loved shooting 15sec ISO400 shots with my s90." This certainly did not help me either. It was a real pain to see ISO80 keep flashing up as I slowed my shutter speed. If you are mainly concerned with shooting close range shots at night, you wont have a problem, but shooting stunning nighttime nature shots seems to be an issue. Neither one of these issues is a real deal-breaker for me, but I have mentally subtracted a half star off this camera and well, I'd kind of like to get my hands on the Sony DSC-RX100. Because it is almost $300 more expensive, I still feel good about my purchase of this camera.
I**Y
Pretty good
I am am an amatuer, but I love to take photos. My photography usage is Travel pics and everyday shots. I almost never take video. I used to always use a "fixed lens" 1/2" sensor camera (like the cameras you see in the Walmart displays...they look like small DSLR cameras) until I bought a Canon ELPH SD1200 a few years back for it's portability. It's imagery was AWESOME when I 1st bought it, but I think too much time in powdery desert and maybe time in general degraded the sensor. It was never the same after BurningMan. I looked for a quality replacement after the lens recently got scratched from Kuwait sand. If you are looking for a TRUE pocket camera to take normal everyday pics, then buy one of those. They run significantly less than these and they are decent cameras with EXCELLENT portability (smaller than a pack of cigarettes). I bought this Powershot S100 at the same time as a Sony NEX 5N. I did a TON of research and if you want a DSLR quality camera that is "compact", look into the Sony NEX. There are cons to it (like expensive lenses and add-ons), but it is a GREAT camera for the price. I bought mine on sale for 425.00. They usually come with a standard 18-55mm lens which is great for my uses (see above). I also got this Canon S100 to have as an ELPH replacement. I haven't taken many pics with it yet and I haven't travelled with it, but it's a decent camera so far. I like the focus ring, menus, quality of AUTO mode, SCENES, movie mode quality and RAW image support. I bought mine on sale for 220.00 It's a good everyday carry camera for that price. Had you paid over 300.00 I think you paid too much. Now if you dont understand Camera sensors etc. Keep this in mind. You will NEVER match a DSLR with a regular compact camera. The closest you will get to a DSLR in a "compact" is with a "mirrorless" 4/3 model. That's a WHOLE subject in and of itself. In that regard...until recently the way to go was with a 4/3 interchangeble lens camera. The Sony NEX has completely changed the rules providing a APS-C sized lens in a 4/3 body. (Think of APS-C cameras as those "cheaper" DSLR cameras like the Canon Rebel i3.) If you are looking for a fairly inexpensive camera to take GREAT pics but dont want to spend 800.00 - 1000 or more, look into a APS-C, or 4/3 interchangable lens camera. Period. You can find really good cameras in this range usually for 500-700 If you want a "pocket" camera that takes "GOOD" pics, look into anything between 150.00 - 250.00. (Elphs are under 200.00) If you are looking into something inbetween "good" and "great" @ 200 - 400 and dont mind size too much, look into something like a Panasonic with a Leica lens (2/3" or 1/2" sensor). (still will NEVER match a APS-C sensor DSLR) If you are looking for a "professional" "pocket" camera to take GREAT pics...again, you're going to have to up your price to 400 and up. That all being said, this is a really GOOD pocket camera. The only thing I dont like about it is the lens shutter (part that closes over the lens when not in use) The Elph is like that as well and that's how the lens got scratched. That shutter is FLIMSY. Everything else on the camera feels like it's very well made. Matching up pics in the same environments between the Sony NEX 5N and this camera has provided me with a DEFINATIVE answer that in NO way can the two compete. They are on two COMPLETELY different levels of quality. I gave it 4 stars because for the price it's a really good pocket camera, but it does not "WOW" me. The Sony NEX 5N does. For 250 and under, The Canon Powershot S100 REALLY good. If you want something almost as good and even MORE pocketable, I suggest the ELPH. Keep in mind though that if you want decent video included, the ELPH is not going to cut it. I hope this helps. Finding the "right" camera for the price is REALLY tough. I sympathize with you. ;)
G**K
A great camera with a fatal flaw
The good is that it's a well built camera that takes sharp pictures and has a great feature set for its size. I considered the Sony RX100 and this camera, the newest pocket cameras with larger image sensors. I chose the s100 since: -RX100 didn't really have a long term track record as it was only recently released. -Smaller size and weight of the S100, excellent image quality given its size. -Much lower cost of the S100 -Lens error due to heat/humidity had been fixed in later production batches according to a recall bulletin by Canon; the camera's serial number began with 46 and was not a part of the recall -Other than the above lens error issue the camera had a good reliability record from several forums The bad is that I got the lens error where the lens gets stuck in the out position and fails to retract after extending and retracting while on vacation in Japan. I'd taken a few pictures here and there, put it back in my camera bag or pocket, repeat several times for an hour or two. After a dozen tries, the lens finally retracted but then failed to extend. Luckily, there was a Canon service center less than 20 minutes away from my hotel by foot and subway. Long story short, since I didn't have my warranty card or proof of purchase with me on my trip other than from my Amazon account which I offered to bring up given Wifi access, they "offered" to repair it for just under 11,000 yen. After pointing out that I'd be returning home to the United States before the repair completion date, they responded that I could either come back and pick it up or I could arrange to have it delivered to me (what I understand is a polite way of saying owner pays delivery cost). So let me get this straight, a camera designed and built in Japan that I bought less than a month ago fails in Japan under normal use and I would have to pay to get it repaired? I would have purchased a new camera at a local electronics store, except that all the labels/menus were in Japanese and the only one I could figure out how to use at the store was a Canon S100. After a few days of occasionally turning the camera on and off, the camera suddenly started working again for whatever reason and the lens extended. Unfortunately that particular time was while sitting in a stairwell while holding it wrong and the camera slipped from my hands and tumbled down a flight of concrete and steel stairs with the lens extended. Other than scratches and dents on the body and the lens barrel, the camera took great quality shots and worked as good as new the rest of the trip. Summing up the bad experiences with the camera: -Lens error apparently not fixed -Bad service experience overseas -Should have bought an extra battery for the trip, video and GPS seem to suck up a considerable amount of battery life -HDR mode useless without a tripod I knew the technical limitations of this camera and also that batches with the lens error fix did not have an extended track record and went with this camera anyways. I took a bet on this camera and lost (at least a few days). In any case this camera is now working fine as far as I can tell. 12/18/2013 update: Took it on a 2 week vacation, hit a lens error once when zooming and the camera shut down (retracted the lens though). I hadn't hit a lens error again until this occurrence. Started it up again and all was well, no further issues. Still not sure if I can rely on this camera though... 6/7/2015 update: Seeing this often in the past few months. Lens got stuck extending, shut down with the lens stuck in the halfway extended position. Repeat 2x until it fully retracted or extended. Lowering rating to one star.
D**T
Going back for the third time
Update. Camera going back for the third time. Now I have the dreaded lens error issue where the lens won't retract and the camera won't shoot. This is subject of a repair notice which should make it free. Still the camera has been a nightmare for me. I require reliability. This has not been the case. I have had this camera for a year and a half. I wanted to have a pocket-size all-purpose camera for shooting kids and to use while skiing. I am a photographer and always like to have a camera with me. Cell phones are useful but in general won't do if you want good quality and to make larger prints. This camera takes great shots. It focuses fast and accurately and handles most scenes quite well.I use the program or scene modes frequently and find that I only use manual mode rarely. The images from this camera will not hold up to close inspection with larger sensor cameras but will give you good shots in most situations. Color saturation and dynamic range as well as detail will not be as good as C size or full frame sensors. That doesn't mean that you won't get acceptable pictures depending on your purpose. The problems that I've had with this camera have been significant to me. The first is that this battery cannot stand up to exposure to cold weather for even a brief period. You may get one or two Shots off when taking pictures on a mountain while skiing or even 15 seconds of video but no more. The red battery light comes on telling you that you need to change your battery and this even though the battery is fully charged. I returned my camera to Canon who told me nothing was wrong and that the camera was up to spec. This camera is not guaranteed to take pictures at temperatures below 32°. All my previous PowerShot cameras have been fine under the circumstances in fact I have never had a problem before. I Returned my camera a second time when this continued to happen this year and they change the motherboard. The camera is a little better but it's clear that the problem relates to this particular battery. The battery has been changed For the S110 which is back to the battery used in the S95. Interestingly my wife has the S95 and that is the camera that we used this season for our ski pictures without a problem. The camera makes beautiful videos in high definition of indoor sporting events with the only problem being again the battery not lasting that long. If you shoot in slow motion your images are also likely to be somewhat dark unless you are in a very bright arena. To Make a long story short, this is an excellent camera particularly at this price point. It gives beautiful pictures, beautiful videos and has state-of-the-art functionality for a point-and-shoot camera.If you plan on just going out and shooting a couple of snapshots, the battery will do fine. If you're going to use this to shoot events make sure you buy an extra battery. If you plan on using this outdoors in cold weather buy something else. ps. Canon Service was actually quite good. My problem was apparently more about design than malfunction. The service was fast and pleasant and I have no complaints with them.
R**N
Does more than expected for a camera this size
I suppose that I am "late to the party" regarding the Canon PS S100. The S110 is already out as its replacement, and it is, of course, a fine camera. The time finally came to replace my venerable Digital Elph S50, and I did an enormous amount of research trying to decide what to replace it with for my "pocketable" walk-around camera. I tend to prefer Nikon for SLRs and Canon for small cameras (both are excellent), and my research continued to support the notion that Canon is right at the forefront for small cameras. Many recent reviewers have concentrated their reviews on comparing the S110 and the S100. I mostly will not. Since I have been absent from the small camera market scene for seven years, this review will instead mostly dwell on the improvements of the S100 over the earlier models, which observations I hope that someone will find useful. Very briefly, with respect to the excellent S110, for me the deciding factor in favor of the S100 are the analog controls and the non-presence of a touchscreen. Ergonomically I like the big shutter button and the all-analog controls of the S100. I tend to find touchscreen control of a camera non-intuitive; perhaps I am just a product of the baby-boomer generation. To further date myself, I miss the optical viewfinder that used to be standard on cameras of this class. Like almost all of its competition, the S100 uses the rear LCD as an electronic viewfinder. This is the wave of the future and the S100 is no exception. I am adapting. Examining the S100 I can see that Canon has improved much over the earlier generation of cameras. The first thing I am going to comment upon is the image quality -- it is very, very good. Almost astounding, in fact for a camera of this size. Digital SLRs of a decade ago would be hard-pressed to take on the S100. Somehow Canon has squeezed a lot of performance out of the relatively small lens on the S100; partly due to its excellent sensor. This camera will effortlessly produce excellent images even under difficult light conditions. The image stabilization ("IS") feature (together with this camera's excellent high ISO performance) made it possible for me to take reasonably sharp photos of nighttime Christmas lights, which is something my older pocket cameras could never accomplish to my satisfaction. The next improvement that I found pleasing on the S100 is the user interface. It is very intuitive. Canon has knocked most or all of the rough edges off of its interface. I found it very easy to quickly adapt to it, which was not true of my earlier Canon circa 2002. The AUTO function allows the user to be taking pictures right out of the box in a matter of minutes. The "P" (Program) mode has many more features but nevertheless is easy to figure out and master. To my surprise both aperture and speed priority settings are right there on the top control dial, so users who wish to really control their photos, e.g. depth of field or action blurring shots, will be at home with this camera. My final main observation concerning the S100 is its amazing feature set. As noted above, it features both Program, Aperture, and Focus-priority settings. Like a full-blown SLR it allows center-weighted metering, "evaluative" metering, and spot metering. It has a variety of different focusing modes. It also has scene settings mode and a "filter effects" mode which allows a number of interesting effects such as B&W, sepia, vivid colors, and other effects. This camera allows the photographer to approach his or her shooting in a variety of different ways, and you really have to work at it to produce poor pictures with this camera. The AUTO or Scene settings will allow the shooter to let the camera make most of the decisions or, alternatively, the camera allows about as much flexibility as an SLR camera. Using a 32GB SD card the S100 will take approximately 10,000 photos, depending upon whether the shooter elects to shoot RAW, JPEG, or RAW+JPEG. Pretty amazing considering that only a decade or so ago we were all shooting 36 images on film and then paying ten dollars to get it developed so that we could see how our pictures turned out. There is no reason other than backup to worry about one's images on any vacation with this camera. I elected to go with the black version of the S100 and I am well-pleased with it. The black looks very snappy and professional. The aluminum body has a nice anti-skid texture that is very pleasing to the eyes and to the touch, and there is a rubber grip on the front that further aids in gripping the camera. The one issue as far as handling is concerned is that I do occasionally find my left hand blocking the pop-up flash at times. You have to watch that with this camera. Another nit: there is no recess or protective lip for the beautiful LCD viewfinder on the back of this camera. Buying one of the after-market protective products is an absolute must if you wish to avoid scratching this screen. Many are available and I recommend that users buy one at the same time as buying this camera. Last nit: this camera is a bit of a battery hog. Buying a spare battery is a good idea. A must, in fact, for the serious photographer. The camera features a 24-120 zoom lens that is F 2.0 when wide open. The lens becomes slower as you zoom in which is an inevitable trade-off for the smaller lens, but still, this is a fast lens for a camera of this class. Experienced users will know that to take good portrait shots a little zooming in from 24mm is a good idea; otherwise human subjects will be distorted. But for landscapes and other tight shots, 24mm is very nice to have. Canon has packed a lot of performance and features into the S100 and things have improved a lot since the last time I looked at the "pocketable" digital camera market. RJB.
K**N
S100 vs RX100
Last October I started looking for a new point and shoot. My old camera was a Canon A620. Its about 6 years old and been a great first digital camera for a beginner. I was thinking this time getting something nice a little more top of line. So I spent a lot of time reading and watching reviews. The RX100 had only been out a few months. All I heard were rave reviews about. So I bought my first $650 camera. When it came in I was kind of impressed. It was really high quality and small. So small and expensive I noticed my fingers hurting from holding it so tight. While trying to learn all of its functions. The first day after handling the RX100 I did not like it. Because it was so uncomfortable to hold for me. The edges were not rounded like most cameras. It had more of a square sharp edge. But after a while I got use to holding it and it became a little more comfortable. I ended up returning the RX100 in less than a month of owning it. Do to it draining the battery for no reason when not in use. 2 times while owning the camera it drained a full charged battery. I am just a novice when it comes to cameras. But honestly I felt my old A620 took better pics for me than the RX100. Which makes no since to me. I am glad I got rid of RX100. The Canon S100 right out of the box. I liked it a lot more than I did the RX100. It is so much more comfortable to hold with its nice round edges. I love this camera. I never felt that way about the RX100. Also I bought the S100 for 1/3 of the price of the RX100. Saved so much I bought the 2 year square insurance with it. Pros: super comfortable, shoots amazing pics. Cons: I see some say they don't like the S100 because it is plastic. But to me it seems like a super plastic. Kind of like a glock plastic. Seems tough to me. I would not call that a draw back. Only 2 cons I see so far. Recording video. There is a little a noise recorded when you use the zoom while recording. But not bad. And battery life could be problem. Recommendation if you buy the S100. Purchase a spare battery. They are cheap $13. Personal Con: I don't like the GPS. I know it can be turned off. But I don't trust there are not back doors into it. Just like cell phones were illegally spied on with out warrants. The gov said it was because 9/11 it started. But then we found out they had been listen to us since the 90's way before 9/11... Anyways my 2sents. So far lovin this camera...
N**A
No lens error and the S100 is made in Japan
Although this is my first camera I've ever purchased, I'll admit I was hesitant at first because of the infamous "lens error" issue. Well my silver Canon S100 model number starts with 45 and even after using this several times no error messages or issues. Spoke to Canon about this and they are aware of this issue, but factory sealed cameras with model numbers (the first two digits) from 45 and above should have no issues with the lens error issue. The Canon Powershot S100 camera is made in Japan but only the camera, compact disk, paperwork and cell in the lithium ion battery are actually made in Japan. The charger for this Canon camera, the packaging of the battery and strap are made in China. Not that is anything wrong with that, but I imagine there is some that are interested in that fact. Another fact I'd like to point out is the milliampere-hour otherwise known as (mAh) is actually 1050, not what Amazon currently lists this as 1150. That is a slight difference, especially to the person who buys this camera. The picture quality of this camera is exceptional and I take pictures with products with text and sometimes that text is rather small, yet I am still able to take a high quality picture of that item. Some of these pictures were taken in broad daylight and the quality of the picture was still top notch. For those who are interested, should your charger ever want to repair or otherwise have a interest, to remove the Torx tamper resistant screw, you'll need a Torx tamper resistant drive size seven screwdriver bit or tamper resistant Torx wrench. Once that screw is removed, all you need a spudger to remove the casing and the internal parts should be accessible. As a disclaimer, I DON'T suggest this be done unless you absolutely know what your doing and even then I don't recommend doing this at all as this could void your warranty. Overall, this is great camera and if a simple to use, well built and designed camera that is also 12.1 megapixels this is the camera for you. One final note I'd like to add, to store my Canon Powershot S100 camera, I personally use the Leatherworks brand USA made suede leather pouch model number SLMPD. I am neither advertising nor recommending this item for storage, but if your looking for a alternative means of storage here you go.
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