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

As Chase Jarvis says........"The best camera is the one that's with you." So it goes with this little camera. Little in size but pretty big in features and picture quality. I also invested in the belt loop Canon leather carrying case and I have this camera with me wherever I go. So far (I've had it a few months) it's doing an excellent job. I shoot in raw (larger file size) and process in Lightroom 2 but it will certainly shoot in jpeg also. The quality is really good (even cranked up to ISO 800). It shoots well in low light. It doesn't have any extreme zoom to it but it's sufficient for most any need. I find that as small as it is, in my shaky hands, I couldn't steady it very well if it zoomed any more than it already does. I have also invested in a monopod for it and that really helps with steadying it. It does have the anti shake feature that most cameras have, but I'm pretty shaky and needed a little more (or else I have to adjust up the shutter speed). Not to mention that it's handy to be able to hold the monopod out in front of me and take my wife's and my picture in whatever setting we happen to be in (I put a small ballhead on the monopod) so I could adjust the camera to whatever angle I needed to get our self portrait shots. That's pretty nice!! Just set the timer and smile!!! The features are nice, it's picture quality is great, and it truly gives you total control if you want it (Manual). For those that don't care to learn the bells and whistles, it has a lot of modes that allow you to just preset and shoot and let the camera do the imaging. Since photography is a big hobby of mine, I'm enjoying learning it's features and are shooting more and more in manual. I like being able to tell the camera what I want instead of just letting it decide for me. I'm certainly still learning but so far I'm very pleased. In my research, I looked closely at the Canon G11 which, in my opinion, had one other feature I liked which was a hot shoe to be able to put an external flash on (or put on a pocket wizard and set up the flash somewhere else), but my main concern was having the portability. I chose this camera because I can keep it with me and that's worth more to me than having to carry a larger camera. If I want to do that, I'll take my DSLR with me. The S90 has a small pop up flash that is adequate for most needs. I'll have to admit that it takes some getting used to where to put your fingers when holding the camera as the pop up flash pops up right where you tend to want to hold it (top left hand corner from behind the camera). I had read about that quite a bit in other reviews. They're right! But it's not insurmountable to get past. I have experimented some with the small flash and found that (1) you can adjust the amount of flash coming out of it and that helps in toning down the flash for just a fill flash on a sunny day and (2) If you lay a napkin or the end of a handkerchief over the little flash that pops up, it really softens the light that comes out of it. My wife and I are going on a cruise later this year and I really wanted something I could take along easily without carrying a bunch of camera gear with me. I think this is going to do the job just fine. Not to mention I've gotten some great impromptu shots just going back and forth to work. I have no idea how sturdy this camera is or how long it will last in the day to day world, but so far so good. I would recommend this camera to anyone wanting to have that camera with them that goes beyond what a cell phone will do (at least at this point in time). With technology, who knows huh? The nice thing about it is, if you want just a point and shoot, it's here and if you want to continue to grow and learn more about it's features and other tricks you can do with it, it's capable of that too. The best of both worlds!! Enjoy!!! Hope this helps some! 12 21 2010 Still doing a great job! I've (gasp) dropped it onto concrete once. Still taking great pics!!! I really like the flexibility and the features. No regrets whatsoever with this little camera! I carry it with me every day (I bought a nice leather case that goes on my belt) and it's so easy to just take out quickly and snap a shot or two. I walk 3 miles each morning and I take it with me for some great sun rises and fog shots.

I bought this camera because I want something combining both the picture quality of my Olympus C4000 (which has very good pic quality, but pretty bulky )and portability of my Nikon Coolpix L4, and also can shoot good indoor light low pic for items my wife sell on-line. I should say the low-light close up pictures are very impressive, at least compared with the other 2, and with ISO 800, there is not much grains, and the pictures shot with regular 60W floor light looks like being shot under directly sun light, and details and density is pretty impressive with accurate color. however, to my great disappointment, the pros stop there, except that benefit, this sturdily and beautifully built camera (made in japan)with exhaustive features and settings can barely beat Nikon camera (4MP, bought 4 years ago for around $150)in terms of picture quality, especially in the density and feel of space. there is easily detectable flatness and softness in everything in pictures shot under various light conditions leading the pictures to a blurry pixels after zooming in a few times in PC screen. the different density and texture of material is almost non-existent in pics shot by this camera. to me, this $400 so-call point and shoot only next to SLR is a joke considering the value and performance it offers. yes, as to the color accuracy, I can tell that the Nikon camera color is on cool side, while the Canon is on warm side, both of which are within acceptable range, but the picture quality of the latter is much much worse. if you really like the features and craftsmanship of a Japan made camera, and believe will be very happy with slightly better pic quality than that of a good camera cell phone, you may still want to consider this. otherwise, as long as you're not completely blind to what a good picture should look like, I strongly suggest you stay away from it and try other choices, which, at the price range of $250-400, are available in abundance.