Canon PowerShot S100 Digital Camera Review

Color

Color accuracy is solid, but doesn't quite reach levels we were hoping for from Canon. In the most accurate color mode, Neutral, flesh tones are way off, though reds and magentas are pretty close. Scenes were also undersaturated by about 9%, which at least makes sense here at the "neutral" setting. Still, with skin tones inaccurate as they are, human subjects may appear unnatural and unflattering. More on how we test color.

Despite the relatively mediocre score, the S100's reproduction of color is still better than some of this camera's closest competition. Canon's own PowerShot G12, another high-end compact, fared much worse in our color test. Even the Olympus XZ-1 lagged behind, as did the Panasonic Lumix LX5, and some Panasonics have been known to ace this test.

Color Modes

While the Neutral color mode appears relatively dull compared to others, it is the best choice and the one we used for the remainder of our tests. Second to that, simply turning off all color modes (or "My Colors") is only slightly less accurate, but this setting oversaturates by about 14%. Most other color modes are too far off to be useful.