Canon PowerShot S90 Digital Camera Review

The Canon PowerShot S90 is a high-end point & shoot camera that takes great photos and provides great manual controls for serious shooters. The video it captures is lackluster, though.

This review is organized into 16 pages
Page 1 Product Tour Read More...	Page 2 Color Color accuracy overall was very good, yet there were some problems with blues and yellows. Read More...	Page 3 Noise Noise was low at all ISO levels, though noise reduction causes slightly soft images. Read More...
Page 4 Resolution Images are very sharp, with good detail…although the image stabilization didn’t have much effect. Read More...	Page 5 Video Video mode is easy to access, but the video has poor color and little detail. Read More...	Page 6 Sample Photos A gallery of photos taken with the Canon PowerShot S90 Read More...
Page 7 Playback The 3 inch screen provides a good preview of images. Read More...	Page 8 Hardware Dual control dials on front and back and customizable shortcut button provide easy control of settings, although the zoom lens is only 3.8×. Read More...	Page 9 Controls The front control ring provides good manual control, but the back control dial is a little small. Read More...
Page 10 Design & Handling It fits well in the hand, but there’s not much to grip. Read More...	Page 11 Panasonic ZS3 Comparison We compare the S90 to the DMC-ZS3. Read More...	Page 12 Canon SD970 IS Comparison We compare the S90 to the SD970 IS. Read More...
Page 13 Fuji F200EXR Comparison We compare the S90 to the F200EXR. Read More...	Page 14 Conclusion Read our final conclusion of the Canon PowerShot S90. Read More...	Page 15 Photo Gallery Read More...
Part 16 Comments Read what people are saying about the Canon PowerShot S90. Add your comments...

Jump to a part

Shop for the Canon S90

Loading Recently Viewed Products

Latest News
& Reviews

02-Feb-2012
Pentax's risky K-01 is like no other mirrorless camera

Pentax has made a brave move with their latest mirrorless system camera: they’ve to ignored all prevailing trends in the space, and announced a new model that strongly favors form over function (gasp!). Read More...
31-Jan-2012
Nikon launches Coolpix P510, the world's longest superzoom

The P510’s 42x, 24-1000mm lens leaves others in the dust, while the P310 packs an f/1.8 piece to dominate dark shooting situations. Read More...
Nikon debuts S9300 and S6300 Coolpix long-zooms, two others 31-Jan Read More...
Three new entry-level compacts from Nikon 31-Jan Read More...
Is More Zoom Always Better? 31-Jan Read More...

Canon S90 Manual

Top Rated Point & Shoots

$459.99
1
Panasonic Lumix FZ150

Excellent image quality, speedy performance, and a great design add up to the best superzoom that has ever graced our labs. That distinction seems to change hands every week, but trust us when we say that the FZ150 is a truly great camera. Read full 16-part review

$459.99

Read full 16-part review

Types

Any Zoom

3,5.1

3.1x to 5x Zoom

5.1,10

5.1x to 9.9x Zoom

10,

10x & Larger Zoom

Any Megapixels

0,8

< 8 Megapixels

8,10

8 to 10 Megapixels

10,

> 10 Megapixels
$378.99
2
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS

Canon's SX30 got a CMOS makeover that resulted in the SX40 HS, an impressive ultrazoom that captures beautiful shots in almost any scenario. Read full 16-part review

$378.99

Read full 16-part review

Types

Any Zoom

3,5.1

3.1x to 5x Zoom

5.1,10

5.1x to 9.9x Zoom

10,

10x & Larger Zoom

Any Megapixels

0,8

< 8 Megapixels

8,10

8 to 10 Megapixels

10,

> 10 Megapixels
$428.00
3
Sony Cyber-shot HX100V

This professionally-geared ultrazoom offers some of the best color accuracy we've ever seen. It's a shame the other scores weren't quite so strong. Read full 16-part review

$428.00

Read full 16-part review

Types

Ultra-Zoom

Any Zoom

3,5.1

3.1x to 5x Zoom

5.1,10

5.1x to 9.9x Zoom

10,

10x & Larger Zoom

Any Megapixels

0,8

< 8 Megapixels

8,10

8 to 10 Megapixels

10,

> 10 Megapixels

16.8 MP
$295.00
4
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47

Panasonic resists the urge to cram more megapixels and more focal length into their latest ultrazoom. The FZ47 instead focuses on image quality and features, resulting in an incredibly strong camera that we loved shooting with. Read full 16-part review

$295.00

Read full 16-part review

Types

Any Zoom

3,5.1

3.1x to 5x Zoom

5.1,10

5.1x to 9.9x Zoom

10,

10x & Larger Zoom

Any Megapixels

0,8

< 8 Megapixels

8,10

8 to 10 Megapixels

10,

> 10 Megapixels
$418.00
5
Canon PowerShot S100

Canon's PowerShot S100 improves on the popular S95 and takes its place at the top of the point-and-shoot food chain. Read full 16-part review

$418.00

Read full 16-part review

Types

Any Zoom

3,5.1

3.1x to 5x Zoom

5.1,10

5.1x to 9.9x Zoom

10,

10x & Larger Zoom

Any Megapixels

0,8

< 8 Megapixels

8,10

8 to 10 Megapixels

10,

> 10 Megapixels