Canon PowerShot S100 Review | 108 Data compared

The DPReview evaluation highlights the Canon PowerShot S100 as a capable, enthusiast-focused camera featuring a 12-megapixel CMOS sensor, DIGIC 5 processor, and excellent low-light performance up to ISO 3200. Its key strengths include a compact design, a versatile, customizable lens control ring, and robust manual controls, along with GPS and raw shooting capabilities. Conversely, the 24-120mm equivalent lens exhibits significant edge softness at its widest, variable corner sharpness, and a rapidly dropping aperture to F5.9 at telephoto. Furthermore, the S100 suffers from limited video control, audible lens noise, and poor continuous autofocus tracking.

The Canon PowerShot S100 is a premium pocket camera designed for enthusiast photographers, featuring a 12-megapixel CMOS sensor and an upgraded DIGIC 5 processor. Key upgrades over its predecessors include a wider 5x stabilized zoom lens (24-120mm equivalent) and built-in GPS functionality for image mapping and automatic clock synchronisation. Video capabilities are also improved with 1080p Full HD video recording at 24fps, complete with a dedicated rear record button and the ability to use optical zoom and autofocus during video capture. Additionally, the camera addresses a major handling issue of previous models by making the rear dial inactive for Exposure Value (EV) adjustment until the EV button is pressed, preventing accidental setting changes. On the downside, the camera suffered a minor price increase to $430 and has received aesthetic criticism for its unattractive colour and bulging mode dial controls compared to the minimalist design of the S95. While the lens provides excellent versality, the 24mm wide-angle setting can produce noticeable edge distortion in portraits and displays somewhat soft corners due to aggressive in-camera distortion correction. Performance remains a notable weakness;...

The Canon PowerShot S100 is a premium, GPS-enabled compact camera designed for advanced photography enthusiasts, serving as a highly upgraded replacement for the older S95 model. It features a 12.1-megapixel 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor, the advanced DIGIC 5 processor, and a versatile 24-120mm equivalent zoom lens. Compared to its predecessor, it expands the ISO range up to 6400, introduces Full HD 1080p video recording at 24fps with stereo sound, features a closer 3cm macro mode, and significantly boosts burst shooting up to 9.6fps in its High-speed Burst HQ mode. The camera excels in build quality, manual control over settings, and responsive GPS performance, delivering superb image quality—especially when shooting in raw format and at high ISO sensitivities. However, it does present a few drawbacks, including a steep launch price, limited control over the built-in flash, and some functional features that are not as easily accessible as desired. Overall, the S100 delivers impressive real-world performance that effectively tackles the rising competition from compact system cameras.

The DXOMARK review of the Canon PowerShot S100 highlights the camera as a milestone for Canon, successfully expanding its resolution to a 13-megapixel sensor while maintaining solid image quality. According to the technical tests, the primary pros of the S100 include its improved color depth and better dynamic range when compared to its direct predecessors, the S95, G10, and G11. It also holds a clear competitive advantage over its closest category rival, the Nikon Coolpix P7100, specifically outperforming it in color depth and dynamic range metrics. Additionally, despite the higher pixel density, the camera manages to preserve acceptable low-light performance, securing an overall DXOMARK sensor score of 50. DxOMark However, the review points out notable market constraints and cons when looking at the broader photographic landscape. While the PowerShot S100 stands out as one of the best high-end compact options available, its image quality and overall versatility are outmatched by emerging interchangeable-lens compact cameras, such as the Nikon 1 J1 and V1, which benefit from a wider selection of lenses. Ultimately, DXOMARK notes that the S100 faces a tough market...

The Canon PowerShot S100 is an ultracompact point-and-shoot camera that features a 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, an f/2.0 lens, optical image stabilization, and a customizable control ring surrounding the lens. It is highly praised for its excellent ergonomics—including a front rubber strip and a pronounced right-hand grip—as well as its painless, user-friendly crossroads-style menus. Performance-wise, the camera delivers impressive noise reduction at lower sensitivities, reliable color fidelity for a compact model, and exceptional sharpness capabilities up to 2200 lw/ph. Additionally, it supports creative features like full manual shooting modes (PASM), RAW image capture, a High-speed Burst HQ mode shooting at 8.5 frames per second, and 1080/24p video recording. Despite these solid features, the review identifies several design flaws and performance drawbacks. A major physical annoyance is the motorized flash unit, which tends to pop up randomly right where the user’s finger rests during shooting. The built-in GPS transceiver is also dismissed as a gimmick because it takes around ten minutes to find a signal. In terms of image quality, the default Neutral setting struggles with color accuracy, producing undersaturated scenes and...

The T3 review of the Canon PowerShot S100 highlights a highly capable, pocket-sized camera offering professional, DSLR-like manual controls within a 26.7mm frame. Key advantages include a versatile 24-120mm equivalent lens, a 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor with Digic 5 processor for improved low-light performance and 9.5 fps shooting, alongside RAW support and Full HD video. Conversely, the camera suffers from poor battery life of around 200 shots, significant barrel distortion at the widest setting, and noticeable image softening at ISO 6400. Additionally, the f/2.0 maximum aperture quickly drops to f/5.9 when zooming in.

The Canon PowerShot S100 is a compact, advanced pocket camera that introduces several key design and hardware upgrades over its predecessor, the S95. It features an expanded 5x optical zoom starting at a wide-angle 24mm equivalent, built-in GPS capabilities for location logging, full 1080p HD video recording, and a physical front grip that improves handling comfort. The camera maintains strong image quality for its compact 1/1.7-inch sensor size, producing sharp JPEG images up to ISO 200, clean low-light performance up to ISO 800, and highly usable Raw files at ISO 1600. Additionally, its physical lens control ring provides convenient manual customization, allowing users to map essential settings like ISO, shutter speed, or preset stepped zoom increments directly to the lens barrel. Despite these advanced updates, the PowerShot S100 suffers from noticeable performance trade-offs. The most significant downside of the expanded 5x zoom lens is that its maximum aperture narrows very rapidly as you zoom out (from f/2.0 down to f/5.9), which quickly drains available light and forces the user to rely heavily on higher ISO settings in dim conditions. Furthermore,...

The Trusted Reviews analysis of the Canon PowerShot S100 highlights a high-end enthusiast compact featuring a new 12.1-megapixel 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor and DIGIC 5 processor for improved image quality and dynamic range. Key advantages include a versatile 5x optical zoom lens with a bright f/2.0 aperture, a customizable lens control ring, and 1080p Full HD video recording. Conversely, the review notes significant limitations, such as visible JPEG processing artifacts and a drop in aperture to a dim f/5.9 at the telephoto end. Additionally, the camera suffers from limited autofocus options during video recording and rapid battery drain when using the integrated GPS system.

In the ⁠WIRED review by Mark McClusky, the Canon PowerShot S100 receives a rating of 8/10 as an exceptional, high-end compact camera that improves upon its predecessors in almost every way. The pros of this $420 device include a fast wide-end f/2 lens, an expanded 24-120mm equivalent zoom, a faster Digic V image processing chip, and built-in GPS capabilities for photo tagging. Additionally, it features a physical hand-hold on the front case to prevent drops, full 1080p HD video recording, and a CMOS sensor utilizing DSLR technology. In real-world testing, it delivered fast focusing and handled low-light conditions beautifully, making it an excellent tool for dedicated photographers who want full manual power, RAW capabilities, and deep setting adjustments in a pocket-sized form factor. Despite its high quality, the reviewer ultimately questions whether most consumers should purchase it, identifying several notable cons. A primary drawback is that it offers "more camera than many need" but perhaps lacks the advanced controls required by strict professionals. Furthermore, a dedicated movie button on the back eliminates a previous photographic control layout, and the camera...

The Canon PowerShot S100 is a highly portable, upgraded compact camera featuring a new 12-megapixel backlit CMOS sensor that delivers excellent image quality and 10fps burst shooting. Key improvements include enhanced handling with new front and rear grips, along with a wider, longer zoom lens housed in a slimmer body. ePHOTOzine However, the camera suffers from significantly reduced battery life when using the built-in GPS, and its operational focus speeds do not show improvement over the previous S95 model. Additionally, the S100 launched at a higher price point than its predecessor. ePHOTOzine

The Canon PowerShot S100 is a pocket-sized compact camera aimed at enthusiast photographers that upgrades its predecessor, the S95, with a 12 Megapixel CMOS sensor and a DIGIC 5 processor. It expands its versatile focal range to a 5x (24-120mm equivalent) zoom while maintaining a bright f/2.0 aperture at the wide end, all packed into one of the smallest and most pocketable bodies in its class. Notable new performance features include full 1080p video recording at 24fps with continuous autofocus, a High-Speed Burst HQ mode shooting 9.6fps, a built-in ND filter, a physical front control ring, and an integrated GPS with route-logging capabilities. Pros and Cons Pros: Excellent pocketability, an expanded 24-120mm zoom range, automatic lens cover, customisable lens control ring, and upgraded 1080p video with optical zoom support. Cons: The lens aperture slows significantly to a dark f/5.9 when fully zoomed in, the built-in GPS heavily drains the slim battery, there is no hotshoe or accessory port for an external flash or viewfinder, and the continuous autofocus is not as snappy as some competitors.