Canon PowerShot S90--photos

Canon's S Series returns to the PowerShot lineup with the S90, a slimmer, lighter everyday pocket camera for advanced photographers.

Joshua Goldman

Aug. 19, 2009 9:36 a.m. PT

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Canon PowerShot S90

Canon's S Series returns to the PowerShot lineup with the S90, a slimmer, lighter everyday pocket camera for advanced photographers. The camera uses a 10.0-megapixel high-sensitivity system and features the functionality of Canon's large and powerful PowerShot G-series cameras in a body that fits in a pocket.

It'll be available at retail in October for the hefty price tag of $429.99.

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The lens on the S90 is probably the best part of the package. It's a 28mm wide-angle f/2.0 lens with a 3.8x optical zoom and optical image stabilization making it better suited than most pocket cameras for low-light shooting without having to use a flash or higher ISO settings as well as a shallow depth of field.

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The S90 features a customizable control ring for easy access and operation of manual or other shooting settings. The ring has a satisfying movement to it and reminds me of a larger version of the dials found around the control pads on the backs of many of Canon's Digital Elphs.

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Focus, exposure, ISO, step zoom, or white balance can be adjusted using the control ring. A button on top of the camera lets you quickly change what function is assigned to it.

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The camera is pretty small, but it was very comfortable and felt good and solid. And yes, that's an HDMI out, but it doesn't seem to be part of the specs listed on Canon's Web site.

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Joshua Goldman/CNET

Other features include a 3-inch, 460K dots-resolution LCD, RAW+JPEG capture, and an abundant set of both manual, semimanual, and fully automatic shooting options. One thing noticeably absent, though, is HD movie capture. The S90 only does VGA. I guess Canon figures serious photographers don't want HD movies from a compact camera?