The Canon Powershot S90 was Canon's first true premium sub-compact camera that came out in 2009. It featured a large (for the time) 1/1.7" 10mp CCD sensor (the same sensor used in comparable G series Powershots like the G11) a fast f2 (at full wide angle) lens that dialed down to a reasonable f4.9 zoomed in, a fully customizable second command wheel around the lens with RAW shooting and Full Manual as well as priority modes.
Prior to the S90 the S series cameras while they offered more advanced controls and RAW shooting were not very compact and chunky cameras, with sliding lens covers that were prone to failure. And while they took decent quality images they were slow, non-responsive and very frustrating to use (I will be reviewing my older S series camera the S45 and I won't have nearly as much praise for it as I do the S90).
The S90 and S95 laid the foundation for the S1X0 series cameras which are about the smallest pocket cameras that you can buy that have two control wheels, RAW shooting and Full Manual control. Sadly I don't own a S1X0 series anymore (I had a S100 but traded it in towards a Panasonic LX100) currently but I may have the chance to review my friend's Canon Powershot S120 at some point in a future review this year.
This is a pocket camera I should be shooting a lot more then I do. It's limited 3.8x zoom is the big restriction from me taking it with me for everyday street photography as I prefer to have a bit more optical zoom so I can quickly change framing quickly.
However the S90 is small, discreet and despite it being from 2009 still performs adequately in indoor lighting. Between this camera and the Olympus XZ-1 (which I reviewed previously) I prefer the Olympus XZ-1 but only slightly. This camera still delivers great looking shots on a crisp vibrant CCD sensor in a very small package that still gives me full control over taking the photo when I want it.
The camera has very little shutter lag and startup/shutdown lag. It's not going to win any records for burst shooting but for a quick take out of pouch, take a shot, put back into pouch it works really well.
The Canon Powershot S90 is solidly built and has a nice comfortable weight to it. It has the fairly standard "Deck of Cards" shape and lacks a grip on the front, but you can buy 3rd party adhesive rubber and 3D printed plastic and wood front grips that work well for it should you wish.
The front control ring was groundbreaking for pocket cameras at the time, and led to more modern cameras like the Sony RX100, Canon G9x and Panasonic ZS100 implementing this feature. Without the Canon S90 we likely would have never seen this feature come to life.
The Canon Powershot S90 is a pioneer in high-end digital pocket cameras, and even in 2023 fourteen years later it is still Solid and a lot of fun to use.
I only ran into two issues with mine and this is likely specific case due to the age of the camera and usage. First off the battery life is not the best; but the batteries are so small and slim bringing a spare with is not a big deal.
Secondly my S90 has a weird glitch where it will refuse to focus on "landscape" images, that is a scene where all elements are beyond the infinity range of the camera under very specific conditions. It will struggle with getting this infinity focus in less then ideal outdoor lighting conditions for example a very overcast day especially one with a little haze on the horizon. But I have not been able to replicate the issue indoors or in better lighting conditions outside IE a sunny day.
Overall I can easily give it a solid 8 out of 10. Its fun to shoot, can shoot in RAW and gets very appealing looking photos. The only reason I don't carry it more is the S90 still has some limitations namely a more limited optical zoom. But as far as the vintage Digicams I own it, along with the Olympus XZ-1 both are in a league of their own.
So without further ado enjoy a few photos I took from the Canon Powershot S90 this week:
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