Canon PowerShot S100 review
Value & Verdict
Canon PowerShot S100 review - Value
While the £439 launch price undoubtedly made the S100 an
expensive option when it first arrived, the S100's street price has since fallen to around £300, which
makes it a much more attractive proposition.
Compared to its rivals at the time of its launch, the S100 has held its
value slightly better and is therefore remains a slightly more expensive option than say
the Panasonic Lumix LX5 (£250), the Nikon P7100 (£300), or the Olympus XZ-1
(£260).
Compared to the latest generation of advanced compacts,
however, the S100 offers very good value - just so long as you're not overly
concerned with having either the very latest model or the largest sensor
possible. For example, as a new release you can expect the Canon S110 to set
you back around £430, while the Lumix LX7 presently costs around £390. The Fuji
X10, meanwhile, has seen its price drop quite considerably since its launch,
with current street prices hovering around the £330 mark. Elsewhere, the
Olympus XZ-2 costs around £480, and the recently launched Nikon P7700 is around
£450.
Canon PowerShot S100 review - Verdict
Canon's PowerShot S100 may not look all too different from its S95 predecessor, but plenty has changed for the better. The latest model is small yet powerful: its body feels robust and the wide-angle 24-120mm f/2.0-5.9 lens is impressive from a camera of such a size.
If there's anything to try and make a fuss about then the lack of flash control, hit-and-miss HDR and that a little too much menu digging needed for single AF-point adjustment would be our shortlist. Plus the price isn't too easy on the wallet - but if you want the best then you'll have to pay out for it.
However, overall the S100 has almost everything right: It provides full manual control that high-end users demand; the front lens ring design makes for quick and easy use; fuller control of the autofocus point rectifies the S95's single biggest feature omission; pictures are decent thanks to the large (for a compact) 1/1.7in sensor; 1080p movie is great in use; and the bags of other features such as GPS don't fail to deliver.
If you want a small compact that has it all then look no further than the S100.
Have your say!
Latest comments
November 10 07:37
Jonathan
@iphonefamily, mmm ok the compactness is great and the optical zoom, but IQ is nowhere the NEX range, the S100 is right there at the top of the compact pile (with LX5 and XZ1), but I wonder how IQ compares with the S95?
November 22 21:08
Krasitsky
It can't beat Olympus XZ-1. S100 is fast only at wide angle =(
January 10 22:25
Ace
This is back in stock on Amazon - http://amzn.to/xqV3hp
January 31 13:45
BeanyPic
Have had my S100 just over a week now. Must say I;m Very, Very Impressed. Pushed it at low light shooting and have to say the lack of noise was great for a Camera this size. As for speed the lag time was right down. I'm guessing due to the new Digic % processor. This little baby will be in my pocket where ever I go that's for sure.