Which Canon Point & Shoot?

[rafikicat]

I'm looking for a Canon p & s camera to carry around in my pocket, for times when I don't want to carry my big Canon DSLR and lenses.
My first digital camera was a Canon PowerShot A430, which I still have, but it's a bit bulky to put in a pocket.
Can I have your suggestions please.
Thanks in advance.
Toni

[soulman]

The S95 is about as good as it gets in Canon super-compacts. It's the size of an IXUS but has full manual control, shoots RAW & has a fast wide angle zoom. I find them a bit small - and slippery - myself, but they're definitely small enough for a pocket.

[Tjfrnds]

I agree with soulman.. I've been looking for a replacement for my ixus70 and the S95 seems to be the best canon compact out there at the moment with the bonus of shooting in RAW.

[rafikicat]

Thanks Soulman and Tjfrnds, I was looking at the S95. I will investigate it further.
:th3:

[Tjfrnds]

Here's a review of the s95 on cnet & dpreview

http://www.cnet.com.au/canon-powershot-s95-339305260.htm

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1008/10081918canonpowershots95.asp

Cheers
Tania

[mpb]

It is aways difficult selecting a p&s with all the features they have, most of which are not used.

I am in the process trying to select one with my wife for her to use. I found the only way to narrow them down is to what she shoots and how.

You need to workout what is important and what is not. For my wife optical zoom is very important whereas manual settings and raw is not. The S95 with 3.8 optical zoom seems a bit light on. But might suit you.

Al the best.

[rafikicat]

Thanks Tania for the links, and Mark for your comments.
As I already have a DSLR, whatever I buy needs to fit in with that so RAW is very important, and I like the idea of plenty of manual controls. I'm not fussed about the 3.8 optical zoom, and I want something small. As I get older I find that lugging around a 5D and various lenses is just too much if I'm just going to a family party, or want to keep a camera in the car "just in case".
Your comments have been very helpful.

[soulman]

Depending on the size of your pockets this may be a little large, but my pick of the current range of affordable compacts is actually the G12. It is a little larger and probably not strictly a pocketable compact, but I prefer that and the extra external controls and viewfinder make it the one for me. Slightly longer in the tele end too - 140 as opposed to 105 on the S95.

Perhaps worth thinking about too if you think it would fit your physical requirements.

[astrogirl529]

I bought an ixus but am completely unhappy with it, so don't go there!

[Bennymiata]

If you get a G12, you can still use all your Canon accessories like flashes etc.
You can also buy genuine Canon screw-on adaptors for macro and tele as well.

On most screens, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between photos taken on say a 400D and the G12.

They don't call it the SLR users' favourite P&S for nothing.
It's also one of the very few P&S that actually has an optical viewfinder too.
Holding a camera out at arms length feels unatural for us SLR users.

[rafikicat]

All good advice, I've seen the G12, but it's too expensive and too big - a great camera I'm sure, but I only want the p & s as a back up for when I don't want to carry the 5D. I'll let you all know how I go, but it looks like the S95.
Thanks again

[Chilli]

I have the canon SX210, it has RAW and all the settings you could want, also Video.
I do find it fidgety after being used to DSLR's (as Bennymiata expressed), however its come in handy for me.

[rafikicat]

Well the S95 arrived yesterday and I took it for a test run today - mostly macro flowers as I just walked around the block. It fits in my pocket, the controls are a breeze and it will do all I want it to I think.
Soulman - The S95 now has a non-slip surface.
Here is one of my first shots - and thank you everyone for your comments and advice.

http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/rafikicat/52%20in%202011/MyBanksia2.jpg