Trick: If the camera is off, hold the PLAY button a few seconds to wake it up in PLAY mode without having to extend the lens. All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 10 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 3Mb.

Auto (including Face Detection WB), Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash, Underwater, Custom. It's likely that Canon has chosen to let its target enthusiast photographers do their sharpening in post, a strategy they've pursued since at least back to the EOS 20D. Ultimately I should have bracketed this shot just to be sure, as the histogram wouldn't have told me much. I'm told that you can add a comment that will appear in the EXIF data, which you set under Preferences as "Owner's Name" in the included CameraWindow software. In fact, the S90 feels like a point-and-shoot camera that, to use crass MTV parlance, has been ‘pimped'.

Some may argue that the S95 is the better option here, but when you are pinching pennies, I find much better deals can be had for the S90. It's got a great lens and great features and is only let down slightly by the inevitable handling issues that come with such a small camera.

This is a very full-featured model which features full-manual controls, including manual focus, and highly efficient controls. And for the most part the S90 delivers on its promise; the image quality is surprisingly good, the user interface well thought out and the design truly pocket-friendly.The buttons are nearly flush with the body and everything's packed close together, which might upset some users. In-camera processing fixes most lens anomalies, making a pretty amazing and useful wide-angle to telephoto range. Full AF shutter lag is an area where the Canon S90 has an advantage over the Panasonic LX3, coming in at 0. Canon's box-and-circle design is popular and often imitated, but this time the ring around the front lens element isn't just for decoration, it's a moving Control ring that you can program to perform one of several functions: Focus, ISO, Exposure, White Balance, and Zoom. But this chunky yet competent backpack doesn't have a killer feature or look that makes it stand out from some pretty tough competition.