Take a popular camera line, whether compact or entry-level SLR, and you can be sure that it'll be updated every year. Whether it needs to be or not. Sometimes, though, these incremental updates hide some genuinely big changes. So it is with Canon's new S100.
On the surface, it looks like the S100 isn't much different from 2010's S95, itself a rather pedestrian upgrade from the S90. But despite the similarity of specs, there's a lot to like.
The most obvious addition is GPS. The S100 will geotag you images for you as you shoot. The next big leap is the DIGIC5 processor chip, apparently six times faster than the DIGIC IV, and with 100% less Roman numerals.
But the real changes come in the sensor and lens. The pixel count for the CMOS sensor jumps modestly, from 10 to 12 megapixels, but according to Canon it uses “EOS technology,” including bigger micro-lenses and on-chip noise-reduction to help low-light performance. At 1x1.7-inches, the sensor is still relatively large compared to most digicam sensors, and now shoots up to ISO 6400 quite happily. It can also capture 1080p video, up from the S95's 720p.
On paper, the lens also looks virtually unchanged. The maximum aperture is still ƒ2.0, and the zoom range now runs from 24-120mm instead of 28-105mm (35mm equivalent). But the lens elements are of an all-new design, and the image stabilization now features seven (seven!) different modes. One lame-ification of the new design is that the maximum aperture when zoomed to the longest focal length drops from ƒ4.9 to ƒ5.9.
There is also the obligatory smattering of new special FX. One of these is actually pretty useful, allowing different white balances in different parts of the frame to correct for mixed lighting.
The Powershot S100 will cost around $430.
Powershot S100 product page [Canon]
source:Gadget Lab
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