The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds
  • print
  • alert

Agentless Backup is Not a Myth

Ring piece

As such the S100 comes with expert features such as AE lock, Manual focus, focus bracketing, RAW format support and fine control over advanced parameters such as noise reduction. Many such features are also available on more consumer-focused cameras too, but tend to be hidden away deep in the darkest recesses of the menu system.

Canon PowerShot S100 compact camera

Retractable 5x zoom lens delivers a 35mm equivalent of a 24mm,f2 wide-angle

The key difference with the PowerShot S100 is that these functions are presented much as they would be on an SLR and if you’re familiar with an of Canon’s own EOS models you’ll recognise the sparse, textual menu system which eschews the spinning animated graphics and attention-grabbing flourishes of standard consumer models.

You get quick, customisable access to all functions, meaning you can make adjustments quickly and easily without having to resort to the menus or take your eye off the subject.

Canon PowerShot S100 compact camera

The ring at the front offers easy control of a variety of manual functions

A clicky thumbwheel mode dial sits at the top right above a new rubberised thumb grip. There's also the usual four-way cursor controller-cum-input dial sitting at the rear. Individual buttons are provided to enter playback mode or the menu system and a new dedicated movie record button is also included.

A fourth button is used to select the function of the camera’s lens-mounted control ring which is one of the PowerShot S100’s most important features: By grabbing and twisting the ring you can adjust any of a selection nine functions. These include obvious candidates such as zoom or manual focus and also control over the aperture setting – something you can’t adjust in this way even on the top of the range Canon SLRs.

Canon PowerShot S100 compact camera

Familiar functions, but now the S100 features improved grip adornments

None of these control options would matter one jot without some serious specifications to back them up, and here the PowerShot S100 does not disappoint.

Top-notch optics are a given, and Canon has extended the zoom range of the PowerShot S95 at both the wide and telephoto ends to give us a range of 5.2mm to 26mm which translates to 24mm to 120mm in 35mm terms. This works out at a 5x zoom range – a significant increase on the 3.8x zoom of its predecessor but still relatively narrow in today’s market.

Customer Success Testimonial: Recovery is Everything

Next page: Sample Shots

I disagree that the GPS is a gimmick

Especially after a trip, I find that being able to tie down where a shot was taken really makes reviewing them more pleasurable.

Especially when visiting destinations that change substantially with the seasons, being able to locate and view other people's photos taken at the same place and a different time of year adds an interesting extra dimension to the place you've visited.

6
0

90%

Sounds such a good review that it should be rated at 90% which bring it down from 100% with some minor issues like the min aperature and speed in raw mode.

How often does a RegHard review go below 60% and above 90%. The scores on the doors are not good enough to give a realistic view of the review. At the moment you have to take 60% as crap and 90% as effing brilliant. It should be more like 10% for crap and 100% as effing brilliant.

3
0

Re: I disagree that the GPS is a gimmick

Agreed!

If you're serious about photography you often go out on a walkabout and shoot a series of recce shots to scout a location, you'll often do this without your full bag of kit. Having a camera with GPS means you know to within a few feet exactly where you took the viewpoint you really favoured. Nothing worse than scouting a location then coming back a week or two later and wandering about in the dark trying to find the exact spot you wanted to shoot from again.

1
0

More from The Register

Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Proof the pen is mightier?
Sammy’s iPad Mini killer has a stylus to stab other rivals too
First look: iOS 7 for iPad
No, Apple hasn't released it yet, but that doesn't stop intrepid devs
 breaking news
Curtain drops on Apple Store ahead of WWDC: What lies behind?
Steve Jobs watching from on high. No pressure, lads
 breaking news
Cold, dead hands of Steve Jobs slip from iPhones: The Cult of Ive is upon us
Billionaire biz baron's death clears way for uber-shiny iOS 7
Airbus imagines suitcases that find themselves
Point your mobe at your smalls to track their every move
Microsoft lures buy-curious vixens, corduroys with a cheap fondle
Surface slab sales latest: Will no one rid Ballmer of these turbulent tabs?
Surprise! Intel smartphone trounces ARM in power trials
Tests show equal performance while sipping significantly less juice
Samsung plans LTE Advanced version of Galaxy S4
1Gbps download capability could stiffen drooping S4 sales forecasts
Apple said to be 'exploring' 5.7-inch iPhone
Who's the copycat this time, Mr. Cook?
Google Chromebooks now in over 6,600 stores
Major, worldwide retail push begins this summer