I spoke in detail a few posts back about my Canon Mirrorless body, the EOS-M. After I acquired that camera I realized that I would probably not find a need to use the G9 I had. After all, the G9 was nearly as big as the EOS-M body and did not offer interchangeable lenses and an APS-C sensor. So I decided to sell the G9. My good friend and camera store owner, Graham Law at Seawood, Inc. had used the Canon S series cameras for quite a while, touting the fact that they had comparable quality to the G series with a much more compact design. So after a kind person helped me depart with my G9 on EBAY, I decided to buy a new S110. Fortunately the slightly improved S120 had just come out and the 110s were available brand new in the box for under $200. I managed to snipe one on EBAY for substantially less than $200.
The S series cameras are very small. They are not the smallest compact cameras, but they are pretty slim. They offer the same sensor as the G series which at 1/1.7 inch is larger than the typical compact camera sensor at 1/2.3 inch. The S110 offers a 5x zoom with an 35mm equivalent focal range of 24mm-120mm. (actual focal range 5.2-26mm) The maximum f-stop is 2.0 at 24mm and drops to a dismal 5.9 at 120mm. The S110 will shoot high-definition video at the full 1080p and 30fps. It has all the nice filters and custom settings to keep any camera boffin delighted for weeks on end.
My only real complaint other than the dismal maximum aperture at the tele end is the even more dismal minimum aperture at any focal length of f8. F EIGHT that’s it! Hey boys and girls, can you say “neutral density filter”. The camera performs amazingly well at high ISO settings. The quality at 400 is impeccable and up to 1600 is very good. Even photos taken up at 3200 ISO look fairly good.
I have always been impressed with Canon’s image stabilization technology. They really wrote the book on that tech. This camera does not disappoint. The IS works well and when you are stuck with a max aperture of 5.9 at 120mm it comes in handy. Another feature that the S series has that was awesome, and absent in the top end G series was the multi-function ring just behind the lens. This could be used as an aperture ring or exposure compensation and other handy uses. when using it for either of those it harkens back to the days of old film cameras and turning the aperture ring to change exposure settings. It is really a fast and intuitive way to perform a change in settings.
As good as my Android phone is at taking magnificent photos, it cannot compare to the quality of the S110 and it cannot take RAW photos which the S series cameras can. RAW gives you amazing exposure latitude and is unparalleled in image quality. The camera is quick and handy and offers some serious capability in a compact package.
As much as I adored my G9 and I had that camera from the day it was new (and current) until just recently; the S110 is really a game changer. It has the performance of the G series with the size and convenience of the ultra compact models or camera phones. My friend, Graham was right about these Canon S series cameras and I am truly enjoying the ability to use a true pocket-sized camera and get professional caliber results.
Much of the reason I write this blog is to encourage people to get out and shoot pictures. Use this amazing technology to unleash your inner artist. Get out and have fun. Why the hell not? Life is too short to miss out of great photo ops.
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