I just received my new camera, a Canon PowerShot S90, after much debate. Beginning a few months ago I started to think about a new camera. I was primarily looking for a smaller camera (as compared to my Canon 50D), something that I could cary around on a daily or near daily basis, with good image quality, and manual controls. The first question I faced was what type of camera to get. The options I considered were a point and shoot, micro four-thirds, or a specialized compact camera (basically a Sigma DP-1/2).

So for the last few months I’ve been going back and fourth on the type of camera I was looking for. Finally here is how I decided on a point and shoot:

* Micro four-thirds: When I started looking at these cameras there was only one on the market, the Olympus EP-1, now there are a few more on the market, the EP-2 and Panasonic GF-1. While I really like the fact these cameras have large sensors (not as large as my dSLR, but the next best thing) and the ability the change lenses. However, at the end of the day the camera, even with a pancake lens, is a large camera and not pocketable, something that I wouldn’t be able to cary around with me everyday, in fact it may only be useful during the times I would otherwise use my dSLR. Second, it’s a whole new system that may be an expensive system to invest in and I see how it would compete with my dSLR system for use. Additionally, this is a new platform and I see a lot of new development over the next year which, if I would have bought into the system now I may end up with buyers remorse as better cameras come out which may fix the issues people are having with these cameras (auto focus speed comes to mind).

* Specialized compacts (Sigma DP1/DP2): I think these are great little cameras with a huge FOVEON X3 sensor. And I really considered the DP-2. I would love to have a compact camera with a nearly APS-C sensor. In fact, I think the DP-2 (or newer version) may be my next camera. I decided against this model now because of its fixed focal length which is quite limiting for everyday shooting and the complaints over the auto-focus speed and noise and the controls. The body is a little large for carrying around everyday but I think its doable. I wish there was a place in the area (Metro DC) I could go and play with one of these.

* Point and shoot: compact point and shoot’s are often problematic due to their consumer driven appeal (often lacking the dSLR type manual controls) and their small sensor sizes. However, there are some high-end point and shoot cameras like the Canon G11, Canon S90, and Panasonic LX-3. Seeing as the Canon G11 and S90 as new I took a hard look at them. The G11 and S90 are nearly the same camera (sensor, processor, and controls) I decided on the S90 as I was looking for something more compact. Additionally, since its release there have been many great reviews, here, here, here. In the finial analysis, it came down to a camera was pretty good IQ, manual controls, and a very small size. The S90 is something that I can cary around with me everywhere.

I’m looking forward to playing with the S90 over the coming days. I’ll post some thoughts on it later.