I had the chance to spend a few days in PEI last weekend and took the opportunity to take a few photos. I was traveling light so I only brought my Canon PowerShot S90 point and shoot camera.

Canon PowerShot S90

A few words on the PowerShot S90; I really like this little camera. While many photographers rave about the Canon Gxx series of cameras, I find that they are compact but not truly pocket cameras as the S90 is.

Here are some of the nice features of the Canon PowerShot S90:

Being a small compact camera it is expectedly not fast enough to shoot action, flash is not powerful, etc.

The only feature that I am disappointed with is the macro focusing abilities which keeps hunting for focus.

Overall I would highly recommend this camera for someone wanting a true pocket camera with advanced features. It won’t give you the photo quality of a DSLR, but because you can carry it in your pocket at all times, it will allow you to get some shots you would otherwise miss! This is the ideal bring everywhere pocket camera for times you are not bringing along your camera bag with DSLR and lenses with you.

Here are a few sample pictures taken with the PowerShot S90 and some Photoshop/ACR processing descriptions. Unless indicated otherwise all photos captured at ISO 80:
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Canon EOS 7D

On September 1st 2009, Canon announced it’s latest APS-C (1.6x Crop Factor) digital SLR camera. This camera delivers more powerful features than the latest in the X0D series (Canon 50D), thus the reason for a new name and a higher price tag (MSRP 1699$US Body Only). This model will be the direct competition for the Nikon D300S. The 7D will be available at the end of September. (continue reading…)

Today Canon announced the introduction of new Tilt-Shift lenses to it’s lineup. The TS-E 17mm f/4L and the TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II.
These lenses will be available in April 2009, the TS-E 17mm will sell for $2499 and the TS-E 24mm for US$2199. (continue reading…)

Two very exiting new controllers were released today by PocketWizard. The FlexTT5 and MiniTT1 support the full functionality of Canon’s E-TTLII flash system including Master/Slave and ratio control (with some restrictions). The controllers will be available in March 2009 for Canon system. Nikon system support to be made available in the second quarter of 2009. Price around US$199 for the MiniTT1 and US$219 for the FlexTT5.
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The long awaited Canon EOS 5D replacement was announced prior to Photokina 2008 on September 17th. Three years after the 5D, we have the 5D MarkII.

Here’s a short feature comparison chart between the two cameras.

Among the new features on the 5D MarkII are (Quoted from Canon USA website):

Highest ISO Range to Date.
21.1 Megapixel Full-frame CMOS sensor, 14-bit A/D conversion (16,384 colors/each of 3 primary color), wide range ISO setting of 100-6400 (expandable L: 50, H1: 12800 and H2: 25600).
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State-of-the-Art Image Processing with Power and Speed.
Next generation DIGIC 4 Image Processor for faster processing of fine detail and color reproduction as well as reduced image noise.
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The EOS 5D Mark II’s sensor is backed up by Canon’s DIGIC 4 Image Processor, which speeds up all operations making a number of new features possible. Processor intensive operations like Face Detection Live mode, HD video recording and lighting and lens peripheral optimization are all possible thanks to the DIGIC 4 Image Processor. The EOS 5D Mark II also offers full 14-bit A/D conversion. The analog output from the image sensor is converted into a digital signal via 14-bit conversion instead of the previously used 12-bit conversion, resulting in significantly finer tonal gradation for better prints.

HD Video Shooting with Live View Function.
Full HD Video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution for up to 4GB per clip with HDMI output for HD viewing of stills and video.

Lens Peripheral Illumination Correction
Canon’s exclusive Lens Peripheral Illumination Correction takes into account any light falloff in the corners of the frame and corrects it, making for a perfectly exposed image. Correction data are detected automatically on a number of Canon lenses and can be entered manually through included Canon EOS Utility software.

You can get more information at:
Canon USA
DPReview release announcement
DPReview hands on preview
Dpreview sample gallery
Sample ‘Reverie’ video clips from Vincent Laforet

I came across this site today which I think is a great resource for Canon Digital SLR equipment. You can find reviews on Canon Digital SLR, Canon, Tamron, Sigma Canon compatible lenses, Canon flashes and more. The site is a great reference for anyone looking for information on Canon Digital SLR systems, check it out at The-Digital-Picture.com

The Canon 40D is one of many advanced amateur Digital SLRs to be announced/released in the past few months. The 10MP Canon 40D will be competing with the Sony Alpha A700 and the Nikon D300, both 12MP cameras. You can read a full review for the Canon 40D at dpreview.com.