For a long time I have wanted something in between my iPhone and my digital SLR which produced photographs that were of print quality. Often when I am traveling it is not practical to carry a digital SLR all the time, or don’t want to attract attention by taking out a large ‘professional’ looking camera.

The iPhone camera is great, and serves it’s purpose. But the image quality even on the latest iPhone 4 just isn’t quite there, especially in difficult low light situations.

I have had various other cheaper point and shoot cameras over the years, but I wanted a Camera that I can easily put in my pocket but know that the end result would have the potential to make prints from. The new Canon S100 seemed to meet my requirements so I took the plunge… Here are my thoughts.

Camera specs

• High-sensitivity 12.1 MP Canon CMOS
• HS System with DIGIC 5
• Ultra-wide 24mm, f/2.0, 5x zoom lens. Intelligent IS
• Lens Control Ring, NR control and RAW
• GPS tracking
• Full HD 1080p video, HDMI output
• Large 7.5 cm (3.0″) LCD
• Up to ISO 6400

Taken from Canon S100 webpage, full specifications there

Sample images

These are un-edited JPEGs from the camera. Click to view the full size images.

Pizza shot with in natural light – 1/60s F/2.0 and ISO800

Ski slope – ISO 80, 1/1250s, F/4.5

Mountain view – ISO 80, 1/320s, f/5,9

Headphone – ISO 400, 1/60s f/2.0

Advantages

• Fits in your pocket
• Fast F/2.0 aperture at wide end
• RAW files
• Great image quality at lower ISOs
• Acceptable image quality at ISO 1600
• GPS is a great feature
• Good sold built quality
• Responsive controls and no waiting for RAW file writes
• Video looks great
• Built in ND filter
• Wide 24mm lens

Disadvantages

• Small sensor, so limited depth of field
• Expensive
• Lens is slow when zoomed in (F/5.9 at long end)
• Function dial and shutter button are the wrong way round in my opinion!!
• Lacks custom functions available on DSLRs (considering price)
• Battery life isn’t great
• No optical view finder

All content and pictures Copyright Ed Salter 2012. No re-use without permission.

When I heard about the Sigma offering I was really excited, a prime fish eye which can shoot at f/2.8, now that sounded tempting. It has been a lot of fun so far.

I thought I would include a couple of sample photos of the lens in action, shooting sports photography. Firstly is a skate photo, shot just before it rained, shot with 1 Sunpak 555 and a 1 Vivitar 285 both off camera and set to half power triggered by Elinchrom Skyports.

[All pictures link to higher resolution Flickr ones]

First impressions

I thought my Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 was wide at 10mm, the fisheye is on another level! Very strange being able to see your feet or tripod legs in photos. The lens feels well built, a little heavier than I expected, which is no bad thing in my opinion. There is a small lens hood to protect from glare and comes with Sigma’s standard soft carrying case.

Although you cannot place regular filters on this lens, there is a small gelatin type holder on the rear of the lens for this purpose. The lens comes with the usual neat Sigma soft case.

The next sample photo is a BMX shot again using 2 flashes, one on camera and one to camera left.

Autofocus

Autofocus is provided by Sigma’s HSM which means it is quick and quiet, no problems there. It is worth noting though that because the lens’s DOF is so shallow for most photos the lens will be set to infinity anyway.

Image quality samples

These are crops, please click on the image to see a 100% un-cropped image.

Advice

This lens is so wide that you must be careful not to get tripod legs, or your own legs into the photos. Generally speaking onboard flash will not cover the scene, especially up close! An external Speedlite, a Canon 430ex in my case, fairs much better and will cover fairly well when set to 14mm wide mode.

Summary

A club on medium length exposure, a tripod was used. Colours are beautifully reproduced. Note the curvature of the roof due to the fisheye distortion.

Conclusion

This lens is not for everyone, but it’s a lot of fun and when used in moderation can add a unique aspect to your work which other lenses simply cannot achieve. The fisheye look can be overdone, but when used in the right situation some stunning results can be achieved. The lens is very sharp once stopped down down to f/4.5 and I am very impressed with the image quality in general.

Their latest advert doesn’t quite live up to the previous ones in my opinion, but is still a lot of fun and just goes to show what you can do with an idea and big budget… Not quite sure what the advert is supposed to say about their new cameras though, that they are foam proof?!

This is an interesting making of video. Seven and a half minutes to make all that foam, insane! I just hope the extras got to have a foam party in it afterwards and it didn’t all go to waste.

Maybe foam machines will become the next big thing in the world of Strobist and replace the in-famous smoke machine?