MARIA MUNN'S COLUMN: Canon Powershot S100 Review

I hope that you all had a brilliant New Year and are busy planning your dive calendar for this year. I know that I am really looking forward to helping you with your underwater photography.

So, before I go ahead and share my thoughts on Canon’s latest camera, I have to say a very special thank you to Jim Yanny and the Eco-Divers team for hosting me at such short notice in Manado, Indonesia last week. An email on Wednesday afternoon at 5pm resulted in a confirmed booking for the following day just 15 minutes later. What a service!

There has definitely been a lot of speculation about this replacement for the incredibly popular S95 model and the whole underwater photography industry across the globe has been waiting on tenterhooks to see exactly what this camera can deliver in comparison to the older version.

My first impression was the change in colour of Canon’s own branded housing. The traditional blue controls are now black and the housing seems a little sturdier than before. There is also a direct button for the video function which is really nice and saves users fumbling between stills and video via the dial. It now records movies in HD at 1920 x 1080 resolution with a 24p output frame rate. A nice new feature is that the optical zoom can now be used while in movie mode. The camera itself is a little slimmer than the previous model and is also coated with the same material as Canon’s SLR 7D model, giving it a nice professional look. Canon’s trusted “S” key has been replaced with a Ring Function button which offers very similar options. I have to say that it took a little bit of getting used to as it has now moved from its familiar position on top of the camera to make space for a new GPS feature.
 

Rare Banana Slug, Canon S100 own built-in flash

The camera itself has a new CMOS sensor (similar to that used in Canon’s SLR models) which reduces noise and enhances the dynamic range feature - very useful for those of you shooting in low visibility conditions or in caves and wrecks. It also has a DIGIC 5 image processor which is six times faster than its previous version and I definitely noticed a much faster response when taking photographs of moving seahorses (main picture) than my faithful S95.

It offers a wider field of view than the S95 - 24 mm at its widest setting - which means there is an increased chance of vignetting when adding on wet lenses as well as image softness around the edges.

The other advantages to this model are that it offers a higher ISO range of 6400, ideal for shooting in low-light conditions. Sadly, I wasn’t able to test this out properly as the waters in Bunaken ‘s Marine Park were a clear, gorgeous blue full of lush corals and marine life of all shapes and sizes! In fact, there seemed to be more marine life there last week than when I last visited three years ago.

So how was it to shoot with? Well, disabling the “Tracking Function” in the Function Menu certainly helped me to focus on my underwater subjects much better, so don’t forget to double-check that this is switched off if you already have one to keep your subjects nice and sharp and in focus! Once I had got used to how to access the different settings, I really enjoyed using it. I found the faster shutter response very useful for following one of the three giant seahorses that we found while doing a muck dive at a site called “Abba!” near to the resort of Kima Bajo. And yes, I was singing along to their tunes underwater! This site was a real gem; we found three different frogfish, pipefish, orangutan crabs, snake eels and stargazers within minutes - perfect for practicing macro techniques! I felt that the camera’s optics were a little sharper than my trusted S95 as well, but using the camera’s built-in flash with the Canon housing did cause an unwanted shadow when photographing smaller subjects, so do make sure that you pack a torch, video light or even a flashgun to compensate for this.
 

Painted Frogfish, Canon S100 with Sea & Sea YS-01

Finally, this camera introduces the very popular addition of GPS, useful for recording the location of where you are at the surface. The only downside is that it tends to shorten the battery life considerably, so do remember to switch it off if you don’t need it. I would also remember to pack a spare battery or two as well as the battery life is quite similar to the S95 and my camera was already flashing red a short way through the second dive.

If you are looking to upgrade your camera and want to get really creative with your photography, Canon’s S100 is definitely well worth looking at. It will also suit anyone interested in developing their land photography skills as well with a whole myriad of features including the addition of a Neutral Density Filter. And the winter time is great for practicing your techniques on our winter landscapes!

Have a great week and as always, feel free to drop me a line if you need any help at all.

Maria

Maria specialises in running one-day courses and overseas trips to help both beginners and the more advanced take award-winning underwater photographs with any kind of camera set-up and has helped over 15 guests to win prizes. She runs courses in London and Yorkshire and is launching new liveaboard trips to the Red Sea and the Maldives with Blue O Two. Feel fee to drop her a line at maria@oceanvisions.co.uk to see how she can help take your photo skills to a whole new level.

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