Who has a Canon S95 or G12 and what do you think?

[ktb]

I've been dealing with the limitations of my Olympus, but DBrown used if for less than 30 minutes in Hawaii and asked me, "How the hell have you put up with this thing??" So he looked online and likes the G12, and it seems like the S95 is fairly similar in a smaller package. (And the UW housing for the S95 from Ikelite is much cheaper.)

My biggest pet peeves on my current camera:
--the lag between pushing the button and image capture seems ridiculously long
--the cycle time between taking one picture and the next also seems long
--there is basically no image stabilization

One thing . . . I’m still and point-and-shoot gal. I have yet to learn about changing f-stops and stuff, so until I do, I need this camera to be fairly dummy-proof. However, if it can “grow with me” that’s all the better.

If you own one of these cameras (or the S90, which I understand is the model right before the S95), I'd love to hear your feedback. Thanks!!

[cardiver]

I think that the G will give you a little bit better macro but other than that its a toss up. I am not a fan of the Ike compact housings
but to each his own..
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk

[enchantmentdivi]

Just bought my husband the S95 with the Canon housing. He's only had it on 2 dives so far, but at this point, he really likes it. (I'm kinda envious....but I don't need a new camera) I have a couple of friends who have the S90 with the Canon housing, and they both love 'em.

[ktb]

I hadn't heard good things about the Canon housing, but if no one has had issues . . .

[Dusty2]

I have had no issues with the canon housing for my G10. Quite a relief as I have had problems with canon housing in the past. As the price is pretty similar and the G series is a more solid cam (metal not plastic) with more options I would lean in that direction. However if you are looking for something that will be used allot above water and needs to be pocket-able then the s95 is a better deal since the G series cams tend to be a bit heavy and more bulky. If its for mostly UW work I'd pick the G12. The weight factor and slightly larger size is not a factor here and is way offset by all the features this camera has. It will definitely grow with you and you will find far fewer limitations as you grow.

As for your dislikes of the shutter lag... That is something you will have to live with. Most digitals have this issue. It's simply a problem with the method of recording pictures. The camera must not only take the pic but it must also post process it and transfer it to the memory card. All that takes time. The newer cams tend to be much faster than the older ones though and the newer SDXC cards help here and this is the first canon cam to add compatibility for these.

[WylerBear]

I just got a G12 for my birthday (a month early so I can practice with it & take it to Bonaire). I'll be using it Sunday-very excited!

[ktb]

I just got a G12 for my birthday (a month early so I can practice with it & take it to Bonaire). I'll be using it Sunday-very excited!

Oh that's awesome Georgia!! I'll get to see it action--YAY! Yeah, I want to get comfy with a new camera before we go to Bonaire in February.

Dusty--thanks for the feedback. Yes, I'll mostly be using it for UW pics as we already have several above-water cameras (including the Olympus it's replacing).

Ron--I'm glad you mentioned macro shots. Almost all of my macro shots in Hawaii were pure luck, and I'd prefer a camera that can really get those good close-ups. (Of course, I also need to NOT move while taking them, and sometimes that's the challenge!)

[WylerBear]

Oh, & I got the Canon housing. Decided the extra expense of the IKelite Housing was not worth it for me (or my wife since she was paying for it). Maybe eventually I'll go to the Ikelite and strobes and stuff but not now.

[Dusty2]

Oh, & I got the Canon housing. Decided the extra expense of the IKelite Housing was not worth it for me (or my wife since she was paying for it). Maybe eventually I'll go to the Ikelite and strobes and stuff but not now.

Good choice. That Ike housing is HUGE!

[derek b]

Your going to experience shutter lag with any point and shoot.

I have the cannon g10 and before that I owned the g9 Housed with cannons housing. Its an amazing system and gives ample room for growth.

If your going to go with housing outside of the cannon brand I would recommend NOT going with the ikelite as there are a couple other brands that give you more freedom and room for growth and gadgets.

[elemar]

I just ordered an s95 in and an ikelite housing... Can't give you any feedback yet (still too be delivered), but should be getting it wet next week. I went for the ikelite case mainly because I use a Canon 7D as my primary camera (sometimes don't want to have to lug that whole thing around), and prefer the commonality of the same style shutter release, etc.

Eric

[Tangfish]

I've got the S95 with Canon housing and used it a lot in the Philippines (still gotta post those photos). It's good but as you say there is some shutter lag. I just got a G12. The question you should ask yourself is: do you want a camera that can fit in a pocket on land, or one that has longer battery life that takes up more room (in and out of the water). By the way, the new Canon diffusers are very fragile so be careful that you don't crack it just by putting it on and taking it off!

[Bric Martin]

I am a new owner of the S95, I have the Ikelite housing. As luck would have it I have only spent 2 days with the camera so far.

So far I am very happy with the set. I would consider it an advanced point and shoot. You can set different features for different modes. If simple is what you want there might be better choices, but the camera is very similar to other Canon models. This one just gives the user a lot more freedom to use features in varying ways (control ring, 1 touch button, initial set up).

I like the Ikelite housing, I have had a Canon housing for a previous camera and I think the Ikelite is a much better housing.

[Mattleycrue76]

I have a S90 and am very happy with it so far although i haven't had very much time to use it so far. The main reason I went for the canon housing was that the ike housing was bulkier, more expensive, and (like the canon housing) lacked the ability to control the second ring on the camera. I'll use the canon one until i can afford the ulimate housing for this camera, wich is the fisheye FIX (drool).

Oh and I don't know about the S95 but the S90 has an Aluminum housing, not plastic and feels very solid.