In 2010, after moving to Michigan, I was looking for a quality point-and-shoot camera for my daily rides and to help with some video and basic photography for XXC Magazine. After much research, I ended up with a “prosumer” level Canon s95.
I was just starting to get into photography again and thought it was the best! I used it for a few years and even bought a second one on eBay after the first one fell in the mud at a cyclocross race while shooting video, and the sensor got water on it.
Truthfully I wouldn’t figure out all the benefits of the tiny little s95 until I eventually went down the DSLR and mirrorless rabbit hole. I would also come to recognize the s95’s limitations, and eventually, it found its way into the back of an office drawer, where it stayed until, for some unknown reason, I decided I wanted to take it along on our recent trip to Boyne City (see photo below of an amazing Duvel).
After charging it up, I remembered why I don’t use it anymore; the thumbwheel on the back that controls shutter speed, aperture, etc., had become super finicky, meaning that sometimes it just decides it doesn’t want to work, so you have to shoot everything in AUTO.
I took a few shots with it on our trip but, for the most part, relied on my Nikon z6, saving any further investigation into the thumbwheel until just a few days ago.
I wouldn’t say I fixed the control wheel, but rather the control wheel decided it was working again. Actually, it decided it would work in Aperture and Shutter Priority mode, but not in full manual. That was good enough for me since that would allow me to shoot in RAW in those modes, and I could use the settings I wanted the most.
With that, I charged it up and took it with me on a sweaty, mosquito-filled, post-thunderstorm hike on Sunday.
I forgot how tiny the camera is (it’s even smaller than my cell phone coming in at 3.9″ x 2.30″ x 1.16″ and weighing under 200 grams) and how easy it is to carry while hiking compared to when I go wildlife photo creeping with my DSLR and a big ass 600mm lens. I felt so much lighter! Well, except for my gut.
I enjoyed the 3-mile hike, as well as attempting to cajole images out of the tiny s95 and its 10 megapixels of RAW power!!!
Compared to my Nikon mirrorless cameras and the equally as old but still amazing Nikon D4 that I use for sports and wildlife, it performs, ah, um, pretty OK-ish. But for what it is; a 12-year-old 10-megapixel point-and-shoot camera that can shoot RAW and has an f/2 lens, it can still produce some “not bad” photos. As far as point-and-shoots, it’s not nearly as good as my Ricoh GR (which also has a bum control wheel right now), but it’s nice having it around for outdoor activities where taking photos is NOT the priority, but maximum portability and having some control over the process still is. And at 12 years old, I don’t care if it falls in the river or gets lost; I got my use out of it.
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Later.