Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
True Joy, April 2, 2001
I couldn't wait for the powershot 90 to arrive, and when it did, I was delighted. This camera has everything: A beaultiful 10X optical lens for wildlife shots, a ELT viewfinder, which is actualy much better than the Pro 90's closest competitor --the Olympus 2100z. The Olympus' ELT viewfinder displayed similar information as the Powershot 90, but the actuall display of the 2100 was distored and not very enjoyable to see through. I feared Canon's display would be just as distored, but when I first gazed into the comfortable eye slot of the Powershot 90, my fears disappeared...the image that the viewfinder displayed was crystal clear, a thing of beauty. It was a perfect replica of the LCD dispaly with all the settings, like WB, aperture, shutter speed, flash, etc. No longer did I have to use the top camera display to see what settings I have on...this was a delight.What about picture quality? Well, One word-- stunning. I took wildlife shots using the camera's highest resolultion and mediom compression settings, and shot pictures of swans, deer, rabbits. etc., blew them up to 8X10 and the results were amazing. If you're looking for great photo quality, you won't be disappointed with this camera. What about battery life? The lithium-ion batter just last and last. I shot two days worth of pictures before every having to re-charge. This is truly a life savor, when I'm out in the park and shooting pictures, and not have to worry about the battery running low. The only negative about this camera is its "burst" mode. It shoots about .7 frames per second, which is a little slow for shooting action shots like sports or birds in flight, but the actuall shutter speed for getting one shot off, more than helps out in these situations. Even though I can't shoot multipile shots quickly, I can shoot 1 shot after another at a reasonable rate, and with each shot, there is no lag time. NO LAG TIME. That is truly the best part about this camera. My old digital camera the Kodak DC265, there was a period of adjustment that the 265 would go through before it actually fired. So I would compose an image and click the shutter, only to find that the shutter won't fire until maybe a half-second latter. But you don't have to worry about that with the Pro 90. There is no "shutter lag". Once you click the shutter release the image is immediatly taken, and that is truly a thing of beauty. Overall: I am more than satisifed. This camera is a marvel. It shoots beautiful pictures at a glorious rate. This is a top-notch, one-of-a kind camera, and if you happen to see one on sale, purchase it right away. I don't know how long Canon will produce these beauties, but pick one up...you won't be disappointed.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Astounding--Highly recommended, June 9, 2001
I am a great fan of this camera. I've used point-and-shoot 35mm cameras for years, always being intimidated by the jump in expertise needed for a "real" SLR camera where all the decisions were not automated. After a trip to Alaska, I was intensely disappointed with my pictures from the point-and-shoot. Most wildlife photos were of the "See that brown dot? It's a moose!" variety, and many of my photos on snow or glaciers were overwhelmed by all the brilliant white in the image. I'd always told myself I'd one day go digital, but always thought the technology wasn't "ready". When I returned from Alaska, and saw this camera, I decided the technology was ready, or at least I was! I was initially attracted by the 10x zoom, and was further impressed by the image stabilization, and the ability to go "full auto" on all the technical settings, yet ease myself into setting such things as f/stop, white balance, and shutter speed myself. The camera has fulfilled all my expectations. It takes fine pictures in most circumstances if you let the camera make all the decisions, but you have the ability to experiment with manual settings yourself, and the quick availability of the digital image means you can learn faster, and without having to wince over paying for film and developing. I bought the camera only a few days before leaving on a trip to Florida, focusing on the Everglades. I got some excellent photos using the telephoto lens, and the image stabilization made using the maximum zoom easy, even with handheld shots. I used automatic settings almost exclusively for the Everglades trip, but now am practicing and experimenting with the manual settings. I have a few minor quibbles, though they do not detract from my positive feelings for the camera: 1) The camera is a bit slow--If you want to spend most of your time taking pics of athletic events or similar places where "split second" photography is needed, it may not be a good choice. It has a maximum frame rate of about 1.5 seconds per shot. 2) The battery life is workable, though I did need to shell out for a second battery (about $75, though they are rechargable). One reason for this is because I chose to use the camera with IBM Microdrives, which have a huge photo capacity, but put more drain on the battery. 3) The camera is certainly less convenient than a point and shoot to carry around, but compared to a 35mm SLR with a 370 mm lens, it is VERY easy. I doubt I'd even notice this if I wasn't used to sticking my teeny Olympus point-and-shoot in my front pocket and forgetting about it! If you use any digital camera while travelling, I suggest you consider getting the Iomega Fotoshow to store your pictures and free up your memory cards for more shooting. It also makes a convenient way to review and show off your pictures on a television set. 4) The price is a bit stiff, but if you want a camera of this class, you are going to have to bite your lip and pay up!
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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Camera, April 28, 2001
Good camera, the telephoto at 10x is amazing when the image stablization is on. pretty much all the zoom you could ever need. the image quality is supreme, at medium compression at 1024 the average file size is around 300k, great pictures, although bad for posting online due to the large file size. the flash is ultra strong, resulting in overexposures in any macro zoom or anything less than 70cm. bad. in low light situations, the autofocus is very very slow, sometimes it cant focus at all.it has a cute flashlight feature for focusing, but it doesnt do much good when subjects are far. one other thing, teh aperature is really bad at 2.8 a 1/4 of a second exposure even with image stablization requires a very steady hand and a stationary subject. at ISO 400 there is a lot of CCD noise in low light situations. also, the wide angle at 37mm was a real disappointment, but for what it is, the Canon Pro90Is is just awesome. the LCD looks great, and the Eletronic viewfinder serves all practical purposes. its many auto metering modes are good, in portrait mode, aperature is set to a maximum for background blur with least depth of focus. the night scene mode is good, flash at a 1 second exposure, to collect light from close unlit subjects as well as far dimly lit backgrounds. the battery is great, lasting almost 2 times as long as 4 NiMh 1600mAh batteries on my Olympus C2020. but get an extra battery on field trips. 1 battery will last about a day in electronic viewfinder mode, the LCD just kills. one thing about the huge lens, GET A LENS PORTECTOR. the lens collects ocean wave mist, dirt, dust, ugh. one good thing about it, it is compatible with all standard 58mm add on lenses, as well as any Canon Add-on Flash. it is a bit heave wighting in at 680 grams, but with telephoto is well worth the trade off. all the settings can be accessed through buttons, not in an electronic menu, which saves time, your left hand can control flash modes, auto metering modes while your right hand releases the shutter. there is a bit of lag between pictures, which is kind of disappointing, but I can live with it. the electronic viewfinder has lag, so its hard to take pictures of fast moving subjects such as birds or roller coasters.overall : good camera, exceeds my expectations. the lens is a work of art, the interface is cute, the processing power needs a bit of work, but very good for the price range
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