Canon S90 or ixus 200is

[Itarc]

Hi all,

After weeks of digging through the internet for reviews, I kinda narrow down my choice of camera for diving to S90 and ixus 200IS.

My reason:
1. Ikelite has casing for both cameras, which is as cheap(or expensive) as Canon casings. I reckon a good casing is impt to keep my camera alive, but im not willing to spend too much on it(for example Ikelite G11 casing is as expensive as the camera itself, but i seriously doubt its because of a better build than a S90 casing)

2. both are very decent compact cameras with good pic qualities

3. both has manual White balance



That been said, im torn between the 2 cameras. S90 has large sensors(1/1.7)and low light capabilities. Full manual control(not sure how useful that is to a newbie) + small aperture(f2.0) + RAW

But 200IS has HD movie, wider lens(24mm vs 28mm for S90), faster shutter speed....

The price difference betw the 2 is about $150 including the casing. This is the first time i am buying a camera, all the facts are just theories i read on the internet.

So im asking all the underwater photographers here, for a newbie, which is a better choice for underwater camera? which one has more feature suitable for underwater?

 

[howeikwok]

Hi all,

After weeks of digging through the internet for reviews, I kinda narrow down my choice of camera for diving to S90 and ixus 200IS.

My reason:
1. Ikelite has casing for both cameras, which is as cheap(or expensive) as Canon casings. I reckon a good casing is impt to keep my camera alive, but im not willing to spend too much on it(for example Ikelite G11 casing is as expensive as the camera itself, but i seriously doubt its because of a better build than a S90 casing)

2. both are very decent compact cameras with good pic qualities

3. both has manual White balance



That been said, im torn between the 2 cameras. S90 has large sensors(1/1.7)and low light capabilities. Full manual control(not sure how useful that is to a newbie) + small aperture(f2.0) + RAW

But 200IS has HD movie, wider lens(24mm vs 28mm for S90), faster shutter speed....

The price difference betw the 2 is about $150 including the casing. This is the first time i am buying a camera, all the facts are just theories i read on the internet.

So im asking all the underwater photographers here, for a newbie, which is a better choice for underwater camera? which one has more feature suitable for underwater?

I think you're mistaken that the canon housing is the same price as the ikelite ones. You should be able to get the canon housing for about SGD$300? The ikelite one is retailing at USD$325?
Full manual controls is preferable as an option later even if you're just a beginner. I like the S90 very small camera with full manual controls and a wide enough lens. Fast lens is a nice feature for u/w use. I like the ikelite housing for the S90 as well cos it allows for the use of external 67mm threaded wet lens w/o the need for an adaptor. The downer is that you can't use the jog dial on the camera inside the housing.

 

[Itarc]

Ya the S90 ikelite casing is abt 400+ SGD, i checked with oceanicfocus. The casing for ixus200IS is about 300+ SGD, about the same as canon. Both casing are not significantly more expensive than Canon, given the better quality and lower depth rating.

I would have gone with S90 if not for the fact that it does not support HD movie recording. I love to take some videos u/w without investing in another video cam. I am not sure if the manual controls are worth the sacrifice of HD movie + wider lens of the ixus 200IS. Both cameras are no DSLR, and so i wonder if the manual controls and slightly bigger sensors will really produce much better pictures?

 

[howeikwok]

Ya the S90 ikelite casing is abt 400+ SGD, i checked with oceanicfocus. The casing for ixus200IS is about 300+ SGD, about the same as canon. Both casing are not significantly more expensive than Canon, given the better quality and lower depth rating.

I would have gone with S90 if not for the fact that it does not support HD movie recording. I love to take some videos u/w without investing in another video cam. I am not sure if the manual controls are worth the sacrifice of HD movie + wider lens of the ixus 200IS. Both cameras are no DSLR, and so i wonder if the manual controls and slightly bigger sensors will really produce much better pictures?

If you're a beginner and just intend to use the camera for u/w work then probably you'll need to invest in video lights of some sort to bring out the best of the camera in terms of HD video recording. Not much sense having HD video footage of bluish subjects unless you have filters and when you go deeper the problem comes back.

Manual controls will prove useful in the long run giving you more control of the type of photos you want to produce, esp if you decide to invest in a strobe/external lens etc.

 

[diver-hloc]

I really would like to know how well the f2 lens works underwater..... :think:

 

[antacid]

bigger maximum aperture = focus better in low light (i think), assuming other factors constant

besides, the sensor is so small that the DOF at f/2 is probably enough to take some decent wide-angle shots

i'd say go for the S90. better to have more advanced functions that you can grow into, and is highly recommended for uwphotography, rather than having to get a new camera in the future. little more pain now, no pain in the future. unless you go DSLR then massive 10,000 years of pain. hahahaha

 

[foxwagon]

Comparing S90 over Ixus 200IS I would choose S90 as it has full manual controls & would be useful when you attach a strobe in future as your hobby expands.

Not sure over the S90 battery usage, but the older S80 needed to change a fresh battery after each dive as it would run flat midway in the 2nd dive, even on original Canon Made In Japan batteries.

A good alternative for the S90 would be SX 1 IS Powershot. It has manual controls, RAW, HD movie & runs on 4AA which can last the whole day. If you use Ikelite housing with Ikelite strobe, it can provide TTL as it has a hot shoe.

Ikelite housings are more robust in my opinion over Canon housings (although I know some have flooded their Ikelites).

 

[diver-hloc]

Ikelite housings are more robust in my opinion over Canon housings (although I know some have flooded their Ikelites).

Hahaha.... if someone is not careful.... and doesn't check their 'O' Ring after a dive. They will likely flood their casing sooner or later whatever brand of casing they use... :sweat:

I agree with you that the battery life of the S90 would be the biggest 'Unknown' factor now. I perfer using PowerShot myself (can't afford a DSLR system).... but so far, non of those in the PowerShot series have a f2 lens at their widest.

 

[Itarc]

Thanks for the advices.

My logic for buying a underwater camera is, first choose a casing, then choose the camera..hahaha...i only look at lkelite casing for canon, my preferred brand. The more affordable casing models are the ixus models, and a (very)few powershots model. I am not willing to spend 2* more on the casing just because of the camera. But at the same time, i prefer to invest my money in a better casing(ikelite) to protect my investment. If i get a G11, and canon casing...i dun feel safe.

So that helps me to narrow down S90, and ixus 200IS. And looking at this 2, i was really confuse to which features i will prefer more. In the end, I chose ixus 200IS, for 3 reasons: It had HD movie, wider lens and it was $200 cheaper(with casing). I will use that 200 savings to invest in a strobe, a cheap one, to get better pictures.

Thanks for all the advice that was given, trust me its was not a easy choice to go against the advice of experienced photographers. The manual controls and RAW formats are wonderful features, but im not sure if i can appreciate that. I tested the S90, playing with the controls for a while, and i realise i will be using the auto mode most of the time because i simply just cant to get it right, not as right as the auto mode.

So far on land im quite happy with the ixus 200IS. I will try to post some pictures after i come back from my trip.