Full Disclosure:  I am a “Sony Guy”.   My first DSLR was a Sony Alpha a200 and I’ve stuck with the brand ever since.   That said, in recent years I’ve grown fond of Canon’s products on the upper range (EOS and the semi pro Powershots to be precise) thanks in no small part to a dear friend who constantly preaches the benefits of the brand.  To be blunt, in my opinion canon has slowly fallen behind in the technology department (I’m looking at you EOS-M) in favor of continued commitment to optical excellence.  Nikon on the other hand is another story and shan’t start any fires today.

Moving on.

About three months ago, I set out on a quest to find a point and shoot that meets three criteria:

1. Small enough to fit in my briefcase

2. Must shoot RAW

3. Must cost less than $500 USD

This wasn’t to be my primary camera (the NEX 6 still is and will be for some time), but simply a B camera that I could take to work with me every day without worrying.

My primary candidate, being a Sony guy of course, was the sublime RX100.   The MKI can be had for about $500 these days, but not in Singapore.  The dealers rarely offer the same discounts seen on US sites (Amazon, best buy, etc), and will charge full SRP for as long as they can get away with it.   So I was looking at over $1000 SGD for RX100 Mk III.  Great, better start saving.

But as luck would have it, as I paroused the black friday/cyber monday US deals I spotted this, the Canon Powershot S110 on Amazon.  Just $140 USD.  It met all the criteria listed above and was only handicapped by it’s smaller sensor (compared to the RX100).   I wanted an RX100, but I also really wanted that $900 or so savings.  Sold.

 

 

Sample shots taken mostly in the Philadelphia suburban area in late 2014.  

 

Some low light shots of the trees at dusk

https://www.flickr.com/photos/charleswebb/15423500564/in/photostream/

I rather like this one.  Taken on the highway, the traffic ground to a near halt ( I think I was coasting in 2nd gear here) as the sun set directly in the path of the highway.  The colour was hypnotizing. The full manual controls aren’t quite what I was used to on the NEX 6, but are indeed useful.  

https://www.flickr.com/photos/charleswebb/15825046099/

The cover photo here.  An east coast neighborhood at sunrise.   Minimal work done in Lightroom. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/charleswebb/16000178452/in/photostream/

A spot of macro here and just a hint of subject separation and bokeh. 

This last one wasn’t taken in December, but back in Singapore just last month.  I just can’t resist these sorts of shots. 

 

It’s not a perfect camera.  The battery life is disappointing (lasted about 2 days with moderate shooting) and it’s very annoying in this day and age not being able to charge the battery via USB cable attached to the camera (you have to take the battery out and put on the special Canon charger).   The WiFi is nice, when it wants to work and is detected by my computers.   The lack of a viewfinder is also noticed, especially in bright sunlight.  But I’m just nitpicking now.

The bottom line:  If you can have one for under $200 USD, it’s a no brainer.  Just don’t expect to light the world on fire.