The PowerShot G11 is Canon’s flagship compact, and priced only a little higher than the S90. Both cameras share full manual control, support for RAW files, screens with 460k resolution, HDMI ports and the same sensor, which in turn means they also sadly have the same basic VGA movie facilities.
As discussed above and in our results pages, the noise levels and overall image style are unsurprisingly the same, although the G11 enjoys a small edge in sharpness and uniformity across the frame. Beyond these initial similarities though, both cameras represent quite different propositions.
In its favour the G11 has a fully-articulated (albeit slightly smaller 2.8in) screen which can flip and twist to any angle, along with an optical viewfinder which is handy in direct sunlight or for squeezing a few extra shots out of a failing battery. Both lenses start at an equivalent of 28mm, but the G11’s zooms almost 40% longer to 140mm, allowing it to better grab distant details, and as mentioned above, it was also a little sharper in our tests.
There’s a hotshoe for mounting proper Speedlite flashguns, dedicated dials for the ISO and exposure compensation, and while the body is considerably larger and heavier, it lends it a greater air of confidence, while additionally giving you more to hold onto and a longer battery life.
In its favour, the S90 is considerably smaller and lighter, features a lens with a brighter focal ratio when zoomed-out, a slightly larger 3in screen and a neat lens ring control.
The S90 may pack the essentials of the G11 into a much smaller and lighter package with a brighter lens, but many will still prefer the benefits of a flip-out screen, flash hotshoe, longer lens, optical viewfinder and a body that’s easier to hold. Considering the G11 only costs a little more than the S90, that’s a lot of extra features for the money and will ensure sales of Canon’s flagship remain strong for those who can accommodate its size. See our Canon PowerShot G11 review for more details.