Travel Photography - Canon Ixus 310 vs. Canon S95

My "old" camera - a Canon Ixus 860 - recently broke and I´m looking for a replacement.

I´m no photography expert, just looking for a decent quality compact sized digital camera for my regular trips.

I don´t use any of the manual settings, but sometimes use the pre-programmed settings, I also prefer simplicity over hundreds of buttons, e.g. I may take a quick snapshot of something from a bus/car one time and may spend a little more time using the different options while watching a sunset...

I was quite happy with the quality of the photos of my Canon ixus 860, so I´m looking for a replacement which would be of equal or slightly better quality.

Any comments how the Ixus 310 compares to the Canon S95? Which are the advantages/disadvantages of each camera?

Thank´s a lot in advance!

FWIW; the Ixus 310 = the Elph 500 in the US.

Personally, I dislike touch screen cameras - the screen rarely adds anything handy.

I suspect photos from the S95 will be better in low light, but video will excel on the Ixus.

A lot of it comes down to look and feel - I'm like you - I hate manual stuff, and prefer simple. But my S95 has never let me down.

FWIW; the Ixus 310 = the Elph 500 in the US.

Personally, I dislike touch screen cameras - the screen rarely adds anything handy.

I suspect photos from the S95 will be better in low light, but video will excel on the Ixus.

A lot of it comes down to look and feel - I'm like you - I hate manual stuff, and prefer simple. But my S95 has never let me down.

Thank´s for your response!

I just had another look at both cameras: it seems the Ixus 310 only has a touch screen while the S95 still has regular controls/buttons???

In that case I´ll most likely go with the S95...

S95 has more (and easier to use) manual controls, the capability to record pictures in RAW files, as well as a significantly larger sensor that gives better low-light performance. It's targeted towards more advanced users and as a 2nd camera for dSLR users.

Canon has other cameras spec'd similar to the SX310 but without the touchscreen and are priced significantly lower than the S95. If you don't need those features I mentioned about the S95, you can look at the IXUS 220 HS (ELPH 300 HS in the US).

S95 has more (and easier to use) manual controls, the capability to record pictures in RAW files, as well as a significantly larger sensor that gives better low-light performance. It's targeted towards more advanced users and as a 2nd camera for dSLR users.

Canon has other cameras spec'd similar to the SX310 but without the touchscreen and are priced significantly lower than the S95. If you don't need those features I mentioned about the S95, you can look at the IXUS 220 HS (ELPH 300 HS in the US).

Thank´s for your thoughts!

Would you happen to be able to compare the Ixus 220 HS with the Ixus 860?

The Ixus 220 HS is much cheaper ($170 less) than what I originally paid for the Ixus 860. I don´t mind saving some money, I´m just a little concerned that the quality of the photos won´t be as good.

Thank´s for your thoughts!

Would you happen to be able to compare the Ixus 220 HS with the Ixus 860?

The Ixus 220 HS is much cheaper ($170 less) than what I originally paid for the Ixus 860. I don´t mind saving some money, I´m just a little concerned that the quality of the photos won´t be as good.

The IXUS 220 has sensor size similar (actually a tiny bit larger) than your old IXUS 860. With that and a newer processor, even though the pixel count has increased, low light quality should be at least comparable. The 220 has a wider zoom range than your 860.

Electronic prices have come down a lot since 2007 and you should be paying less for a camera of similar spec.

I have the S95 and it's a great camera. But you may be buying more camera than you actually need.

BTW, I don't use my cameras for videos. If you do, that's another huge set of concerns and you have to do other research and I'm sure others will chime in.

I have the S95 and it's a great camera. But you may be buying more camera than you actually need.

BTW, I don't use my cameras for videos. If you do, that's another huge set of concerns and you have to do other research and I'm sure others will chime in.

I don´t use my camera for videos either, so that´s furtunately not a concern.

I like taking photos of the sun going down, photos at night etc., but obviously most compact sized cameras are not designed for this purpose. The best camera for taking photos at night I´ve had so far was a Fuji (can´t remember the model, bought it in 2005), but Canon seems like the best bet generally.

I don´t use my camera for videos either, so that´s furtunately not a concern.

I like taking photos of the sun going down, photos at night etc., but obviously most compact sized cameras are not designed for this purpose. The best camera for taking photos at night I´ve had so far was a Fuji (can´t remember the model, bought it in 2005), but Canon seems like the best bet generally.

Sounds like low-light photography is important to you. The S95 (and the much larger G12) has a much larger sensor than all the other Canon compacts, and will give you less noise in most situation. Similarly, Panasonic's LX5 and Olympus' new XZ-1 are in the same class.

You might had a Fuji F30 or F31d. Their 2009 camera F200EXR still had the large sensor, but reviews weren't impressive, and it wasn't popular.

Since you're in Europe, you may want to take a look at the Ricoh GRIII, if you can live with a fixed 28mm lens. Ricoh is not well-known in the US and has only a few dealers. Pricey, but it is a compact camera with a fast lens (F1.9) and large sensor.

Sounds like low-light photography is important to you. The S95 (and the much larger G12) has a much larger sensor than all the other Canon compacts, and will give you less noise in most situation. Similarly, Panasonic's LX5 and Olympus' new XZ-1 are in the same class.

You might had a Fuji F30 or F31d. Their 2009 camera F200EXR still had the large sensor, but reviews weren't impressive, and it wasn't popular.

You´re right.:) I think it was the Fuji F30, can´t remember too much about that camera except that it produced some very impressive photos at night incl. some decent photos of people at night (outdoor events) as well as very nice photos of landscapes at night (e.g. of the Canadian Rockies while the sun was going down), haven´t come across a camera producing such photos since then.

It was a nice feature I enjoyed, but I guess >90% of the photos I take nowadays are outside during daytime with decent lighting conditions.


Since you're in Europe, you may want to take a look at the Ricoh GRIII, if you can live with a fixed 28mm lens. Ricoh is not well-known in the US and has only a few dealers. Pricey, but it is a compact camera with a fast lens (F1.9) and large sensor.

Thank´s for the recommendation, hadn´t taken this one into consideration, but seems pretty pricey ($550), my old camera just died and I need a replacement in two weeks, but hadn´t planned on spending $$$ at this time...

The $400 the S95 would cost me is the maximum I´d like to spend at this time I think.

Thank´s for all your input!

Ok, here´s one last question regarding the S95:

i´ve now read many reviews and a few mention that the quality of the photos when using "auto modus" wasn´t that great?

Is this true? Any comments?

Thank´s a lot! :)

Ok, here´s one last question regarding the S95:

i´ve now read many reviews and a few mention that the quality of the photos when using "auto modus" wasn´t that great?

Is this true? Any comments?

Thank´s a lot! :)

Mine is always in auto and I have absolutely no complaints.

There is nothing wrong with the S95's auto mode. It just won't record in RAW, so for those who want the most from their picture files, auto is not a mode to use.

Thank´s for your post replies! ^

It seems I´ll go for the S95.

Thank´s for your post replies! ^

It seems I´ll go for the S95.

Go for it, you will not regret it. The S95 is a fantastic camera in a small package and it will grow with your needs and capabilities. Here's one example of what the mighty little package can do (this is actually taken with the older S90 model):

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4911628116_04b0695b4d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/monojussi/4911628116/)
U2.3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/monojussi/4911628116/) by monojussi (http://www.flickr.com/people/monojussi/), on Flickr

Thank´s for your post replies! ^

It seems I´ll go for the S95.

The S95 is a great camera. You might want to look at its bigger brother the G12. It is not as svelte as the S90. It has more bells and whistles than the S95 the most important one to me is the viewfinder. If you've ever tried to take pictures in bright light you will know what I mean. It also has a swivel LCD for those over the head or self portrait shots. It cost $100 more.

The S95 is a great camera. You might want to look at its bigger brother the G12. It is not as svelte as the S90. It has more bells and whistles than the S95 the most important one to me is the viewfinder. If you've ever tried to take pictures in bright light you will know what I mean. It also has a swivel LCD for those over the head or self portrait shots. It cost $100 more.

FYI: G12 is only $70 more then S95 at www.walmart.com

FYI: G12 is only $70 more then S95 at www.walmart.com

Actually less of a difference in all but Delaware, New Hampshire; Oregon and maybe Alaska and Montana since Walmart charges sales tax and Amazon doesn't but matches Walmart's price for the G12.