Originally Posted by
jacknyoc
agreed...
you could go with a Nikon D40 (granted several years old) or similar dslr with an 18-55VR that would get pretty darn close for hand-held, low light situations. it's an options, but not very convenient. again, as noted in earlier posts, the point is not to replace the dslr, but to add to it with a decent quality P&S as a convenient carry around. at least, that's what I try to do.
Love the D40, if one can find it, get it. The 18-55vr, however, is not a great low-light lens. At f/3.5-5.6 it's a great lens reduced to mearly average in low-light. On paper, the S95 kicks it's overachieving butt.
I have the 50mm 1.4 for my FX body and the 35mm 1.8 on the DX and I often jones for a wide-angle zoom so I can get a great low-light shot without disrupting the scene. The 70-200mm f/2.8 isn't practical to carry at all times, and it too isn't as bright as the S95 is spec'd to be. (can you tell I'm working my way up to a buying decision?)