Canon PowerShot S120 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 1080p Full-HD Video Wi-Fi Enabled

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This is the 7th or 8th Canon camera I have purchased and the best so far. I was somewhat hesistant to buy it because I like a larger zoom, but the quality of the photos is excellent-very sharp, excellent and accurate color saturation and very little noise. The construction quality seems sturdy and strong and is somewhat more heavy than my Canon elphs, although the s120 is slightly larger than the elph series. After shooting about 650 pictures from super closeups of insects and flowers to many beach scenes to action photos of my dog, I am REALLY happy with the camera. On top of the camera is the on/off switch that is slightly recessed into the camera body, the photo mode ranging from full auto to full manual and the shutter which is surrounded by the zoom lever. On the back of the camera is located a very bright lcd sreen that allows an easy view of your picture even in bright sunlight at the beach. To right of the screen is the typical Canon controller for settings and viewing/deleting photos. On the left side is the pop up flash that i have used only a few times, but it seems powerful and is rated at 22 feet which is a lot for such a small camera. On the front there is a ring around the lenses for shortcuts and quick settings as well as manual focusing. The lenses on the camera is extremely fast and I have been able to take excellent action photos of my dog who seems to move everytime she sees the camera. I was able to stop action of fans spinning in the house, cars on the road and even birds flying. Close-up photos of flowers show small insects and the stamens and pistals quite clearly. I also took a lot of close-ups of printed material and the print was as clear as on the items I photographed. I have used the aperture priority , full auto setting, and the HDR settings, but primarily use P mode where I can control ISO, light according to full sun, cloudy, tungsten etc. I was somewhat skeptical about the HDR, but the camera takes 3 photos VERY quickly allowing the user to pick the best one. Being used to having at least a 10 X zoom on my other cameras, I was pleasantly surprised to find the zoom was more than sufficient to take excellent distance photos. I even tested the digital zoom and those photos came out clear and sharp despite knowing the limitations of the digital feature. So far I have not used the full manual functions and cannot comment of these. Focusing is excellent and spot on with no distortion and excellent speed. This aspect really pleasantly surprised me. There is a setting on the touch screen that allows you to focus on whatever you want in the viewfinder and works great. The touch screen is as accurate and easy to use as most smartphones. I have not tried the movie or wi-fi features and cannot provide any information. For me, they are not important and I probably wont ever use them. Despite my 10+ years of using Canon digital cameras, I still had a little difficulty in using all the functions and settings. This was easily solved by purchasing an excellent book on the Canon G16 written by David Busch and also available on amazon. The G16 is almost identical to the s120 in terms of controls and settings and I highly recommend the book to get to get the best results from the camera. Lots of great easy tips and tricks written in plain english with many photos for extra explanation and clarity. As always with any electronics product, I thoroughly researched this camera before purchasing it. It got great reviews from many of my usual sources and despite being released in 2013, it still remains in the top 100 best sellers with amazon and averages about 4.3 stars. It is obvious from some of the 1 and 2 star reviews the people did not read the online manual and did not know how to properly use the camera. The battery life is the only negative for me with this camera and for about $6, I purchased an extra battery which gets me through a day of intensive shooting in many different settings and frequent playback/viewing of the pictures. Last, dont be fooled by thinking more megapixels equals better photo quality-just isnt true. I think from 8 to 12 is perfect for my needs with printing mostly 4 x 6 and 5 x 7s with an ocassional 8 x 10. Dont take my word on the number of megapixels-do your own reseach and draw your conclusions. I could not be happier with my purchase and would buy it again if lost or stolen.

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I just bought it used and only had the camera for a few days, but I bought its grandfather, the S100 in 2011. And absolutely loved it. Ive taken more pictures with it than my other cameras combined. It failed last weekend. This model is much like it with new features, many of which Ill never use, e.g., touch screen, colors, face recognition, and most of the special scene modes (who wants a picture like taken with a toy camera?). Maybe I havent figured how to do it correctly, but I tried the HDR (High Dynamic Range) and it didnt seem to do much if anything. This model does substantially better in low light than its grandfather. Id say, this camera is for a person experienced in photography. It has a fully automatic mode, but if you are going to use that you might as well buy a cheaper camera. The beauty of this camera is you can set the shutter speed, aperture or use it manually. If you intend to use it as a simple point & shoot camera dont buy this one.

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I chose the Canon S120 because I wanted a true pocket camera that takes great pictures and videos. The review sites cover the S120 pretty well, so Ill focus more on why I chose it, how I use it, and how I like it. And since a memory card isnt included, I also ordered a 32 GB (80 MB/s) SanDisk Extreme SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 memory card for storage. This card easily handles continuous shooting and the supported HD video modes. My previous digital cameras have also been Canon point and shoots (mostly ELPHs). Ive gotten used to putting them in my pocket to take with me on trips and to special events. However, smartphone cameras have improved to the point where I started leaving my aging ELPH at home. But even the best phones have notable limitations, and there are times when I want much better pictures than what my smartphone is capable of taking. I still wanted the convenience of carrying a pocket camera, so I wasnt interested in a bulky camera body and kit lens, or even a compact that doesnt fit in my pocket. So I narrowed it down to the Canon S120 and the Sony RX100 . The Sonys 1" sensor was intriguing; however, this Canons 1/1.7" sensor is still substantially larger than anything that Ive used before. Plus, the S120s image quality typically gets pretty good reviews. I decided that either the Sony or Canon would give me acceptable pictures, and it wasnt necessarily about which one takes the "best" photos. The price was important, but the size was the deciding factor. I looked at a Sony at our local Best Buy; and the (arguably minor) additional thickness made it too big to carry in my front pocket. Sure I could put it in a case; but if wanted to do that, Id add the Fujifilm X20 , Canon G16 , Panasonic LX7 , and Olympus XZ-2 to my list. I also take pictures of marine reef aquariums, so I appreciate the S120s manual controls which allow me to adjust the white balance, aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. Plus, the option to shoot in RAW format is real bonus for this type of photography. Reef tank lighting and moving fish can be a challenge for typical point and shoot cameras; however, Im impressed with how well this camera handles these shooting conditions. Its 922,000 pixel, 3" touchscreen is sharp, allowing for accurate manual focus adjustments. In addition, the S120 supports either manual focus magnification or peaking (which highlights the edges of objects that are in focus). This is helpful for extreme close ups. However, the autofocus is quick and you can use the touchscreen to select your subject. The camera will even continue to focus on that subject as it moves, or while you frame the shot. Previously, I had been using a Canon ELPH for travel, a Canon A-series (w/ some manual controls) for taking pictures of marine reef tanks, and a Cisco Flip for occasional videos. The Canon S120 replaces and improves on all three of these cameras. I sure wont miss juggling both the Flip and the ELPH around on vacations. Plus, the S120 is small enough to comfortably carry in the front pocket of a pair of loose fitting jeans. The pictures that Ive taken have been good, even in lower light without a flash. Im glad the flash doesnt pop up whenever the camera detects low light. I typically just zoom out to 24mm (f/1.8) to get the shot; however, you can easily activate the flash when needed. It has 3 different intensity settings, and does a good job preventing red eye (without using those annoying strobe flashes). Now I can finally take decent indoor and evening pictures. Even so, I wish the sensor was a little larger and/or the lens was a little brighter (especially at telephoto). Understandably, when shooting in low light without a flash, the photos can be slightly grainy or blurry. However, the processor handles high ISO well, and holding the camera against a solid surface can help reduce blur from camera shake during longer exposures. For me, this is an acceptable trade off for having such a pocketable camera. Some people use the Canon S120 when they dont want to carry a DSLR; but I use it when I want to take much better pictures and videos than what my phone can take. Now, instead of leaving my camera at home, I bring it along with me (in my pocket). Its a much better camera than my older ELPHs, but I basically use it the same way. Previous Canon point and shoot users (of any series) should be comfortable shooting quality pictures and videos with this camera. Im pleased with this purchase, and consider it to be a good overall value. While not perfect, the S120 is the best camera that Ive owned. Its not quite as small as an ELPH, but its still small enough to carry in a pocket. And while I frequently use the Auto mode, its manual controls are invaluable whenever I need them (or if I just want to get more artistic). Finally, the ability to take quality 1080p/60p movies (in MP4 format) is the icing on the cake.

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I purchased this point and shoot camera to replace an older Canon PAS I have used for many years. It is rugged and fits nicely into my back pocket without a case, although I dont recommend this. Instead, I use a soft Lowepro case for protection between uses. The response time of the camera is great with little time between clicking the shutter button from one photo to the next. The lag from capture to record the photo to the disk is minimal which was a major problem with my old camera. This one is really fast. The only thing I would improve on this new model is to move the mechanical flash release switch from the side of the camera to the top. There is a nice leather case made to protect this camera which I considered purchasing, but the screw on the case which fits into the base of the camera has to be unfastened to release the camera to access the flash switch. My concern about this is not enough to lower the rating. This is a five-star camera and gets more use than my big, bulky DSLR when I am traveling. I purchased a SanDisk Ultra 32GB Class 10 SDHC memory card and spare Lithium battery with the camera. The fully charged Lithium battery will support about 40 minutes of continuous video recording.

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I highly recommend this camera! For being just a point and shoot, this camera truly provides the ease of use for everyone while affording high-end features found in DSLR cameras; having the option to manually control shutter speed and aperture, as well as the ability the shoot in RAW is awesome. Please note, RAW images require post-processing to add sharpness, saturation, and so on (Adobe Lightroom is highly recommended for this). The image quality of this camera is quite impressive. I have not yet printed any of the images to a size larger than 8x10, but I truly anticipate that I will not be disappointed in the color and quality of the image. In regards to the settings for this camera, the menus are easy to access and intuitive compared to cameras from other manufacturers. If you are looking to invest in more than just a point and shoot that will capture memories of life both at home and on the road, this is your camera. Having gone through several different models of Canon point and shoot cameras, I have found a winner with this one. And, it complements my DSLRs perfectly!

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I am strictly a point and shoot camera type of person. Ive owned Kodak, Sony Cybershot, Canon S95 and this is the best ever and I highly recommend it. My boyfriend owns a DLSR camera, and even he is impressed with the quality of this little camera. I am absolutely blown away with the Stars feature. I had it in my backyard, set it to the Stars function, click, waited 20 minutes and I captured a beautiful star trail right in my own backyard. I have friends asking me about this camera and they are sold when I tell them how good it is. My most favorite feature is the wifi. It is so easy to connect and you can upload & share pictures instantly. I travel alot, and I can easily take this with me anywhere. If you are debating between the S95 or S120? The S95 had a few minor flaws in my opinion. The S120 got it right. I need to warn everyone though that I had a little mishap before I got this camera. Amazon sent me the right box, but WRONG camera!! As soon as I emailed Amazon about it, they shipped me the correct camera.

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This is an excellent camera! It takes great pictures and the settings are simple and easy to use. It takes fantastic low light photos, which was very important to me. Also very important to me are the small size, so it can fit easily in a pocket, and the very solid construction, since I am notoriously rough on cameras. So why not 5 stars? I decided on this camera, in part for its WiFi capabilities, and as it turns out, the WiFi functions are completely worthless. Im reasonably tech savvy, and I have spent countless hours trying to make the WiFi function with my Android phone and my Windows desktop and laptop computers. Maybe it works, and I just cant figure it out, but nothing should be that difficult. Canon has made a very solid camera here, but they really dropped the ball with the WiFi functions.

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The camera itself gets 5 stars for the photos produced. Ease of use with owners manual and the wifi Canon Gateway gets 1 star. Seriously folks, Im an intelligent person but flipping back and forth between pages of the full version of the owners manual (which you gain access to via the web, and must print off yourself) is ridiculous. Theres no sequential order to how the information is presented, and I just spent over two hours trying to connect the camera via wifi with no success. Look at feedback regarding the app for iphones. What a waste of time. Love the way the camera takes photos. Very much dislike the way Canon provides information for using this camera. Dont think that I would buy it again, had I known about these issues. Also, be forwarned that battery life is low, regardless of using an actual "Canon" brand battery or other similar battery.

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I messed around with my dads hand-me-down Canon 10D for a couple years, but decided that the bulky/heavy aspect of the camera combined with my lack of expertise using manual settings would lead me to look for a more compact/amateur model. I picked the Powershot S120 and it has performed PHENOMENALLY. I took this camera with me to Puerto Rico for a family vacation and the picture and video quality has been outstanding. The flash performs about as well as you can expect from a point-and-shoot. Battery life has been solid, but I recommend picking up a couple extra batteries if you plan to shoot ANY video (I purchased these: http://www.amazon.com/Vivitar-Capacity-1700mAH-Batteries-Cameras/dp/B00DWIAWQE?ie=UTF8&redirect=true&ref_=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_54). I cannot comment on the Wifi capabilities, as I havent found a need for them. So far, my only complaint is that the "Menu" button text has worn off due to extreme heat and hand sweat. But overall, this is the best point-and-shoot Ive ever used.

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I give it 4 stars for the image quality, ease of use, and feature set. But the build quality is questionable. The buttons seem loose, almost like theyre being held with scotch tape. They wobble around when you push them. Feels like theyre going to pop off. On my previous S100, everything felt solid and well built. I hope this isnt a trend for future Canon cameras. I think Ill be trading in this S120 when the G7X comes out.

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