Canon PowerShot
G12
 vs
Canon PowerShot
S95

Updated (January, 2012): Compare the Canon PowerShot G1X vs Canon Powershot S100

Canon PowerShot S95

56

  
Canon PowerShot G12

52

  

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot S95

Aperture
 Wide aperture
f/2.0
Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Light sensitivity (boost)
 High ISO (boost)
12,800 ISO
Weight
 Light-weight
193 g
 

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot G12

Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Macro focus
 Great macro
1 cm
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Tunnel
External flash
 External flash
Better lighting
 

differences

Advantages of the Canon G12
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Battery life Significantly longer battery life 350 shots vs 200 shots
Help
 Around 80% more shots per battery charge
Macro focus Significantly better macro capability 1 cm vs 5 cm
Help
 Focus on subjects 5x closer to the lens
External flash Supports an external flash Yes vs No
Help
 An external flash often produces better looking flash images
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Tunnel vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 161 ISO vs 153 ISO
Help
 The G12 has a slight edge (0.1 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed 1/4000s vs 1/1600s
Help
 2.5x faster max shutter speed
Canon PowerShot G12 Learn more about
the Canon G12

Advantages of the Canon S95
Aperture Significantly wider aperture f/2.0 vs f/2.8
Help
 At its widest zoom, the S95's lens captures slightly more light (1 f-stop)
Screen size Larger screen 3.0" vs 2.8"
Help
 Around 10% larger screen
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Size Smaller 99x58x29 mm vs 112x76x48 mm
Help
 2.4x smaller
Lowest price Much cheaper $460.87 vs $971.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $510 cheaper (2.1x less)
Startup delay Less startup delay 2200 ms vs 2700 ms
Help
 Around 20% less delay when turning on
Weight Significantly lighter 193 g vs 401 g
Help
 2.1x lighter
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.3 EV vs 11.2 EV
Help
 0.1 f-stops more dynamic range
Thickness Thinner 1.2" vs 1.9"
Help
 Around 40% thinner
Canon PowerShot S95 Learn more about
the Canon S95
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro digicams, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot G12 Canon PowerShot G12
52 vs 56
Explain scores
Canon PowerShot S95 Canon PowerShot S95
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon PowerShot S95.

similarities

Compared to recent digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Supports 24p Both support 24p, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
For that film look
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm
Aperture Wide aperture Help
G12:f/2.8
S95:f/2.0
HDR In-camera HDR Help
Combines multiple exposures
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
Lowest price Very expensive Help
G12:$971.00
S95:$460.87
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
Startup delay Significant startup delay Help
G12:2700 ms
S95:2200 ms
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
G12:2 fps
S95:1.9 fps
Low light performance Above average noise at high ISO Help
G12:161 ISO
S95:153 ISO
Movie format Both shoot high resolution HD movies Help
720p @ 24fps
Wide angle Poor wide angle Help
28 mm
Zoom Poor zoom Help
G12:5x
S95:3.8x

Compared to recent pro digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
Longest exposure Short max exposure time Help
15 seconds
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
10 MP
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
3,200 ISO
External mic jack Neither has an external mic jack Help
Limited to the in-camera mic
Screen type No OLED screens Help
LCD
Screen resolution Low resolution screens Help
461k dots
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
G12:11.2 EV
S95:11.3 EV
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
47.0

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$310 - $349
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Wide angle Has a slightly wider wide angle lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Macro focus Slightly worse macro focusing
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PowerShot S95
Canon PowerShot G15

Canon PowerShot G15

Pro digicam

$449 - $499
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a significantly higher resolution screen
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the PowerShot G15 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the PowerShot G15 vs the PowerShot S95
Canon PowerShot S110

Canon PowerShot S110

Pro digicam

$399
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Wide angle Has a slightly wider wide angle lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the PowerShot S110 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the PowerShot S110 vs the PowerShot S95
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$455 - $514
Sensor size Has a slightly larger sensor
Wide angle Has a slightly wider wide angle lens
Weight Is slightly heavier
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the PowerShot S95
Fujifilm Finepix X10

Fujifilm Finepix X10

Pro digicam

$549
Sensor size Has a significantly larger sensor
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the PowerShot S95
Olympus XZ-1

Olympus XZ-1

Pro digicam

$333
Sensor size Has a slightly larger sensor
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the XZ-1 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the XZ-1 vs the PowerShot S95
Canon PowerShot SX260 HS

Canon PowerShot SX260 HS

Travel zoom

$238 - $269
Zoom Has slightly more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the PowerShot SX260 HS vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the PowerShot SX260 HS vs the PowerShot S95

Canon PowerShot G12 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot G1X

Canon PowerShot G1X

Boutique

$649 - $699
Sensor size Much larger sensor
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO
Macro focus Much worse macro capability
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the PowerShot G1X vs the PowerShot G12
Nikon Coolpix P7100

Nikon Coolpix P7100

Pro digicam

$299
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Supports 24p No 24p support
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the Coolpix P7100 vs the PowerShot G12
Canon PowerShot G11

Canon PowerShot G11

Pro digicam
Battery life Much longer battery life
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO
Supports 24p No 24p support
HDR Lacks in-camera HDR
Compare the PowerShot G11 vs the PowerShot G12
Canon PowerShot G10

Canon PowerShot G10

Pro digicam
Battery life Much longer battery life
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Supports 24p No 24p support
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Compare the PowerShot G10 vs the PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot S95 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot S90

Canon PowerShot S90

Pro digicam
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Battery life Slightly longer battery life
Supports 24p No 24p support
HDR Lacks in-camera HDR
Compare the PowerShot S90 vs the PowerShot S95
Nikon Coolpix P300

Nikon Coolpix P300

Pro digicam
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Wide angle Better wide angle
Supports RAW No RAW support
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Compare the Coolpix P300 vs the PowerShot S95

appearance

Canon PowerShot G12 Canon PowerShot S95
Canon PowerShot G12 Canon PowerShot S95
Canon PowerShot G12 Canon PowerShot S95

discussion

Showing 3 comments

Avatar for Shaun9lives Shaun9lives (6:59 PM, November 26, 2011)
I disagree.  Popularity directly affects the number and availability of aftermarket accessories.  It also, affects resale value, increases the likelihood of continued manufacturer support, and insures a wealth of online support from blogs and forums.  Now, I believe popularity should only be a minor consideration.  However, it most certainly is a factor. 
 
La_romaa (1:21 AM, July 26, 2011)
hey im from argentina. what do u recommend a p7000 or a s95?. i dont know what to buy!. i like the fuctions of the s95. but i like the desing and ergonomics of the p7000. the dials are very useful too. 
So what should i buy?!. please help me ., see ya
 
Hayduke (3:43 PM, April 20, 2011)
I am sorry,but awarding points for popularity is insane .It has NO place in rating a camera. and removing it makes these 2 even