The buzz: The Canon S90 and 95 were the kind of compacts that had even DSLR-toting photo geeks salivating: bigger sensors, RAW (a special file format which allows advanced post-processing), an f/2 aperture at wide angle to shoot with less light, and a ring dial around the lens that made you feel in control, just like big DSLR camera. The S100 is all that and more, with a host of new features: 24mm wide-angle lens, GPS geo-tagging, HD video and an improved sensor.

Sharp: The image quality at ISO1,600 looks like that of a DSLR from a few years back—it’s pretty amazing. That, plus the f/2 lens means you can shoot surprisingly decent handheld night shots. Shot-to-shot times in RAW are much faster, solving a problem that’s plagued previous compacts. Finally, the lens and rear dials are a joy to use for rapid manual adjustments.

Blurry: The long end of the zoom doesn’t let in much light (f/5.9), so that even poorly lit daytime shots can suffer from motion blur. Nor is the camera’s overall speed the fastest on the block. Put the two together and the S100 is less than ideal for shooting kid, pets or wildlife unless it’s in broad daylight.

Verdict: It’s a stellar camera, which displays some of the flexibility hitherto reserved for much bulkier (and more expensive) cameras. But if you don’t have the patience and the skill to use it, you may never notice the difference. In that case, your alternatives are to give up on compacts entirely (save your money for an iPhone 4s) or go for a system camera like the Sony NEX5-N. Gregoire Glachant

Specs: 24-120mm (equivalent) lens range, f/2.0-5.9 aperture, 12.1 MP, ISO 80-6400, full HD (1080p24) movie recording, GPS tagging. B15,900 from Canon dealers nationwide.