I am using this case since 1 year. Briefly I can say that this case is perfect underwater case for me with all aspects. Handling, covering, safety, ergonomy... all is perfect. Thanks to producers...
Sigma 210306 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Lens for Nikon APS-C DSLRs
This is a review I expect to update as I continue to use my brand new Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 lens. I am not a super-technical pixel-peeper kind of guy but I am a pretty experienced photographer and I'm writing this with a similar audience in mind. I bought this lens because I do a lot of event photography, especially dance (doing volunteer work for a ballet company) and while I've done pretty well with my trusty Canon 24-70mm F2.8 lens, I've felt a bit (sometimes more than a bit) limited when I photograph fast moving dance sequences in the low-light environments stage and dance very often are. That's because the 24-70mm F2.8 simply doesn't do as well on an EOS 7D with its 1.6x (APS-C) crop that it does on a full-frame like my EOS 5D Mark III.
That's what's one of the very nice things about this lens. You get the same performance on the crop body with it that you get with the 24-70mm on the full-frame. And that's important because my crop body with its 8 frame per second burst capability is the best camera for catching action (as opposed to the significantly smaller burst capability of the 5D Mark III).
07/17/2013:
So let's start with the first impressions:
1. The price on this lens is great. If it had been Canon or Nikon, I would have expected paying far more than what Sigma is charging for a game-changer lens.
2. The build quality is very nice. Holding the lens in my hands, it feels solid and well-constructed.
3. Although the lens is not a macro, I was impressed by how close it could focus...I actually was able to get good, sharp images of my parrot's face when I focused in below the ten inches that the specifications say it can do.
4. The lens focuses very quickly and the small number of images I've captured with it appear good and sharp. When I open it up, the bokeh appears very nice as well.
5. The lens is very quiet...I could hardly hear it while it moved to focus.
6. I also think that the lens is fairly low-profile...one wonders if Canon had made it whether they would have made it white which could draw unwelcome attention when doing street photography.
As far as negatives go, nothing leaped out at me. Some might not like the fact that you can only stop it down to F16 but who is going to use a lens like this for landscapes?
***
07/28/2013
I'm writing to update this review now that I've been out with my Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 on an EOS 7D body to two events I photographed. My subjects were both the same...the "Nat Pack" entertainers that give t-shirts away and dance on the dugout roof during breaks in the game.
I can't figure out how to upload photographs to the review site here (I'd welcome any help on that). In the meantime, you can see the photos from one game that I took on my flickr account photostream. Just go to that website and add after the .com suffix "maskirovka77/sets/72157634795619485/" to see the shots.
Frankly, I'm delighted with the lens. Even shooting with it opened all the way up, it was easy to get nice sharp, vivid pictures of the Nat Pack with good bokeh. The lens focused rapidly and I didn't wind up with very many blurry shots at all.
I won't even call this a drawback of the lens, since I'm sure that it's a result of optics and mechanical limitations, but the focal length range of the lens is not as good as the 24-70mm F2.8 lens but that's life.
One other thing I've realized is that I can pretty much put my old 50mm F1.4 on the market because the Sigma gives me so much more flexibility with its zoom.
That's what's one of the very nice things about this lens. You get the same performance on the crop body with it that you get with the 24-70mm on the full-frame. And that's important because my crop body with its 8 frame per second burst capability is the best camera for catching action (as opposed to the significantly smaller burst capability of the 5D Mark III).
07/17/2013:
So let's start with the first impressions:
1. The price on this lens is great. If it had been Canon or Nikon, I would have expected paying far more than what Sigma is charging for a game-changer lens.
2. The build quality is very nice. Holding the lens in my hands, it feels solid and well-constructed.
3. Although the lens is not a macro, I was impressed by how close it could focus...I actually was able to get good, sharp images of my parrot's face when I focused in below the ten inches that the specifications say it can do.
4. The lens focuses very quickly and the small number of images I've captured with it appear good and sharp. When I open it up, the bokeh appears very nice as well.
5. The lens is very quiet...I could hardly hear it while it moved to focus.
6. I also think that the lens is fairly low-profile...one wonders if Canon had made it whether they would have made it white which could draw unwelcome attention when doing street photography.
As far as negatives go, nothing leaped out at me. Some might not like the fact that you can only stop it down to F16 but who is going to use a lens like this for landscapes?
***
07/28/2013
I'm writing to update this review now that I've been out with my Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 on an EOS 7D body to two events I photographed. My subjects were both the same...the "Nat Pack" entertainers that give t-shirts away and dance on the dugout roof during breaks in the game.
I can't figure out how to upload photographs to the review site here (I'd welcome any help on that). In the meantime, you can see the photos from one game that I took on my flickr account photostream. Just go to that website and add after the .com suffix "maskirovka77/sets/72157634795619485/" to see the shots.
Frankly, I'm delighted with the lens. Even shooting with it opened all the way up, it was easy to get nice sharp, vivid pictures of the Nat Pack with good bokeh. The lens focused rapidly and I didn't wind up with very many blurry shots at all.
I won't even call this a drawback of the lens, since I'm sure that it's a result of optics and mechanical limitations, but the focal length range of the lens is not as good as the 24-70mm F2.8 lens but that's life.
One other thing I've realized is that I can pretty much put my old 50mm F1.4 on the market because the Sigma gives me so much more flexibility with its zoom.
Nikon D200 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G
No matter how you slice it, this is a great camera.
If you're considering this camera you likely to be in one of two camps: A Nikon person trying to determine whether or not to buy the N50, N70 or the D200; or you already know you want something more on the pro end of the pro-amateur spectrum and are trying to choose between a Nikon and a Canon. If you're in the latter camp then you can't go wrong with either the D200 or any of Canon's offerings. They both make excellent cameras. If you're already a Nikon person, get the Nikon; if you're already a Canon person, get the Canon.
That said, I'm a Nikon person, and after 5 years of having fun with my film-based N80 I wanted to make the leap into real digital photography. I say real, because I've had a Canon Sureshot for 4 years and it's great for snapshots, but when it comes to landscapes or dealing with any kind of lighting issues, it just doesn't measure up. Since I'm a Nikon person (all my lenses work with the new digital SLRs) I looked at the N50, N70 and D200. There are plenty of sites out there that compare these three cameras (against each other and the competition) to death, so I won't bother with all the details.
We buy cameras to take a variety of different pictures and my choice was driven by my needs, so my review is going to be colored by the kinds of pictures I tend to take. My favorite pastime is landscape photography. For this, any of the three cameras will take great pictures. The 6 mega pixels on the N50 and N70 are more than enough to take great pictures I've got a 20x30 poster of Yosemite's Half Dome taken with a friend's N70 that is as crisp as anything I've seen. Having 10mps gives me more room to play with when it comes time for cropping, though, and that's always nice, but hardly a reason to shell out an extra grand.
My next favorite photography subject is my yellow lab, Happy. If he's standing or sitting still, then all three of these cameras take excellent portrait shots. But when he's moving, such as launching himself off the end of a pier to fetch a toy in the lake, the D200 really shines. Its 5fps burst mode takes perfect pictures. It focuses each shot and with its rich 25 picture buffer built into the camera, I've yet to fill it up. What this means is that it doesn't matter what speed your memory card is. The camera takes its pictures and puts them into its buffer. Then a separate set of processors moves the picture from the buffer to your memory card. I would have to hold the button down for over 8 seconds before the burst mode would slow down (it would simply slow down to the speed of your memory card here it wouldn't stop taking pictures). This clarity of the pictures in burst mode is what made me choose the D200, and with the 18-70mm DX kit lens you'll get some brilliant photos.
While all three cameras let you take great picture, the D200 makes it very easy to change the most often used settings. Picture quality (e.g. resolution and depth), White Balance and ISO can be changed by holding down a single button with your left hand and rotating the command dials with your right. This means you don't have to take your eyes off of what you're looking at through the viewfinder in order to change these settings, and I find myself changing at least one of these on almost every picture I take. To be sure, you can change them on the N50 and N70 as well, but just not as quickly or easily.
Other things I liked about the D200 are:
o Build. It's made of metal and has a very nice heft to it. The D50 and D70, much like my N80, are made of a very good plastic, and I've never had any problems with the N80, but the D200 just feels good
o LCD. The 2.5 inch LCD makes it easy to determine whether or not you're happy with a picture in the field.
o Color. The auto white balance for the D200 is awesome and the colors are brilliant.
o 4 settings banks. You can preprogram four settings (ISO, WB, Picture Quality, etc) so you can get to it quickly.
One last point the D200 is very difficult to get a hold of these days, but it's slightly easier to get in kit form (which comes with a lens). The 18-55mm lens is nice, but I prefer the 18-70mm (remember, with digitals you have to multiply the focal length by 1.5 to compare it with their film counterparts, so the 18-70 for digital is more like a 28-105 for film). The 18-70mm kit will run you about $300 more than the body itself, and it's worth it.
If you don't already have a big zoom lens then the new 18-200mm Nikon VR lens is awesome (equivalent to 28-300 for film). It takes stunning pictures and has all the zoom you're likely to need. It runs between $700 and $800 and is even harder to get than the D200 (which is why I don't have one yet :-).
In summary, you can't go wrong with any of these Nikons. The D200, however, is definitely the king of the hill. Happy picture takine!
If you're considering this camera you likely to be in one of two camps: A Nikon person trying to determine whether or not to buy the N50, N70 or the D200; or you already know you want something more on the pro end of the pro-amateur spectrum and are trying to choose between a Nikon and a Canon. If you're in the latter camp then you can't go wrong with either the D200 or any of Canon's offerings. They both make excellent cameras. If you're already a Nikon person, get the Nikon; if you're already a Canon person, get the Canon.
That said, I'm a Nikon person, and after 5 years of having fun with my film-based N80 I wanted to make the leap into real digital photography. I say real, because I've had a Canon Sureshot for 4 years and it's great for snapshots, but when it comes to landscapes or dealing with any kind of lighting issues, it just doesn't measure up. Since I'm a Nikon person (all my lenses work with the new digital SLRs) I looked at the N50, N70 and D200. There are plenty of sites out there that compare these three cameras (against each other and the competition) to death, so I won't bother with all the details.
We buy cameras to take a variety of different pictures and my choice was driven by my needs, so my review is going to be colored by the kinds of pictures I tend to take. My favorite pastime is landscape photography. For this, any of the three cameras will take great pictures. The 6 mega pixels on the N50 and N70 are more than enough to take great pictures I've got a 20x30 poster of Yosemite's Half Dome taken with a friend's N70 that is as crisp as anything I've seen. Having 10mps gives me more room to play with when it comes time for cropping, though, and that's always nice, but hardly a reason to shell out an extra grand.
My next favorite photography subject is my yellow lab, Happy. If he's standing or sitting still, then all three of these cameras take excellent portrait shots. But when he's moving, such as launching himself off the end of a pier to fetch a toy in the lake, the D200 really shines. Its 5fps burst mode takes perfect pictures. It focuses each shot and with its rich 25 picture buffer built into the camera, I've yet to fill it up. What this means is that it doesn't matter what speed your memory card is. The camera takes its pictures and puts them into its buffer. Then a separate set of processors moves the picture from the buffer to your memory card. I would have to hold the button down for over 8 seconds before the burst mode would slow down (it would simply slow down to the speed of your memory card here it wouldn't stop taking pictures). This clarity of the pictures in burst mode is what made me choose the D200, and with the 18-70mm DX kit lens you'll get some brilliant photos.
While all three cameras let you take great picture, the D200 makes it very easy to change the most often used settings. Picture quality (e.g. resolution and depth), White Balance and ISO can be changed by holding down a single button with your left hand and rotating the command dials with your right. This means you don't have to take your eyes off of what you're looking at through the viewfinder in order to change these settings, and I find myself changing at least one of these on almost every picture I take. To be sure, you can change them on the N50 and N70 as well, but just not as quickly or easily.
Other things I liked about the D200 are:
o Build. It's made of metal and has a very nice heft to it. The D50 and D70, much like my N80, are made of a very good plastic, and I've never had any problems with the N80, but the D200 just feels good
o LCD. The 2.5 inch LCD makes it easy to determine whether or not you're happy with a picture in the field.
o Color. The auto white balance for the D200 is awesome and the colors are brilliant.
o 4 settings banks. You can preprogram four settings (ISO, WB, Picture Quality, etc) so you can get to it quickly.
One last point the D200 is very difficult to get a hold of these days, but it's slightly easier to get in kit form (which comes with a lens). The 18-55mm lens is nice, but I prefer the 18-70mm (remember, with digitals you have to multiply the focal length by 1.5 to compare it with their film counterparts, so the 18-70 for digital is more like a 28-105 for film). The 18-70mm kit will run you about $300 more than the body itself, and it's worth it.
If you don't already have a big zoom lens then the new 18-200mm Nikon VR lens is awesome (equivalent to 28-300 for film). It takes stunning pictures and has all the zoom you're likely to need. It runs between $700 and $800 and is even harder to get than the D200 (which is why I don't have one yet :-).
In summary, you can't go wrong with any of these Nikons. The D200, however, is definitely the king of the hill. Happy picture takine!
Sony HVR-HD1000U Digital High Definition HDV Camcorder Pack
Really, I just bought this package for the hvr-hd1000u because it was one of the better deals on the web with some accessories thrown into the mix as well. The camera itself is a very sturdy, clear camera that records in glorious HD. Also, some of the accessories are pretty good for a cheap compilation. However, I can't say the same for some of the other accessories like the video light, which is so dim it doesn't really help in any situation. Also, the ad said something about an additional battery that just wasn't there (though I heard from another review on this seller, that their third-party batteries are fire hazards so I should probably be thankful for that absence). Given that, I probably wouldn't touch the battery charger... Also, I'm confused as to why they only included dv's for an hdv camcorder. They're a decent quality but not at all HD. Overall, this is a great buy given the price is cheaper than what most retailers would charge for the camera alone. At the same time, I wouldn't put too much faith into the accessories (the exceptions being the memory card with its reader, the filters, the large tripod, the cleaning kit, and the cases).
BlackBerry Torch 9850 Unlocked Quadband GSM/3G Smart Phone
Pros -
1. Good screen size, good graphics while browsing, the phone has a very sleek built and looks attractive to hold, there is a lock mechanism on top of the phone.
2. Despite being a touchscreen phone the blackberry has a scroll trackpad for those who may miss it or may need it, this is required to ensure pinpoint accuracy for those who haven't mastered the touchscreen immediately.
3. Great camera, super fast. Picture a friend looking to get out of the image before you click, too late, the camera is super fast. It does have a flash too.
4. Call quality is strong and you get reception everywhere. OS 7.0 isn't very different from the previous Operating System. Some say it should have been called 6.5 to show the lack of technological advancement since the previous operating system.
Cons -
1. While the phone is sleek, the on screen keyboard will take some time getting used to and there aren't many options for changing it.
2. Compared to an Android the screen doesn't have that kind of wooing ability.
3. The phone is a blackberry without a keyboard and for those who stick to the blackberry for features such as BBM, this is an immediate departure.
4. While this is a great phone, it is missing a keyboard and therefore pitted directly against Android phones and that is where it is truly beaten black and blue. As an entertainment device it isn't very loud.
For a very long time, Blackberry was formulaic and introduced little changes to their phones because their known formula was working. I used to respect them for that but in this day and age when you are competing with the likes of Apple and Android, most people who use the Blackberry as their sole device are dropping it and looking for other things. There are many cross platform chat softwares which work three quarters as good as the Blackberry like say Whatsapp (instead of the famous BBM).
If you are considering getting this phone, do look at a store model I would strongly suggest. Voice clarity is good, design is good, the basics are fine. People coming from old Samsung Instincts would like this phone. So would people who have a Blackberry Style. Someone coming to this phone from an Android like Samsung Epic or HTC Evo won't be able to use it without complaining once in a way. The battery life is poor because they are now making their phone slimmer and the touchscreens bigger. From Blackberry I would like a better browsing experience and maybe a better onscreen keyboard. This phone was a great try and it's heartening to see how sleek and beautiful a blackberry has become.
1. Good screen size, good graphics while browsing, the phone has a very sleek built and looks attractive to hold, there is a lock mechanism on top of the phone.
2. Despite being a touchscreen phone the blackberry has a scroll trackpad for those who may miss it or may need it, this is required to ensure pinpoint accuracy for those who haven't mastered the touchscreen immediately.
3. Great camera, super fast. Picture a friend looking to get out of the image before you click, too late, the camera is super fast. It does have a flash too.
4. Call quality is strong and you get reception everywhere. OS 7.0 isn't very different from the previous Operating System. Some say it should have been called 6.5 to show the lack of technological advancement since the previous operating system.
Cons -
1. While the phone is sleek, the on screen keyboard will take some time getting used to and there aren't many options for changing it.
2. Compared to an Android the screen doesn't have that kind of wooing ability.
3. The phone is a blackberry without a keyboard and for those who stick to the blackberry for features such as BBM, this is an immediate departure.
4. While this is a great phone, it is missing a keyboard and therefore pitted directly against Android phones and that is where it is truly beaten black and blue. As an entertainment device it isn't very loud.
For a very long time, Blackberry was formulaic and introduced little changes to their phones because their known formula was working. I used to respect them for that but in this day and age when you are competing with the likes of Apple and Android, most people who use the Blackberry as their sole device are dropping it and looking for other things. There are many cross platform chat softwares which work three quarters as good as the Blackberry like say Whatsapp (instead of the famous BBM).
If you are considering getting this phone, do look at a store model I would strongly suggest. Voice clarity is good, design is good, the basics are fine. People coming from old Samsung Instincts would like this phone. So would people who have a Blackberry Style. Someone coming to this phone from an Android like Samsung Epic or HTC Evo won't be able to use it without complaining once in a way. The battery life is poor because they are now making their phone slimmer and the touchscreens bigger. From Blackberry I would like a better browsing experience and maybe a better onscreen keyboard. This phone was a great try and it's heartening to see how sleek and beautiful a blackberry has become.
Garmin nüvi 3597LMTHD 5-Inch Portable Bluetooth Vehicle GPS
List Price: $329.99
Sale Price: $328.99
Today's Bonus: $1.00 Off
So I've had the 3597 for almost four days, but I've used many a Garmin before, going back to the GPS V. (I've also owned the 3490, 3790 and 1695) As usual, Garmin decides to update the new model year with some new features (Active Lane Guidance and Real Directions are the main ones) but then remove others (user updatable speed limits and dashboards come to mind). I really like this new model, but would only ask for a couple of features to return to make it outstanding. All of my cons could be considered nit-picky, but they're still cons in my book. All told, I would still recommend the 3597.
SW Version 2.60
Thoughts that come to mind:
Pros
+ The 5-inch display is very crisp and clear, but can be reflective depending on how you position it in your car. Love the big screen!
+ More street names are shown on the map than previous models, roads not on your route are more frequently labled at all zoom levels
+ Voice activation works well for me, even with windows down
+ HD traffic (included) works well for me in San Diego; however see below for comment around traffic with Smartphone App
+ Advanced lane guidance. While not included for all junctions, it's useful to know exactly which lane you should be in as you approach tricky junctions/intersections
+ Current street shown
+ Volume with speaker mount is very good. With windows down I only have to boost the volume to 60 or 65 to hear directions.
+ Magnetic mount bring the unit close to the mount and it just snaps into place by itself, much improved.
Cons
Lack of dashboards, or specifically of more data fields. I really miss having more than two data fields. One being current speed (cannot be changed) and one other. I miss being able to view time to destination, arrival time, and distance to destination all on the screen at the same time, like any of the previous models. Hopefully this will be changed in a SW update...? By the way, you can include trip data in the "sidebar", but those are limited to Direction, Max Speed, Moving Avg, Overall Avg, Stopped Time, Moving Time, Total Time, Elevation. Why just those "trip" fields?
I had previously purchased the traffic through the Smartphone App for Android and it's hit or miss. I can have cell reception on my phone, but the GPS won't be able to receive data. By keeping the traffic on the sidebar, it can confirm that it will go minutes without being able to update the traffic info. If it connects at startup but then isn't able to connect, all traffic data goes away until it can successfully connect again. I'm hopeful this can also be updated via SW update.
I miss the three onscreen shortcuts found in the 3490 it takes an extra button press to do a "where to" search, or get traffic info. A minor annoyance, but still a feature subtracted from the previous model.
No user updatable speed limits a feature removed from previous models. While I understand they're only included as a guide, it would be nice to change them if they are incorrect.
* Real directions. I'm indifferent to this new feature. "Turn left at the traffic light" versus "Turn left on University Ave" doesn't really make much difference to me. Though I did run across the downfall of implementing this feature... "Turn left after La Salsa" only helps when La Salsa is still in business. Unfortunately it was not, but I knew where to turn anyway.
* I tend not to use the bluetooth functionality for phone calls, so I can't answer to the quality on this model.
Canon PowerShot S95 10 MP Digital Camera with 3.8x Wide Angle
If you're looking for a pocketable camera that has reasonably high quality images, lets you control aperture, speed and focus and shoot in RAW format, this is it. I bought mine as an upgrade from a previous small but versatile camera, a Canon Powershot S70.
The Powershot S95 was introduced in August 2010 as a slight upgrade to the S90, which was widely praised for its image quality and excellent interface but criticized for being hard to hold ("like a bar of soap in the shower") and for having a control dial that turned too easily. The S95 fixes both problems and adds a couple of other features in a package that fits in the pocket of your jeans (if they're not super tight). The case is metal, and although there are no finger grips on the body, it's not slippery at all. It feels like it's covered with super-fine sandpaper (like 1000 or 1500 grit, for those you who know what that feels like).
The second major complaint about the S-90 was that the function selection ring on the rear moved too easily. The ring on the S-95 has a slight click when you move it, and it doesn't move unless you want it to.
There are a couple of other cameras of this type, including the Panasonic LX-3 and LX-5 and the Samsung TL500. They all have let you control camera functions, and like the S95 they have 10 MP sensors that are almost twice as large as a typical pocket camera, so the pixels on the sensor are larger. That lets them gather light more efficiently, which reduces digital "noise" when you shoot in dim light. Image quality is noticeably better than photos from typical pocket cameras. You can make an 8 x 10 or perhaps 11x14 enlargement, although a digital SLR will be significantly better for larger prints. They also have f/2.0 lenses at their widest angle, although the aperture closes down as you zoom in.
The Canon has two advantages over the Panasonic LX-3 & LX-5. First, you really can put it in your pocket or in a belt case no bigger than the one you use for a mobile phone. Second, the interface is a brilliant re-thinking of how a very small camera with a full set of controls should work. There's not much room for buttons on the small surface, but you don't have to get into a multi-level menu on the LCD, and yet changing settings is fast and intuitive.
For example, there's a ring around the lens that you can grip easily to control zoom, or, shutter speed, or aperture, change ISO, or manually focus. You select what you want it to do by pressing a button on the top, and when you look at the LCD screen you can see what it's programmed for. There's a selection wheel on the back for other functions, and when you move it, a clear set of choices appears on the screen. The selections are context-appropriate, so they change depending on whether you've set the camera for aperture control, "Program" control, etc.
The two Panasonics have the same sensor as their Canon equivalents, but they offer a slightly wider lens (24mm vs. 28 for the S95). The LX-3 has a much shorter telephoto only 60 mm. The LX-5, which was introduced a couple of weeks before the S95, has a 90mm telephoto, and you can buy an add-on optical viewfinder. It also has a flash shoe in addition to the pop-up flash, although you can buy a dedicated add-on flash for the S-95 to supplement its pop-up flash The LX-5 is about 25% more expensive than the Canon S95 (and 60% more with the optional viewfinder) and while it would fit in a coat pocket, you can't stuff it into a trouser pocket.
If you want a truly pocketable camera that gives you good image quality and full control over your photography, the S95 is an excellent choice.
The Powershot S95 was introduced in August 2010 as a slight upgrade to the S90, which was widely praised for its image quality and excellent interface but criticized for being hard to hold ("like a bar of soap in the shower") and for having a control dial that turned too easily. The S95 fixes both problems and adds a couple of other features in a package that fits in the pocket of your jeans (if they're not super tight). The case is metal, and although there are no finger grips on the body, it's not slippery at all. It feels like it's covered with super-fine sandpaper (like 1000 or 1500 grit, for those you who know what that feels like).
The second major complaint about the S-90 was that the function selection ring on the rear moved too easily. The ring on the S-95 has a slight click when you move it, and it doesn't move unless you want it to.
There are a couple of other cameras of this type, including the Panasonic LX-3 and LX-5 and the Samsung TL500. They all have let you control camera functions, and like the S95 they have 10 MP sensors that are almost twice as large as a typical pocket camera, so the pixels on the sensor are larger. That lets them gather light more efficiently, which reduces digital "noise" when you shoot in dim light. Image quality is noticeably better than photos from typical pocket cameras. You can make an 8 x 10 or perhaps 11x14 enlargement, although a digital SLR will be significantly better for larger prints. They also have f/2.0 lenses at their widest angle, although the aperture closes down as you zoom in.
The Canon has two advantages over the Panasonic LX-3 & LX-5. First, you really can put it in your pocket or in a belt case no bigger than the one you use for a mobile phone. Second, the interface is a brilliant re-thinking of how a very small camera with a full set of controls should work. There's not much room for buttons on the small surface, but you don't have to get into a multi-level menu on the LCD, and yet changing settings is fast and intuitive.
For example, there's a ring around the lens that you can grip easily to control zoom, or, shutter speed, or aperture, change ISO, or manually focus. You select what you want it to do by pressing a button on the top, and when you look at the LCD screen you can see what it's programmed for. There's a selection wheel on the back for other functions, and when you move it, a clear set of choices appears on the screen. The selections are context-appropriate, so they change depending on whether you've set the camera for aperture control, "Program" control, etc.
The two Panasonics have the same sensor as their Canon equivalents, but they offer a slightly wider lens (24mm vs. 28 for the S95). The LX-3 has a much shorter telephoto only 60 mm. The LX-5, which was introduced a couple of weeks before the S95, has a 90mm telephoto, and you can buy an add-on optical viewfinder. It also has a flash shoe in addition to the pop-up flash, although you can buy a dedicated add-on flash for the S-95 to supplement its pop-up flash The LX-5 is about 25% more expensive than the Canon S95 (and 60% more with the optional viewfinder) and while it would fit in a coat pocket, you can't stuff it into a trouser pocket.
If you want a truly pocketable camera that gives you good image quality and full control over your photography, the S95 is an excellent choice.