This model is considered high-end, professional, or prosumer because of its price, its feature set, and its high-sensitivity image sensor.

Among other things, it features a thinner body, improved image stabilization, an automated HDR shooting mode, 720p HD-quality video recording with stereo sound, and a more ergonomic finish and controls.

The S95 is one of the first camera models to feature an automated high dynamic range (HDR) shooting mode.

This advanced digital imaging technique shoots three bracketed exposures in quick succession, and then automatically composites them for an increased dynamic range and more vivid coloration.

A similar category to high-end compact cameras are mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras ("MILCs"), some of which are in a compact form factor (with a similar-sized body), such as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, Olympus PEN E-P1/E-P2, and Sony Alpha NEX-3.