---------------CANON POWERSHOT S5 IS - My review------------------
MY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH CANON AND HOW I WANTED A NEW ONE...
I've used an old Canon Powershot A30 since 2002 and it has served me very well but with the advent of 2009 I decided that its 1.2 Megapixels and video with no sound were just not enough anymore!
So I looked around for a new camera... I knew I wanted another Canon because: 1) they support rechargable batteries 100%! 2) they are excellent quality cameras (no one ever suspected that the pictures I took with my previous camera had only 1.2 Megapixel... and that's saying something)
... and I knew I wanted another powershot because they have excellent optics and reviews. The series powershot was perhaps one of the most successiful for Canon and, in general, in the World of digital cameras because of their quality/price ratio. When you buy a Powershot you know that you're not getting a low quality camera whatever price you're paying for. The powershot line is so divided:
* A series: "Easy and Fun" budget cameras ranging from point-and-shoot to prosumer cameras * E series: design-oriented budget cameras * G series: flagship cameras with near dSLR functionality * S/SD series (also known as PowerShot Digital ELPH): "Performance and Style" ultracompact point-and-shoot cameras * S/SX series: ultra-zoom cameras * TX series: hybrid camera/camcorders * Pro series: professional-level cameras slotting right beneath Canon's dSLRs
I knew I didn't want a budget camera because I am, afterall, keen of photography (not a professional but I like to take good pictures!). So I had a look at the various series and my eyes fell on a model called Canon Powershot S5 IS of a line that started with the model S1, S2, and S3 (skipping S4 because apparently 4 is a bad luck number in Japan) and that I've heard of it possibly being THE most successiful of all the canons, falling into the category of semi-professional cameras or also called "ultra zoom camera". The "ultra-zoom" definition was already appealing enough for me so I had to know more.
By the time I read all its functionalities, options and public reception I was dying for one. I'll list some of its features which I will eventually reveiw in detail.
Features which I will also explain in details later:
* 12x optical zoom lens with IS * 8.0 Megapixels * Extensive movie options * DIGIC III and iSAPS *
Face Detection AF/AE/FE * Red-Eye Correction * ISO 1600 and Auto ISO Shift * 2.5" vari-angle LCD (a rotating LCD!!!! I had to have it) * 22 shooting modes * Accessories include Speedlite flashes
__________________________________ THE CAMERA AND ITS FEATURES OVERVIEW
The Powershot S5 IS is first of all a great looking camera with lots of functions and professional optics with an incredible zoom for being a not-professional model. It actually looks and feels professional but don't make this scare you! This camera is perfect also for beginners because it's really easy to set up and use, it still have all the functions of the basic models and also advanced settings for more demanding users.
In the box you will find:
* The 8.0 effective Megapixel PowerShot S5 camera * 32MB Secure Digitalmemory card * Four AA alkaline batteries * Neck strap * USB cable * A/V output cable * CD-ROM featuring Canon Digital Camera Solution (I didn't install anything but I let windows recognize the camera and it works excellently) * 33 page basic maual (printed) + the advanced manual and software manual (all on the CD) - this may sound like a cheap choice but in the end you never bring with yourself an advanced manual of 223 pages in holiday and being on a PDF file it's easier to find what you're looking for through the search button.
Canon includes a 32MB memory card with the S5, which holds a grand total of eight photos at the highest quality setting. Obviously you'll have to buy a larger card right away. The S5 supports SD, SDHC, and MMC media, and I'd recommend picking up a 2 or 4GB card at the very least. If you plan on taking a lot of movies, spring for a 4GB SDHC card. Having a high speed card is important with this camera, so look for one with a speed rating of at least 60X (for SD) or Class 4 (for SDHC).
Like its predecessors, the S5 IS uses four AA batteries for power. Canon includes four alkaline batteries in the box, which will quickly find their way into your trash can. My suggestion is to get a set of NiMH rechargeable batteries (2500 mAh or better) and a fast charger. You can get about 450 shots with your 4 rechargable batteries (2500 mAh NiMH).
_____________________ SOME FEATURES IN DETAIL
--High performance optics A powerful 12x optical zoom lens features Canon's renowned optical Image Stabilizer technology to counteract camera shake. An Ultrasonic Motor (USM) ensures fast and near-silent operationı. UD lens technology and SuperSpectra coating reduce chromatic aberrations, flare and ghosting for sharp images with superb colour accuracy.
--Resolution An 8.0 Megapixel sensor captures the fine detail in every scene, enabling you to crop or enlarge images and create large-scale prints.
--Extensive movie options Shoot 30fps VGA quality movies with stereo sound, or record QVGA movies at 60fps and analyse in sharp slow motion. Make full resolution stills while recording with the Photo in Movie feature. The video quality is superb. It's not as if it's going to replace your camcorder... but we're not far from that situation. On my 4GB SDHC I could record 30' in highest quality or 57' in the smallest quality which is still good for making videos to put online (such as on youtube).
--DIGIC III with iSAPS Canon's DIGIC III processor provides lightning quick responses, superb image quality and advanced noise reduction for cleaner images at high ISO speeds. iSAPS technology analyses each scene to optimise key camera settings even before a shot is taken.
--Face Detection Technology Face Detection AF/AE/FE ensures superb people shots by automatically detecting up to 9 faces in the frame and selecting the optimum focus, exposure and flash settings. In Movie mode, Face Detection AF/AE achieves accurate exposure and focus even when the subject is moving towards or away from the camera. And the face detection my dear readers is something that is just incredible. It does really work!
--Red-Eye Correction During playback Face Detection Technology allows you to quickly and accurately correct red-eye.
--Sharp low light shooting Shoot improved images in dim conditions with ISO 1600 - ideal in galleries or museums where flash photography is prohibited. Use Auto ISO Shift to avoid image blur with the touch of a button whenever camera shake is predicted. ALTHOUGH, the pictures catch "noises" from ISO400 and ISO1600 is almost unlikely to be used for good quality pictures. Still the manual mode can let you take great pictures in the lowest light conditions... as long as you have a steady hand or a tripod.
--Extra large vari-angle LCD The 2.5" high-resolution vari-angle LCD lets you take pictures from the weirdest angles which is something new and formidable for me, moving from a simpler model. Night Display mode enhances screen visibility after dark.
--Shooting modes and My Colors You have a choice of 22 shooting modes including Manual mode for creative control and 0cm Super Macro mode for extreme close-ups. Apply in-camera colour effects to images and movies with My Colors.
--Accessories For this camera you will find a comprehensive range of accessories including lens hood and wide/tele/close-up converter lenses. A hotshoe on the PowerShot S5 IS enables the use of selected Canon Speedlite flashes. I never needed any of these accessories but some professionals might and I love the idea of having a camera with loads of accessories made for it.
-- The Software I
Pictures of Canon PowerShot S5 IS
A picture taken with my camera. I hope I'll be able to add more in the future for a better idea of what this camera can do!
always thought that camera software is the most useless software of all (apart from perhaps mouse and keyboard softwares) but let's see what this camera comes with:
First of all it's both Windows (2000, XP and Vista) and Machintosh compatible. I have Windows so I can only tell you about that but I know from Machintosh owners that Canon programs run on Mac just as smoothly.
- ZoomBrowser EX will help you to organize and edit your images, movies and slideshows. I remember this program from my old camera and I never thought it was too useful. I prefer to save all my pictures in an external hard disk divided in proper folders by myself.
- RemoteCapture Task: this apparently allows you to take use the camera controlling it from the PC, I've never tried it and it sounds pretty scary actually.
- PhotoStitch: For creating panoramic photos from multiple images. This IS the only program that I find useful in the Canon bundle. As a matter of fact, the camera has a function that let you take a series of pictures that you will be able to stich together with this program and boy it works! I had some beautiful long pictures taken when the normal camera angle is just not enough to capture the panorama.
The camera support the driverless data transfer both on Windows XP and Macintosh OS X so you DO NOT need these programs installed. You can just plug the camera with the provided USB cable and download the images with the windows (or machintosh) built-in program... and this is what I do.
__________________________________ ExHAUSTIVE LIST OF CAMERA FEATURES * 8.0 megapixel (effective) * 1/2.5 in (10 mm) CCD Sensor * Flash Hotshoe (new compared to S3) * 12x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom * Optical Image Stabilizer (Shift Type) * Ultrasonic Lens Motor * Extra-long Movie Mode with enhanced VGA resolution and stereo sound * Canon DIGIC III processor with iSAPS * Running the DRYOS operating system * PictBridge, PhotoStitch, Canon Direct Print compatible - no PC required * 20 shooting modes * Aperture Range: F2.7 to F8 * Macro focus range: 10 to 50 cm (max wide angle); 30 to 50 cm (with a slight zoom-in); 90cm to infinity (with more than about 3x zoom) * SuperMacro focus range: 0 to 10 cm (forced into max wide angle mode) * Min. shutter: 1/3200 s, max shutter: 15 s * 640 x 480 15/30 frame/s movie clips with stereo audio (limited to 4 GB or 1 hour, whichever comes first), and with 320 x 240 mode at 60/30/15 frame/s * Electronic Viewfinder 0.33" (approx 115,000 pixels) * Continuous Drive: 1.5 fps * 2.5" (flip-out & twist) LCD (207,000 pixels) * Dimensions: 117 x 80 x 78 mm * Weight: 450 g
_____________________________________ YES, BUT WHAT IS BAD ABOUT THIS CAMERA?
The answer is "not much". The size might be an issue, it's not a compact camera but neither as big as the EOS cameras. It doesn't support RAW image files but only JPG which, I've heard, is bad for some people. Honeslty, moving from a 7 yeas old Powershot A30, I didn't even know what RAW was or cared, but I've heard that some people made a firmware to add the support of RAW images to this model (it's not a canon software so it's on your responsability). I've heard that the picture noises from ISO400 was better dealt with in its predecessor S3 IS. That's all the bad points I can think of warning you about. Some complained about the lens cap coming off very easily. This is not a difect people! The lens cap doesn't come off by itself at all, it's just looser than in other cameras because if you accidentally turn on the camera forgetting to remove the cap first (believe me IT HAPPENS A LOT) the lens cap just comes off without damaging the camera. So this loose lens cap is not a disadvantage, it helps you to preserve your precious camera from being damaged!
__________________ PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
The camera came out in July 2007 so it's still rather new but hard, almost impossible, to find in shops because it was succeeded by Canon PowerShot SX1 IS/Canon PowerShot SX10 IS and when companies want to sell a new product they just stop selling the old one. I made my purchase on ebay stealing a deal for 210 euro (around £180) still in guarantee for 10 months. New it would cost £300-£350. Definitely an expensive purchase. These cameras don't come exactly cheap and what's worse they don't come at all since it's almost impossible to find them. Nonetheless you might still find shops that still have them in stock and perhaps also discounted.
When new the guarantee is only 1 year but sometimes you can find them with 5 years guarantee extension. Beware though, if you buy it with 1 year standard guarantee you won't be able to extend the guarantee later on. The 5 year extension has to be included at the moment of purchase so demand it if you're buying it from a shop!
_________ LAST WORDS I've had this camera for a while now and I simply love it! The picture quality is superb and doesn't require any deep knowledge of photography to be handled. Some options you will use very often, some others almost... never! I appreciate the fact that I can use 4 AA rechargable batteries so I don't need to spend a fortune buying normal ones. The optical image stabilization works really great and you can notice it when zooming very far (when the little shaky hands can't possibly hold it steady but the stabilizer fixes the problem). Also the LCD screen is big and can be moved around like a camcorder screen, the flash light is very good, the video quality is superb, it has plenty of functions and the optical zoom is just incredible.
It would be a crime not to suggest the purchase of this camera to anyone who's looking for a new camera which is not too basic but neither exclusively professional. As a matter of fact this is a highly suggested camera for all sorts of users from beginners to semi-professionals. If you will look at the prices of not-professional and basic model cameras you might notice that the price gap between those and this S5 IS is not even that big. The problem is to find this jewel!
____ LINKS And now some links for who wants to investigate more!
---------------------------------------NEWS!!!! -------------------------------------- I see it currently on Play.com at £294.99 free delivery! A great price!
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