Canon S5 IS

I told you all that I'd gotten a couple new cameras and it's about time I introduced you to one of them. I didn't ever think I'd buy myself a super zoom but I'm now the proud owner of a Cannon S5 IS camera.

I was getting tired of lugging the DSLR and lenses around all the time but I was reluctant to leave them behind on my hiking trips never knowing what I'd see or when the mood to do some photography would strike. After getting a couple longish lenses for my DSLR I was finding I liked using the longer focal lengths. The idea of a decent super zoom camera was really starting to appeal to me. It would give me a good range of focal lengths (leaving out the wide end) and was also light and compact enough not to be a burden when back packing. Not having to lug around as much camera gear would also let me carry around a smaller, lighter back pack as well.

I did some research but it really wasn't tough to settle on the Canon S5 once I decided to buy a super zoom. The fact that it was one of only a few to offer a flash hot shoe made the decision even easier. While there may be other brands that do better under some circumstances Canon seems to build the best overall P&S cameras from what I've seen.

I stopped in a Best Buy one day and was able to play with both the S5 and the S3 (its predecessor). Both are setup very similarly but the larger screen of the S5 was nice and it also seemed to have a much wider viewing angle (the S3 seemed to black out very easily if not looking at it straight on). As with all small sensor cameras the S5 IS won't do real great at higher ISO's in low light but I'm banking that the IS (Image Stabilization) will make up for the difference by allowing me to shoot at lower ISO's in low light.

So far I must say I'm very happy with the camera. I've taken it out on a few outings from biking, to walking around the city, to hiking in the mountains. The small size and light weight is a real blessing and I love the long zoom capabilities of the lens (423mm Equivalent). I've gotten shots with the camera I wouldn't have been able to get with my DSLR just because I don't have that long of lenses. The 35mm equivalent on the wide end is pretty much standard and it's a focal length that I enjoy using. So far I've found the controls to be set up pretty well and using the camera in either AV or M (Aperture Priority and Manual) is very easy; the live histogram makes getting the exposure correct a snap. I also love the flip out screen which is something I wanted the camera to do. It's great for macro and low angle shooting when I don't want to crawl on the ground for the shot. You can flip the screen around 180 degrees too which makes taking a self portraits a snap!

The picture quality is decent and pretty much what I expected. There's no way the image quality compares to that of a DSLR but I didn't expect it to either so I'm not disappointed. Most of my images will only be used on the web anyway and I'm sure I'd have no problems making 8X10's from most of the shots.

I haven't done any real testing but the IS seems to be working as advertised and I've gotten some sharp shots at very long focal lengths at pretty low shutter speeds.

The focus speeds is fast enough for me and I haven't had any troubles with the focus accuracy. I'm using the camera on center weighted metering and it's done a fine job so far. Like I said earlier the live histogram makes it easy to see when it's made a mistake before you take the shot.

There are of course a few complaints I have with the camera, none of them real major though. The EVF (Electronic View Finder) sucks, not that anyone else is doing any better in this regard from what I here. It's low resolution, small, and I find it difficult to use. So far I haven't had much issue using the screen even in the sun but it would be nice using the EVF to save battery life. As it is though I'll sacrifice battery life for easier to use screen over the EVF.

I also wish the lens cap fit tighter. I find it's constantly popping off and if I forget to remove it before powering the camera on the lens extends and just pops it off and onto the ground, which could be a very bad thing in some situations. I wish they would have just programmed the camera so that it would detect excessive current as the lens tried to extend on startup if the cap was on; causing it to stop extending the lens to keep from damaging anything and displaying up a warning on the LCD to remove the lens cap.

If course, I really wish the camera had a RAW capture mode too though I've been happy with the JPG output so far.

I'm sure as I use the camera more I'll find more limitations and things I don't like but right now it's looking like it's going to be a real winner for me. Hiking 10 miles through the mountains yesterday was definitely easier and more fun since I could carry a smaller pack and less weight.