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Camera Reviews > Canon Powershot S2 IS 5MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical
Image Stabilized Zoom Review
Review
of Canon Powershot S2 IS 5MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized
Zoom
Some brands of digicams sport German or other Euro lenses. Some will
no doubt argue, but after 35 years of being an active photographer, and a tech
type of person, I feel that nobody makes high end lenses better than Canon makes
them, and nobody makes more lenses that qualify as high end than Canon either.
The lens mounted on the S2 IS is the best of it's class. Even compared
to quality SLR zoom lenses, it is a premium product. The camera is not a pocket
cam, and does not pretend to replace one. Then again, it can do what no pocket
cam can ever dream of, and can compete heads up with most digital SLR's in the
hands of most people who buy a digital SLR. Truth is, most people who spend the
bucks on a digital SLR would get far more from the purchase of an S2 IS.
The
5mp sensor produces 8x10 prints that rival 35mm quality. The VGA movie mode is
simply awesome, and the DIGIC II chip is the same one that powers top of the line
SLR's, which means outstanding speed from startup to shutdown. The selection of
modes on this camera is incredible, yet it is easy to make a quick shot that looks
great no matter what the situation. The continuous shot speed of 2.4 FPS is plenty
when you consider that it isn't a burst mode. If you have a 1 gig memory card
plugged in, it will shoot at the top speed until the card is full (around 600
pics at max resolution). The intervalometer function is a real treat, as you can
shoot time lapse pics with a press of a button, and you have full control of how
often the shutter trips, and for how long.
A 1 gig memory card will give
you just over eight minutes of VGA movie time with high quality stereo sound.
For most functions that don't call for a DV tape camera, 8 minutes of high quality
TV screen sized full motion video is a long time. Consider that an old "super
eight" film camera was only good for 3 minutes per reel, had no stereo sound,
and wasn't as smooth as the S2's 30 FPS speed. Then there is the IS function.
Between reviews and first hand experience, nobody makes an image stabilizing system
as good as Canon makes it. It works in spectacular fashion for both still pics,
and movies.
OK, other reviwers will compare specs, and show that the S2
IS is the top dog in the most useful class of cameras to hit the market in a long
time. I just want to make sure that people thinking about buying a digital SLR
look at the S2 first. I bought the S2, the lens hood, and lens adaptor, a closeup
lens for use at max telephoto, a wide angle lens, a telephoto extender lens, a
set of Hoyo UV and Polorizing filters, and a fine quality camera bag for under
$1,000. My next purchase will be a slave flash to extend the flash range of the
camera. The model offered by Canon is pretty cheap, and there are others to consider.
The bottom line is that the S2 is larger than a pocket cam, but much smaller
and lighter than an SLR, and can beat the average SLR package to near death right
out of the box for most shooting situations. Equip the S2 with a handful of accessories,
and the casual SLR owner will have to spend thousands of Dollars on lenses, accessories,
and a reasonable video camera just to keep up.
The S2 is a major compromise
if you make a living taking pictures, and choose to spend thousands in order to
make sure that you can handle every situation that pops up, but the S2 and a full
compliment of accesories will fit in a medium small camera bag, weigh very little,
and capture 95% of your shots just as well for under a grand. And it does awesome
image stabilized still pics and movies.
I suspect that more than half
of the people who buy digital SLR's would have been far better off with an S2,
and would be enjoying new features well into the first Months of ownership. If
you have the itch to step up, and you are torn between an SLR and a S2, buy the
S2. You will be thrilled with what the UPS guy delivers. Buy the SLR in two or
three more years. They might break out of the mold, and be ready for prime time
in the consumer market by then.
Last note. I took my first pic with the
S2 set to auto, flash on, at 12x zoom. I was sitting on my couch 18 feet away
from my kitchen in dim evening light, with one incandescent light burning near
my couch. I focused on a box of Cheerios sitting on top of my refrigerator (unlike
many earlier digicams, the S2 locked on in a flash), and snapped the pic. The
box was in a 3/4 view, so I could see the side panel, and the front face. Reviewing
the pic on the camera, I was able to clearly read even the finest print on the
side panel of that box. Take a look at the print on the side of a standard sized
box of Cheerios next time you are in the market, and imagine snapping a handheld
shot from 18 feet away, and reading every word in sharp detail on the camera display
afterwards. Canon knows how to make a proper lens. And yes, Canon does Linux.
I have been Windoze free for several years now, but free open source apps work
fine with this camera, and I heard a rumor (I will try it soon on my Xandros box)
that the Canon Win apps run under Crossover Office for Linux. Meanwhile, the camera
app included in SuSE 9.3 communicates with the S2 as a PTP device with no problems.
Buy the Canon Powershot S2 IS 5MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical
Image Stabilized Zoom
