Pros: AA Batteries, Video Mode, 12x Zoom, Rapid Fire Photos, Fast Start Up
Cons: Positioning of Menu/Set Buttons
The Bottom Line: Excellent optical zoom and the ability to take top notch quality photos/ video clips (that also take advantage of the zoom) the S2 is the best choice out there.
tj_of_calgary's Full Review: Canon PowerShot S2 IS Digital Camera
After some heavy research we settled on the S2. With a young family, we wanted a camera that could take excellent stills of the little ones, but quick 30 second video clips. You know, baby's first steps, the cute little songs they sing, wobbling about the house etc...
The S2 with the 12x zoom is great. You can sit with the camera ready, and zoom in across the room or yard and catch the kids doing kid stuff without being right on top of them. In fact, because you are so far away, pictures turn out more natural as to the expressions. Movie mode is also excellent and this is one of the only cameras with an operating zoom while in movie mode -- most combo cameras only allow a fixed focal point while taking video clips.
When you purchase the camera, factor in a big memory card if you intend to capture both pictures and video. I recommend at least a 1Gb card with a minimal 60x speed rating. I got my camera and card at eCost.com. I'm from Canada eh, and the price of both the camera and 1Gb card (including shipping and duty) was slightly less than $700 which is about $100 less than the camera alone in Canada.
Rapid fire photography is great -- you can capture 2.5 pictures per second and get expressions, or running etc. Scene mode also helps to automate exposure in different lighting conditions including Foliage (in the woods eh), Fireworks, Indoors, Snow and more -- no more guessing.
Others have criticized the AA batteries, but to me, this was one of the greatest features. Buy yourself 8 NiCad rechargable batteries (4 for now, 4 as spares) and you are good to go for years. Unlike my last Canon Digital Elf with a proprietary battery at $30, rechargable NiCads can be had for a couple of bucks off eBay ($0.99 for 4x2100mah batteries). Plus, in a pinch, the 7/11 always stocks AA batteries in case of an emergency.
On the downside, the Menu/Set buttons have been placed right were I tend to rest my right thumb when I turn the camera on. Almost every time, I hit the menu button when getting the camera set up. The camera is certainly more bulky than the Digital Elf, but with considerably more functionality.
The manual is easy to read and understand == and believe me you will be reading it. There are so many features with this camera, time lapse shots, video, audio memos, manual focus and exposure. Oh yeah, and another selling feature, Canon has finally (IMHO) changed to the less expensive, and easier to find Secure Digital (SD) media format -- that was the final tipping point which made this purchase easy.
For price, features and functinality combined with outstanding picture and video quality, the S2 is highly recommended. Enjoy.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 485 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
5.0-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 13 x 17-inch prints 12x optical zoom; 1.8-inch vari-angle LCD display Records VGA film at 3...More at Amazon Marketplace
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