craftgun40's Full Review: Canon PowerShot S2 IS Digital Camera
Last winter I decided to invest in a new camera and after doing a lot of reading reviews and specs on cameras, I was about to settle for a Canon Powershot S3 but was balking at the price, then I lucked onto a review that compared the S3 to the S2 and I immediately started searching for the S2.
Basically the S2 and the newer S3 are identical except Canon made a few improvements and a bit of whistle blowing and brought out the S3. After reading the specs on both cameras, I decided to see if I could still locate a S2 and after searching around I found one at Dell.com with free shipping AND a price of $259.00. What a deal, it was half price of the S3 and basically the same camera.
I was so anxious to get the camera that I paid the extra money (almost 18 dollars ) to have the next day delivery, which turned out to be a joke as they mean they will ship it on the next BUSINESS day, so though I ordered it on a Thursday night after hours, I did not get it until the following Tuesday, I think I could have used the free shipping and gotten it almost as quick.
I am not a camera guru so my review will not get into technical details BUT I was able to take my first photos in minutes after taking the camera out of the box.
One of the reasons I was looking at this style of digital camera was that it was quite a bit larger in my hand and has a grip on it, more in the line of a 35 mm camera. The S2 fits my hand quite well and is large enough to "grip" and hold onto, which I prefer over my old cigarette pack sized digital camera.
Though I like the feel of the camera, I find that it is easy, if you let your fingers wander just a bit, to turn on or off a feature you did not intend to do.
The user guide is simple and does not go into enough detail on some of the features, I found I had to go to the internet to find better explanations on "how to do" certain features.
The S2 is 5 megapixels and I had purchased it to replace a 5 megapixel camera, which probably sounds like I am beating a dead horse, however the difference in the quality is enormous and I am completely satisfied to stay with 5.
The S2 has a image stabilizer and I have to wonder how I ever took digital photos without a stabilizer before, I can now take photos with the S2 that I wouldnt have attempted with my old camera. The stabilizer is great for low light shots or close up/macro shots. The stabilizer does just what you would imagine it to do, it stabilizes the image that may have turned out blurry from camera shake or slight movement in your hand or body as you depress the shutter button and it works beautifully.
The S2 has a 12x optical zoom, which to mention is not the same as digital zoom. The S2 optical zoom will bring the images up clear and sharp with no fuzziness or graininess like digital zoom can cause. A camera whiz could explain it better, but trust me if your vague about features...optical zoom is what your looking for.
The S2 has a macro mode which I find difficult to use, and have yet to get a truly good macro photo, though I may be at fault not the camera for I have to admit I only reluctantly read manuals, but what I found was that it was difficult to get it into the macro mode (even after reading the manual),I would have to depress the button several times to get it to go into Macro and then when I would take the photo, I could never get it to really settle in and get a good sharp photo in macro mode, every macro photo I have taken has been a bit blurry and out of focus and a throw away photo.
As much as I love this camera, I do find an annoyance at the shutter speed in any digital camera I have owned, and the S2 is no exception. To give an example, in attempting to photograph dolphins as they surface, all you will have is photos of where the dolphins were and a ripple in the water, no matter how quickly you hit the shutter button, you have a delay and you just have to learn to live with it for now.
Few cameras seem to come with large memory cards, so I replaced mine immediately with a 1GB so that I do not have be concerned about not having room left or if I chose to do a video I now have a card large enough to enable me to do a longer video. The length of your video is determined by the amount of storage you have, but also limited to 1GB.
I never use the LCD monitor when I take photos, I use the viewfinder, which I guess is just a throwback to 35mm cameras, but what I noticed when I first used the camera, the LCD is completely useless in bright light, the screen is completely darkened or washed out and of no use, so instead of bouncing back and forth, I chose to use the viewfinder exclusively. For myself I find I compose my photos better by using the viewfinder, which you use, or both is your own preference.
I see that a lot of people complain about the lens cap, and though I think Canon could have designed it better, it really doesn't bother me, though it is loose and will fall off easily. I simply followed the directions and attached it to the camera so that if it does fall off, it doesn't go anywhere. I took about 2000 photos with it the first two months I had the camera, and I got used to the camera lens falling off and away from the camera whenever the lens slid out when I turned on the camera, I guess it could be considered an annoyance but nothing more than that.
The camera is powered by four AAA alkaline batteries, or you can buy an adapter. I use rechargeable batteries and carry a few regular AAA batteries as backup in case my rechargeables run out of juice.
I have been delighted with this camera from the very first photo that I took with it. The colors are sharp and true to life. The clarity and sharpness of the images are as good as I could ever hope for and I have the ability to enlarge any of the photos to as large as 13x 17 and still keep the sharpness and color. I would imagine even a true poster size would still look great.
For me, it was the best purchase I feel I could have made for the amount I spent. I have a friend that has the S3 and I feel smug that my camera is almost identical but cost half the amount of hers. I know it is a bit late in the game but if you can still find a S2, you will probably be very very happy with it.
UPDATED: July 2009 I felt I had to come back and add this to the review. As much as I absolutely loved this camera...one day the lens locked open, you could not close it, you could not do anything with it..let alone take a photo with it.
Before I go any further I should say that I used the camera every single day, often taking anywhere from 200-500 shots a day...it got a bit more of a work out than some people use a camera for.
I did some very extensive research and discovered this is a known flaw for this model...commonly called the black screen of death. It was out of warranty, no help from Cannon, so I researched for days, alternative fix methods for the camera.. but bottom line..to fix it would require dismantleing the entire camera and though I found a diagram on HOW to do it..it appeared to be almost impossible to re-assemble it yourself..unless you were a camera techie.
The estmated repair was a 150 dollars, with no guarantee that it would not happen again. Sick at heart, I made some feeble attempts to get the lens to retract but it was hopless..I know most people would think it involved the battery but it didn't..it was a flaw in the construction of the camera..( I believe it was a spring or a tension bar that breaks, but I am slow in doing this update and dont recall exactly what it was)
My first impulse was to buy another one for I LOVED the camera, but that made no sense, for even the newer version, was still prone to the same problem..so in the end..I elected to go with a camera I read about on Consumers Report and though I preferred my canon, my replacement camera a Kodak Z1015 IS is a pretty darn good replacement for the cannon.....given my druthers...I would rather have my cannon but not when it could lock up and become useless at any time. I even found a website where people could go (tongue in cheek) to list what they did with their useless canon screen of death cameras..anything from paperweights, to soccer balls.
I suppose it is wise to not only research a new camera before you buy it...but also search for complaints too.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $259.00 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Solid Enough for a Professional
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