One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: CANon ?
Written: Oct 06 '08 (Updated Oct 06 '08)
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| Thorbjore's Full Review: Canon PowerShot® S5 IS Digital Camera |
Disappointed! That is me in a nutshell.
I was the proud owner of this model's predecessor, the S3 from the previous year. I LOVED it. Its photos were magical. The color was divine and the resolution, the way it felt in my hand ... everything!
I am a photographer by day and the camera we had at work farted out and my bosses bought mine off me. I felt good about it because it would improve the quality of my pictures and would remain expediant since I knew it like the back of my hand. I bought a new power shot, thinking it could only be better.
Was I ever wrong! I went from the camera I loved the most to the one I loved the least (and I'm counting my collection of those film cameras, too!) This one even had an increase in mega pixels and they upped the ISO capability to 1600. With this increase comes a lot of NOISE!!!!!!!! I have very few indoor pics with available light instead of a flash that I am happy with. I am shattered. It's like finding the love of your life and trying to make its replacement "measure up."
I also feel like the sucessor's zoom is noisier, grainier (it even lacks the cool surreal impressionistic / abstract look). It has a 12x zoom capacity with an "ultrasonic image stabilizer." I don't know how stable it gets or in what way, but it is alleged to. Actually, I know it is supposed to minimize blur, particularly for a slightly shaky hand. It actually might. And it is reputed to mimimize blur when you use slower shutter speeds for lower light availability. This seems to be true, but the gains are no match for the slips in "noise." Many of my inside photos look pixelated. I am also comparing my pictures with a different canon power shot under similar circumstances and really can't believe the difference. It's striking.
The camera itself has a way of turning off its "audio." (The crashing noise of the shutter button being depressed). However, I can't seem to find anything to turn off the "tweet, tweet" as the camera tells you the subject is in focus. This usually doesn't bother me, but I had this onhand as a backup plan when I did a wedding (I use a more professional camera, of course, but it's nice to have something in my backpack in case there's a full memory card or the batteries didn't do what they were supposed to...).
I will say, though, that I used it for a couple of the outdoor shots and it exceled with its "face detection." It will detect faces and everything seems to sync beautifully - the exposure, focus and flash output. There is also a red eye detection gimmick. Go to the menu button, press it and select the red eye correction to make sure it is "on." I have so far not been impressed. Photoshop fixes it for me and this has never been a problem.
I don't understand why they put the memory card area in the battery compartment. It is clumsy and cumbersome - especially if you're trying to quickly change cards! Why was it so wrong for it to be on the side where it easily popped in and out?!
Like its predecessor, it has an adjustable monitor that flips this way and that - if you wish to photograph yourself, you can flip it so it is next to the lens and you can check your use of space. It is an AWESOME feature for me with my son. He just turned five and I have many unforgettable pictures of him hamming it up because he can see what he'll look like (sticking his tongue out, etc.)
And like the S3, it seems second nature to me to use it in manual mode. Pushing the sides of the arrow wheel in the back tinker with the shutter speed and using the top and bottom alters the f-stop. You can also choose between shutter speed priority or aperture priority. This camera has a special portrait setting and a sports setting for action shots in rapid succession. There are also settings for night scenes and landscapes as well.
Going into the functions, you can make adjustments for the lighting. There is a setting for auto, sunlight, cloudy days, and a variety of indoor lighting situations. The camera will work with the benefits of these lighting situations and try to correct their short comings (like it cools tungsten lighting and warms halogen).
There are color preferences - vibrant, neutral (for example) or you can go for the sepia or black and white. It also has positive film and skin tone preferences.
Here you can select the flash output (its strength) and size the pictures. There is even a "wide" setting (like panoramic).
These are nice perks, but I think fiddling around with these compromises the moment I'm trying to capture. I'd rather shoot simply and capture the light and tinker with the color and whatnot later if I so choose.
The "save time" doesn't impress me very much. There seems to be just enough of a lag for me to feel anxious about missing a magic moment.
Now. .. the icing on the cake. I bought this camera in late April. The thing just doesn't work anymore. I keep telling myself that I've taken a couple thousand pictures with it and these few months would be someone else's year. I look at the monitor and see black except for the white numbers, etc. to remind me of my settings. I push the button and the picture, too, is BLACK. I upload to the computer? BLACK. Nada. Niente. GONE. I have changed the batteries and tinkered with the settings to see if something was pressed by mistake and NOTHING. I have seen on the net that this is a consistent problem and that canon knows about this.
I have found a number to call (1-800-828-4040) and they are to send me an envelope for me to mail the camera to them and they will fix it for me. I'll have to update this review upon completion of this process.
But really? In conclusion, I would say this camera is not worth the risk. Its photos in bright sunlight with lower ISO's are stellar. But I don't want to own a camera where I have to hesitate because it might become ... evening ... or we might ... you know. Go inside. Flash photography is nice, but there is nothing like the soft look of someone sitting and facing a window . And at about $300, it's pricey for its mediocre-wonderful-unpredictable quality.
The other thing you need to know is the S3 that I use at work has taken 150,000+ photos and is still ticking. The pictures are growing dimmer and seem a little less sharp, but the lifespan and quality are impressive.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 325
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
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Epinions.com ID:
Thorbjore
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Member: Becki
Location: Pittsfield, MA USA
Reviews written: 88
Trusted by: 74 members
About Me:
Worry looks around. Sorry looks back. Faith looks up.
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