Canon PowerShot S5 IS Review
The Canon PowerShot S5 IS is a personal favorite from one of our compact camera review writers; Kevin.
“This camera is quick! With the push of the button it captures everything. This is definitely one I would pick up when looking for a good, easily portable compact camera.”
The new Canon PowerShot S5 IS impresses even the most knowledgeable of people. Inside it’s black casing houses an 8 megapixel CCD that allows you to capture detailed pictures with ease. Complementing the quality CCD is the amazing zoom capabilities. With this new digital camera by Canon, you have 12x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom abilities. You can get in right close to just about whatever it is you want to capture which is nice.
Just like the rest of the camera, the screen size isn’t lacking in quality and functionality. The 2.5 inch LCD screen that they have put on the Canon PowerShot S5 IS is clear, and has a convenient feature that allows it to swivel out and also spin so no matter what angle you are at, you’ll always be able to see what you are taking a picture of. The functionality of this camera screen comes in handy when you are taking simple or complex shots with one of the many shooting modes.
Shooting modes on the Canon PowerShot S5 IS include: Auto; Creative: P, Av, Tv, M, C; Image: Landscape, Sports, Stitch Assist, Special Scene, Portrait, Night Snapshot, Super Macro and Movie mode. Having so many shooting modes like this Canon digital camera does makes it easy to get just the right image you were hoping for. Whether you are at a sporting event or taking a portrait of your daughter, there is a mode for it that will adjust particular camera settings so your images are optimized the best they can be. There are also a few scene modes that are worth mentioning that include, Foliage, Snow, Fireworks, Aquarium, Indoor, Night Scene, Beach, Color Accent and Color Swap Mode. When activating these modes on the Canon PowerShot S5 IS, you’ll notice that it adjusts the color settings, white balance and ISO. Doing this will also help you get the best pictures possible.
There are a couple features that make this camera stand out from the rest. Probably the best unique feature the Canon PowerShot S5 IS embraces is the ability to mount an external flash. We all know that flashes that come on cameras aren’t the best, so having the ability to put an aftermarket flash on this digital camera is quite nice. This camera also takes AA batteries, which can be a good thing or bad thing depending on how you look at it and what you’re using the camera for. If you enjoy going on long outdoor trips, then the Canon PowerShot S5 IS is nice because you can just swap out the batteries no problem, but if you just use it here and there then you might get sick of buying batteries.
The Canon PowerShot S5 IS will give you what you want, and then some. It’s a strong competitor that should be researched when you are looking for a new digital compact camera.
Canon PowerShot S5 IS Details
- Megapixels: 8.0
- Zoom: 12x optical, 4x digital
- Screen Size: 2.5 inch
- Shooting Modes: Auto; Creative: P, Av, Tv, M, C; Image: Landscape, Sports, Stitch Assist, Special Scene, Portrait, Night Snapshot, Super Macro, Movie
- Scene Modes: Foliage, Snow, Fireworks, Aquarium, Indoor, Night Scene, Beach, Color Accent, Color Swap
- Face Detection: Yes
- Image Stabilization: Yes
- Editing Options: Magnification (approx. 2x-10x), Auto Rotate, Rotate, Sound Memos, Slide Show, Red-eye Correction
- Unique Features: Compact 12x zoom, hot shoe adapter for external flash.
- Max ISO: 1600
- Self-Timer Settings: 2 second, 10 second or custom time.
- Battery: 4 AA-size Alkaline Batteries
- Battery Life: 170 shots approx.
