Shop RadioShack for Great GiftsCanon PowerShot S5 IS
Manufacturer: Canon USA Part number: 2077B001
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Though it remains a good megazoom, thanks to continued image and lens artifacts, the Canon PowerShot S5 IS is slowly losing ground to competitors.
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Where to buy
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| Amazon.com Marketplace |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 12/08/2009 |
CNET editors' review
Canon PowerShot S5 IS price range: $799.95
- Reviewed by: Lori Grunin
- Reviewed on: 06/11/2007
- Released on: 06/15/2007
The good: Tons of manual and automatic features; well-laid-out controls; solid body; nice LCD display.
The bad: Lens aberrations and vignetting; some processing artifacts; lacks raw file support; redesigned lens cap still pops off too easily.
The bottom line: Though it remains a good megazoom, thanks to continued image and lens artifacts, the Canon PowerShot S5 IS is slowly losing ground to competitors.
There was a lot to like about the Canon PowerShot S3 IS, and much of it remains in this year's PowerShot S5 IS, including Canon's veteran optical image-stabilization technology, excellent metering and focusing systems, the signature flip-and-twist LCD display, and a hefty set of manual and semimanual controls. The S5 IS bumps up to 8 megapixels from the S3's 6-megapixel sensor, increases the LCD size from 2 to 2.5 inches, and adds trendy bonus features like face-detection autofocus/autoexposure, maximum sensitivity of ISO 1600, and an ISO-shift mode that lets you jack up the setting with a button press when the camera tells you the shutter speed is too slow. We can thank the upgrade to a Digic III processor for many of the new capabilities.
I liked my description of the S3 IS so much I'll use it again for the S5 IS: its aesthetic seems to be a cross between those of a classic Volkswagen Beetle and a Busy Box. But somehow, it still works. It's gained a few ounces over the year, up to a not-so-svelte 1 pound, 3.4 ounces. The larger LCD has also caused some middle-age spread, widening the camera to 4.6 inches. However, it remains comfortable to hold, reasonably fluid to operate--once you know where everything is--and feels as solid as the aforementioned classic car.
Canon implements the S5 IS' features quite well. For example, the camera includes a dedicated record button for movie capture, plus stereo microphones, a wind filter, and audio volume adjustment. Unlike most implementations, which force you into a specific face-detect scene mode, Canon makes face detection one of the focus-area-selection options. You can select a face in a scene and jump back to it with a couple of button presses, or you can let the camera seek out up to three faces in the scene and automatically select the most prominent one. It lets you see the runners-up, but you can't make your own pick in the latter mode. Using face detection can be a bit confusing--both to understand and use effectively--and I'm not convinced that either simply focusing on your chosen face and recomposing or setting an off-center focus point on the face aren't lower-tech but ultimately more efficient solutions. For any camera.
The S5 IS' performance splits right down the middle. It delivers very good speed for its class. It wakes up and shoots in 1.3 seconds, with a shutter lag of 0.5 and 0.8 second in bright and dim light, respectively. It can shoot consecutive single images 1.6 seconds apart, growing to a reasonable 2.1 seconds with flash enabled. Continuous shooting is fixed at about 1.5 frames per second (fps), regardless of image size, and can run for about 18 shots before it starts to slow.
But the functional aspects of the S5 IS' performance--lens geometry and sharpness, viewfinder usability, and noise--are less impressive. The centerpiece of a megazoom camera is the lens, in this case the same 12x zoom, f/2.7-3.5 36mm-to-432mm as that of the S3 IS (And the S2 IS). On one hand, the optical stabilizer, focusing system, and exposure rendering are as good as they've ever been. But the EVF (electronic viewfinder) is kind of coarse for manual focus unless the subject is fairly simple--think of a rock versus a white, puffy dandelion.
I'm also split down the middle on image quality. Color looks great; it pops but manages to stay shy of oversaturated. White balance is excellent under a variety of conditions. But even at its sharpest, the S5 IS' photos generally look overprocessed and a bit smeary. Some of that fades to obscurity when you print, but if you're planning to crop your photos, it will become quite noticeable.
Canon's VGA 30fps motion-JPEG movie capture continues to be among the best we've seen--the tradeoff is a file size of about 2MB per second--though like most, it performs best when there's only some centralized motion. A lot of motion around the scene results in increased motion and compression artifacts.
With competitors like the
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Specifications
- Manufacturer: Canon USA
- Part number: 2077B001
- Description: The ultra-powerful 12x optical zoom on the PowerShot S5 IS means you'll get the shot you want with no compromise, yet that's only the beginning of what makes this camera so exciting. The S5 IS is loaded with many of Canon's technologies including the DIGIC III Image Processor, so both still images and movies are rendered with fine detail and luminous clarity. And now ambitious photographers have even greater creative latitude thanks to an included hot shoe adapter that allows you to attach Canon Speedlite EX Series external flashes. PowerShot S5 IS is compact and portable, with streamlined controls and a sure, steady grip. And you'll want to take it everywhere, because inside is a level of photographic power that's truly impressive. 8.0 megapixels ensure deeply detailed images - giving you complete freedom to enlarge an image or any section of an image and crop to your exact specifications. The 12x optical zoom brings this compact digital camera into the realm of serious photography. It has the power to take you right up onto the stage and into the end zone for the shot you really want. Zooming is fast and silent thanks to the ultrasonic motor drive.
General
- Product Type Digital camera - Compact
- Width 4.6 in
- Depth 3.1 in
- Height 3.1 in
- Weight 15.9 oz
Main Features
- Resolution 8 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- Optical Sensor Type CCD
- Total Pixels 8,300,000 pixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 8,000,000 pixels
- Light Sensitivity ISO 80, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO auto
- Digital Zoom 4 x
- Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
- Shooting Programs Snow, Beach, Macro, Indoor, Foliage, Aquarium, Fireworks, Landscape, Night scene, Sports mode, Portrait mode, Stitch assist, Night snapshot
- Special Effects My Colors, Color Swap, Color Accent
- Image Stabilizer Optical
- Max Shutter Speed 1/3200 sec
- Image stabilizer feature Optical stabilization helps prevent blurry pictures, especially for handheld cameras at slow shutter speeds or when using high optical zoom.
- Min Shutter Speed 15 sec
- Exposure Metering Spot, Evaluative, Spot AF area, Center-weighted
- Exposure Modes Manual, Program, Automatic, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority
- Exposure Compensation ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
- Auto Exposure Bracketing 3 steps in 1/3 EV step
- White Balance Custom, Presets, Automatic
- White Balance Presets Flash, Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent, Tungsten light, Fluorescent light (daylight)
- Digital Video Format AVI
- Still Image Format JPEG
- Remote Control None
- TV Tuner None
- Video Capture AVI - 640 x 480 - 13 sec - With 32MB card, AVI - 320 x 240 - 19 sec - With 32MB card, AVI - 320 x 240 - 34 sec - With 32MB card
Memory / Storage
- Flash Memory 32 MB Flash - SD Memory Card
- Supported Flash Memory MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card
- Floppy Drive None
- Image Storage Super-fine JPEG 3264 x 1832 : 11 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 3264 x 1832 : 18 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 3264 x 1832 : 39 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 3264 x 2448 : 8 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 3264 x 2448 : 14 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 3264 x 2448 : 29 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 11 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 20 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 41 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 18 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 32 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 64 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 29 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 52 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 99 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 640 x 480 : 111 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 640 x 480 : 171 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 640 x 480 : 270 - With 32MB card
Camera Flash
- Camera Flash Pop-up flash
- Flash Modes Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Slow synchro, Flash OFF mode, Rear curtain sync, Red-eye reduction
- Red Eye Reduction Yes
- Effective Flash Range 1.6 ft - 17 ft
- Features AF illuminator, Flash +/- compensation
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 6 mm - 72 mm - F/2.7-3.5
- Focal Length 6 mm - 72 mm
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 36 - 432 mm
- Focus Adjustment Manual, Automatic
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Min Focus Range 19.7 in
- Macro Focus Range 0-50cm
- Lens Aperture F/2.7-3.5
- Optical Zoom 12 x
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
- Lens Construction 9 group(s) / 11 element(s)
- Lens Manufacturer Canon
- Features UD glass, Aspherical lens, Ultrasonic Motor (USM)
Additional Features
- Self Timer Yes
- Self Timer Delay 2 sec, 10 sec
- Flash Terminal Hot shoe
- Additional Features AE lock, AF lock, FE lock, DPOF support, Direct print, MOTION PRINT, Auto ISO shift, Face detection, Audio recording, Auto power save, Built-in speaker, Focus bracketing, Histogram display, PictBridge support, 16:9 widescreen mode, In-camera red-eye fix, USB 2.0 compatibility, Digital image rotation, Digital tele-converter, Digital noise reduction, RGB primary color filter, Display brightness control, Camera orientation detection, Takes photos while movie recording
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type LCD
- Viewfinder Color Support Color
- Viewfinder Diagonal Size 0.33 in
- Viewfinder Resolution 115,000 pixels
- Field Coverage 100%
- Dioptric Correction Range -5.5 to +1.5
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.5 in - Color
- Display Form Factor Rotating
- Display Format 207,000 pixels
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type None
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
- Microphone Operation Mode Stereo
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x USB, 1 x Composite video/audio output, 1 x DC power input
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card
Software
- Software Canon ImageBrowser, Drivers & Utilities, Canon ZoomBrowser EX
System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support MS Windows ME, MS Windows XP, MS Windows 2000, MS Windows 98 SE, Apple Mac OS X 10.1.5 - 10.3
- Peripheral Devices USB port, CD-ROM drive, SVGA monitor
Miscellaneous
- Carrying Case None
- Microsoft Certifications Certified for Windows Vista
- Included Accessories Lens cap, Neck strap
- Cables Included 1, 1 x A/V cable, USB cable
Power
- Power Device None
Battery
- Supported Battery AA
- Supported Battery 4 x AA Alkaline battery ( Included )
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
CNET Labs' Benchmarks
- Labs information All values are expressed in seconds. Please visit our labs information page for information on how digital cameras are tested.
- CNET Labs Flash shot to shot time 2.1
- CNET Labs Shot to shot time typical 1.6
- CNET Labs Shutter lag bright 0.5
- CNET Labs Shutter lag dim 0.8
- CNET Labs Typical burst speed 1.6
- CNET Labs Wake up time 1.3
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Canon USA
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Canon USA products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://estore.usa.canon.com/
- Address:
One Canon Plaza, Lake Success, NY 11042 - Phone: 516-328-5000
- Email: mediacontact@cusa.canon.com
