List price as of Jul 18, 2007:
S$799
S$799
Product Summary
Very good
The good: Tons of manual and automatic features; well-laid-out controls; solid body; nice LCD display. 7.4
out of 10View score
The bad: Lacks RAW file support; redesigned lens cap still pops off too easily.
The bottom line: By today’s standards, it could do with more improvements, but it is still a good camera although it's not quite enough to upgrade if you already own a previous model.
Read full review of the Canon PowerShot S5 IS »
Average User Rating
from 13 users
CNET Asia Review
Loyal Canon fans should be quite familiar with the look of the PowerShot series by now. Canon probably thinks it’s always a good idea to repeat a winning formula. So to find any design changes between this and its predecessors requires a fair bit of scrutiny.
For more details on the S5 IS' design and image quality, click on the image.
To make way for the enlarged LCD, the direct print button has been moved from the right of the camera where the function and ISO buttons are, to the left of the viewfinder. The A/V output jack has also been shifted from the left side of the camera to the right so it’s now in a neat row together with the DC jack and the digital PC connector.
The lens design is altered as well. The silver-colored S2 IS's lens design has a smooth rounded edge, while the S5 IS has a ridged chamfered edge giving it a more "professional" dSLR feel. The lens cap is secured in a similar fashion as dSLR cameras--you press two "buttons" on the side to release the cap. But unlike dSLR lens caps, it manages to come off too easily--like when you accidentally brush against it.
This seems to be a common design trait as the S2 IS featured the same flaw, but you couldn't really complain with the S2 as the cap was held in place by friction, by virtue of a sponge ring fitted on the inside of the lens cap. Whichever the mechanism, this flaw definitely needs to be addressed as the chances of getting the lens scratched seem really high, which means you definitely need to buy a camera bag if you intend to take this Canon out anywhere.
The overall finishing is excellent. Clad in a glittery graphite coat, the plastic body looks and feels almost like metal, and will probably withstand a fair amount of wear-and-tear. We never had a problem with the old silver S2 IS. It looks almost new even after three years of rough use. The settings dial in S5 is now replaced with a metallic dial, so the camera appears almost like a mini dSLR.
Design
The first major change is the hotshoe now available on the S5 IS. On paper, the S5 IS is supposed to be the heaviest of its family at 450g compared with the S2 IS at 405g and S3 IS at 410g. In reality, the difference is pretty negligible. The next upgrade is the LCD screen. S5 IS comes with a generous 2.5-inch LCD display compared with the 1.8-inch and 2-inch screens from previous models.
To make way for the enlarged LCD, the direct print button has been moved from the right of the camera where the function and ISO buttons are, to the left of the viewfinder. The A/V output jack has also been shifted from the left side of the camera to the right so it’s now in a neat row together with the DC jack and the digital PC connector.
The lens design is altered as well. The silver-colored S2 IS's lens design has a smooth rounded edge, while the S5 IS has a ridged chamfered edge giving it a more "professional" dSLR feel. The lens cap is secured in a similar fashion as dSLR cameras--you press two "buttons" on the side to release the cap. But unlike dSLR lens caps, it manages to come off too easily--like when you accidentally brush against it.
This seems to be a common design trait as the S2 IS featured the same flaw, but you couldn't really complain with the S2 as the cap was held in place by friction, by virtue of a sponge ring fitted on the inside of the lens cap. Whichever the mechanism, this flaw definitely needs to be addressed as the chances of getting the lens scratched seem really high, which means you definitely need to buy a camera bag if you intend to take this Canon out anywhere.
The overall finishing is excellent. Clad in a glittery graphite coat, the plastic body looks and feels almost like metal, and will probably withstand a fair amount of wear-and-tear. We never had a problem with the old silver S2 IS. It looks almost new even after three years of rough use. The settings dial in S5 is now replaced with a metallic dial, so the camera appears almost like a mini dSLR.
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User Reviews
Great camera to own
Sep 7, 2008Rating: 9 out of 10 (Spectacular)
Pros: 12x optical zoom,very good pictures
Cons: lens cover
Opinion:
I agree that there are better cameras with higher pixcel but if you are looking for 12x zoom then this is the one to own. The only con is the lens cover which keeps poping out and u may loose it if you are not careful enough.The picture quality is very good and so is the video recording which can record about 35 minutes on a 4gb card.
A GREAT CAM AS A PRE-PRO
Feb 21, 2008Rating: 9 out of 10 (Spectacular)
Pros: has full manual control and power 12x zoom
Cons: there's really nothing bad bout it
Opinion:
this cam is just the one right before you go into pro photography with a dSLR. of course there is the image quality of Canon as found in every Powershot. than there is the user friendliness of Powershot cameras. a 12x optical zoom. hot shoe and really boundless realms adventure. if u r not ready for the dSLRs this is the best pre-dSLR cam u can find!
Very Decent Pro-Consumer
Feb 3, 2008Rating: 8 out of 10 (Excellent)
Pros: Fast & good Focusing, Very fast Zoom, Clear 2.5" LCD, extremely great Video Function, Hot shoe
Cons: Lousy Lens Cap, Electronic View finder not very clear, No wide angle lens
Opinion:
Very impressive camera from Canon.
Improvement from S3 IS includes an addition HOTSHOE, a larger 2.5" vari-angle LCD that provide very clear and sharp images.
I enjoyed take pictures and well as Videos with this camera. Like a Camcorder, it allows you to take full 8 megapixels pictures while u are video recording. Supports SD/SDHC memory cards which are 1 of the most value memory cards available.
However, due to its small CCD as compared to other brands, it lost in high ISO Noise, gladly, this can be corrected with an image editing software.
Other complaints will be a lousy lens cap that is easy to pop-out after some times of usage. Its Electronic ViewFinder quality isn't very good, which explain I end up using the 2.5" LCD to shoot that the EVF.
Sadly, most other brands already incorporate 28MM wide angels lens, which canon is still at 36MM. 12X is not a ... Read more
User Discussion
tigervyh:
Just thinking when the next product in this line up will come out, maybe with a larger image sensor ...
