The Canon S5 IS Is the Perfect Family Camera

The Canon S5 IS Is the Perfect Family Camera

Having a young family, I found that my old Sony point and shoot with 3X optical wasn’t getting the job done in many of the situations that a young family takes pictures. We were frequently going to performances or sporting events where a family member was performing and since other families also want photos of their children, I sometimes found myself fighting for a good place to take the shot with my limited optical zoom. That was the first thing that made me realize that I needed a new camera.

Also, since I have developed a new found interest in digital photography, and having some old 35mm experience, I really felt I was ready to move up to the next level. This class of camera gives you an auto mode, but also gives you several manual modes if the Ansel Adams comes out in you. Modes such as Program, Shutter, and Aperture Priority are all offered on this camera along with many other modes to allow you the freedom to get very creative if you choose to venture away from auto. It also offers a 0cm Macro Mode for those really close up shots.

My first thought was to move to a digital SLR camera and since the prices have come down on the base systems, I was really considering it. But when I weighed all the options of what I really needed now in my life, a mega zoom camera became the clear choice.

What My Requirements Were
No one can dispute that the digital SLRs are the top of the line. They have a larger, higher quality image sensor that will give you excellent results. They can shoot faster continuous shots and because of the bigger sensor, the DSLR can shoot at a higher ISO with less noise. The cameras below the DSLR class like the S5 can shoot at the higher ISO also, but noise in the image quickly becomes evident as you move up the range. That doesn’t mean that the cameras like the S5 can’t give high quality photos like the DSLR, they can, but you just have to work at it.

After doing some reading, I found that these mega zoom cameras were a good cross over camera which maybe fits a family mans needs better than the DSLR. For all the options that were important to me, the Canon was really a superior decision for several reasons:

1. Fewer Lenses to Carry Around. I would think that if I had bought the DSLR, I would have also carried around a zoom lens at least and would have to swap it for the proper shot. The Canon has a lens that is the equivalent of a 36 to 432 mm all in one very compact package that is much lighter than the DSLR (not to mention, since the primary lens is never removed, no sensor dust issues like in the DSLR).

2. Size And Weight Digital SLRs are heavy and bulky. Much larger than their mega zoom counter parts. I found out a long time ago, the smaller a camera was, the more often I would use it. When running around a birthday party or play, do you really want to have to worry about a large camera bag full of stuff that is worth more than what you paid for your first car? With the Canon, all I need is a small camera bag with an extra set of NiCads and I am ready to go.

3. You Never Know When You Will Want To Take A Movie. Now, believe it or not, this was a big deal for me. I can’t tell you how many times I was at some occasion where all I had was my still camera and I really wanted to take a quick movie. For me, that has happened quite a few times and my old still camera did make movies, but not even close to the quality my Sony DCR DVD403 movie camera made. It had 10X optical zoom and a 3 mega pixel still capability BUT, I now use the S5 for most of my movies! This new camera has a dedicated movie record button. Just press that and you are instantly making a movie with 12X optical zoom, 640 x 480 at 30 fps, up to an hour long, and you have the ability to take still shots anytime during the movie Very nice!

4. Price. The S5 was certainly an easier jump up from my old point and shoot camera than a DSLR. I got mine on the web for $332.00. If I purchased a base DSLR, Nikon D40 for example, I would spend well over $1000 dollars for the camera, stock lens, and telephoto lens.
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What Sold Me On The Canon S5 IS.

After a lot of research, both on the web and in stores, I narrowed my choices down to the Canon S5 IS, the Panasonic DMC- FZ 18 and the Sony DSC-H9. Canon also still sells their previous model, the S3 IS which is a 6mp camera which can still be found on the web for about $50 cheaper.

Let me give you the reasons why I choose the Canon S5 over some of the other mega zoom cameras out there.

1 Dedicated Movie Mode. I’m really not kidding when I say the camera shoots movies as well as my video camera. If I had chosen the DSLR, I would had to have toted it around and a video camera, now all I need is the S5. A BIG plus! As I stated earlier, you can go to movie mode instantly at a touch of the button on the back. This was an important feature for me. I really didn’t want to have to mess around with menus or knobs to capture that once in a life time moment. You can zoom in while recording (in stereo sound), a feature many others like the popular Panasonic FZ18 do not have. Also, I downloaded a test of both the S5 and the FZ18’s movies since the FZ18 was my next best choice. The Fz18’s movie was in a Quicktime format and would not work on my movie editing program. The S5 can shoot 1 hour or 4GB of .avi movies (which ever comes first). These worked in my movie program with no problems. If movies are important to you, you might want to search the web for samples of movies of the cameras you are considering like I did.

2. A Large View Finder That Swivels. I have come to realize that this was a must have for me. Being in those crowded family play situations, I sometimes found I could not get a good shot since the lady with the bouffant hair decided to choose the seat in front of mine. With a LCD that swivels, I am able to raise the camera above the people in front of me and make sure my child is centered in the shot. The Canon has a 2.5 inch screen that swivels and turns backwards into the camera to protect it when not in use. Sony’s does swivel, Panasonic does not.

3. Uses AA Batteries. I know some would rather have one proprietary battery like the Sony and Panasonic have, but I like having the peace of mind knowing that I can go down to the store in emergencies to buy batteries if forget to charge mine.

4. Hot Shoe For External Flash. One of the new improvements for the S5 over the S3 is the addition of an external flash hot shoe. The Sony and the Panasonic do not have a hot shoe. The built in flash works well, but I can all ready see that once I hone my photography skills, I would like to upgrade to a Canon external flash for the added features and range that an external flash gives.

I did read several glowing reviews for each camera. I’m sure for all but the most critical photographers, any of the above cameras will make great pictures. I almost went for the “most zoom has got to be better” rational and was heavily leaning toward the 18X zoom of the FZ18, but comparing it to the Canon at the store, I really liked the Canon and it’s zoom better. I know that digital zoom is frowned upon by purist (I never used it myself before) but the Canon can be set to continue to digital zoom in after the optical zoom maxes out up to 48X. I don’t know if I will ever use 48X, but the quality of say 24X was impressive and I could see using that when I needed it.

Nice To Have Add Ons For The Canon.

First thing, discard the meager 32mb SD card that comes with it and buy a 2gb or larger memory card. The Canon can use the new SDHC format card, so I know it will accept at least a 4 GB card and maybe larger (8 GB?). I have seen some forums on the web that recommend fast cards from Sandisk Extreme III or Ultra 2 and Transcend SD cards. The talk is that if you use slower cards, you might have problems with movies or continuous shots. I have some generic cards I have used so far and have not seen any issues. Maybe I am just lucky with the ones I have. Keep in mine, if you get a SDHC card, they are rated by speed classes so a class 4 or class 6 might be better and they wont work in you average SD external reader, but you will be able to download the photos using the camera connected to the computer using it’s USB 2.0 port so no loss there as far as I’m concerned.

The Canon has the option of using a bayonet mount lens adaptor to add filters and lenses. Most people recommend the Lensmate adaptors ($24.95 from lensmateonline.com). This adaptor (in 52mm or 58mm) completely covers the built-in lens. By using the adaptor and buying a cheap UV filter for the end, you completely enclose the lens mechanism protecting it from dust and giving you a little more to hold on the camera. From there you can add a wide angle lens or telephoto to increase your range. The trade off is that you do add about 1.5 inches of depth to the camera but since it is a quick disconnect, you don’t have to leave it on all the time if you don’t want to.


Trade Offs Between the Canon S3 and S5.

The benefits for the S5 are:

A hot shoe was added for the S5.
A bigger, brighter, higher resolution, LCD screen (2.5 inches, up from the 2.0 inches of the S3).
Face detection. I have read mixed reviews on the feature, but it appears to me that it does result in giving a better focus on the shots.
An increase in time to record the movie by upping the memory limit to 1 hour or 4gb.
Also the ISO can now go up to 1600 but is that really a plus with the noise all cameras have in this class?
Metal tripod mount.


Going with the cheaper S3 did still have some advantages mostly in changes Canon made worse on the S5 (by some peoples opinions).

There are some who say that given both models have the same size sensor, 8mp is too much to ask and the 6mp S3 gives better shots. Going on web sites, my untrained eye really can’t see it but I am a beginner.

The S3 can shoot faster continuous shots (2.1 fps, the S5 1.5fps).

The S3 memory slot is separate from the batteries. The S5 has them both in one place which might mean someday when you are rushing to change cards, you dump you batteries. Personally, with so much room on these cards now days, I don’t see me changing mine very often.


Negatives

I wish Canon had put a little longer lens on the S5 to compete better with the other cameras in the mega zoom class. The Panasonic FZ18 has a 18X lens which gives it more range on both ends with 28-504mm equivalent verses the Canon’s 36-432mm giving the FZ18 not only longer range but also a wider angle at close up. But, regarding the lens short comings, the other assets of the Canon were just too much to pass up. I knew I could compensate for the 28mm with a wide angle lens add on and I am happy to say that 12x is plenty for most of my needs on the other end.

And under the “what were they thinking” category, I have yet to find any way to check your camera battery strength. You only get the low battery indicator when it is time to change the batteries which means that I carry a second set of batteries where ever I go. To the camera’s defense, it get’s excellent battery life and from what I can find on the web, it appears to be one of the best in its class. I have taken a lot of pictures and I really don’t think the average user could kill a set of batteries in one day.

Where To Get More Information. While searching for more data on the Canon, I found a excellent user forum for the S3/S5 at http://www.s3users.com/ . You can find about any answer you are looking for there.

Well that’s my review of the Canon S5 IS. It may have a few small issues but all in all, it combines all the needed features to make it a perfect family camera.