Overview
The Canon Powershot S5 IS is the most high spec super zoom camera I have tested. As well as manual exposure controls it offers more options that its rivals in a number of other areas. These include flash, colour effects and focusing. You will also find a pull out and twist LCD screen and a viewfinder you can focus to suit your own eyesight. The Powershot S5 IS is an 8 megapixel digital camera with a 12x zoom lens and image stabilisation.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
8
12x
2.5 inches
117 x 80 x 77.7 mm
450g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
0cm
No
Yes
AA
SD/SDHC
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
The first outdoor shot gets my tests off to a good start. Strong colours, sharp focusing and any glare from the sun is handled well.
Another good effort. There is plenty of strong colour. This is especially noticeable in the sky. The Powershot S5 IS also produces a sharper focus then most other digital cameras manage with the lens zoomed right out.
This is a surprisingly disappointing photo. With the lens zoomed in to its maximum capacity there is a clear loss of sharpness towards the edges of the photo. There is also lot of reddish fringing. This is where a reddish line is added to the edges of objects where they are caught by the sun. Although the fringing is a problem with most super zoom cameras, the problems with this photo are important as one of the main reasons for buying this type of camera is its ability to zoom in from distance.
Portraits
This is one of the better outdoor portraits I have taken. The photo is sharply focused and I like the colours and the lighting.
Indoor Portrait
This is another photo where I think the Powershot S5 IS does exceptionally well. Again the colours are spot on, difficult lighting is handled very well and focusing is very sharp. Although the camera has a manual red eye correction facility red eye is not likely to be a big issue with this camera as the flash pops up away from the lens reducing the possibility of red eye occurring.
The lowlight test is another where the Powershot S5 IS does very well. The power of the flash lights the scene well without blasting out all the detail from the shot. Focusing is very good once more.
Macro, Colours and Noise
For close up photography the Powershot S5 IS is able to produce a very clear shot. There is a slight hint of purple fringing where the light source hits the edges of the watch face. This could pose a problem if you wish to produce high quality jewelry photos, but is unlikely to cause too much concern elsewhere.
The colours throughout all the photos are excellent. They are well balanced, strong without being overpowering and give the scenes a lively feel.
Quality begins to fall away at ISO 400. Noise starts to show up in photos to a level where larger prints are likely to show the drop in quality.
Wow! The quality has disappeared at this level. Luckily you are unlikely to want to use this setting for the vast majority of your shots and it is quite possible you will never get around to using it.
Summary
On the whole the Powershot S5 IS does very well. As with most digital cameras shooting at higher ISO levels causes a definite reduction in picture quality. The loss of sharpness away from the centre of the photo when taking a shot with the zoom fully extended is a much bigger worry though. This is especially the case when you consider the main attraction of the camera is its long lens.
Style
Built like a mini SLR camera it has a good, solid feel in the hand.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
0.25 seconds
8.22 seconds
0.48 seconds
13.14 seconds
Ease of Use
The main reason why the Powershot S5 IS is difficult to use is because of all the features the camera has. It can be used as a more straightforward point and shoot camera, but then you will be paying for a lot of extra features you may not need.
Points I Like
Pull out and twist LCD screen - Fast reacting lens - Focusable viewfinder - Range of features
Where it Could Improve
Loss of sharpness towards edge of photo when full zoom used
Verdict
The Canon Powershot S5 IS has more features than any similar, super zoom digital camera. It is also one of the more expensive models. On the whole picture quality is very good, but it is a concern that my full zoom test showed a noticeable fall off in sharpness away from the centre of the photo.
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
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Related Pages
Canon Powershot S5 IS Review Canon Powershot S5 IS Specification Canon Powershot S5 IS Sample Images Canon Powershot S5 IS Features
Review Date
September 2007
