Canon PowerShot S2 ISCanon PowerShot S2 IS Review,Simon Joinson, June 2005

Review based on a production Canon PowerShot S2 IS, Firmware version 1.0Almost as soon as it was announced in February 2004, the PowerShot S1 IS - Canons long-awaited successor to the Pro 90 - made its way into dpreviews top 5 cameras (based on visitor clicks), a position it held for the best part of a year, despite stiff competition. There have been few compact cameras as eagerly awaited as the S1s successor, which finally arrived at the end of April 2005. In the 14 or so months between the S1 and the S2, the super zoom market has grown immensely, with affordable 5MP image-stabilized models from Panasonic, Konica Minolta - and now Sony with its H1. This means the S2 IS has a lot more to prove than its predecessor, and has to stand its ground in a considerably more competitive marketplace.The good news is that the S2 is no minor upgrade - almost every aspect of the S1s specification and performance has been improved or refined, the body is entirely new and some of the most serious problems found on the original model have been addressed. But is it enough? Lets find out...starting off with the headline specifications;12x optical zoom (36-432mm equiv.)5.0 million effective pixels1.8-inch tilt-and-swivel LCD monitorColor electronic viewfinder Optical Image Stabilizer (3 modes) Ultrasonic motor (USM) Extra-long movie mode with enhanced VGA resolution and stereo sound Canon DIGIC II processor with iSAPS PictBridge and Canon Direct Print compatible – no PC requiredSix new special scene shooting modesSide by Side Here for comparison is the S2 IS alongside three of its closest competitors - (from left): Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5, Canon PowerShot S2 IS, Sony Cyber-shot H1, Kodak EasyShare DX740Z (the smallest, but also the only one without image stabilization). As you can see, the S2 IS is one of the largest cameras in its class - certainly a lot larger than the Panasonic FZ5 (and the Konica Minolta Z5, not shown).Powershot S2 IS vs S1 IS; whats changed? Unlike most upgrades, the S2 IS is not only better specified than its predecessor; its larger (much deeper) and heavier too. Most of this is down to the slightly larger sensor, which leads to a slightly larger lens (which also has a wider zoom range). Overall styling is very similar, though some controls have been re-positioned, and there are an extra couple of buttons. Heres the most important differences;Wider and longer zoom (12x versus 10x)Higher resolution (5MP versus 3.2MP)DIGIC II processor gives faster operation and improved burst modeDifferent storage format (SD versus CompactFlash)Bigger LCD screen (1.8-inch versus 1.5-inch)Better macro mode (0cm versus 10cm) Canon PowerShot S2 ISCanon PowerShot S1 ISSensorEffective ResolutionProcessorMaximum Image SizeLensStorageDigital ZoomImage stabilization modesScene modesAF illuminatorClosest focusing distanceShutter speedsContinuous ShootingLCD screenViewfinderFlash rangeUSB speedWeatherproof case optionDimensionsWeight (no batteries)

5.0 million pixels	3.2 million pixels
DIGIC II with iSAPS technology	DIGIC with iSAPS technology
2592 x 1944	2048 x 1536
• 36-432mm equiv. (12x), F2.7-3.5• 1 aspherical element, • 1 UD element	• 38-380mm equiv.(10x), F2.7-3.5• 1 aspherical element
SD card	CompactFlash card
4.0x	3.2x
	• Continuous
• Custom• Portrait• Landscape• Night Scene• My Colors• Stitch Assist• Foliage • Snow • Beach• Fireworks• Indoor• Night Snapshot	• Portrait• Landscape• Night Scene• Fast Shutter• Slow Shutter• Stitch Assist
Yes	No
0cm	10cm
15 - 1/3200 sec *1	15 - 1/2000th sec *2
2.4 fps, unlimited	1.7 fps, max 24 images
• 1.8-inch TFT (flip out and twist) • 115,000 pixels	• 1.5-inch TFT (flip out and twist) • 114,000 pixels
• EVF (0.33" type), •approx. 115,000 pixels	• EVF (0.33" type), • approx. 114,000 pixels
70cm - 5.2m (wide, auto ISO)	1.0 - 4.2m (wide, auto ISO)
USB 2.0 High Speed	USB 1.1
No	Yes
113 x 78 x 75.5 mm	111.0 x 78.0 x 66.1mm
405g (14.3 oz)	370g(13 oz)

*1	Slow Shutter speeds of 1.3 sec. and more, available in Manual and Shutter Priority AE modes only.Certain combinations of shutter speed and aperture may not be available.
*2	Slow Shutter speeds of 1.3 sec. and more, available in Manual and Shutter Priority AE modes only.

Key specifications Street priceBody MaterialSensorImage sizesMovie clipsLensFocusShooting modeSensitivityWhite BalanceImage parametersContinuousFlashStorageViewfinderLCD monitorConnectivityPowerOther featuresWeight (no batt)Dimensions

• US: $499• UK: £390

Plastic

• 1/2.5" CCD, 5.3 million total pixels• 5.0 million effective pixels

• 2592 x 1944 • 2048 x 1536 • 1600 x 1200 • 640 x 480

• 640 x 480, 30/15 fps• 320 x 240, 30/15 fps• Length limited only by storage (maximum single movie file 1GB) • With audio

• TTL autofocus• Center Area AF• AE area selection• Single / Continuous AF• Manual focus• Focus lock • 1-point AF• 10 cm minimum focus range (macro)

• Custom• Portrait• Landscape• Night Scene• My Colors • Foliage• Snow• Beach• Fireworks• Indoor• Night Snapshot • Stitch Assist

• Auto• ISO 50 - 400

• Auto• Daylight• Cloudy• Tungsten• Fluorescent• Fluorescent H• Flash• Custom

• 1.5 fps (large/fine mode) • 2.4 fps (high speed continuous shooting, large/fine mode)

• Built-in, pop-up• Auto, Manual on/off, Red-eye reduction: on/off, slow synch, 1st and 2nd curtain sync flash • Range (ISO Auto): W 0.7 - 5.2 m (2.3 - 17.1 ft), T 0.7 - 4 m (2.3 - 13.1 ft) • Macro: 0.3 - 0.7 m (1.0 - 2.3 ft) • Compensation: +/- 2.0 EV in 0.3 EV steps• Flash output: 3 stops

SD card

• Electronic Viewfinder• 114,000 pixels• 100% coverage • Dioptre adjustment (-5.5 to 1.5 dpt)

• 1.8" TFT, 115,000 pixels• 100% coverage• Tilt, twist and swivel (Vari-angle)

• USB 2.0 High speed • A/V out

• 4 x AA batteries (NiMH recommended)• (Optional AC adapter)

405 g (14.3 oz)

113 x 78 x 75..5 mm (4.4 x 3.1 x 3.0 in)

* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are basedon the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE reviewbefore coming to your own conclusions.Images which can be viewedat a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottomright corner of the image, clicking on the image will display alarger (typically VGA) image in a new window.To navigate the review simplyuse the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular sectioneither pick the section from the drop down or select it from thenavigation bar at the top.DPReview calibrate theirmonitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted)PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can makeout the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscaleblocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you shouldbe able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideallyA,B and C.

This article is Copyright 2005 and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author.

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