|
Short - view
Canon S1 IS Zoom Camera
Introduction
The Canon S1 has been on the market for a few months now, and it is only now, that I've decided to put up a review on it. The reason I waited was that I had varied feelings about this camera. On one hand, it is one of only a few big zoom cameras that offer a feature called "image stablilization" on the consumer level. On the downside was the cost - for what is today considered a lower resolution camera ( 3 megapixels ), the asking price of $499.00 U.S. was too high to recommend it. Well, prices have dropped, and it is now a much better value for the money, so, here we go!
The Basics The S1 comes as does most cameras these days, with your standard accessories. A USB cable for downloading photos into your computer ( along with various Canon software utilities ), a video cable for viewing photos on your TV set, a lens cap ( sorty cheapy which just slides over the front of the lens ), and a 32 meg Compact Flash card and neck strap to get you started. The manual is well written and on PAPER, and you get a manual for using the software as well. My only gripe is the cheesy lens cap mentioned above. Mine was too loose, and falls off somewhat easily. Others have reported to me theirs were too tight. So you may have to make a call to Canon to get a replacement if yours falls into an extreme on either end of this fit.
BIGGER THAN A COMPACT, BUT NOT TOO LARGE (SORRY FOR THE STRONG FLASH).
The S1 has a variety of features that are somewhat unique in today's hum-drum digicam clone world. Many digital cameras still squeak by with a standard 3X zoom lens, but the S1 sports a whopping 10X optical zoom lens with a feature known as "image stabilization". Basically, this works much the same way as many camcorders do with this feature, whereas the lens "floats" in a liquid, suppressing movement. Ever look through some 7X-10X binoculars before? You realize how even a slight movement on your part, results in extreme movement on the other end due to the long zoom factor. Well, image stabilization ( I.S. for short ) helps to calm that down a good bit. If you use an 8-10X zoom camera that does not have this feature, you run a much greater risk of getting the "camera shake" effect in your images - where they are slightly blurry since you move a bit while pressing the shutter using a long zoom. I.S. cameras will reduce this blur effect, so you can use that big zoom even in somewhat more subdued lighting, and increase your chances of getting a clear shot. In film camera terms, the zoom ranges from 38-380mm, and it's quick, too. You can go from wide angle to full zoom in about one second. Want more zoom? The S1 allows you to screw off a ring around the lens barrel, and attach an adapter. With this adapter, you can use one of two optional add-on lenses for either telephoto (part # TC-DC52B - equaling just over 600mm worth of zoom), to a wide-angle lens part # WC-DC52A (giving you around a 25mm wide angle shot). Remember again, if you want to use either lens, you must use the adapter tube, part # LAH-DC10. This adapter will also allow you to use filters, so if you wanted to, you could just leave the adapter on with a UV filter to protect the lens. The S1 also features a swivel LCD screen. When not in use, you can flip it around so the back faces you, protecting the screen. You can also flip it around again, facing outward, close it against the camera body, and use it much like any other camera's LCD. If you prefer, you can swing it open, using it like a camcorder LCD, or rotate it up or down so you can take photos holding the camera at waist level, or over your head. Pretty neat, except for one little thing... the LCD size. At only 1.5 inches in size, the screen is a bit too small when you do decide to stretch the arms a bit and take pics at odd angles. A 2 inch screen would have been much more appropriate for this type of feature. If you prefer, you can use the electronic viewfinder. I personally prefer an optical viewfinder, but this is ok. The resolution is so-so, but in bright sun it's an alternative to the LCD.
THE SWIVEL LCD SCREEN COMES IN HANDY FOR ODD-ANGLE SHOTS
The camera body while plastic, is solid enough. It's a little larger than today's many "compact" cameras, but not overwhelmingly large or heavy. You will notice a good number of buttons on the body and on the side of the lens barrel, which allow for direct access to some of the controls. Among these are buttons for menu and function access, metering controls, I.S. on/off, flash settings, self timer and burst mode controls, and more. There is even a dedicated button just for the camera's movie mode ( more on that feature below ), which is unique. The mode dial on top, features a full "auto" mode for newbies, but offers semi to full manual controls for shutter speeds, apertures, and more for more advanced users. Special scene modes help mid-range users for things like portraits, sports, and landscape shots. Next to the mode dial are is your power button(s), the shutter, and a zoom control circling that. The flash can be set to either pop up on it's own when the camera feels it's needed, or, to pop up manually when you press a button. Your choice. The flash strength can be controlled via the menu system in the more advanced settings, for better creative control. The menu system requires novices to read up a bit in the manual before use, as it's very extensive and has several "pages" to it in each mode. You can still use the S1 as an automatic point and shoot, but to get full benefits you should learn how to tweak the settings. The S1 runs on four AA type batteries, and alkalines are included in the box. Ni-MH rechargeable batteries are always recommended for better performance. Battery life for me was so-so. On a fully charged set of Ni-MHs, I only got about 40 shots using the LCD, before I got a low battery indicator. Other users have reported much better battery life to me, so, it's either my camera or the batteries. Using an older set of Ni-MHs, I got about 65 shots before they died. More tests are needed, but again, others report better use in their models.
The Movie Mode If you're looking for a digital camera that also takes good movie clips, the S1 is about as good as it gets at the time of this writing (August 2004). Earlier digital cameras only offered a few seconds of "video" at a size of 320 x 240 pixels, and usually at a fairly slow frame rate as well. What you wound up with was a small, jerky, video. The S1 takes video a step further by offering a 640 x 480 sized video feature - good enough for viewing on a TV and getting a decent quality video. At 30 frames per second, motion is fluid as well. There is also a "fine"" setting for the video, which offers low compression, furthering the video quality to a level few if any current cameras can meet. A dedicated video button on the back of the camera controls "record" and "pause", much like a camcorder... a nice feature. You can take up to nine minutes of video, or 1 gigabyte, whichever comes first. Which brings us to memory. While the movie mode can be a wonderfully creative feature, it comes at a price - memory use. When using the best quality settings, it uses close to 2 megabytes per SECOND of memory. This means that even using a larger 256 meg Compact Flash card for storage, you'll only be able to get roughly a little over 2 minutes of video before you fill up your card. In other words, if you plan on using the movie mode heavily, it would not be a bad idea to invest in a high speed 512 meg or even 1 gigabye ( 1000 megs) memory card. Due to these requirements, the S1 obviously will not replace a dedicated camcorder which can hold up to an hour or more of video on an inexpensive tape or mini DVD disk. Still, most folks usually don't want to carry around two cameras, so the S1 is your dedicated still camera, while also doubling as a camcorder of sorts for SHORT video clips.
Image Quality
The S1 was a little controversial when it first hit stores, in that Canon for whatever reason, decided to make it a 3 megapixel camera. These days, that's considered a "starter" camera, and 4, 5, and even up to 8 megapixels are becoming standard issue on many cameras. With a top image size of 2048 x 1536 pixels, you'll be able to get excellent 4 x 6 inch prints, and very good 5 x 7 prints from this camera. Once you go beyond these sizes however, then it becomes more subjective as to what "good" is. To some, the 8 x 10 prints from the S1 are perfectly acceptable, while to others, the limitations of the 3 megapixel size becomes obvious at this size. Some may find large prints just fine once framed and hung on the wall, but upon inspection, there just isn't quite enough resolution here to allow you to get a "film quality" 8 x 10 enlargement. While lens quality and other factors also help determine overall image quality, I can't help but think with a little tweaking, Canon could easily have released this as a 4-5 megapixel model.
THE 10X I.S. ZOOM ALLOWED ME TO HAND-HOLD THE CAMERA TO GET THIS DISTANT SHOT OF DOGS PLAYING IN THE WATER.
Still, overall, images from the S1 are very good. For more experienced users, the lack of a Tiff or RAW mode might turn them off ( it only records in JPG mode ), but using the "superfine" quality setting produces good details and tones. I did notice the camera has a tendency to sometimes blow out highlights when you have scenes that include shade and direct sunlight, and sky areas sometimes come out with that solid white look to them, unless you learn to play around a bit with the overrides to the metering system. Practice makes perfect. The S1 does not offer a dedicated "macro" ( close-up) mode. Instead, you can get as close as 4 inches to the subject and the camera will focus. This is ok, but some modern cameras can get closer than an inch, so it's not remarkable.
ENOUGH DETAILS ARE CAPTURED FOR GREAT PRINTS UP TO 5 X 7 INCHES, BUT THERE IS A LITTLE BLOWING OUT OF HIGHLIGHTS IN WHITE AREAS, SUCH AS ON THE SIDE OF THE GOOSE'S HEAD.
Indoors shots can be hit and miss in low light. There is no auto focus assist light on the S1 ( boo, Canon ), so if you're in a low-lit room, the camera may have a hard time focusing. In mid to higher light, no problem. "Noise" is kept to a minimum outdoors, but indoors it can show itself in shadow and solid color areas. It's usually not super bad, but it's there. In areas of high contrast and when using the zoom at full power, you can sometimes see a phenomena called "chromatic aberration" or "purple fringing" - where you see purplish lines around the edges of things like tree limbs against a hazy sky, or perhaps a white boat or metal against water or sky, etc. This can be common on many cameras, and is mildly so on the S1. I didn't see it often, but it was there a couple of times. Not a big deal when looking at images on a monitor or on prints up to 5 x 7, but on larger prints it may show up.
Who Is The S1 Made For? Well, on Canon's web site, they list the S1 under their "High End Digital" category. This would indicate that they consider it to be a "prosumer" level of camera, for more advanced users. The fact that it's limited in terms of having only 3 megapixels however, will steer many professionals and semi-professionals away from it. Two years ago this would have been different, but other makers are entering the big zoom with I.S. market, and with higher resolution cameras. The S1 might be good for the family on a limited budget, who may not be able to afford more than one camera. It's a decent "all around" model, offering a full auto mode for the inexperienced user, semi to full manual modes for the creative family member, and a video mode to take short clips of the kids or pets for mom and dad. The zoom makes it perfect for trips to the zoo, vacations, and casual sporting events. The swivel LCD could come in handy at a concert where you may need to hold the camera above everyone's heads to get a shot. Just as long as you do not need large prints that would fool a film camera, then the S1 could be a good family camera for all.
The Price Is Right (?) Until recently, the S1 was being sold at most retail outlets for around $499.00. For this reason, I wasn't too keen on recommending the camera. It was simply too overpriced for a 3 megapixel camera, zoom and I.S. or not. However, time lowers prices, and the S1 can now be had for around $100 less than this, at around $379 to $399.00 at many stores. Online, it's been spotted as low as $339.00. For these prices, it becomes a much better value for money, and I can now say I'd recommend it. Please keep in mind that if you do decide to order it via the online seller route, you should always check out the reseller ratings web site to see how folks rate the company by clicking HERE, to visit the reseller ratings web site, before ordering. If ordering from a retail outlet, an extended warranty might not be such a bad idea in this case.
My Grades:Features: 8.5 Build Quality: 8 Overall Image Quality: 7.8 Movie Mode: 9 TOTAL AVERAGED GRADE: 8.3
If you found this review and site helpful to you, please consider making even a tiny donation to help offset operating and hosting costs. Visit the bottom of the Q&A page, or the Gallery page, for links for donations and more info.
(back to the home page)
|
If
you're a return visitor, make sure and click on your browser's
"Refresh" button on each page to make sure you have the newest version
of this page loaded.
