Review summaries for Canon S5 from expert digital camera reviewers.
Image:
'Image' Rating is based upon specific opinions expressed by expert reviewers as shown below.
Video:
'Video' Rating is based upon specific opinions expressed by expert reviewers as shown below.
Optics:
'Optics' Rating is based upon specific opinions expressed by expert reviewers as shown below.
Interface:
'Interface' Rating is based upon specific opinions expressed by expert reviewers as shown below.
ISO:
'ISO' Rating is based upon specific opinions expressed by expert reviewers as shown below.
good overall color and hue accuracy
Canon PowerShot S5 IS:Imaging-Resource
Color balance was good with the Auto white balance setting. ISO 400 shots are soft at 11x14, and chroma noise intensifies. At 5x7 ISO 800 results are quite good. ISO 1,600 images are rough at 5x7, with very grainy shadows, and a more pointillist painting feel throughout, which doesn't get much better at 4x6. Photographers familiar with this camera's predecessor, the S3 IS, will feel right at home since only minimal changes have been made to the newer model's controls.
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Color balance was good with the Auto white balance setting."
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At 5x7 ISO 800 results are quite good."
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good overall color and hue accuracy"
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good exposure"
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various exposure settings"
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flash shots at ISO 100 remained fairly bright out to a distance of about 16 feet."
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At 5x7 ISO 800 results are quite good."
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Low to moderate noise at the normal sensitivity settings"
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ISO 400 images are soft"
redesigned lens cap still pops off too easily.
Canon PowerShot S5 IS:CNet
The bottom line: Though it remains a good megazoom, thanks to continued image and lens artifacts, the Canon PowerShot S5 IS is slowly losing ground to competitors.
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Color looks great; it pops but manages to stay shy of oversaturated."
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redesigned lens cap still pops off too easily."
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Lens aberrations and vignetting."
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nice LCD display"
It's quick and painless to use
DCRP Review:
Canon PowerShot S5 IS:DcResource
It's attractive, responsive, and easy to navigate. I can recommend the S5 to just about anyone interested in an ultra zoom camera. You should as the resulting images can be quite noisy. The ISO 800 photo is quite noisy, and is really going to require a trip through some noise reduction software before you can do anything with it. The camera takes well-exposed, colorful photos with just the right amount of sharpness. The custom can get perfect color even under the most unusual lighting con...
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The custom can get perfect color even under the most unusual lighting conditions."
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everything is nice and sharp"
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perfect color"
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top-notch movie mode"
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great movie mode"
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Focus speeds were snappy, and in low light situations the camera locked focus without difficulty (thanks to its AF-assist lamp)."
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favorite ultra zoom cameras"
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You get a nice 12X zoom lens, with a fairly standard 36 - 432 mm focal range."
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the S5's continuous shooting mode is still pretty good."
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Shot-to-shot speeds were excellent, with a delay of about one second between shots."
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The interface is simple, the process takes minutes, and the results are impressive"
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noise is visible here at ISO 80."
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The ISO 800 photo is quite noisy, and is really going to require a trip through some noise reduction software before you can do anything with it."
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The ISO 800 photo is quite noisy"
I found the camera and controls nicely fit my medium-sized hand
Canon Powershot S5 IS:DigitalCameraReview
The camera shoots nicely right out of the box with default settings. There are a number of accessories available, including wide and tele converters that let the lens shoot at about 27 and 645mm focal lengths, respectively. The two shots follow, and while not too bad, the ISO 500 shot is clearly noisier that the 100 ISO. Movies may be captured in AVI format at 640 x 480 pixels and 30 frames per second in either normal or LP mode (LP file sizes are about half that of normal mode), or 320 x 24...
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ISO performance is about what we've come to expect from a P&S: 80, 100 and 200 ISO are pretty good and fairly difficult to differentiate"
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great image and color quality"
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the S5 IS produced pleasing and accurate color in the daylight"
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Movies may be captured in AVI format at 640 x 480 pixels and 30 frames per second in either normal or LP mode (LP file sizes are about half that of normal mode), or 320 x 240 pixels at either 60 or 30 fps."
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the S5 IS has an excellent viewfinder with 100% accuracy."
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The speed of the S5 IS lens at telephoto compares favorably with the biggest and fastest lenses in Canon's entire lineup."
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This is a capable and versatile camera, with good shutter and focus performance, great image and color quality and a lens that can range from modest wide angle to long telephoto."
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ISO performance is about what we've come to expect from a P&S: 80, 100 and 200 ISO are pretty good and fairly difficult to differentiate"
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The two shots follow, and while not too bad, the ISO 500 shot is clearly noisier that the 100 ISO."
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full exposure flexibility"
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sports a respectable 12x zoom"
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chunky, satisfying shutter button bulging grip"
bright and clear to use, but with 115k pixels looks much coarser than the S5 IS's screen.
Canon PowerShot S5 IS:cameralabs
It's a handy alternative though depending on your style of shooting or when bright light is making the main screen hard to see. This sensibility is also reflected in the Auto ISO Shift mode option which only increases the sensitivity to eliminate camera shake after you've effectively agreed to it – a nice approach which should eliminate any nasty surprises at unexpectedly high ISOs. The Canon PowerShot S5 IS is justifiably proud of its video recording capabilities which unusually include ...
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This sensibility is also reflected in the Auto ISO Shift mode option which only increases the sensitivity to eliminate camera shake after you've effectively agreed to it – a nice approach which should eliminate any nasty surprises at unexpectedly high ISOs."
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There's also a reduction in contrast"
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The Canon PowerShot S5 IS is justifiably proud of its video recording capabilities which unusually include stereo sound and the ability to optically zoom while you're filming – and thanks to the quiet USM motor used to power the zoom, any mechanical noise is kept to a minimum."
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The PowerShot S5 IS has a powerful 12x zoom"
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the AF was pretty responsive even when fully zoomed-in with little searching in good light."
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The S5 IS's closest focusing distance is 10cm in Macro mode and 0cm in Super Macro"
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A neat option is being able to fully customise what information is shown in the basic and detailed views, with the S5 IS giving you the choice of displaying any combination of the shooting information, grid lines, 3:2 guides or a live histogram."
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This sensibility is also reflected in the Auto ISO Shift mode option which only increases the sensitivity to eliminate camera shake after you've effectively agreed to it – a nice approach which should eliminate any nasty surprises at unexpectedly high ISOs."
redesigned lens cap still pops off too easily.
Canon PowerShot S5 IS:review.zdnet.com
Though it remains a good megazoom, thanks to continued image and lens artifacts, the Canon PowerShot S5 IS is slowly losing ground to competitors.
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Color looks great; it pops but manages to stay shy of oversaturated."
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redesigned lens cap still pops off too easily."
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Lens aberrations and vignetting."
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nice LCD display"
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Noisy image sensor mars overall image quality"
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Good video mode"
Very good image quality
Canon PowerShot S5 IS Review:TechRadar.com
This SLR-lookalike is a capable compact with a superb lens, and turns out quality images
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Very good image quality"
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Set the ISO to 80 or 100 and images are smooth and noise free."
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Image noise at higher ISOs Shutter delay compared with SLRs."
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Set the ISO to 80 or 100 and images are smooth and noise free."
There is true optical image stabilisation that is effective and necessary when the lens is at its longest. The Canon S5 IS is one of the best of the pseudo SLR super zooms. Function and Menu displays are clear and easy to follow.
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images are a bit noisy at ISO speeds above 200"
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The Canon S5 IS is one of the best of the pseudo SLR super zooms."
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The lens is outstanding"
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There is true optical image stabilisation that is effective and necessary when the lens is at its longest."
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Function and Menu displays are clear and easy to follow."
surprisingly disappointing photo
Canon Powershot S5 IS Review:cameras.co.uk
The colours throughout all the photos are excellent. Flash is one area where the Powershot S5 IS stands out as offering more options then most other super zoom digital cameras.
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The colours throughout all the photos are excellent."
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On the whole picture quality is very good"
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surprisingly disappointing photo"
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special high speed movie mode"
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Flash is one area where the Powershot S5 IS stands out as offering more options then most other super zoom digital cameras."
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Focusing is very good"
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the most high spec super zoom camera I have tested."
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ISO 80 is good"
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amazing DOF without wide-angle distortion"
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truly effective manual focus"
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Exposure compensation is quickly accessible with its own button"
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large, bright display and a combination of handy settings"
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the buttons are quite small."
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Picture-to-picture speed is not thrilling"
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ISO 80 is good"
Focus is reasonably quick
Canon Powershot S5 IS:smh.com.au
The Canon S5 IS is one of the best of the pseudo SLR super zooms.
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The lens is outstanding"
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The Canon S5 IS is one of the best of the pseudo SLR super zooms."
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Focus is reasonably quick"
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above average image noise"
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truly superb movie mode"
the S5 IS can be set on "auto" to produce great images over a range of conditions and subjects.
Canon Powershot S5 IS First Thoughts:DigitalCameraReview
Canon credits the S5 IS built-in flash with a range out to 17 feet at wide angle, and 13 feet at telephoto, and my experience was the camera met these values. There are a number of accessories available, including wide and tele converters that let the lens shoot at about 27 and 645mm focal lengths, respectively.
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the S5 IS can be set on "auto" to produce great images over a range of conditions and subjects."
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The S5 IS produced pleasing and accurate color in the daylight"
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80, 100 and 200 ISO are pretty good and fairly difficult to differentiate"
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great image and color quality"
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good shutter and focus performance"
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Canon credits the S5 IS built-in flash with a range out to 17 feet at wide angle, and 13 feet at telephoto, and my experience was the camera met these values."
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80, 100 and 200 ISO are pretty good and fairly difficult to differentiate"
