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| Brand: Canon
Category: Photography
List Price: $449.99
Buy Used: $255.00
You Save: $194.99 (43%)
New (15) Used (12) Refurbished (4)
Avg. Customer Rating:  401 reviews
Sales Rank: 1905
Color: BLACK
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Number Of Items: 1
Batteries Included: Yes
Optical Zoom: 12
Display Size: 2.5
Battery: 4 AA
Maximum Focal Length: 72
Minimum Focal Length: 6
Maximum Resolution: 8
Has Red Eye Reduction: Yes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 3.1 x 4.6 x 3.2
MPN: S5
Model: S5
UPC: 013803079616
EAN: 0013803079616
ASIN: B000Q3043Y
Release Date: May 15, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 I love this camera! September 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love photography, and as much as I'd love to own a dSLR it's just not in my budget at the moment. This is the next best thing, in my opinion. I love the option of full manual control, and the automatic and program modes make this camera nearly foolproof. I was taking great pictures right out of the box, and they've only gotten better as I've learned more about the camera. Contrary to what other reviewers have experienced, I've enjoyed the AA batteries. It's nice to know that if I'm out on vacation and run the batteries down, I can pop into Walgreens and grab a pack for $4 rather than being without my camera until I can charge it. I immediately replaced mine with Low Self-Discharge rechargeables and find they have a remarkable lifespan. I can take probably 300 pictures or more on a charge. I've been using this camera for 6 months now, and here are some of my experiences with it:
Pros:
1. Zoom- Once you get used to it, the zoom is really precise. I can compose a shot in under a second without having to fiddle with it too much. At first, the variable speed zoom lever takes a little trial and error though.
2. Hotshoe- To be honest here, I don't have a speedlight yet. But I am thrilled to have the option and it's next on my list to purchase.
3. Layout- I find the buttons, menus and overall layout of the camera extremely intuitive and easy to use. Buttons are easily accessible and comfortable while gripping the camera. After one quick read through the manual, I could easily locate any setting I might need in the menu system.
4. LCD- I am so addicted to the pivoting screen that I'm afraid I won't be able to take pictures without it when the time finally comes to upgrade from this camera. I love that I can take eye-level shots of my kids without crawling through the mud with them, lol. I can compose shots that do not include tourists' heads because I can hold the camera above the heads and still see the screen. I can take a family portrait and see that everyone is actually in the frame. Brilliant!
5. Pictures
a. Auto- This camera takes some of the best exposed, consistently good pictures of any point and shoot I've ever used. This holds especially true in low light.
b. Manual- Mastering manual control was much simpler than I thought. Nearly all the adjustments can be made with the 4-way button. The on-screen meter runs a little underexposed for my taste, but only by about 1/4 stop. I just compensate accordingly with my settings.
6. Focus checking- I frequently use the feature that shows where the camera focused after the shot. It's as easy as tapping the display button while the review image is displayed on the screen and it shows a crop at 100%, a bounding box around the focal point, the histogram and a few other details. This can be an invaluable tool when shooting because nearly all shots look sharp on the LCD of a digital camera. It's not till you download them to your computer or try to print that you'll realize if the focus was off.
7. Size/weight- The camera just feels good in the hand. Enough weight and grip to balance nicely and get a stable shot. The ergonomics make it easy to hand hold, even with one hand.
Cons:
1. Noisy- At anything above 200 (and sometimes even lower than that), the pictures are really noisy.
2. Lens cap- This might seem like a petty complaint, but really the lens cap is an important part of any camera, protecting its most delicate part. And this one is terrible. It falls off if you so much as look at the camera too hard. Forget about tossing it in a bag or purse, you'd better have a dedicated camera bag for it in case the cap pops off in transit (which it most certainly will).
3. Lack of available accessories- This really limits this camera, in my opinion. The only accessories available for this model are wide angle, teleconverter and close up lenses. A greater variety of lenses and other accessories (like the underwater housing available for previous models) would have been nice.
In addition to these cons, I have had 2 problems this far: the supplied USB cable died after only a few months. While I realize cables are cheap and readily available, it was a difficult problem to diagnose and caused a lot of frustration. For the price of this camera, and the fact that it comes with zero accessories, I expect the things it did include to be of a higher quality. The other problem I have is that after less than 6 months of use, the pivoting screen no longer consistently detects it's position. When I try to flip the screen outward, the camera switches the display back to the viewfinder. It works fine when I have it opened away from the camera, but as soon as it clicks in place, the display transfers. I have to turn the camera on and off several times to restore correct functionality of the screen. This is frustrating, and I've missed a shot several times because I am fighting with the camera instead of taking pictures. I plan to contact Canon customer service about this issue, but was waiting until after my recent family vacation in case the camera needs to be sent in for service. I docked the rating of the camera 1 star for the Cons and also this problem. Otherwise, I couldn't be happier with my choice of camera!
Great mega-zoomonly lacking a few things September 9, 2008
Previously we had owned a Canon Powershot G series camera. We decided to switch to the S series because of the extended zoom, image stabilization, and improved video recording. We have not upset with our choice. The S5 has handled nicely, taking great pictures and being very quick. This had been a minor drawback with our G series camera. The addition of a hotshoe is a nice bonus. Too often I need som flash fill at a greater distance than 9'.
If I have one complaint it would be that I wish this camera took RAW pictures. I like to experiment in HDR photos and the RAW format would give me more control. Regardless, this is a great camera if you want a large zoom and don't expect it to fit in your pocket.
 Never Buy Again Products On Amazon September 8, 2008
1 out of 18 found this review helpful
I bought this camera at Aug 6, and there was written "IN STOCK", with a promise to deliver it from 08 until 13.Aug, to give it as a Birthday Gift to my Friend in 16Aug. That item did not arrive and I have had an immense sorrow, from which I am psychologically affected. I call the customer service from RitzCamera on 14Aug and they tell me they were waiting the next shipment of the item from the manufacturer(how could this be possible, if they sold me the product???), with no arriving date idea. I am deeply frustrated with both - Amazon and RitzCamera!!! I wanted a materially compensation for the damage this situation caused to me, but until now the did ANYTHING.
 So Simple a Child Could Use It (and really did) September 6, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I gave this camera to my 11 year-old grandson two days before he and his family embarked on a five week tour of Morocco and France in the summer of 2008. He had zero experience in photography, and I had low expectations. I put a 4Gb memory card in it and told him to bring me back 400 pictures.
He brought back 950 pictures, 900 of which are precious keepers! Some we are putting on Google Maps Panoramio. He gets a kick out of seeing that 1,572 people have viewed his photographs of a lighthouse in Tangier, the Louvre in Paris, and the bullet train to Brussels.
Is this a computer with a camera built around it or is it the other way around? I don't know, but if I were advising NASA for a robotic landing to a distant world, the features in this camera are what I would recommend for trouble-free ease of operation sending high-grade pictures back home.
With 40 years of experience in a branch of photography (TV news video and film) I could write at length about ISO settings, automatic white balance and chromatic aberration, but would rather leave such discussions to the geek-speakers and let them grumble among themselves. Unless it involves a microscope or a telescope, photography is not a science it is an art. A compelling picture is the result of the photographer's interest in the subject, and more expensive gear can do little to add to its intrinsic beauty.
Any technical flaws that appear can be cured post-production ("photoshopped") with programs that are easy to use, inexpensive and sometimes even free.
Some technocrats have openly complained about 8 megapixels being extremely high and completely unnecessary. They are thinking 5x7 or 8x10 prints. I would like to point out that the 950 pictures my grandson took were all viewed as a camera-generated slideshow on a 52-inch HDTV screen. While all 8 megapixels weren't visible even at that size, if we want to re-size or crop a picture using the digital zoom feature we have the latitude to do so that wouldn't be possible with a lower megapixel camera.
I did months of research before choosing the Canon S5 IS digital camera and it has surpassed every expectation.
Horrible Pictures September 1, 2008
0 out of 5 found this review helpful
Takes horrible pictures. My old tiny olympus took better pictures. Flash takes forever to recharge between shots. I can't stand this camera and can't wait to get a different one.
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