Canon PowerShot S5 IS Expert Reviews

The Canon PowerShot S-series digital cameras not only hold a comfortable position in the ultra-zoom market with their 12x optically stabilized zoom lenses, but are also known as excellent hybrid models.

Great videos, Sturdy body, Rotating LCD, Accurate colors and white balance, Optical image stabilization, Wide f/2.7 aperture

High noise levels above ISO 200, Significant chromatic aberration, Limited dynamic range, Heavy, Finicky multi-selector, Grainy viewfinder, Slow 1.5 fps Burst mode, High $499 price

The Canon PowerShot S5 IS combines a few aged components with some new technology and upgrades. The 8-megapixel ultra-zoom digital camera has a 12x optical zoom lens that has made several appearances on previous S-series models. The 12x lens used to be co...

An articulable LCD, great image stabilization, and top-quality photos add up to a great megazoom.

Sturdy and fully adjustable LCD screen, Top-notch image stabilization

Poor manual focus, No RAW-format support

Despite a handy function menu for the most commonly used options, the S5 IS has an overabundance of hey-let's-just-throw-it-in features that can clog menus (a wolf-howl sound effect for the self-timer? Really?). This feels indicative of the uneasy balance...

Canon's PowerShot S5 IS remains one of the best super-zoom digital cameras on the market. It sports a decent 12x range with optical stabilisation, a useful flip-out and twist screen, a decent degree of manual control and impressively, a flash hotshoe. Som...

12x optical zoom with IS., Fully articulated 2.5in screen., Manual control and flash hotshoe., Optical zoom and stereo sound in movies.,

Noise visible throughout ISO range., Fringing on high contrast subjects., Widest-angle 'only' 36mm., No RAW recording facility.

The PowerShot S5 IS is certainly a powerful super-zoom camera with some neat features. The 12x range gives you decent coverage, the stabilisation is effective, the flip-out screen allows for unusual angles, the movie options are some of the best around on...

Canon PowerShot S5 ISThere was a lot to like about the Canon PowerShot S3 IS, and much of it remains in this year's PowerShot S5 IS, including Canon's veteran optical image-stabilization technology, excellent metering and focusing systems, the signature f...

Tons of manual and automatic features; well-laid-out controls; solid body; nice LCD display.

Lens aberrations and vignetting; some processing artifacts; lacks raw file support; redesigned lens cap still pops off too easily.

Though it remains a good megazoom, thanks to continued image and lens artifacts, the Canon PowerShot S5 IS is slowly losing ground to competitors.

The latest model in Canon's popular line of image-stabilized superzoom cameras, the 8-megapixel Canon PowerShot S5 IS is similar to its predecessor, the 6-megapixel PowerShot S3 IS (Canon skipped a number so there's no S4). Both have an image-stabilized 1...

The Canon Powershot S5 IS is a good ultra-zoom digital camera with some small improvements over its predecessor, the Powershot S3 IS. It is a very capable camera with full manual controls, a good super-macro mode and a t

Nicely saturated colors, Good exposure accuracy, Effective image stabilization, Excellent macro focusing up to 0 cm, Very fast startup time and focusing system, Fast and responsive

Noise visible starting at ISO 100, ISO 400 quite noisy, ISO 800 and 1600 are nearly useless, Some blurring of image corners, Small low-resolution viewfinder, Batteries slide out when memory door is opened

The Canon PowerShot S5 IS is Canon's top-of-the-range ultra-zoom compact camera, with an image-stabilized 12x optical zoom lens offering a focal range of 36-432mm, fast aperture range of f/2.7 â?? f/3.5 and an Ultrasonic Motor for silent auto-focusing. Wi...

In terms of features and handling the more you play with the Canon PowerShot S5 IS, the more you find to like about it, which means that it requires a period of familiarization. Although certain aspects of the control layout might appear slightly compromi...

Offering consumers SLR-like functionality in a more portable body, the Canon PowerShot S5 IS has a full range of Manual and Automatic exposure modes, along with 8 megapixels and an optically stabilized 12x optical zoom lens. These features, along with an

At $499, the Canon PowerShot S5 IS is a hard sell. It's expensive and although it has some a lot to offer - accurate colors, excellent videos with stereo audio, and manual controls - the disadvantages, like the poor still image quality, can't be ignored.

The enduring popularity of Canon's 'big zoom' range began on the day the original PowerShot S1 IS was announced back at the start of 2004, heralding a return to a sector of the market many believed the photo giant had abandoned when the Pro 90 IS was disc...

Excellent resolution, good detail at lower ISOs (though output a little soft), Good color, good exposure, generally accurate focus gives a high 'hit rate' even in auto mode, Huge photographic versatility with 36-432mm lens and super macro mode, Image stab...

Noise and noise reduction effects visible at anything over ISO 100, ISO 800 and 1600 very noisy and of limited use, Wider wideangle would be nice, SD card slot now in battery compartment - battery cover awkward to open and close, Barely any image quality

Although it represents a more significant upgrade than the S3 IS was over the S2 IS, the S5 IS doesn't really see Canon breaking much new ground.