Canon PowerShot S2 IS

1955 reviews

Apr, 2024

Positive
usability (811)
performance (688)
image quality (417)
zoom (389)
price (373)

Negative
reliability (69)
sensor (9)
connectivity (1)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 1955 reviews of Canon PowerShot S2 IS. The average rating for this product is 4.3/5, compared to an average rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras for all reviews. People really like the zoom and price. The image quality and performance are also mentioned favorably. There are some mixed opinions about the viewfinder. Many are negative about the connectivity and sensor.

usability, performance, image quality, price, zoom

reliability, sensor, connectivity

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Digital Compact Cameras the Canon PowerShot S2 IS is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 87/100 = Very good quality.

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Review analysis

(Based on 1955 reviews)

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User Reviews

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Showing 1 - 1479 of 1614 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (309)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Canon PowerShot S2 IS

alaTest has collected and analyzed 59 user reviews of Canon PowerShot S2 IS from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 4.5/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.co.uk. People really like the battery and price. The performance and usability also get good feedback, whereas the viewfinder and shutter get negative comments.

zoom, usability, performance, price, battery

reliability, size, energy, shutter, viewfinder

93% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Canon PowerShot S2 IS

alaTest has collected and analyzed 1410 user reviews of Canon PowerShot S2 IS from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.3/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.2/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.com. Reviewers are impressed by the portability and price. The image quality and performance are also mentioned favorably, whereas reviews are divided on the viewfinder. Many are critical about the sensor and reliability.

usability, performance, image quality, price, portability

reliability, sensor

90% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Expert review by : Will Greenwald (cnet.com)

Canon PowerShot SD630 review: Canon PowerShot SD630

Great photos; relatively quick; plenty of features; large LCD.

Awkward zoom control; slightly cramped buttons; no optical viewfinder.

The Canon PowerShot SD630 shoehorns a relatively broad set of features, solid performance, and great image quality into an attractive ultracompact package.

Apr, 2006

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Expert review by (pcworld.com)

Canon PowerShot S2IS Test Report

This is Canon's only model with an optical image stabilizer--rare on a still camera--but its battery life rates at the bottom

Optical image stabilization

Very low battery life

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Dec, 2005

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Expert review by : Theano Nikitas (cnet.com)

Canon PowerShot S2 IS review

Canon PowerShot S2 IS

Excellent feature set; one-touch high-quality movie mode; decent performance and image quality.

Average burst-shooting performance; some image artifacts.

An excellent feature set and improved performance make the Canon PowerShot S2 IS megazoom camera even more attractive than its predecessor.

Jul, 2005

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Expert review by : Terry Sullivan (pcmag.com)

Canon PowerShot S2 IS

Great picture quality. Wide variety of scene modes. Good image stabilization. 12X optical zoom.

Very slow recycle time. Small LCD. Poor electronic viewfinder.

The PowerShot S2 IS boasts good picture quality, but the small LCD and poor electronic viewfinder make it problematic for use in bright light.

Jul, 2005

Partner Source

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Expert review by : Simon Joinson (dpreview.com)

Canon PowerShot S2 IS Review

Almost as soon as it was announced in February 2004, the PowerShot S1 IS - Canon's long-awaited successor to the Pro 90 - made its way into dpreview's top 5 cameras (based on visitor clicks), a position it held for the best part of a year, despite...

Good resolution New 12x zoom offers excellent 36-432mm range Packed with features Image stabilization works really well (and can be used in movie mode) Very quiet Fast and responsive (faster focus than S1 IS) Stunning movie mode with high quality...

Occasional focus errors - especially at the telephoto end of the zoom in low light Fairly noisy above ISO200 No rechargeable batteries supplied in the box Viewfinder and screen can be difficult to see in very bright conditions Images slightly soft and...

In an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace Canon had to make the successor to the S1 IS something more than a mere upgrade, and no one can deny they did just that, bringing improvements to virtually every aspect of the camera's performance....

Jun, 2005

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Expert review by : Steve's Digicams (steves-digicams.com)

Canon Powershot S2 IS

Continue on to Page Two Powershot S2 IS Specifications Image Sensor 1/2.5-inch CCD RGB color filter array Total number of pixels: Approx 5.3 million Effective number of pixels: Approx. 5.0 million Lens Canon 12x optical 6.0 - 72.0 mm with Image...

Jun, 2005

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Expert review by (electronicsme.com)

Canon PowerShot S2 IS

The Canon PowerShot S2 IS is a quality digital still camera with a powerful 12x optical zoom lens. Add the sharp photos it takes and it makes the PowerShot S2 IS an automatic choice to add to your photo gadget bag.

12 times optical zoomHigh performance VGA movie mode with stereo soundFits nicely in your handImage stabilized

Packed with features, the PowerShot S2 IS is fully loaded with a 12x ...

Dec, 2007

Partner Source

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Expert review by (letsgodigital.org)

Canon Powershot S2 IS review

The Canon Powershot S2 IS, quite a mouth full, is the successor of the S1. The Powershot S2 IS was officially introduced in April of this year and is available for some months now. The Canon S2 IS camera features an impressive optical zoom of 12x...

When we used the Canon Powershot S2 IS it turned out to be a versatile digital camera. High resolution images, advanced videos with stereo sound and a large optical range with optical stabilisation are ingredients that enable a versatile use of the...

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Expert review by (imaging-resource.com)

Digital Cameras - Canon PowerShot S2IS Digital Camera Review, Information, Specifications

The long-zoom digital camera market is getting pretty crowded these days, so it takes a lot for a product to really stand out. Despite the stiff competition though, the Canon PowerShot S2 IS is indeed a standout product. Building upon the already very...

Very long (12x) zoom ratio, Image-stabilized lens, usable for both stills and movies, Nice color, bright without being overbearing, Natural skin tones, Good shutter response, particularly when "prefocused", Very good shot to shot speed, Very good...

Slightly high contrast, Slightly coarse rendering of fine details (soft sensor image/stronger in-camera sharpening), High image noise at ISO 400, Higher than average chromatic aberration, at all focal lengths, Focus is difficult to determine from the...

The Canon PowerShot S2 IS is the sequel to an extremely popular long zoom camera, the 3.2 megapixel S1 IS. The 5.0 megapixel Canon S2 IS and its predecessor follow in the footsteps of a well-received model from four years past, the 2.6-megapixel...

Jun, 2005

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Expert review by : Jeff Keller (dcresource.com)

Canon PowerShot S2 IS

The S2 keeps all of the S1's trademark features including optical image stabilization, a rotating LCD, an excellent movie mode, full manual controls, and support for conversion lenses

Very good photo quality (though see issues below) ; 12X zoom lens with optical image stabilization ; Blazing performance (except for focusing speeds, which are just average) ; Full manual controls ; Awesome movie mode: VGA resolution (30 fps), stereo...

Images a little too sharp; a few were a tad overexposed ; Movie mode file size limit arrives quickly ; Some redeye ; No live histogram in record mode (still!) ; Plastic tripod mount (hey I'm only complaining because it used to be metal) ; RAW support,...

All-in-all I really like the PowerShot S2 and it gets my highest recommendation. I think the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20 is more of a "photographers" camera with its sturdier construction, manual focus ring, and hot shoe, with the S2 being more of an...

Dec, 2007

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