My Camera

I'm not a pro photo shooter like The Pioneer Woman. I don't even own photoshop. But I do love my camera.

Yesterday Rachel asked me about it -- and I blathered on and on... so I cut it out and am now turning it into a post.

rachel said...

I decided I know what I would buy...a new camera...do you still really like yours???

Oh -- now THAT is a great plan.

Yes I do like it. I got a Canon S5 IS. I got it from NewEgg on-line -- best price around, even compared to Best Buy or Wal-Mart. We got the combo deal. Looks different than what is available now. So I'd do some comparing.

SAME camera as available in the stores.

Here are the specifications listed on-line. I'll comment beside it, if I have an opinion.

Brand	Canon
Model	PowerShot S5 IS
Series	PowerShot S Series
Color	Black
Weight	Approx. 15.9 oz./450g (camera body only) It's NOT heavy or bulky.
Dimensions	4.60" x 3.15" x 3.06"
Type	SLR-like Which means you can add on lenses if you want to.
Image Sensor
Image Sensor	1/2.5" CCD
Gross Pixels	8.3 MP
Effective Pixels	8.0 MP
Sensitivity	Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 (Standard Output Sensitivity. Recommended Exposure Index)
Resolution	3,264 x 2,448
Functions
Image Stabilization	Optical Image Stabilization
Lens
Optical Zoom	12X This is good.
Digital Zoom	4X
Focal Length	6.0-72.0mm (35mm film equivalent: 36-432mm)
Aperture	f/2.7 (W) - f/3.5 (T)
Shutter Speed	15-1/3200 sec. (settable in Tv and M)
Focus
Focus Type	TTL Autofocus
Auto Focus	Yes
Normal Focus Range	1.6 ft./50cm-infinity (WIDE), 3.0 ft./90cm-infinity (TELE)
Macro Focus Range	Macro: 3.9 in.-1.6 ft./10-50cm (W) Super Macro: 0-3.9 in./0-10cm (W) Soooo cool!! I can't wait for spring flowers.
Flash
Flash Mode	Auto, Auto w/ Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On w/Red-eye Reduction, Flash Off; FE lock, Safety FE available
Flash Range	Normal: 1.6-17 ft./50cm-5.2m (W), 3.0-13 ft./90cm-4.0m (T) Macro: 1-1.6 ft./30-50cm (W) (when sensitivity is set to ISO Auto)
External Flash	Supported You can add on flash, if you want.
Exposure
Exposure Control	Program AE, Shutter Speed-Priority AE, Aperture-Priority AE, Manual; AE Lock available
Exposure Compensation	-2 EV to +2 EV in 1/3 steps
Metering System	Evaluative*, Center-weighted average, Spot** * Control to incorporate facial brightness in Face Detection AF ** Metering frame is fixed to the center
Functions
White Balance	Auto, Preset (Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash), Custom
File Formats	JPEG (EXIF 2.2)
Continuous Drive	Approx. 1.5 fps; AF/LV: approx. 0.9 fps
Tripod Mount	Supported
Self-timer	2s or 10s OR CUSTOM! I change it for up to 10 photos... no running back and forth.
Shooting Modes	Auto; Creative: P, Av, Tv, M, C; Image: Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Special Scene (Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, Indoor, Night Scene, Color Accent, Color Swap), Night Snapshot, Super Macro, Stitch Assist, Movie I LOVE this -- all these fun things! Color Accent is Fun. BW/or color. Sepia available. We take high quality movies which are better then our old camcorder.
Viewfinder	0.33-inch low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD electronic viewfinder
LCD	2.5" 207K BIG!! Nice - it rotates out -- so it can be to rotated to the front so you can watch yourself while using the self-timer. It can be rotated in so it will protect the screen while not in use. It's nice!.
Movie
Movie Format	AVI (Image: Motion JPEG; Audio: WAVE (Stereo))
Movie Recording	640 x 480 @ 30fps 320 x 240 @ 60/30fps
Recording Media
Storage Media	SD / MMC Card
Interface
USB	Yes
A/V Out	Yes
Battery
Battery Type	AA
Battery Life	Still Image: approx. 170 shots (AA-size Alkaline Battery); approx. 450 shots (AA-size NiMH Battery)* * LCD screen on. The above figures comply with CIPA testing standards and apply when fully-charged batteries are used.
Packaging
Package Contents	PowerShot S5 IS Body AA-size Alkaline Battery (x4) SD Memory Card SDC-32M Lens cap Neck Strap NS-D4 Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM USB Interface Cable IFC-400PCU Stereo Video Cable STV-250N

I don't see the sound -- but it has audio. 2 microphones on either side of the lenses. So it has great quality audio as well. Oh it does mention STEREO, I guess.

We got the package deal at NewEgg and it came with a case, more memory cards, tripod, strap, even batteries... not sure what else. No monopod... that was extra... but I prefer that over the tripod when recording sports things. Tripod obviously necessary for self timer feature -- but the monopod really makes it steady, yet flexible.

It isn't a battery hog either. I can take several hundred high quality and 1 tournament of movies before I need to change the batteries out. It takes 4 AA, and we use rechargeable.

So um... yeah -- I like it. Ü Does that answer your question?

We are impressed... but maybe we are easily impressed... who knows? No really -- I was NOT happy with my $80 Wal-Mart special HP camera. No optical zoom... which is different than digital zoom, ya know.

It's easy to down load the photos. One complaint on the camera is the lens cap pops off easily... but that is a plus for me. I often forget to remove it -- and I'll turn the camera on and pop -- off it comes... no damage to the zooming thing. LOL (I'm so professional).

Have fun shopping! Ü