Canon s2

[topper]

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0504/05042201canons2is.asp

What is your take on this camera?

[Mars_302]

Thats got a lot of features for a Point n Shoot I must say

[Rob.M]

Well my first thought when anyone points out a $500+ point and shoot is why not spend just a little more and get your hands on an entry level DSLR like the Canon 300D Digital Rebel or the Nikon D50 as you will get much more camera for the money, that being said in reading through the reviews on the S2 it is indeed a very good point and shoot but in this category I would still side with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5. Below, I have pasted the Final Review of the camera courtesy of DP Review. Hope this helps some.

Conclusion - Pros

* 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 stereo sound
* Impressive continuous (burst) shooting
* Good color, good exposure, generally accurate focus
* 'Punchy' results straight out of the camera
* Clean images at lower ISO settings
* Impressively little distortion for such a large lens
* Enjoyable and easy to use
* Swing out tilt 'n' swivel screen
* AF illuminator
* Optional wide and tele adapters

Conclusion - Cons

* 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 slightly over-sharpened
* Chromatic aberration and purple fringing
* Some problems with blown highlights and exposure in bright, contrasty scenes
* No RAW or TIFF mode
* Limit to highest shutter speed usable at wide apertures

Overall conclusion

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. The DIGIC II processor makes everything zip along at high speed, the AF illuminator gets rid of some of the low light focus problems and the beefed-up macro mode - though perhaps not quite delivering on its promise - is a real improvement. Image quality is very good - certainly on a par with most of its competitors - but still suffers from a slight softness and a slightly 'over-processed' appearance, though experimenting with the in-camera parameters and a little sympathetic post-processing means that in the right hands the S2 IS can produce images every bit as good as anything else in its class.

But ultimately the appeal of the S2 IS goes beyond simple pixel-peeping; it has a class-leading feature set, a very reliable image stabilization system (the benefits of which cannot be overstated) and superb handling. It's well-priced, incredibly versatile and - above all - highly enjoyable to use. For fast action (where the focus system still isn't fast enough), I'd go for the Panasonic FZ5, and it will be interesting to see how the Sony H1 fares in our upcoming review, but for sheer shooting pleasure and versatility the PowerShot S2 IS takes some beating.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons2is/images/megazooms-001.jpg
Here for comparison is the S2 IS alongside three of its closest competitors - (from left): Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5, Canon PowerShot S2 IS, Sony Cyber-shot H1, Kodak EasyShare DX740Z (the smallest, but also the only one without image stabilization). As you can see, the S2 IS is one of the largest cameras in its class - certainly a lot larger than the Panasonic FZ5

[topper]

* Chromatic aberration and purple fringing


Whats this mean?

[Mars_302]

purple infringing is sorta like a purple ghost outline

[photohopeful]

chromatic aberration is when the colors in the picture deviate from the actual colors