Canon S5

[bob100]

I've not had any problem with video skipping with my S5, (I use sandisk and kingston) but why not use the small Canon card that came with it for testing purposes?

 

[DisDaydreamer]

I use the Ultra II in mine and haven't had any video problems. I agree with bob try that 32mb card that came with it to compare if the formatting doesn't fix the issue.

 

[polkadotladybug]

okay - I wiped my card of pictures and then formatted it - took another video and it skipped again. It's like it gets hung up and repeats whatever is said three times, then it moves forward and gets hung up again and the sound is repeated. Not clear at all.

I will try the 32 mg card and see if it's the card or the camera. I certainly hope it isn't the camera! It's only two weeks old (it was a replacement for an S3).

 

[polkadotladybug]

Well - I figured out what the problem was - after I went out and bought a Sandisk Extreme sd card...which I guess I didn't really need after all....LOL

apparently the problem was with playing the video from the memory card - I had stuck the memory card in my laptop and was playing the videos directly off the card. When my dh moved the videos to our laptop, the played them - they were nice and smooth with no skipping.

So that was my problem!

thanks to everyone who tried to troubleshoot!

 

[jswalker1981]

Ok, I'm looking for a ultra zoom camera because I'm tired of my compact point and shoot with its puny 3x zoom. I am torn between these three cameras, and since the majority of pictures I will be taking with this camera will be at Disney, I think this will be the best place to get advice. Some factors I like/want in a camera: manual control, long zoom, great for fireworks, minimal noise. A couple of other features I really like is a tilting screen, SD, and lithium battery. I'm not married to those last three, but I do like them. So I see a lot of people like the canon s5 and panasonic fz18, but has anyone worked with the sony h50? I like that sony h50 has a large 3in screen, and I do prefer their zoom controls (on the back where your thumb goes instead of the shutter button), along with the night shot option. But they use that memory stick instead of SD. Panasonic FZ18 has the longest zoom, uses SD, has lithium battery, but doesn't have a tilting screen, and does have the zoom controls on the shutter button. Canon s5 seems to have the most supporters, which goes a long way with me, uses SD, has a tilting screen, and the feature to show only one color while the rest of the picture is B&W, but it has the lowest zoom of the three, and uses AA batteries. So, what I need to know is which one would be the best for Disney, and is the AA batteries issue I have really nothing to worry about.

Please help me. I'm tired of googling reviews, and checking out videos on YouTube. Thank you!

 

[bob100]

for me it was between the Panasonic and Canon S5 and I went with the Canon. I liked it because of Canon's reputation, AA batteries (I prefer!) , SD card, different controls, quality video, etc. I think they are all about the same in price so you probably can't go wrong with any of them, you might want to check them out at a local store then on-line - these cameras are larger and weigh more than ordinary digital compacts!

 

[jswalker1981]

I went to Ritz Camera in the mall, and they had the sony and the panasonic, so I got to handle both of them. They weren't that bad to hold at all. So their size isn't much for me to worry about. Is the Canon similar in size to the panasonic?

 

[bob100]

I went to Ritz Camera in the mall, and they had the sony and the panasonic, so I got to handle both of them. They weren't that bad to hold at all. So their size isn't much for me to worry about. Is the Canon similar in size to the panasonic?

yes, you can compare both at www.dpreview.com, in fact you might want to check the forums there, both for canon, panasonic, "beginners" , etc. a lot of helpful suggestions

 

[Karenj2]

I currently have a Cannon Elph 200(?) for my digital photography, and I like it 'cause it's small and I can take quick pictures, but it certainly has limitations - Pictures at night are lousy, I can only take 10-15 second movies, and it doesn't have any depth of field at all (very flat).

I'm in the market for a new camera, and I'd like something in between a fully manual camera and a point & shoot, that is still on the small side... I used to do photography (an OLD Pentax film camera), and would love to have something I can "play around" with, however the majority of the time I'll be using my camera for trips to Disney and events with my Viking group (where 1. I'll have to keep my camera hidden as much as possible, and 2. the pictures I take will most likely only be posted on the web). I also want to take some pictures at a local public garden called Longwood that I'll have printed in a large format size for my Library walls.

I've been doing some research (thanks to links on other posts), and DH and I had stopped at Best Buy yesterday to play around, and I think I like the features and feel of the Canon S5 IS. Can anyone give me any real-life comments on this camera?

Is there a better camera out there that you can point me to?

Thanks!

 

[Karenj2]

anyone?

 

[ukcatfan]

The movies would be better and you would have more zoom, but it will do no better on night shots. You will just not be able to do very well for that situation without a DSLR. The S5 is a nice camera, but it is still a p&s, so do not expect too much out of it. Not sure about your DOF comment. Too much DOF is the trait of any p&s, so I do not know how you would not have enough. Do you possibly mean not enough control to limit it? I can agree to that for a p&s.

I am getting the feeling that you will not really be happy with any p&s after using a SLR. If you still have any Pentax lenses, they will work on the new Pentax or Samsung DSLRs. You would have no movie option, but movies on a still camera are not the greatest anyway.

 

[bob100]

I've had my Canon S5 for about a month (had HP digitals and old Minolta film SLR) I think you would enjoy the "near-dSLR" or ultra-Zoom cameras such as the Canon S5 or panasonic FZ18 but they are larger and weigh more, you won't be able to put them in your pocket. The larger lenses and motor for the zoom take up space but I think it's worth it, especially if you like macro shots and telephoto. look at the Canon S5 group on flicker (000's of pics) and the pics here and you can see the variety (the video is excellent on the S5!)
For $300 or less it was the best option for me, if your budget is greater and don't mind carrying those lenses dSLR may be in your direction.

 

[Frantasmic]

I love everything about my S5, with the exception of low light photos. Anything above ISO 200 is very grainy.

If you want zoom, fairly light-weight, lots of manual control possibility, and excellent pictures in daylight, this is a good camera. If you shoot indoor like a gym or at night without a flash, I'd suggest another camera.

You should look at the Canon G9 with it's RAW capability, but it's still a point and shoot. Also, the Olypus 520 is supposed to be a good, yet inexpensive DSLR, according to various articles I've read.

 

[Karenj2]

Not sure about your DOF comment. Too much DOF is the trait of any p&s, so I do not know how you would not have enough. Do you possibly mean not enough control to limit it?

Thanks - I've been out of "real" photography for a while now, so I've probably lost the lingo... What I meant was that with my P&S I wasn't able to focus on the focal point (i.e., portrait) and have the rest be more blurry.

I'd love to get a DSLR camera, but I honestly don't think I'd get the most out of it - half the time I'm trying to take a quick shot of something, or I'm in an event or location where I couldn't pack a camera that size...

I saw on the "How to take Fireworks" post that many people have the Cannon Rebel, and the pictures seemed to turn out pretty well - is the Rebel better than the S5?

(I'll have to do some more research at lunch...)

 

[Littlegirl]

Hi guys! I recently purchased a new Canon Powershot S5 IS and I'm still learning how to use it. Yesterday I took some photos that I wanted to print right away so I took them to a 1 hr photo shop. In my prints I notice that several of the heads are cut off, but looking in my viewfinder they are not. I tried printing one at home to see what the deal is. When I print a 4x6 the heads are chopped off but when I print with a border around (and picture is more like 3 3/4 x (almost) 5 the picture is like I see it in the viewfinder.

Is there a way to make all my 4x6 photos print like I see in the viewfinder?

Sorry if this is a stupid newbie question!

 

[Amy]

Hi! I've got the Canon S3 IS and I noticed the same problem - the pixel dimensions of the camera (mine is set to the highest, so it's 22XX by 21XX or whatever) don't exactly work out to a 4x6 ratio, so when you print, parts will get cut off. I know some of the more knowledgeable folks on this board can explain it better.

Anyway, I just had to keep reminding myself NOT to fill the viewfinder with the image that I want, to leave a little around the edges to allow for this. I like the low-tech solutions!

 

[bob100]

Hi! I've got the Canon S3 IS and I noticed the same problem - the pixel dimensions of the camera (mine is set to the highest, so it's 22XX by 21XX or whatever) don't exactly work out to a 4x6 ratio, so when you print, parts will get cut off. I know some of the more knowledgeable folks on this board can explain it better.
Anyway, I just had to keep reminding myself NOT to fill the viewfinder with the image that I want, to leave a little around the edges to allow for this. I like the low-tech solutions!

hard to believe there isn't a high-tech solution but had my Canon S5 for a month and hadn't printed any pics! I'll check on that because some day I will want to print out a picture

 

[bob100]

I love everything about my S5, with the exception of low light photos. Anything above ISO 200 is very grainy.
If you want zoom, fairly light-weight, lots of manual control possibility, and excellent pictures in daylight, this is a good camera. If you shoot indoor like a gym or at night without a flash, I'd suggest another camera.
You should look at the Canon G9 with it's RAW capability, but it's still a point and shoot. Also, the Olypus 520 is supposed to be a good, yet inexpensive DSLR, according to various articles I've read.

there are some solutions, Canons (including the S5) can shoot in RAW mode, see the CHDK programs - www.chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK if you own a Canon camera you should definitely look at the CHDK programs, also a
tripod (or resting the camera on a surface) will help with indoor pics without a flash.

 

[Tuffcookie]

I concur with Amy. With practice you will remember to not fill the viewfinder up completely and leave a little "margin" around the viewfinder frame.

TC

 

[eleventhletter]

Ok, I'm looking for a ultra zoom camera because I'm tired of my compact point and shoot with its puny 3x zoom. I am torn between these three cameras, and since the majority of pictures I will be taking with this camera will be at Disney, I think this will be the best place to get advice. Some factors I like/want in a camera: manual control, long zoom, great for fireworks, minimal noise. A couple of other features I really like is a tilting screen, SD, and lithium battery. I'm not married to those last three, but I do like them. So I see a lot of people like the canon s5 and panasonic fz18, but has anyone worked with the sony h50? I like that sony h50 has a large 3in screen, and I do prefer their zoom controls (on the back where your thumb goes instead of the shutter button), along with the night shot option. But they use that memory stick instead of SD. Panasonic FZ18 has the longest zoom, uses SD, has lithium battery, but doesn't have a tilting screen, and does have the zoom controls on the shutter button. Canon s5 seems to have the most supporters, which goes a long way with me, uses SD, has a tilting screen, and the feature to show only one color while the rest of the picture is B&W, but it has the lowest zoom of the three, and uses AA batteries. So, what I need to know is which one would be the best for Disney, and is the AA batteries issue I have really nothing to worry about.

Please help me. I'm tired of googling reviews, and checking out videos on YouTube. Thank you!

I feel your pain, we were in Disney in June and my mother's camera died and I let her use my camera, a Sony H7, the rest of the week while I used a smaller point and shoot. She loved it so much and rather than trying to muddle through and help her buy a new one I just sold her mine so now I'm looking.

I've already ruled the Panasonic out but I'm torn between the Sony H50 and the Canon s5. My biggest concerns with the Canon is that it is already a year old and having to learn all the menus all over again. But I did like how it looked and felt (more compact) and it many more reviews available. But with the Sony I already pretty much know the menus, there are only a few difference between what I had. It was a great camera and I was always happy with the results. My biggest sticking point was the cost on the Sony but I was able to find though recomendation on dpreview a link that was $50 cheaper then locally. So that brings it down closer to the Canon.

I have a couple extra dou cards where I don't have any SD cards so there is that also to think about. But SD cards are on sale more frequently then dou cards.

Batteries -- there has only been one time I went all the way through a battery and that was while I was at Disney. I'm sure that AA would be more convenient. I always had a back up with my old sony because both camera we owned were sony's. But I think if I remember correct the H50 is a different battery.

So I didn't probably help you any, lol. Sorry for that but I appreciate the thread because these are two I was considering and reading all over and trying to decide is driving me crazy and where it really wasn't a concern if I picked up a camera right away now we've decided to take a long weekend at the end of July so there some pressure now to make a decision.

Kassie