Should I...???

[Greg K.]

Shopping at a Staples in Manhattan tonight, I saw that they are offering the Canon S2 for sale, clearance, for $279.

That sounds like a steal. I've been interested in upgrading -- replacing my little A95. And the IS and 12x zoom look irresistable to me...

Or should I resist? I have a terrific Pentax *ist SLR already. Do I really need another camera?

Decisions, decisions...

Whaddya think? (I have the money, so that's no problem...and I already have the batteries and SD cards...)

 

[mhutchinson]

It is a little below average in price by about $20, and a lot less than a high end lens for your Pentax. If you are looking to upgrade then this might be the time for you, but this is not as compact as your A95.

I am sure that if you can justify getting it, then you will use it. There are many times I wish I had something smaller with me and usually consider one of these or a pocket camera. Just make sure you can live with any short comings you might find out about the camera and not regret getting a newer or different model for a little bit more.

Mike

 

[lazydazy8]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Canon Powershot S2IS. I got it on eBay. I've had no problems with it whatsoever. I cannot remember what I paid, but I know it was less than $300. I got it last March after the new model had been released.

I especially love to get close ups of my kids' faces.

 

[Greg K.]

Well, I know the camera is chunkier than my A95, and not exactly pocket-able. Don't really care about that. The two big selling points, imo, would be the mega zoom and the IS. Both of which would enable me to capture things I can't do now with either my Pentax or my A95.

And that is an awfully good price. I paid just a little less than that (about $250) for the A95 last year.

(That dull sound you hear is me, kicking myself. Much as I like my A95, it does have its limitations -- teensy 3x zoom being foremost among them. It also has the original Digic processor, which is sluggish.)

 

[makinorlando]

Greg - you know I LOVE my S2 - coming from one who knew next to nothing about the technical photog terms a few months ago... but am learning thanks to folks here.... I think I can take a pretty darned good (IMHO) photo!!!! Just not great in low light situations - but I've gotten some decent shots there too with some stabilization - trash can, mini tripod, etc!

Go for it....

 

[Greg K.]

Greg - you know I LOVE my S2 - coming from one who knew next to nothing about the technical photog terms a few months ago... but am learning thanks to folks here.... I think I can take a pretty darned good (IMHO) photo!!!! Just not great in low light situations - but I've gotten some decent shots there too with some stabilization - trash can, mini tripod, etc!

Go for it....

Yeah, that's the thing: I see some of the amazing shots on these boards -- a lot of them yours, btw -- and never fail to be impressed at what a plain old point and shoot (with a little extra horsepower) can deliver.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

the picture quality will be the same (same sensor, same engine), the difference is the 12x zoom and IS (you NEED it for a 12x zoom, equivalent to 400mm)

So if you want to buy a lens ranging from 200-400 for your Pentax, I'd personally would rather get the S2 IS due to its IS.