Customer Reviews:
  Great camera for the price September 18, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Before this camera I had a Powershot A620 that I dropped and screwed up the LCD screen. I didn't think I'd be able to tell much difference in the pictures since the S5 is only a few steps up, but the difference is huge! My pictures are so much clearer and the colors are so much more vivid. If you are considering a powershot, but not sure which one, I'd definitely recommend getting the S5 over any of the A series.
As a side story... something interesting that happened to me with this camera the first week I had it...
Well, I'm studying abroad in Japan. I got the camera like the day before I went on a 10 day Japan-wide vacation with my husband and in-laws. On the last day of my vacation, we were in Hiroshima and wanted to go to the Island of Miyajima to see the shrine lit up at night. Well, we took a taxi to the station, then took a tram but decided that was going to take too long, so we got off at a random station and took a taxi from there to the Ferry to go to Miyajima. While we were waiting for the ferry to Miyajima, I realized I didn't have my camera anymore. I started FREAKING out, not only because the camera, camera bag and memory cards totalled over $400 dollars, but also because all my pictures from my whole vacation were gone with it, all those memories... I cried and tried to use my Japanese at a police box to explain what happened. It was really difficult explaining that it could be in two taxis or on a tram. They filed a report, but I never thought I'd see it again. I told my Japanese friend what happened and asked if she could call some of the main taxi companies in Hiroshima, since there are thousands of them. She looked it up online and there is a website where most of the main companies are affiliated with and you can report lost items, so she sent a message about mine. The next day she got a phone call saying they found it and asking for an address. I gave them my address and received it in the mail the next day. Cost me 12 bucks for the COD. Japanese people are so honest!! In America, that would be the taxi driver's lucky day!
There is another funny part to this story as well. While I was at the police box making the report, I told my mother-in-law to go on to Miyajima so she could take pictures of it for me. I didn't want the expensive taxi ride to be for nothing! There were two ferries over, one at 10, and one at 10:24. She took the one at 10, and got off, ran to take pictures, and came back to the port in Miyajima. She assumed that since the ferry at 10pm went back to the main island, that the one at 10:24 would also go to Miyajima and then back. But it didn't, it just stayed in Miyajima. So, my mother-in-law would not leave the port and kept crying, saying her family was on the other side. Poor woman, doesn't know a lick of Japanese. Meanwhile, me, my husband and his dad are on the otherside waiting for her to come back. Suddenly the lights turn off at our port. What the heck? We go to look to see if the ferry is coming in, and we see nothing. Everything is dark. So, we forget about the camera and everyone starts freaking out. I start asking a taxi driver about how we can get over there, and he says there are no more ferries, but he might be able to get his friend to take us across for 20000 yen (200 bucks, 300 both ways). We have to do it, because we know she is freaking out and scared and alone and probably no one understands her. (Not as many people in Japan speak English as they lead you to believe.) But the taxi driver can't get ahold of the guy, he's sleeping. THEN the police from the police box come, saying that our mom is at a hotel and will take the first ferry back in the morning. Apparently, the police from there called the police on the main island. They took us back to the station to talk to her, and we saw her again at 7am the next morning. As soon as she got back, we headed straight for the airport, making our flight just in time. What a way to end a trip, right?
Everytime I look at my camera I think of this story!!!
love it September 15, 2008
I purchased this camera a year ago and I use it almost daily for work. I love it!! It takes great pictures. The pictures are vivid and crisp. I'm not fond of the batteries but aside that, I'm very happy with it.
 I love this camera! September 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love photography, and as much as I'd love to own a dSLR it's just not in my budget at the moment. This is the next best thing, in my opinion. I love the option of full manual control, and the automatic and program modes make this camera nearly foolproof. I was taking great pictures right out of the box, and they've only gotten better as I've learned more about the camera. Contrary to what other reviewers have experienced, I've enjoyed the AA batteries. It's nice to know that if I'm out on vacation and run the batteries down, I can pop into Walgreens and grab a pack for $4 rather than being without my camera until I can charge it. I immediately replaced mine with Low Self-Discharge rechargeables and find they have a remarkable lifespan. I can take probably 300 pictures or more on a charge. I've been using this camera for 6 months now, and here are some of my experiences with it:
Pros:
1. Zoom- Once you get used to it, the zoom is really precise. I can compose a shot in under a second without having to fiddle with it too much. At first, the variable speed zoom lever takes a little trial and error though.
2. Hotshoe- To be honest here, I don't have a speedlight yet. But I am thrilled to have the option and it's next on my list to purchase.
3. Layout- I find the buttons, menus and overall layout of the camera extremely intuitive and easy to use. Buttons are easily accessible and comfortable while gripping the camera. After one quick read through the manual, I could easily locate any setting I might need in the menu system.
4. LCD- I am so addicted to the pivoting screen that I'm afraid I won't be able to take pictures without it when the time finally comes to upgrade from this camera. I love that I can take eye-level shots of my kids without crawling through the mud with them, lol. I can compose shots that do not include tourists' heads because I can hold the camera above the heads and still see the screen. I can take a family portrait and see that everyone is actually in the frame. Brilliant!
5. Pictures
a. Auto- This camera takes some of the best exposed, consistently good pictures of any point and shoot I've ever used. This holds especially true in low light.
b. Manual- Mastering manual control was much simpler than I thought. Nearly all the adjustments can be made with the 4-way button. The on-screen meter runs a little underexposed for my taste, but only by about 1/4 stop. I just compensate accordingly with my settings.
6. Focus checking- I frequently use the feature that shows where the camera focused after the shot. It's as easy as tapping the display button while the review image is displayed on the screen and it shows a crop at 100%, a bounding box around the focal point, the histogram and a few other details. This can be an invaluable tool when shooting because nearly all shots look sharp on the LCD of a digital camera. It's not till you download them to your computer or try to print that you'll realize if the focus was off.
7. Size/weight- The camera just feels good in the hand. Enough weight and grip to balance nicely and get a stable shot. The ergonomics make it easy to hand hold, even with one hand.
Cons:
1. Noisy- At anything above 200 (and sometimes even lower than that), the pictures are really noisy.
2. Lens cap- This might seem like a petty complaint, but really the lens cap is an important part of any camera, protecting its most delicate part. And this one is terrible. It falls off if you so much as look at the camera too hard. Forget about tossing it in a bag or purse, you'd better have a dedicated camera bag for it in case the cap pops off in transit (which it most certainly will).
3. Lack of available accessories- This really limits this camera, in my opinion. The only accessories available for this model are wide angle, teleconverter and close up lenses. A greater variety of lenses and other accessories (like the underwater housing available for previous models) would have been nice.
In addition to these cons, I have had 2 problems this far: the supplied USB cable died after only a few months. While I realize cables are cheap and readily available, it was a difficult problem to diagnose and caused a lot of frustration. For the price of this camera, and the fact that it comes with zero accessories, I expect the things it did include to be of a higher quality. The other problem I have is that after less than 6 months of use, the pivoting screen no longer consistently detects it's position. When I try to flip the screen outward, the camera switches the display back to the viewfinder. It works fine when I have it opened away from the camera, but as soon as it clicks in place, the display transfers. I have to turn the camera on and off several times to restore correct functionality of the screen. This is frustrating, and I've missed a shot several times because I am fighting with the camera instead of taking pictures. I plan to contact Canon customer service about this issue, but was waiting until after my recent family vacation in case the camera needs to be sent in for service. I docked the rating of the camera 1 star for the Cons and also this problem. Otherwise, I couldn't be happier with my choice of camera!
Great mega-zoomonly lacking a few things September 9, 2008
Previously we had owned a Canon Powershot G series camera. We decided to switch to the S series because of the extended zoom, image stabilization, and improved video recording. We have not upset with our choice. The S5 has handled nicely, taking great pictures and being very quick. This had been a minor drawback with our G series camera. The addition of a hotshoe is a nice bonus. Too often I need som flash fill at a greater distance than 9'.
If I have one complaint it would be that I wish this camera took RAW pictures. I like to experiment in HDR photos and the RAW format would give me more control. Regardless, this is a great camera if you want a large zoom and don't expect it to fit in your pocket.
 Never Buy Again Products On Amazon September 8, 2008
1 out of 15 found this review helpful
I bought this camera at Aug 6, and there was written "IN STOCK", with a promise to deliver it from 08 until 13.Aug, to give it as a Birthday Gift to my Friend in 16Aug. That item did not arrive and I have had an immense sorrow, from which I am psychologically affected. I call the customer service from RitzCamera on 14Aug and they tell me they were waiting the next shipment of the item from the manufacturer(how could this be possible, if they sold me the product???), with no arriving date idea. I am deeply frustrated with both - Amazon and RitzCamera!!! I wanted a materially compensation for the damage this situation caused to me, but until now the did ANYTHING.
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