Digital Camera News

May 06, 2007

Canon Launches S5 IS

May 7, 2007 – Canon today unveiled its newest ultra-zoom compact camera, the PowerShot S5 IS. With an SLR-like design, the 8-megapixel S5 IS retains the line’s basic styling while expanding the feature set, adding a new processor

Slide show

and hot shoe. It will retail for $499.99 when it becomes available in July.

"The PowerShot S5 IS digital camera is a technological bridge between Canon’s advanced point and shoot compact digital cameras and its entry-level digital SLR cameras," stated a company press release.

Weighing less than a pound and measuring 4.6 x 3.15 x 3.06 inches, the compact S5 IS offers both automatic and manual controls. The camera has an optical viewfinder and a new hand grip. The S5 IS comes with a hot shoe for an external flash, a feature previously offered only on Canon’s SLRs and G-series PowerShot cameras.

As the successor to the S3 IS camera, the new S5 IS is updated from 6 megapixels to 8. The camera also upgrades from a 2-inch LCD screen to a 2.5-inch monitor. The updated screen is a Vari-Angle LCD that flips out and has brightness adjustments.

Along with its 12x optical zoom (equivalent to 36-432mm), the PowerShot S5's lens also carries optical image stabilization and an ultra-sonic motor (USM) for quiet auto focusing. For additional zoom capabilities, users can buy a 1.5x teleconverter, 0.75x wide converter, or close up lens accessories. To further reduce blur, the camera features a new Auto ISO Shift function that boosts ISO sensitivity for low-light shooting without a flash.

The S5 IS has 22 shooting modes and four movie modes including a MovieSnap setting that captures 8-megapixel still images during video. The camera accepts four AA batteries and includes a 32MB SD memory card in the box.

"With a broad range of features and a powerful ultra-zoom lens, it is no coincidence that the PowerShot S5 IS digital camera’s look and feel evokes the sense of a small, lightweight SLR," said Canon senior vice president Yuichi Ishizuka of Consumer Imaging Group in the release.

Key Features:
8.0-megapixel
12x optical zoom
Digic III processor (with Face Detection)
New hand grip
New hot-shoe
New Auto ISO Shift
Vari-angle LCD

Spec Sheet

- Canon PowerShot S5 IS