Digital Camera Review

Digital Camera Review

Oct 05, 2005 - By David Vine
The Canon PowerShot S2 picks up where the PowerShot S1 IS left off. The S1 brought Canon into the ultra zoom race for compact cameras, demonstrating that Canon was capable of transferring both their DV technology and advanced lens construction into consumer-level digital cameras. The S2 furthers the effort and provides some useful upgrades. Among the modifications are a wider and longer zoom range of 12x optical, a larger 1.8-inch LCD screen, an improved macro mode, a new recording format to SD memory card, and a DIGIC II processor which should provide faster operations and burst mode efficiency. The S2 has a 5.0 MP 1/2.5-inch CCD and the opportunity for wide angle converter, telephoto converter, and close-up accessory lenses which may be purchased separately. The 1.8-inch LCD screen flips out from the camera body, rotates 270 degrees, and can be disengaged in favor of the electronic viewfinder. The camera includes manually selectable audio levels, a wind diffuser, and dual record buttons to propel the S2 into the hybrid consumer’s consciousness. The S2 was brought into the market at an original MSRP of $499 but can be currently found online for just under $450 (USD).
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Picture Quality / Size Options (7.5)
Canon has included a range of image sizes and quality options for both still and video recording. Still images are captured as JPEG files at 2592 x 1944, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, or 640 x 480 resolution with Normal, Fine, and SuperFine compression/quality options. Video can be captured with stereo audio at either 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 resolution at 30 or 15 frames per second until the card is full. Canon did not include RAW or TIFF recording capabilities on the S2 IS, assuming the majority of those users interested in editing uncompressed images or opening the files in vector-based software applications will be drawn to digital SLRs.

Picture Effects Mode (8.5)
Instead of RAW or TIFF recording potential, Canon felt it more appropriate to include a range of effects to craft images in-camera. There are five general image effects: Vivid (saturated tones), Neutral, Low Sharpening (soft), Sepia tone, and Black and White. A Custom Effect option is also included and seems to have been loosely appropriated to the PowerShot line from Canon’s EOS line of digital SLRs. Within the Custom Effect parameters, users can alter Contrast, Sharpness, and Saturation in full step increments (+/-1). While amusing to play around with, these settings are definitely not a feasible substitute for Photoshop. If you want real control over picture effects, color manipulation, and other image alterations, it would be wise to avoid these modes. 

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