Canon Powershot S5 IS - Performance and Image Quality

The S5 performs very well against its competition as far as speed goes.  The camera requires just over 1 second to power up and take its first shot.  Shot-to-shot times were impressive with the S5 being capable of shooting consecutive shots just 1.5 seconds apart with the flash turned off.  With the flash on, this figure only jumps up to about 2 seconds.  In continuous shooting mode, the S5's shooting rate is 1.5 fps (frames per second).

The great performance of the S5 is in large part due to the Digic III processor integrated into this camera.  The speedy performance of the S5 has put it among the leaders in its class when it comes to shooting performance and fast processing.

The image quality of the S5 is about average for this class of camera.  Colors are vivid and accurate, and long-range shots are good.  Image noise is also about average during low-light situations.  It is recommended that you keep the ISO levels below 400 for the least amount of image noise in your photos.

The image quality of this camera does not stand out from its competitors, but it is still sufficient.  Long-range shots turn out pretty well thanks to the 12x zoom and the optical image stabilization.  I would say that if image quality is the most important aspect when purchasing a digital camera, you could probably do better than the S5.  Still, the 8 megapixel CCD will give you plenty of resolution to produce good quality 8x10, or smaller, photos.

Summary

The Canon Powershot S5 IS is not a camera for everyone.  This camera shines in some aspects and falls short in others.  Where this camera really shines is the 12x zoom with image stabilization, the 8 megapixel CCD, and the speedy performance and fast image processing.  It falls a bit short in expectations with the average image quality and outdated lens.  Additional lenses can be purchased separately to fix that problem, but that is an added cost to an already high-priced camera.

If I were to rate this camera on a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it a 6.5.  It is a good camera, but it needs some improving to keep up with the competition.  The $499 price tag is a bit much, and less-expensive alternatives are out there.  I think Canon needs to make some improvements to the successor of the S5, otherwise they will start falling behind in this digital camera class.