Any Canon Power Shot S1 IS Owners?

JohnnyDaJackal · 03-13-05, 03:50

Anybody on this forum own this camera? I would like to know your opinion of it. I've sold my Nikon Coolpix 3700 and now want to move up to something with a better zoom, mainly for wildlife photography. I've been looking at a couple high zoom cameras from Konica Minolta and Kodak, but the Canon Power Shot S1 IS seems to be a little more in my price range and it seems the IS or AS is a MUST have with a high zoom camera. I talked to my friend's father today who is a pretty hardcore photographer and he didn't reccomend the S1 IS for the lack of MP, only 3.2 MP. I'm curious if anybody here feels differently? I haven't exactly been wowed by any of these cameras, it seems they all have slight flaws or are missing something.
I've been reading my brains out on dpreview and steves-digicams, but I would like to get some Autopians perspectives, if there are any.
Thanks!

ScubaStevo · 03-13-05, 03:59

I have it. I love it. I'll post some pictures. I don't miss the megapixels, since I'm not taking EXTREMELY large pictures. Sharpness and crispness are awsome.

ScubaStevo · 03-13-05, 04:05

ScubaStevo · 03-13-05, 04:11

ScubaStevo · 03-13-05, 04:12

Quote:

Originally posted by MongooseGA

Hahaha, ok dude, its getting old.

This better?

MongooseGA · 03-13-05, 04:14

OK, I'll erase it.

TW85 HHI · 03-13-05, 05:16

If you can push the budget to $475-500 (camera + 512 MB SD card), then seriously look at the Panasonic Lumix FZ15. 4 MP, 12x optical zoom, image stabilization, manual focus, shutter priority, aperture priority, full manual controls, manual white balance, burst mode (up to infinite), AF assist lamp, Leica lens (35-420 mm equivalent), etc. It is also a larger camera so it is easier to hold for steadier shots.

The Canon S1 IS is a nice camera but it being only 3.2 MP is a drawback. I have a 3.2 MP Sony point and shoot and the difference between it and my 4 MP is quite noticeable.

Regarding megapixels, most people buy far more than they will ever take advantage of or notice a difference with. Unless you are going to enlarge your photos, 5+ is overkill and the cost for a higher MP camera could be put towards buying a camera with more manual controls.

http://photobucket.com/albums/v505/TW85/

Go to the link above and type in "autopia" for the password. All but about four pictures were taken with my FZ15, and though they are 20-30% of original size, you can see how true the color is. None of the photos have been edited, other than size, in a photo editing program.

ScubaStevo · 03-13-05, 07:21

Very nice shots. It looks pretty comparable to the Canon.

JohnnyDaJackal · 03-13-05, 07:37

Thank You Buick Guy and TW85 for the pictures

I'm pretty

about the whole camera situation. I plan on doing a lot of research this week(spring break) and hope to play around with them in the stores. I really don't mind spending the money on a good camera, but then you need all the accessories. Most of the higher end cameras take AA batteries

so rechargeables are a must. I'm also going to need a new at least a 256MB card. Then the case, tripod, etc. so it really adds up fast. I don't want to outrule any cameras yet, but i'm thinking I should spend a little more for the 4MP. I was just looking at some other 4MP, high zoom cameras and the Konica Minolta Z3 looks pretty good. I did see the Panasonic FZ15 pop up here and there in some comparisions with other camers and it seemed people either loved it or hated. So i'm probably going to hit up Best Buy, Electronics Expo and maybe Costco to get a feel for these different cameras.
Thanks again for the information and sample pictures.
Any other info/suggestions is more then welcome

TW85 HHI · 03-13-05, 07:44

Read through the various articles and many reviews at dcresource.com. That website is what caused me to narrow the list down from 10+ cameras to the FZ15.

JohnnyDaJackal · 03-14-05, 03:58

Well today I went to Costco, Best Buy and Electronics-Expo to get a feel for the cameras. The only camera they had at Costco that I was interested in was the DiMage Z3. It felt comfortable and the menus were pretty easy to navigate through. The zoom seemed fast, but thats what i've been reading about all high zoom cameras. Costco had it for $399 and there is a $50 MIR from Konica out till June 05. Best Buy was pretty much a bust. They had the Canon Power Shot S1 IS, but no power supply to it

. The guy trys plugging other power sources from cameras next to it to see if he can get it to work with no luck. I told him you expect me to buy a $400 camera without even trying it out. Then he tells me well you can try it for 30 days and if you don't like it you prob won't have to pay the 15% restocking fee, so I said peace

Last stop was Electronics-Expo. I like to *believe* these people know what there talking about but don't let the nice clothes fool you. The guy working seemed like a crack addict, he couldn't keep still and kept excusing himself from the desk. When asked his honest opinion on the DiMage Z3 he pretty much read of the card the main specs

. He showed me another Olympus high zoom camera, I really didn't consider it because xD cards are very expensive, but don't want to come to any conclusions just yet.
All in all not that bad of a day, I got to get a good feel of the camera, the main thing I was concerned was picture quality and everybody there was

when it came to it. So the search continues...

ScubaStevo · 03-14-05, 07:24

I'd still try and find a S1 IS to try. I really think its the easier of the two to use. I did like the Panasonic camera they had there too