Is Canon S2 IS good for me?

[ander75it]

Hello to everybody.

I usually shoot:

a) human portraits, both indoor and outdoor, most often very close, but also a few group pictures and close-up animal pictures;
b) pictures of sports events, most usually of moving subjects (typically running, but sometimes faster);
c) macro pictures of bugs and flowers;
d) sometimes, but not very often, landscapes.

Up to now, I have been using with good success (and not only in p&s mode) an Oly C50Z but I think I really need the extra zoom for the sports events, plus having a good video mode would really be very nice.

Because of point d) I have been worrying somewhat about the color balancing problems I read about, but not too much... Messing with the manual controls doesn't bother me, I actually like it.

Considering all of the above, would a Canon Powershot S2 IS be a good choice for me?

Also, is it portable enough to carry on my belt in a small bag? It looks like it is, but I am worrying about that.

Thanks for your answers and hints.

Regards,
Andrea

[JTL]

Hello to everybody.

I usually shoot:

a) human portraits, both indoor and outdoor, most often very close, but also a few group pictures and close-up animal pictures;
b) pictures of sports events, most usually of moving subjects (typically running, but sometimes faster);
c) macro pictures of bugs and flowers;
d) sometimes, but not very often, landscapes.

Up to now, I have been using with good success (and not only in p&s mode) an Oly C50Z but I think I really need the extra zoom for the sports events, plus having a good video mode would really be very nice.

Because of point d) I have been worrying somewhat about the color balancing problems I read about, but not too much... Messing with the manual controls doesn't bother me, I actually like it.

Considering all of the above, would a Canon Powershot S2 IS be a good choice for me?

Also, is it portable enough to carry on my belt in a small bag? It looks like it is, but I am worrying about that.

Thanks for your answers and hints.

Regards,
AndreaThe only thing in your list that will challenge the S2 is the sports part, if in less than ideal lighting conditions...but if you are adept at "panning" with the action, you will have no problem...

[ander75it]

The only thing in your list that will challenge the S2 is the sports part, if in less than ideal lighting conditions...but if you are adept at "panning" with the action, you will have no problem...

I usually do focus lock on the spot where the item/person will be, then pan with the target and shoot at the appropriate time. Is that an OK technique for this kind of cam?

[JTL]

I usually do focus lock on the spot where the item/person will be, then pan with the target and shoot at the appropriate time. Is that an OK technique for this kind of cam?That technique will work fine. Here's a shot another member posted recently: http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9841

It's going slightly faster than running! :D

[ander75it]

Unfortunately in the past two days my Oly C-50 started to fail in several ways (LCD dancing, left arrow key moving zoom instead, shooting instead of focus locking and then freezing) so I'll have to put my shopping for the Canon on hold... First I must bring my Oly to the shop and see what it might cost to have it repaired, then I'll make a decision on what to buy.