S2 IS Improvement

[ProblemSolver]

I've read in many places that many people hoping the S2 IS would have a larger LCD. So why not Canon make a S2 IS I and S2 IS II? The "I" can have a rotating 1.8" LCD (larger than 1.5") and the "II" can have a non-rotating 2.5" LCD. So, that'll make everyone happy :D

[gary_hendricks]

I've read in many places that many people hoping the S2 IS would have a larger LCD. So why not Canon make a S2 IS I and S2 IS II? The "I" can have a rotating 1.8" LCD (larger than 1.5") and the "II" can have a non-rotating 2.5" LCD. So, that'll make everyone happy :D

I think a 1.8" LCD is fine though.

[chino]

Wondering what else you guys may have heard about the S2. Release date, more MegaPixels, etc. Almost got one, but decided against "downgrading" from 4.0MP to 3.2MP. Other than that, the S1 seems almost perfect for me.
Thanks.

[stema]

I've read in many places that many people hoping the S2 IS would have a larger LCD. So why not Canon make a S2 IS I and S2 IS II? The "I" can have a rotating 1.8" LCD (larger than 1.5") and the "II" can have a non-rotating 2.5" LCD. So, that'll make everyone happy :D

Maybe it would be nice, but there's no point in dividing the buyers into 2 groups, it's hard to estimate which will be a better seller, and making 2 totally similar cams would be dumb I think, and hard too :(

[JTF]

The salesman at my local camera shop said the Canon rep indicated the sucessor will be a 12 x with a larger LCD 2 inches . Not sure about a release date.

[justinluck]

A 1.8" rotatable screen would be a perfect balance between screen size and battery drain. The only reason holding me back from getting an S1 is because of the measily 1.5" screen. I used to have an A70 and I currently use an A75. Trust me, the .3" makes a whole world of difference.

[rinume]

I have more or less settled on the S1 IS as well but really don't want the 1.5" screen ... 1.8" sounds good...2" will be great ... if only.

So doesn't anyone have any idea at all as to when they are going to release the update to S1? I am going to be in the US in May and want to order online beginning of May so the camera reaches at the same time. Don't suppose I'll be lucky enuff to have them release it this month?? :( Any chance?????

It will be such a let down if I get it and they release the next version a month later :(

Happened to me with my old Olympus 460Z. Bought it for $400 at that time ... 3 months later, they had the next version out for the same prices + 1MP and video. And the 460Z went down to $200. Ouch! Will be so unfair to have the same thing happen again.

Come on someone must have some idea, no??? I'll be stuck with the camera I get now for a few years at least.

[gary_hendricks]

The reason why I say the 1.8 inch screen is fine - I don't really fancy a large LCD screen. To me, its more important that the camera optics, particularly the low light performance that matters. Just my two cents. :)

[Beanboy]

AF assist lamp AF assist lamp AF assist lamp...PLEASE!?

[forevertechie]

More pixels... and a better Image stabilization feature and ofcourse AF Assist Lamp a must have!!!! :confused:

[CdnDan]

http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/news/articles/story_3064.html

:)

[JTL]

http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/news/articles/story_3064.html

:)Man, did they miss the opportunity of a lifetime. They're as dumb as Nikon! If they had gone to 7MP on the S2 IS (and bump the new G to 8MP), than I would have been on line (with thousands of others for sure) ready to buy one the day it came out. But, with two 7MP cameras already in my possesion (SD500 and G6), I'm not going backwards to 5MP. I'm spoiled. And so are a lot of people. Dumb, dumb, dumb! And in addition to that, dumb, dumb dumb! Did I say dumb, dumb, dumb? I didn't want to have to buy a dSLR, but now I have to. Wait a minute...is that their evil plan? Hmmmm...maybe not so dumb... :D

[Rex914]

I'm guessing that that silly site leaked something AGAIN. I don't know what's in there, but I have a hunch that Canon has some announcements coming tomorrow according to Jeff.

[CdnDan]

Since that page isn't always up I'll post it here...

Canon Powershot S2 IS digital camera introduction : Canon releases the 12x optical zoom, 5.0 Megapixel Canon Powershot S2 IS digital camera. A convincing blend of versatility with power, this worthy successor to the Canon Powershot S1 IS features optical Image Stabilizer technology, outstanding optics and 30 fps digital video camera quality extended video recording of up to 60 minutes with stereo sound. Powered by the same DIGIC II processor found in Canon's pro-series D-SLR cameras, the Canon Powershot S2 IS features super-responsive 2.4 fps shooting, start up times and auto focus speeds almost twice as quick as that of its predecessor, 18 shooting modes and shutter speeds to 1/3,200 of a second.

Canon PowerShot S2 IS - DIGIC II
The processor even makes it possible to capture a maximum resolution digital still whilst shooting video. As well as giving camera performance a real boost, DIGIC II also improves colour rendition and white balance accuracy, as well as speeding up playback review and scrolling. A USB 2.0 Hi-speed interface is provided for super quick image and video transfers. "The Canon Powershot S2 IS represents a convergence of Canon's core imaging technologies in the areas of lens, image processing, digital still camera and digital video camera development," commented Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging Europe.

Canon PowerShot S2 IS digital camera - High quality optics
The most powerful optical zoom (36 - 432mm f/2.7-f.3.5) ever to equip a Canon compact camera features Canon's renowned optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology, significantly suppressing blur when taking stills and minimising image shake when shooting video footage. An Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) lens element curbs chromatic aberrations, particularly at longer focal lengths, for extremely faithful colour reproduction and sharp definition. IS can be set to off, continuous (always on), shoot only (operates with shutter release) and panning mode (only up/down movement corrected, suitable for applications such as motor-sports). Providing the equivalent of 2-3 stops, IS allows photographers to shoot with longer than normal exposures without increasing image blur, great for low light shooting at events where use of flash is inappropriate or not desirable, such as concerts and weddings. As well as driving super-fast, responsive zooming, the lens' ultra-sonic motor (USM) also delivers exceptionally quiet operation so as to not interfere with stereo sound recording on movies or where wildlife subjects might otherwise be startled. A Super Macro mode performance of 0cm and optional Canon 500D (58mm) close up lens gives the opportunity for interesting and experimental macro photography. Covering most shooting requirements, optional wide and tele converter lenses extend the zoom range to an impressive 24x – from wide 27mm to super-tele 648mm (35mm equivalent). Without conversion lenses, the Canon S2 IS has a 48x combined digital and optical zoom for both stills and movies.

Canon PowerShot S2 IS digital camera - Functionality and Performance
Addition of the DIGIC II processor increases AF speed by approximately 45% and improves start up times by over 50%. With a feature that outshines many digital SLR cameras, the Canon Powershot S2 IS digital camera will shoot continually and uninterrupted at 2.4 fps until the memory card becomes full, providing users with a new realm of action sport sequence opportunity. 17 still shooting modes include full manual mode, 6 pre-set Special Scene modes for quickly optimising settings in tricky lighting conditions, and Stitch Assist for multi-image panoramas. To commence shooting video immediately supporting VGA fine (640 x 480) mode at either 30 or 15 fps, the Canon S2 IS retains the dedicated movie-shooting button. This eliminates the need to enter menu navigation, helping make sure users never miss those once-in-a-lifetime shooting opportunities.

Canon PowerShot S2 IS digital camera - My colors function
Manual focus for stills and movies is available with the use of the omni-selector up/down buttons. High quality stereo sound recording at selectable sampling rates is available, either as part of movie recording, as a stand alone sound recording, or for annotation of stills. A selectable Wind filter improves sound quality of outdoor recordings made in blustery conditions. The camera's mono sound playback is extendable to stereo when connected to a suitable device with the supplied stereo video cable. Also added is the popular in-camera slow-motion replay, introduced in a selection of recently launched dedicated Canon digital still cameras. With its own spot on the mode dial, the 'My Colors' function allows 9 different colour effects to be applied in real time whilst shooting both stills and movies.

Canon PowerShot S2 IS digital camera - Record movies and stills simultaneous
A new Photo-in-Movie feature lets users capture a maximum resolution still image whilst shooting a movie by simply pressing the shutter release. Movie recording is temporarily interrupted whilst the still image is captured, continuing thereafter until the user chooses to stop. The video footage and still image are saved separately and the fragmented sequence can be stitched back together with a special edit menu option in the supplied ZoomBrowser EX 5.2/ImageBrowser 5.1 software.

Canon PowerShot S2 IS digital camera - Other features
Taking on board feedback from Canon PowerShot S1 IS users, Canon has increased the size of the vari-angle LCD from 1.5-inch to 1.8-inch. A Night Display function assists with framing in low light. Electronic viewfinder (EVF) brightness is adjustable to one of 2 levels. The integrated flash now has manual pop-up control. Along with the conversion lenses, other optional accessories include Canon's High Power Flash HF-DC1, a lens hood and lens adapter set to reduce flare and a Soft Case DCC-90. The Canon Powershot S2 IS digital camera is supplied with 4 AA Alkaline batteries and a 16MB SD card as standard.

Canon PowerShot S2 IS digital camera - PictBridge, software and online sharing
With extensive PictBridge support, the Canon Powershot S2 IS offers ID photo and movie print when connected to a Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printer such as the Compact Photo Printer Canon SELPHY CP600. Using KP-108IP media with SELPHY CP Compact Photo Printers gives 6 x 4" (10 x 15cm) prints as low as 30 euro cents. A new Print/Share button provides one-touch printing and easy uploads to Windows or Mac systems. Image and video library management and editing software includes ZoomBrowser EX 5.2 (for PC), ImageBrowser 5.1 (for Mac) and ArcSoft PhotoStudio, PhotoStitch for creating panoramas from multiple images, and the easy to use PhotoRecord printing application. The Canon S2 IS digital camera supports PTP for driverless file transfers to Windows XP or Mac OS X. Drivers include TWAIN (Windows 98/2000) and WIA (Windows Me). Purchase of the Canon Powershot S2 IS entitles customers to membership to the Canon Image Gateway, Canon's online portal that offers users 100MB of online 'personal gallery' space for sharing stills and video with family and friends.

[Rex914]

Yah, got that here (http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7318).

Were there any good pictures?

[bastetbabe27]

So, did any of that report say when they were releasing it? (Please,please,please let it be soon). I'll be leaving on a trip to Europe May 15th, and I want to get my new camera before then. I'd really like to see how the S2 stacks up against the Panasonic FZ5 before I decide. It sounds just about perfect, and it's the same price as the FZ5. Maybe they wised up and added an AF assist lamp?

-bastetbabe27

[bastetbabe27]

Same price as FZ5, according to here:
http://www.dreamhardware.com/products/categories/products.php?category_id=1468

But it had the wrong specs for the camera, so maybe it's a mistake. Here's hoping it's about the same price.

-bastetbabe27

[Rex914]

I am predicting somewhere in the realm of $400-$450. At the very worst $500, but I doubt it.

[Blend]

Wow.

I have been saving for a FZ20 for quite a while now...

But this comes along. I also considered the S1 IS, but decided the FZ20 was better.


Ill want to see some photo samples first before deciding, but does this like like it would compete with the FZ20?

Will the S2 still have the same purple fringing the S1 had?

And the prices, when is it likely we will see prices?



Edit: when is it likely this site will aquire one to do its usual review? (Those reviews are the basis of my decisions lol)

[stema]

Will the S2 still have the same purple fringing the S1 had?

"An Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) lens element curbs chromatic aberrations, particularly at longer focal lengths, for extremely faithful colour reproduction and sharp definition"

So hopefully not, it's going to be a great cam, that's for sure, if only I didn't want an ultra-compact cam :)

Does anyone know something about MSRP?

[Balrog]

a head to head comparison with the FZ5 will be *very* interesting...

[Blend]

I think it Goes up well against the FZ20

Althought i dont know half as much as everyone else here.

But they both have 12x Optical zoom
both have Image Stabilisation
Both have AF Assist lamp (The thing which let the S1 down)
Both have 5 MP (Big improvement on the S1's 3)


It doesnt have a hot shoe slot, but i think it has option for an external flash?



Edit:
Heres the official sample photos
http://web.canon.jp/Imaging/pss2is/sample-e.html


And a possible price


Pricing and Availability
The PowerShot S2 IS digital camera is supplied with a neck strap and interface cables for USB and stereo/video, as well as a 16MB SD memory card, powerful software, and user manuals. The PowerShot S2 IS digital camera will be available in June for an estimated street price of $499.99*.

[Beanboy]

AF FOCUS ASSIST LAMP! YES!!! I am buying this camera unless there are some major problems with noise/purple fringing. It literally hits all of my needs in a digital camera! WOOHOO!

-B

[Balrog]

:) yep, I think, same here...

[rinume]

Yep, that's what they wrote back to me as well:

"The PowerShot S2 IS digital camera will be available in June for an
estimated street price of $499.99. Please note the actual pricing is
determined by the Canon Authorized Dealers."

Great! There goes my vacation cos I'll have to wait for this one beyond that. Ah well will have ta rely on my Olympus. And of course I'll have to take out a couple of hundred $$ extra for this one :(

Gosh! Can't they release it even end of May.

[Chrisfish]

Hi all,

I loved the S1 IS so when looking at the updates on the S2 IS I am excited..

wanted to know if it is compatable with the underwater housing that the S1 IS uses..? Does anyone know? I fwd the question on Canon but I imagine that could take a long time to answer.

What is the largest sized print that you could make with a 5mp camera of this type?

Thanks

Chrisfish

[rinume]

Its not mentioned anywhere in the specs at the site nor in the accessories section.

Surprisingly they are pretty fast with the replies. Last time they answered my email within 24 hours and today I received an answer within a few hours only.

[MrForgetable]

hmm dSLR or this baby :p

[nate]

Yep, that's what they wrote back to me as well:

"The PowerShot S2 IS digital camera will be available in June for an
estimated street price of $499.99. Please note the actual pricing is
determined by the Canon Authorized Dealers."

Great! There goes my vacation cos I'll have to wait for this one beyond that. Ah well will have ta rely on my Olympus. And of course I'll have to take out a couple of hundred $$ extra for this one :(

Gosh! Can't they release it even end of May.

Sometimes Canon will release a camera before its schedule release date. For example, Best Buy had the Rebel XT a couple weeks before its announced start date.

[JTL]

hmm dSLR or this baby :pSame decision for me as well. I have an upcoming trip to Ireland (a photographer's dream if ever there was one) and was planning on buying the dReb XT and getting two IS lenses. But with the S2, I can now cover all of the focal lengths needed with one small, easy-to-use camera (plus have the advantages of LCD viewing and the super macro mode and save...oh, let's see...around $1000.00). I just wish they had gone to 7MP (if they had done that, no one would be talking about the Panas or the Kodak. Canon had a chance to CRUSH the competition and didn't take it...but maybe they thought it would REALLY hurt the XT if they went that high...who knows...).

[MrForgetable]

some of the first sample pictures are kind of disappointing though..

[JTL]

some of the first sample pictures are kind of disappointing though..On the "official" pictures site...#1 is just a poorly taken phot. My dog could have handled the field depth better. #2 is more troubling, since there is a LOT of noise in the picture. They made a HUGE mistake by going with the 1/2.5 sensor rather than the 1/1.8 sensor, and this alone will probably keep me from buying this camera. I see no problems at all with #3. Oh well, it might be the XT for me...

[AllanMarcus]

There's really no comparison between the S2 (and the others: FZ5, FZ20, & H1) and the rebel or the rebel xt. The rebels will focus much faster, have a larger sensor for better quality pictures, and can take interchangeable lens. You can spend anywhere from 50 to 5000 on a lens to get just want you want.

For your average person, there's no comparison either. The S2/H1/FZ5/FZ20 are better. They are lighter, easier to use, much cheaper, and take very good pictures.

If you have the money and you don't mind the extra weight, the dSLRs are for you. If you can't afford them, don't want the hassle, or the weight, then the P&S cameras are for you. If you want the best pictures you can get, get a dSLR.

Clear as mud, right? :-)

-Allan

[JTL]

There's really no comparison between the S2 (and the others: FZ5, FZ20, & H1) and the rebel or the rebel xt. The rebels will focus much faster, have a larger sensor for better quality pictures, and can take interchangeable lens. You can spend anywhere from 50 to 5000 on a lens to get just want you want.

For your average person, there's no comparison either. The S2/H1/FZ5/FZ20 are better. They are lighter, easier to use, much cheaper, and take very good pictures.

If you have the money and you don't mind the extra weight, the dSLRs are for you. If you can't afford them, don't want the hassle, or the weight, then the P&S cameras are for you. If you want the best pictures you can get, get a dSLR.

Clear as mud, right? :-)

-AllanMy point is that at 7MP and a 1/1.8 sensor...it would have been a viable dSLR alternative...which is probably why they didn't do it...

[DiJ]

The 1/1.8" ccd would have required a much larger lens if you want the same aperture and focal length. Or would have gave a shorter zoom range with a similar size lens. Look at the panasonic FZ20 it has the same CCD size but a constant f/2.8 aperture and lens is huge. Or look at canon pro1. The sensor is at 2/3" and the lens is comparatively bigger and longer yet it only goes up to 200mm and has a mediocre max aperture of f/3.5 at telephoto. There are always trade off. You cant have everything.

[ajay67]

hi guys!

this is my first post! hv been reading all about the S2. i like everything about it & thought it meet all my requirements for a digicam upgrade. can't wait to read the full review of it. in the mean time, i'd like to ask regarding external flash. since it has no hot shoe, there's an option to get an external flash. my question is : can this flash be positioned to bounce the light at an angle towards the ceiling? also, how does the wireless connection functions? RF signal?

thnx

[JTL]

hi guys!

this is my first post! hv been reading all about the S2. i like everything about it & thought it meet all my requirements for a digicam upgrade. can't wait to read the full review of it. in the mean time, i'd like to ask regarding external flash. since it has no hot shoe, there's an option to get an external flash. my question is : can this flash be positioned to bounce the light at an angle towards the ceiling? also, how does the wireless connection functions? RF signal?

thnxYou can absolutely use the Canon HF-DC1 external flash with the S2. Although, this is a very modest flash unit (rated at at a guide number of 18 @ ISO 100), and expensive for what it is, it does throw plenty of light for a larger room. I've tested triggering it from up to 10-ft away, plus you can trigger multiple units simultaneously for addtional light and/or special flash effects...

[ajay67]

You can absolutely use the Canon HF-DC1 external flash with the S2. Although, this is a very modest flash unit (rated at at a guide number of 18 @ ISO 100), and expensive for what it is, it does throw plenty of light for a larger room. I've tested triggering it from up to 10-ft away, plus you can trigger multiple units simultaneously for addtional light and/or special flash effects...

thnx JTL! but you didn't exactly answer the bounce part. can i position it at an angle towards the ceiling, while it's attached to the cam? or do u hv to hold it somewhere else? if i can't, is there any alternative upwards swivel-type flash?

rgds

[stema]

how does the wireless connection functions?

I would be interested in this too

[JTL]

thnx JTL! but you didn't exactly answer the bounce part. can i position it at an angle towards the ceiling, while it's attached to the cam? or do u hv to hold it somewhere else? if i can't, is there any alternative upwards swivel-type flash?

rgdsWith the Canon bracket, you can not aim at the ceiling...although any swivel bracket should work with the flash since it has a standard thread on the bottom. Also, other brand "slave" flashes may work with Canon cameras, although I have not tried this. It is not clear whether Canon uses optical or RF triggering....although I suspect it is only optical.

[ajay67]

thanks again! now i understand. hv to find myself a swivel bracket then. as for the wireless part, if it's optical (like Tv remotecon) then the flash should be fix-mounted so as to get a direct optical line without interuption. i don't think this is so...

[waterboy]

so how soon will we see a review?

[Balrog]

not before it's released, which is supposed to be early june .. i expect mid-june we should start seeing reviews..

[justinluck]

My question is, why did they switch from Compact Flash to SD??? I don't know anything about SD, but is there a technical advantage that SD has over CF? I have invested a lot of money into Compact Flash and would hate to lose it all if I upgrade to this camera. What am I going to do with my 2GB cards? All the Canon cameras I have seen use Compact Flash. Why the switch over?

[JTL]

My question is, why did they switch from Compact Flash to SD??? I don't know anything about SD, but is there a technical advantage that SD has over CF? I have invested a lot of money into Compact Flash and would hate to lose it all if I upgrade to this camera. What am I going to do with my 2GB cards? All the Canon cameras I have seen use Compact Flash. Why the switch over?Smaller, lighter, much higher durablility rating, can support encrypted/copy protected data...

[justinluck]

I didn't know people had a problem with the size of a compact flash card. I always thought they are already quite small. Lighter...I can barely feel the weight of a CF card as it is. Durability...I never had a problem with any of my cards, but I would like to know more about this.

Am I really the only one who is disappointed Canon changed media types?

[ajay67]

SD card seems to be the future std compared to CF. so i forecast there'll be more SD-based cams to come out compared to CF-based. it's unfortunate for you since you've invested in big CF card already. as for me, i think it's a good move by canon, since i am looking for SD-based cam :)

[justinluck]

I e-mailed Canon about it and this was their response.

Dear Justin,

Thank you for contacting Canon product support about why Canon has
switched from CompactFlash cards to SecureDigital. We value you as a
Canon customer and appreciate the opportunity to assist you.

We switched to SecureDigital in the PowerShot S2 IS in order to keep the
camera smaller. I apologize for the inconvenience that this causes you.

There really aren't any advantages that the SD card has over the CF
other than size.

I hope this information is helpful to you. Please feel free to contact
us again if you have any other questions or concerns.

Thank you for choosing Canon.

Sincerely,

Erik
Technical Support Representative

[schraderrl]

CANON "We switched to SecureDigital in the PowerShot S2 IS in order to keep the camera smaller."

S2 smaller?
Canon S1 (CF)--- 4.4 x 3.1 x 2.6 in. 13.1 oz.
Canon S2 (SD)---4.4 x 3.1 x 3.0 in. 14.3 oz.

[justinluck]

And to throw salt in the wound, Canon has decided to bundle the card with a whopping 16MB SD card. I thought it was bad enough today's cameras came with 32MB cards. But 16MB for a 5MP camera...it might as well not come with any card at all.

[rinume]

Ok so I'm confused as to when exactly is this camera getting released. I remember reading June 1st somewhere except the Amazon site says its on back order and will be available by 30th June. Thats a big difference lol.

And how come they have the list price as $549?? I thought it was $499. Their discounted price is $499.

[JTL]

Ok so I'm confused as to when exactly is this camera getting released. I remember reading June 1st somewhere except the Amazon site says its on back order and will be available by 30th June. Thats a big difference lol.

And how come they have the list price as $549?? I thought it was $499. Their discounted price is $499.The market determins the actual retail price. Obiviously there has been a lot of interest in this camera...

As far as the Amazon "backorder" goes, different retailers get different allocations at different times based on there relationship with the manufacturer and/or distributer.

I thought this kind of thing was common knowledge...guess not... :confused:

[rinume]

Well I was confused cos when I emailed Canon about the price and they had said it will be priced at $499. So I was a bit surprised to see the actual price at $549. May be they decided to increase it based on the interest lol.

Don't live in the US so not very common knowledge for me though had I pondered I woulda come up with the explanation but I wanted to be sure.

Anyway so any ideas where it will be available on say June 1???

Thanx!

[schraderrl]

And to throw salt in the wound, Canon has decided to bundle the card with a whopping 16MB SD card. I thought it was bad enough today's cameras came with 32MB cards. But 16MB for a 5MP camera...it might as well not come with any card at all.
As it is I only use the Canon CF-32 card for update firmware changes (2 so far for the S1)
I hope the 16 MB SD card will be big enough to handle the task for the S2