The Canon PowerShot S5 IS 8-MP digital camera makes taking a really good picture second-nature. The Canon PowerShot S5 IS has several features that tipped the scales in my decision to purchase the camera. The main reason is the 2.5-inch LCD swivel display and the separate electronic view finder. I wanted a point and shoot with the ability to view video and stills while I am shooting and a view finder for checking my potential shots. Both are very accurate.

The other reason is the overall ease in operating the PowerShot S5 IS. It has an easy button for shooting video and still images. I dislike having to go through an entire menu to change a still into a video shot. I simply choose the auto-flash and auto-settings and go back and forth between still and video images depending on the circumstances.

The PowerShot S5 IS is basically a simple point and shoot camera that has the ability to switch over to more complex settings and modes. I paid less than $300 for the Canon PowerShot S5 IS and it has proved to be reliable in every way. It's not a perfect shot, but with a 7.182 mm CCD,(image sensing element), what do you expect. The CCD capacity is comparable to similarly priced Sony and other brands.

Canon PowerShot S5 IS Capabilities:

The digital camera comes with a 32 MB SD card. Other than the SD card, there is no internal memory. It will handle up to 8 GB SD and SDHC memory cards. At the minimum, I suggest the 2 GB memory card size for still pictures and at least 4 GB for video.

For users who like a nice zoom that works perfectly on the track and doesn't get hung up, this digital camera is for you. The Canon PowerShot S5 IS has a 12x optical zoom and a 4x digital zoom. The big advantage is the ability to view a video shoot through the 2.5-inch display and then switch to zoom for better than average close ups. The PowerShot S5 IS has face detection and image stabilization so that when you switch over, you don't get a blur in the first few seconds of the video.

The PowerShot S5 has a manual and auto mode for most settings. It also has 13 AE modes. The AE modes include fast action shots, night time shots and essentially automatically adjusts the shutter speed, aperture and depth of field. Additionally the Power Shot S5 IS has 10 picture effect modes. These modes include Sepia, Black and White and more.

Another big advantage to the PowerShot S5 is the automatic flash and the ability to shut it off. For some low-light conditions I can make up for the low light by adjusting the camera manually instead of using a flash. The PowerShot S5 has the ability to shoot images up to 3264 x 2448 pixel resolutions. The 8 MP capacity does a fine job with high resolution images, but I suggest using a lower resolution for most shots. The software included helps out with any mistakes in the field.

Unlike other point and shoots, the Canon PowerShot S5 IS only shoots JPEG stills and JPEG-Movie Mode. If you are looking for a digital camera that will shoot MPEG movie mode, this is not the camera for you. I like the JPEG file format. So, for my purposes it works fine. The sound is above average and there is a audio/video cable for watching videos and stills on the TV.

Criticism & Recommendation:

My only criticism of the digital camera is the use of AA batteries. I am not keen on the life span of either the rechargeable AA batteries or AA batteries. Other than this objection, I highly recommend the camera.

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