Canon S5 IS

Marty Katz reports in the NY Times review An Economical Alternative to a Higher-End Canon reports about Canon's new S5 IS camera.

I bought 2 S3 IS Canons for my school early this year and have considered it to be the best camera on the market for under $500. It has a great zoom, image stabilizer which means pictures are rarely blurry, and takes bright pictures even indoors without a flash. The 6 megapixels seems less than the smaller pocket cameras but don't be fooled. Megapixels are not nearly as important for picture quality as the size of the sensors and lens as David Pogue pointed out in a February 8, 2007 installment of his blog called Breaking the Myth of Megapixels and in his follow-up Deconstructing the Megapixel Myth. In these articles David Pogue took identical pictures with the same camera but with 7, 10, and 16.7 megapixels and only 3 out of 50 people interviewed could tell the difference.

The new S5 (it seems that Canon skipped an S4 model) seems to be a similar camera but with more megapixels, better image stabilization, and many exciting new features.

This camera is reviewed in an article from Digital Photography Review. This article states:

The new compact inherits optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology, professional-grade optics and extensive movie functions while introducing a host of new features designed to increase the photographer’s success rate. Powered by Canon’s DIGIC III image processor, Face Detection Technology improves focus, exposure and flash output for people shots while the new Red-Eye Correction feature effectively solves red-eye problems in captured photos. An increased sensitivity range of ISO 80-1600 complements the optical IS system for extended low light performance.

Other key advancements include a larger, higher resolution 2.5” vari-angle LCD, additional shooting modes and extended video recording. The compact design incorporates a new hot shoe that provides compatibility with selected Canon EX Speedlite external flashes, adding to an accessory list that includes Wide, Tele and Close-up converter lenses.

I think I have found my new favorite camera under $500. I cannot wait to buy one for my school and test it out.