Canon PowerShot S2 IS review

Verdict:

Review Date: 27 Apr 2006

Price when reviewed: inc VAT

Our Rating 4 stars out of 5

Review
Specs

We gave the S2 IS a five-star review in What's New, Shopper September 2005, so how has it aged? Its 5-megapixel sensor is now virtually entry-level, but Canon has balanced this by knocking off £50.

It doesn't lack anything in its zoom range, and optical image stabilisation helps shots stay sharp at the full 12x telephoto setting. It's also seriously quick, with just over a second between shots in standard operation and a 2.3fps continuous mode.

The S2 IS is the lightest and smallest camera on test, but it's still comfortable to hold and the buttons are well laid out. The manual options are not particularly accessible, with few dedicated buttons and no command dials. As such, most adjustments are made via menus and the four-way pad. Manual exposure adjustments are easy and reflected accurately on the preview image's brightness. A picture-in-picture digital zoom helps with manual focusing. However, the lack of a lens ring and the low resolution of the screen mean it's still fiddly and imprecise.

Image quality compares well to other 5-megapixel cameras and colour accuracy is good, but detail was distinctly lacking. Pictures were smaller than the competition's and appeared softer when viewed up close and complex subjects looked messy. Image noise was a problem at ISO 200 and ISO 400 shots were a write-off.

If £300 is your budget and you want to take creative shots but not big prints, the S2 is still a contender. But Panasonic's FZ30 is worth the extra.

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