I am looking at buying a Canon PowerShot Digital Camera.?

Question

I have narrowed it down to two camera's. The S5 IS and A650-IS, does anyone have these camera's? I would love suggestions on which one you think is better. I want to use the camera for nature shots and to capture my very animated 4 year old son. Thanks for all of your help!

Answer 1

Looking at both models on Canon's website, the S5 IS looks better.  They're the same price (at least at MSRP), but the S5 will give you more zoom for the nature shots.  The S5 is also slightly "faster", meaning in lower light, you'll be able to get away with a slightly faster shutter speed.  Even with image stabilization, this can be important.  Unless you don't mind noise in images, you really won't want to go above 400 ISO for your pictures.

The only thing is going to be are you willing to carry around the larger S5?  It's about 1.5-2 times the size of the A650 (judging from past models of the A series).  If this is absolutely not an issue, I'd say go for the S5.

For either, make sure you get rechargeable batteries!  Ones with a higher mA or mAh will last longer than standard normal batteries.

Answer 2

Hi,

Here are some positives for Canon PowerShot S5:

1) Size and weight; Lightweight and not bulky for my small hands.

2) The Canon LCD display can be set in many positions, with its unique hinging system. You can hold the camera overhead or ground level. You can flip it over for use as a monitor when doing photos or videos of yourself.

3) The multiple shooting modes will appeal to many casual photographers. The movie mode works very well.

4) The S5 uses 4 AA batteries. Many will argue that this is an old-fashioned approach. Not me. I have had run out of juice with lithium ion battery powered cameras. Nothing is more frustrating then a camera that is without power. AA batteries are available worldwide, are relatively inexpensive and relatively lightweight. Again, I consider the use of AA batteries in the S5 to be an advantage and a reason to buy the camera.

5) Very nice face detection.

6) Photo capture responds very fast. It is a huge factor for those people take lots of shots of children who never stop moving...

7) Uses SD cards - cheaper and easier to find than XD.

8) This camera can be used as a video camera with the zoom and focus all functional. Though most camera can take video, the zoom is not function that makes them not very useful. Very few camera can fully functional as both camera and camcorder. This is the perfect camera to do both. I do not need to buy a camcorder any more.

9) A real lens cap that does not get lost

10) Outstanding customer service via telephone

Be patient with your S5. It really is a fabulous camera if you take the time to get to know it. It truly is worth looking through the instruction manual or checking out a how-to on YouTube.

See Canon PowerShot S5 here http://caseyequip.com/p~p-41899873.html

Good luck!

Answer 3

I love my Canon PowerShot. Both are good models--here are reviews that people gave about their PowerShots. Good luck!

http://www.viewpoints.com/search?q=canon...

Answer 4

The Canon PowerShot Digital Camera is amazing it has wonderful quality and would be great for your son. I absolutely recommend it.

Hope That helps

Answer 5

Both are capable cameras. Go to the camera database at http://www.dpreview.com and see which specs you need.