Canon PowerShot S5 IS
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.
Features at a glance:
* 12x optical zoom lens with Ultrasonic Motor (USM) and UD lens
* Optical Image Stabilizer
* 8.0 Megapixel CCD
* DIGIC III with advanced Noise Reduction technology and Face Detection for stills and movies
* Red-Eye Correction in playback
* 2.5” high-resolution vari-angle LCD
* Long-play VGA movies with stereo sound and Photo in Movie
* 22 shooting modes including full manual control and 0cm Super Macro
* High ISO 1600 and Auto ISO Shift
* Compatible with Wide/Tele/Close-up converter lenses and Canon EX Speedlite flashes
Precision Optics
Benefiting from Canon’s 70 year heritage in optics, the 12x optical zoom lens (f/2.7 – f/3.5, 36-432mm) incorporates the same leading technologies used in professional EF lenses:
* Optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology suppresses blur when taking stills and minimises image shake when shooting video footage. Canon’s lens-shift type IS allows photographers to shoot at shutter speeds up to 3 stops slower with no perceptible increase in image blur.
* An Ultra-Sonic Motor (USM) delivers rapid, responsive zooming with virtually silent operation, reducing the risk of sound interference on movies and or when shooting wildlife subjects.
* An Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) lens element curbs chromatic aberrations at longer focal lengths to ensure faithful colour reproduction and sharp definition.
Optional Wide and Tele converter lenses extend the focal length from wide 27mm to super-tele 648mm (35mm film equivalent). A Super Macro mode with 0cm shooting distance and optional Close-Up lens 500D (58mm) allow for detailed macro photography. Safety Zoom allows users to extend the camera’s zoom range without interpolation affecting image quality - images can be captured at up to 24x zoom with enough resolution for lab-quality postcard (10 x 15cm) prints. Photographers can also enable the Digital Tele-Converter3 feature for added telephoto reach (1.6x or 2.0x) on every shot, without the reduction in aperture typically caused by optical tele-converters.
New technologies for better photos
Canon’s DIGIC III processor introduces several new features engineered to return better photos, more easily. Face Detection AF/AE/FE automatically detects up to nine faces within a scene and optimises focus, exposure and flash output accordingly. The system performs accurately with large groups and when subjects are distant or move within the frame. Unique to the PowerShot S5 IS, Face Detection AF/AE can also be activated when recording movies, with focus and exposure continuously adjusted for moving subjects. Because the technology is hardware-based, it operates at the same rapid speed as Canon’s standard AiAF.
As well as flash-based Red-Eye Reduction during shooting, the PowerShot S5 IS includes Red-Eye Correction for captured images, reducing the need for post-shoot processing on a computer. When enabled in playback mode, Red-Eye Correction uses Face Detection Technology to analyse the selected image and remove any red-eye it detects. Users can also remove red-eye manually.
Photographic versatility
Responding to user feedback, the vari-angle LCD has been increased from 2.0” to 2.5” while screen resolution is sharper at 207k pixels. The LCD can be twisted in any direction to allow shooting from awkward positions – such as waist height or with the camera held above the head.
Improved low light shooting at high ISO settings (up to ISO 1600) is assured through the combination of optical Image Stabilizer and DIGIC III’s advanced Noise Reduction Technology. A new Auto ISO Shift function prevents blur by giving users the option to boost the ISO setting – and consequently shutter speed – with a single button press whenever the camera predicts camera shake.
When flash photography is desired, the new hot shoe gives users the option of using an external EX Speedlite flash or slave flash setup to achieve naturalistic or dramatic lighting effects.
Extensive movie functions
In addition to Face Detection in movies, the PowerShot S5 IS retains a dedicated movie button so that users can instantly record without having to switch from stills shooting mode – ideal for catching those once-off moments. A new Long Play mode significantly extends recording time for VGA quality movies while maintaining a smooth 30fps frame rate. Stereo sound recording for audio files and movies is now adjustable to 64 levels, and includes a wind noise filter for clear, crisp sound quality. The convenient Photo In Movie feature enables the capture of full resolution stills during movie recording.
Creative shooting
An expanded selection of 22 shooting modes ranges from automatic to full Manual mode and includes Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority and a user-defined Custom mode. The My Category function simplifies image management by automatically tagging images with categories – such as People, Scenery and Events – based on face detection and the shooting mode selected.
The PowerShot S5 IS benefits from a number of features that will be of particular use to advanced photographers. New Continuous Shooting AF keeps a moving subject in focus whilst shooting at 1.5fps. Safety FE automatically reduces the aperture to avoid blown highlights when using the flash close to subjects, while Safety MF helps during manual focusing by performing fine adjustments to focus. The camera also retains AEB (auto exposure bracketing) focus bracketing, and a real-time live histogram display to allow for accurate judging of exposure.
Combining ease of use with advanced functionality, the PowerShot S5 IS offers new and experienced photographers alike a powerful, versatile photographic experience.
Additional Information
Printing
The PowerShot S5 IS features a dedicated Print menu for quick access to direct print options. Full PictBridge support means users can print directly to any PictBridge compatible printer without the need for a PC. A Print/Share button allows one-touch printing and easy uploads to Windows or Mac systems.
Software
The PowerShot S5 IS comes bundled with the following Canon Software:
* ZoomBrowser EX 5.8 (Windows), ImageBrowser 5.8 (Macintosh): For organising and editing images, movies and slideshows.
* RemoteCapture Task 1.7 (Windows and Macintosh) for PC controlled remote shooting.
* PhotoStitch 3.1: For creating panoramic photos from multiple images (Windows and Macintosh).
The bundled software supports Windows 2000 (SP4), XP (SP1-2), Vista and Macintosh OS X v10.3-v10.4. The cameras support PTP for driverless transfer to Windows XP and Macintosh OS X, along with MTP for image and movie transfers to Windows Vista.
Purchasers of the cameras are eligible for membership of CANON iMAGE GATEWAY, 100MB of online ‘personal gallery’ space for sharing images with family and friends.
Accessories
A complete range of optional accessories is available for the PowerShot S5 IS:
* Tele-converter 1.5x lens (TC-DC58B)
* Wide-converter 0.75x lens (WC-DC58A)
* Lens Adapter/Hood Set (LAH-DC20)
* Close-Up Lens 500D (58mm)
* Canon Speedlite flash units (220EX, 430EX, 580EX)
* High Power Flash HF-DC1
* Soft Case (DCC-90)
* Compact AC Power Adapter (CA-PS700)
* Battery and Charger Kit (CBK4-300)
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I bought the canon S5 Is last week. I cannot activate Super Macro shooting option in it as described in manual supplied with it by pressing the macro button for more than 1 second special scene mode. If any body knows, please let me know how i can activate super macro.
Just bought a S5 IS too and I wasn’t able to activate “super-macro” too.
As read in the “basic” manual (page 19 ?), this setting is not available in all shooting modes.
Take a look in the “advanced” guide : at the end (page 199 ?), there is a table in which you will find which shootings mode accept this settings.
Hope my english won’t be too bad …
Thank you Eric! I am now taking the super macro in the ‘P’ mode.
Great pics.
Yes, I too found that the supermacro only works in the P mode on the dial. You saved me a lot of frustration.
Hi Sajith, hope this helps. The Super Macro only works in certain modes, (check your manual for full list), so Auto mode & C mode don’t allow it but P, Tv, Av, & M do. Good luck.
Hey,
Once you press the macro button once, you will see the message on screen or eyepiece saying “hold on for super macro”. Immediately, hold the macro button for more than second, the message saying “Super macro mode” will appear on your screen. “Super Macro” mode works only with few of the shooting option. Check manual for the same.
Thanks,
Amey
I have bought my camera in Hong Kong and I the digital display is not in english. How do I change the language settings?
Canon PowerShot S5 IS Digital Camera
Have you tried to download the english manual and follow the steps to change the display language?
S5 is much better than the S3… especially the new navigation buttons, easy to press. The screen is brighther and larger too. The response is very fast… i can point and shoot… the proecessing is fast (focusing) and it will comes out perfectly… framed nicely… even in fast moving car.
i had an s3 also and i like the s5 better,however i wish they left the memory card slot as it was in the s3,also the battery door seemed to work more comfortably in the s3.
the s5 has the memory card under the battery door and the s3 had a slot of its own for the memory card on the opposite side of the body.the battery door on the s3 seemed sturdier and was easier to open with the thumb and slide.
I have bought my camera in Hong Kong and I the digital display is not in Turkish. How do I Turkish menu?
Canon PowerShot S5 IS Digital Camera
I had the same problem before and I took my camera to the Canon Service Centre in my area. They helped me to change my Chinese menu to English.. You might want to try the same..Good luck!
I bought a Powershot S5 IS in August. I’ve had no problems with it and have been enjoying all its features. Yesterday, I was looking at some pictures on the camera with the zoom when I noticed a little white dot on the right side of the screen centered vertically. I went back to the first pictures I took when I first bought it to see if it was on those pictures. There is a white dot on that one also. On the computer, when you zoom in at 50% you can barely pick it out. At 100%, it can be seen fairly good. I haven’t printed any pictures from the S5 IS yet. Has anybody else noticed this? Should it be a concern if I want to print my pictures? I would appreciate any information anyone can provide me.
I just recently purchased the Canon Powershot s5 and am very pleased. I, however, know very little about photography and would like to focus on an object that someone is holding 2 feet in front of their face, while making their face blurry in the background. Is there any way to do this?
Thanks!
With the S5 IS, there are two ways.
1) Aim the center frame (a white rectangle in the middle of the viewfinder or LCD) at the object. Press and hold the shutter button halfway. You should hear a beep when you do press it. The center frame will turn green when it has focused on the object. Still holding the shutter button, recompose the picture (in this case, so that you see the object and the person’s face) that way that you want it. Then press the shutter button down completely.
2) When you press and hold the shutter button halfway and the center frame turns yellow, then the camera is having a bit of trouble focusing on the object. Another way to focus is to press the MF (Manual Focus) on the left side of the barrel (just above the macro button). Press and hold the MF button and a bar will show up on the right side of the viewfinder or LCD (whichever one you are using) along with “MF” on the bottom left. Using the direction pad (up and down) on the back of the camera to focus on the object. When you push the direction pad, a enlarged view of the object (in this case) will be shown. When you have the oject in focus, let go of the MF button. The camera will stay in focus at that distance until the MF button is pushed again. Recompose your shot (as mentioned in the first method) and press the shutter button to take your picture.
You can find most of these directions in the Manual, but it is a good idea to play with the buttons on your camera. It helps you get use to the controls and you probably won’t have to look at them as much. Especially if you mainly use the viewfinder to compose your pictures.
Hope this helps. Good luck and good picture taking.
I’m having difficulty with the face recognition mode. How do I get it to work in the settings menu? It seems i’ve changed flexi zone from “off” to “on” and now when I take a picture, even when I change to ‘face detect’, the camera reverts back to ‘center’. HELP!
You can also discuss about the Canon PowerShot S5 IS in our online forum
One thing I’ve noticed in this otherwise excellent camera is the presence of noise in the restaurant type of lights.
I shoot using the indoor mode which sets ISO speed at 320 and uses a shutter speed of about 1/60 when using flash. In normal tungsten and fluoroscent lights, the pictures come ok but when sitting in a restuarant or pizza, pictures come out pretty grainy.
Does anyone know why is this happening?
Hello guys!
I have a following question:
Although, I have to admit the Powershot S5 IS is a very multifunctional camera and very good for amateurish use, I wonder if it possible to achieve the same picture quality as with more expensive DSLR cameras? In particular in portrait shots?
For me the biggest appeal of pictures taken with expensive cameras and lenses is the way they de-focus all objects incl. faces except the one you focus on. Powershot S5 IS somehow attemps to keep focus on all the objects (faces) even if they are at different distance from the shooter. Can someone tell me if de-focusing or more narrow focus can be achieved with manual settings, or it’s impossible per se with non-professional non-SLR cameras?
Perhaps, this effect can be achieved by post-shooting corrections on PC?
Thank for your comments in advance.
I am not yet that much hands on with my S5 yet but from what I’ve read about photography, I believe you will need to use manual focus. Press and hold the MF button and scroll up and down to determine the focus.
Another way is to use the aperture. If the aperture is large (lets say F5.0, which means F/5.0 if I’m not mistaken) the shutter opening is small and a large area of the photographs gets in focus. That is why in landscape mode a large aperture is used. On the other hand, if the aperture is small, like F2.7 then only a limited area in the photograph remains in focus. You can experiment around these lines and try to get the result you want. I’ll also undertake these experiments the next time I get the opportunity!
The links for the user guide and system map are not working. Where can I get these manuals?
Links have been updated. Thanks for the heads-up.
Hi,
Just become owner of a Canon S5 IS. Having been used to simple point and shoot cameras I find the array of buttons and modes most confusing.
Is there an “Idiots guide to the Canon S5 IS”? I have the two user guides but find them hard to follow.
Specifically, after taking a few excellent pictures I pushed some buttons and now a hand appears on the LCD screen, the pictures do not seem to be sharp and I can’t get back to basic settings. I tried “reset settings to default values” but a message appears on screen saying busy and nothing else seems to have changed.
Any suggestion or help very welcome.
Barrie
Hi,
I’d like to second Barrie’s question. Having been the owner of a Powershot A80 which took amazing pictures without me having to do much, I am very disappointed in the the S5. I’ve read the manual twice and I’ve played with all the settings. I’m now scouring the internet for help. I cannot get this camera to take non blurry inside shots, any natural light shots (no flash), and all my macro shots come out horrible. I am very frustrated! I need this camera to work as I have an online business that I photograph for. Please help! Thanks!
Hi,
have you tried adjusting the ISO setting? but take note, higher ISOs may give you more chances of getting noise on your capture. for great macro shots, you need to have proper lighting. try shotting near a window to get more light.
where can i find turkish user guide?