Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon S2is Digital Camera with Image Stabiliser [5MP, 12 x Optical Zoom]

The next few years will see the price of digital SLRs drop significantly with the quality steadily rising. If, like me, you have been waiting to buy one, I would advise waiting for a couple more years and in the meantime buy a S2. Don't however see it just as a half way house to a SLR - it's lighter and less bulky.

Superb crisp pictures with very realistic colouring. Extremely quick and powerful zoom and loads of features to keep you entertained.

As others have mentioned it's not perfect - the body is plastic. However my last powershot was plastic has has put up with being dropped repeatedly, used in very hot, cold and humid conditions and still carries on.

Considering what you're getting for the price it's a bargain.

With its' rich feature list and robust shooting performance the S2 IS covers all my digital image needs. From high quality 5mp still pictures with full auto to full manual control - and every conceivable option in between - to 640x480 stereo video pictures.

The lens is an ultra quiet 36-432mm (35mm equivalent) F2.7easily at hand with the ability to customise a function button to your preference.

The tilt and swivel LCD - similar to many video cameras - allows a different angle to your photos.

The cameras features and abilities greatly outstrip mine, but I hope I can grow into it over the next few years, rather tahn growing out of it in a few months.

In the two weeks I have owned it I have never been short of delighted with the results and continue to discover new features.

After seriously considering a digital SLR I decided on the S2 IS. It won over the similar spec Lumix on the tilt & swivel LCD. We've now been on a 1 day photography course which has shown us how to use the excellent features of this camera. It feels well made, has excellent functionality and takes stunning pictures. And it can be as complicated or simple as you wish. I love both the 12x zoom and the super-macro (0-10cm). I'd recommend a tripod for really good photos. Very pleased and impressed; the only minor disappointment is the flash doesn't pop-up manually - but that's a minor niggle. If you can afford it do a short photography course and use with Photoshop Elements to get amazing photos! An all round great camera.

This camera ticks almost every box you can think of. I was about to order a Panasonic Lumix FZ5 until I read about this and I'm not disappointed. Having seen it side by side with the lumix and the new sony H1, it is far better designed. Much better build quality than lumix and more compact than the sony. The sony has a massive screen but it doesn't fold and tilt, and you have to use their annoyingly expensive MS. The image quality, lens range, stabilisation and flexibility are superb. Range of features comprehensive, intuitive and simple controls and menus. Movie mode is the best you'll find on a digicam. Was considering a D SLR too since I already have some EOS lenses but unless you intend to produce v large prints the S2 IS has made them pointless. It's not perfect of course, if it was we'd never buy another camera would we? My gripes are: crap lens cap which keeps falling off, movies are not compressed so uses up a 1 Gb card in 8 minutes on max setting. stingy 16 mb and alkaline batteries included only. Also I would have preferred Compactflash to SD. The camera is also an akward shape and doesn't fit easily into aftermarket cases. The canon one is not yet available. The plastic body is well built but wouldn't take much punishment but it's too much to expect an alloy body at this price. But these are minor gripes in an otherwise convincingly complete package and it'll take care of your digital photography needs for many years, as long as it doesn't break of course.

I spent a long time looking at SLR Digitals (EOS 350D and 20D) but I could not justify spending £1000 plus after buying the necessary optional extras... then I found the Powershot S2. The spec sheet made for impressive reading as it contained the same (and more) features and capabilities as its' more expensive rivals. I have spent the last few days studying and experimenting with its' many features and it did not disappoint at all. It is solid and well built. It not exactly a compact digital, rather its' more like a compact SLR (in body) with substance with 12X optical zoom and great lens. The controls are easy to use and it feels good in the hand. A 512Mb SD and good quality rechargables are a must when buying! It comes with great software that helps the novice to organise their pics on the computer. You won't find another camera like this in this price range in this generation of cameras.