Did you see the news on Canon S5-IS?

Question

Just announced today..........

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0705/07050703canons5is.asp

There are links inside this link for more information.

8 MP, ISO's to 1600, hot shoe, 2.5" LCD.

Cool.

Hi Morey - I'm not pushing the camera or anything. I just noticed the announcement and thought I'd pass it along as a nice upgrade to the S3. Yeah, the Sony H9 looks pretty good on paper, too. As you said, we'll have to see some images from both of them. They are worthy competitors, I'm sure...

These super zooms can not increase the sensor size. If they went to the 1/1.8" sensor with a lens factor of 4.83 instead of 6.03, they would have to make the lens so much bigger that the cost would probably put the camera out of the market, since it would cost as much as an entry level SLR. The small sensor is how they achieve these fantastic zoom levels. Instead of an actual 6-72 mm lens, they would have to use an actual 7.5-90 mm lens. If they are going to maintain acceptably large apertures, a lens like that would begin to approach SLR proportions and it would increase the price in similar proportions. Otherwise, the camera would have a maximum aperture of f/11-16 at full zoom. That is simply unacceptable.

(I am not a lens designer or a cmarea manufacturer or a cost analyst, so please accept that my numbers are wild guesses intended to make a point and not win a techinical debate. You get my point. The small sensor makes the extreme zooms possible.)

Answer 1

The S5 fits Canon's MO to upgrade frequently with minor improvements. Actually, this is the way all manufacturers upgrade their point & shoot lines. Canon just implements the same strategy with low-end dSLR cameras, too. Perhaps Canon's R&D department had big plans for an S4 with tons of extras, but when marketing mentioned an MSRP of $450, the prototypes spontaneously warped space-time and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
With 8 megapixels, the S5 equals or betters other mega-zoom models, including Sony's H7/ H9, so there was no reason to go any higher.
RAW. Canon dropped RAW with the G7 vs. G6, so it was unlikely that they'd include it with the S5... it wasn't on the S3 to begin with. The Sonys don't have RAW. Only the 18x zoom Olympus SP550UZ does.
More importantly, the Olympus' zoom range starts at 28mm on the wide end, vs. 31mm on the Sonys and 36mm on the Canon. This is the Canon's only weakness, as far as I'm concerned. But if Olympus isn't real competition - the SP550UZ recieved poor reviews - the damage is mitigated. At the long end of the zoom, who cares that the Sony goes to 465mm vs. 432mm? Even the difference between the Canon's 432mm and the Olympus at 504mm is insignificant, considering the Canon offers an extra megapixel to crop with. I must admit though, 18x zoom sounds nice.
With ISO, I'm not impressed by how high a dial goes. Let's see how thay actually do at ISO 800 and 1600.
The S5's hot shoe is an interesting addition. This professional looking feature might give it an edge with potential buyers (misguided amateurs that expect dSLR performance, $300 wedding photographers, etc.)
In the end, I suppose the marketing departments will determine the winner. Does the Sony have 'face detection'? Didn't think so. How about a flip & twist LCD screen? It only tilts on the Sony? How primitive. Ooh, the Canon only has 12x zoom... Puh-lease.
On paper, they both look good and if they actually are improvements on the S3 / H5 they should both sell in huge numbers. I'm with Morey though - I'd like to see some in-depth reviews.

On a side note, remember how Nikon nearly killed their megazoom point & shoots when they introduced the budget D50? They went from the 8700/ 800 to the S4/ S10 models. Any thoughts on Nikon's strategy?

Answer 2

I was quite disappointed, as I had been eagerly awaiting the release of this camera. I was terribley disappointed that there where no major upgrades. I was thinking that if they would increase the sensor size as well as the MP. I also thought that thgey would add RAW mode and increase the zoom. The sony has a lot going for it. however I think that the battery life is too low and there are some problems with the image( but they could be fixed by a firmware update). I may buy a sony H7 or an S3 IS now. I think that there is no need for the bigger screen in the H9 which would just use more battery than the H7. I now have to decide between the better image quality of the S3 IS and super macro mode or the sony H7's bigger zoom and higher MP and RAW mode.

Answer 3

I think that Sony has Canon beat on this round.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_s5is%2Csony_dsch7%2Csony_dsch9&show=all

The H9 has a 3" LCD, a 15x zoom, with wider angle, a better continuous mode, a stop more ISO, more powerful on-board flash, and it's smaller.

The only thing the S5 has over the Sony's are the Flash hotshoe. Oh- and it's a bit more 'pro' looking.

Sorry Doc- I'm not impressed. But- then again, I expect a lot from Canon, so I judge them a bit harder. 'course, we may need to wait for some actual images before a valid opinion.

Answer 4

Still with the 1/2.5 in sensor.........can expect a lot of noise??