Review posted for Canon PowerShot S1IS
By
Dave Etchells
(Thursday, June 3, 2004 - 16:27 EDT)
Long-zoom digicams have become increasingly popular, thanks to the undeniable attraction of being able to reach waaay out to zoom in on distant subjects.
What a lot of users don't realize about really long telephoto shots though, is just how hard it is to hold the camera steady enough to get a sharp shot. (Even in what you might think is fairly bright lighting.) The obvious solution is optical image stabilization (IS), whereby an active optical element in the lens counteracts the blur-inducing camera shake. The only problem is that image stabilization technology is tricky to get right, and expensive to boot.
Now though, Canon (a leader in IS technology) has brought their IS prowess to bear on the consumer market. The result is the remarkable Canon PowerShot S1 IS, a 3.2 megapixel camera with a 10x optical zoom lens and a remarkably effective image-stabilization system, all for a very affordable price.
If you're looking for a really usable long-zoom camera, the PowerShot S1 IS should be at the top of your list. While "only" a three-megapixel model, the S1 IS has plenty of resolution for sharp 8x10 prints, and its other picture-taking characteristics are top-notch. It's not perfect by any means(what is?), but on the whole is one of the better cameras on the market. - An easy "Dave's Pick." Check it out!
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