S1 owners - any regrets?

[peterm1]

I am about to buy an S1, but there are a few factors that concern me:


1) Size. Ideally I would love a camera I can fit in my pocket, like the S500 or the S60.

2) No RAW format. I am used to having the latitude of processing RAW files.


3) 3 megapixel sensor. I would like to have a bit more resolution, although I usually print only 4x6 (but sometimes 8x10). I understand 3mp should be enough.

The main reasons I want to buy the S1 are:

Great zoom with IS - I have an IS lens for my DSLR and love it.
Swiveling LCD - great for candids

Great video mode - I have stopped taking my camcorder places so this would be useful for taking videos of my family.

I use a 1DmkI for my "serious" shooting, but I want a small camera I can carry around with me for candids, street shooting, casual family pics, etc. I am more interested in telephoto than wide angle shooting. My biggest concern by far is the size factor, and whether I will be likely to leave the camera at home if it can't fit in my pocket.

Can people who have the S1 comment on the size, etc. and convince me to buy this camera?

Thanks,

Peter

[rudrasen]

HI,
I am also about to buy a second camera. I'm undecided between the A80 & IS.
Just like peterm1, I don't want to cart my camcorder & my camera when I go out with family.
I don't care much about having more resolution but do care a lot about Chromatic Aberration.
Do you guy see a lot of that? How is the image quality?
The sample images on Steve's Digicam review still were horibble!!! Is it really that bad?

Also I wonder if the "IS" lens & movie mode will be all that better than the result on an A80?

Are there any of you who got a IS, who think they should have got an A80 instead? & vice versa?
Also is there anyone who think the IS makes perfect sense because they are no longer taking their camcorders to dineyland/seaworld?
Thanks
So much

[BigDog]

Size, is larger than the Fujifilm 2600 I have and you can not place the IS in your pocket. forget that. case only.. Or large pocket :)
Quality is great.
Panoramic images (stitch assist) is great.
I will try the movie mode this weekend.
Also taking it to Mt Rushmore for the fire works. I will post some pics from the Mt.
The camera is user friendly and very comfortable in your hand. My daughters use it and just love the camera.
ed

[i_york]

I purchased a PowerShot S1 a little over a week ago for $400 as an upgrade to my PowerShot A40, which I have owned for about 2-years.

I had exactly the same concerns as you before purchasing. Originally, I set-out looking for a nice, high-res, ultra-compact, such as the Sony CyberShot T1 or the Pentax Optio S4i, but then I began wondering if a still camera was available with a movie mode good enough to replace my camcorder. I have a very good MiniDV camcorder (JVC DVL9000), but it hardly gets used because I can rarely be bothered with carrying it around in addition to my still camera. It's also more hassle having to make sure that 2 sets of batteries (camcorder and camera) are charged before the event, etc. There are only a handful of, what could be termed 'compact', cameras around that will record video at 640x480 @ 30fps and only 2 (to my knowledge) that will record to CFII (ie. MicroDrives). Those 2 cameras are the PowerShot S1 and the Fuji FinePix M603. Out of those, only the Canon allows use of the optical zoom during recording and only the Canon has as optical image stabiliser that functions both in still mode and in movie mode. In addition to the extra functionality, the PowerShot S1 also has, IMO, the best movie mode picture and sound quality of any digital still camera. Basically, if you're looking for a still camera that you could trade-in your camcorder for, the PowerShot S1 is, currently, the only contender.

There are some things you should be aware of when it comes to movie-making with the S1... firstly, the maximum file size of any movie clip is 1GB. At the highest quality (640x480 Fine @ 30fps), this equates to a little over 9-minutes. Of course, you can continue shooting a fresh clip for another 9-minutes, but that is the maximum length of time you can record, without interruption, at the highest quality setting. Also, you should be aware of the memory bandwidth requirements of movie recording. Maximum quality equates to ~2Mb per second, which requires a fast CF card to avoid dropped frames. If movie mode is important to you, then I would highly recommend a 4GB MicroDrive. These are plenty fast enough to maintain a steady 30fps and OEM Hitachi units can be obtained for around $220 on eBay as pulls from the Creative MuVo2 MP3 player. This is what I use and it works flawlessly.

In terms of movie quality, there is no real comparison with MiniDV... side-by-side, displaying identical footage, my MiniDV camcorder blows-away the PowerShot S1. Colour on the MiniDV footage is more natural, resolution is noticeably superior and it just looks smoother, even though the PowerShot S1 is 30fps. Also, you're stuck with mono audio with the S1. The fact that the S1 comes-out 2nd-best compared with a dedicated MiniDV camcorder is no surprise and, in isolation, the movie quality of the S1 is absolutely fine for casual viewing. I would say the quality approximates to that of VHS-C or 8mm analogue camcorders. The only slight distraction, at times, is the lack of anti-aliasing, so 'jaggies' are occassionally noticeable, but this is a minor point really.

Still picture quality from the S1 is perfectly fine... I have not had a problem with the AF performance (despite what you may read elsewhere) and purple fringing (chromatic aberrations) is rarely an issue. When it is apparent (usually at the telephoto end and only in areas of high contrast), it can be virtually eliminating by selecting a smaller aperture (higher numerical F-stop). The physical dimensions of the camera sit between those of the average point-and-shoot digital compact and an SLR. Being powered by x4 AA cells weighs it down some, but it has a good, solid feel to it. If you're looking for an ultra-zoom camera, you can't really have your cake and eat it, so to speak. Personally, I haven't found the size to be a big issue. Sure, it would be nice if the camera did everything it does and weighed half as much and could fit into a shirt pocket, but the technology just isn't there yet. I'm happy to sacrifice a little bulk for the functionality of a camcorder and good-quality still camera in 1 unit.

All-in-all, if you're looking for a camera to replace your existing point-and-shoot and your camcorder, combining the 2 into one unit, I would highly-recommend the PowerShot S1. If, however, you're not particularly interested in the movie capabilities of the camera, there is some serious competition around these days, most offering 4MP+, which is important if you think you'll ever want to play around with A4 (Letter-size+) enlargements.

Good luck with whatever decision you make!

Cheers,
Ian.

[DocFrankenstein]

I am selling my S1 IS right now. It's used as new, got it when it first came out. I got a rebel for stills and a GL2 for video. I'm also throwing a nice leather bag, which fits nicely.

I'm in toronto. Make an offer. I am obviously losing some money, but...

Anyways:
http://andrew4137.fotopic.net/c214500.html

2MODS: I hope this is on topic.

[DocFrankenstein]

I have some regrets, but it's mainly about me not knowing anything about photography.

It's a cool cam for all around carry, but I needed something with interchangeable lens. Too bad I didn't realise it within 30 days of getting the camera. :cry:

[denyed]

doc: do you by any chance still have the camera?

[DocFrankenstein]

Yeah, I do. PM me with an offer.

[MontanaMtnGuy]

After much internet surfing and talking to others I bought an S-1. There are good and bad points with this or any other product, usually involving tradeoffs.

For the past three years I carried an Nikon 2500 in my pocket and loved it. Unfortunately it disappeared somewhere during 30 hours of plane travel and many customs and security checkpoints. The features on that camera that I really liked and sought to get again were: fast turn on, reasonably fast auto focus, good battery management and pocket size. The Nikon 2500 has a neat swivel design which protects the lens without a lens cap and without a sliding cover to get clogged with sand from the beach. It is a great pocket cam for outdoor daylight simple shots and also easily does close up photos. It's flash system is worthless; for night time group photos of events, parties, etc. I gave up and bought disposable film cameras. Also I thought it would be nice to have more zoom power than 3x.

Trade offs and alternatives:

Canon Rebel: A friendly professional photography highly recommended this camera for serious amateur use. Another suggested spending more and getting into the professional series. If one has existing lenses and wants to use them this sounds like a great solution. I have a 600 mm lens that has not been out of the case for years. I paddle down rivers, take snaps of service club events and grab shots for web pages that only need low res. Realistically, I'm not going to ever carry lenses and change them. Hence I passed on the Rebel in favor of something smaller. Just my personality.

I briefly considered the A80 or similar pocket point and shoot (with hopefully better flash results than the Nikon 2500). However, I'm outside a lot and for grabbing a picture such as a bald eagle in a tree on the other side of the river ... one of the new 10x zoom compact camers seemed a "must buy".

Other 10x zoom cameras:

A clerk at WalMart told me he preferred the Kodak version because it was relatively cheap but had good German lenses.

The Nikon equivalent really tempted me and as I recall it has superior options for setting the autofocus.

However I liked the feel in my hands of the slightly more expensive S-1 and I had read that the image stabilizer really worked, which would be improtant if I were in a moving kayak (yet calm water) trying to shoot the eagle in the distant tree. The S1 was bigger than pocket size but with a 10x zoom one has to accept that. (On the other hand I don't forget in which jacket pocket I left it.)

I shopped around and bought it over the interenet from CostCo who included a batter charger and set of rechargable batteries and a case, all at a good price.

My experience after a month of using the S1:

The flash works great; nice to have that in a camera again.
The zoom is fast and quiet.
The view screen is adequate and the flip feature protects it nicely while also maybe offering versatility.

The Image Stabilizer really works, as others have written. I was paddling a slow stretch of river last week and at the full 10x zoom tried taking a pic of a pelican on the downstream opposite shore. Of the three attempts, I mostly missed the bird due to boat wobble, but the one where he wound up in the frame was clear! I'm impressed.

The auto focus is not as reliable or at least as easy to use in low light conditions such as 6 pm to 8 pm evening shots that I like to take. With the old point and shoot camera there was never a problem, but maybe 20% of my S1 shots in such conditions ended up out of focus, both with the general auto and with the portrait setting. My style is to shoot 20 photos with slightly different angles and throw away 18 or 19 of them, so a few out of focus ones would not be terrible but the ration is a bit too high. Perhaps it's my newness with the camera, I tried to shoot slowly enough to allow focusing time. Last evening I tried switching to manual and got 8 black frames; I had assumed I could do manual focus and yet have everything else automatic as on my old SLR film cameras. No such luck - perhaps something like that is possible if I study the camera more.

Megapixels: I agree that megapixels should not drive the decision. Let's assume for the moment that one could grab an equal quality picture by either zooming in three times as close vs. not zooming and using more than three times as many pixels and then cutting out the desired portions of the larger image. The latter tactic requires a LOT more storage, resulting in fewer photos stored per memory chip. Also I think the zoom
approach has a bit more power for this sort of thing. The 3.2 megapixels of the S1 seems quite sufficient. The end result comes from a combination of things such as the lens and quality of the megapixels, not just the number of them.

Conclusion:

If you intend to change lenses, buy the Rebel or higher end Canon or Nikon similar model.

If you would be happy with a 3x zoom, consider a smaller point and shoot that you will have in your pocket when the unplanned photo opportunity comes up.

If you need a 10x compact zoom, buy the S1.

Steve


P.s. I'd be interested in suggestions for low light focusing - my problem mostly arose in fairly close up shots such as about one to two feet.

[agent007]

The S1 may have a 10x zoom, but the sensor is smaller than the A80/95 or the G series. If Canon were to upgrade the sensor & throw in an extra megapixel, the S1 would be a hot pick.

Also, I've noticed that the shots were clearer/sharper from the A80. Maybe this is due to the sensor size...

[MontanaMtnGuy]

Yes I agree a better sensor and a bit more megapixels would be a good improvement. Memory cards and computer hard drives always seem to be keeping up with the demand for more memory so storage may not be a big problem.

It seems like it's always "If you wait another six months, there will be an improved...". I was without digital camera and wanted to get some pics now so I bought the S1 as is and am reasonably satisfied; I figured it's good enough for the next two or three years and then I might pick up an improved A80 or similar shirt pocket camera and just use the S1 for outdoor trips.

Please exuse the typos in my previous note, but I figured rough notes are ok.

Steve

[DanielH]

I bought S1 camera about 1 month ago and I can say it really fits my needs. I am no expert and no pro, so it really suits me. Regarding interchangeable lenses, I have not up to now missed it - maybe because I am not any pro , I as said before. What really bothers me is the possibility to add filters with the adapter. I am receiving my adapter tomorrow, and only then I will be able to tell if it really works or not. Up to now, I can say it is a really nice camera.
I have come from a coolpix 3200, and the manual adjustments, the great zoom and the Image Stabilizer really rock !
It is a great camera - digitally better than my old Nikon.
I guess it is worth the try.
See ya'll
Daniel

[DocFrankenstein]

I am not selling S1 anymore. Sure, it's painfully slow compared to the rebel, but the IS, the 10x zoom and the in camera processing make really nice jpegs.

[fredpb]

I bought the S1 for outdoor nature photography, as it is a small all in one package compared to my Nikon film gear.

If you want to see some shots from it, which convinced me to keep the camera, check out www.freds-place.net.

Go to the Photography/nature/birds section. The last page of nature bird photos (one with hawk on it) are all taken with the S1.

The only problem with the S1 is shake when you are view with a long telephoto shot. A tripod or monopod would help. But I wanted to try hand held. Since the camera does shake in your hand when framing, you usually need more that one shot to make sure you have it framed ok. The results are great. Not Nikon film 400mm (nikkor) great, but good enough for me.

I did get some shots I never would have with my film gear, as that takes more set up.

Also, if you push the button to take photo there is a delay, which can ruin a good timed photo. But I partially depress the button first, and the shot is much quicker.

The option in the S1 are outstanding. Very happy. I almost got rid of it. For the price, it is the best camera of its type.

I use it with an old A40 for digital. I use Nikon N90s and lenses for film.

[MontanaMtnGuy]

Hi Fred,

It seems we have similar goals and experiences with the S1: as a compact all in one zoom nature camera it serves a good niche.

Can you share any tips on using the S1 for close up macro style photos, such as of leaves, insects, etc. ?

A related topic would be spot focusing, such as just the insect on the tree, or spot focusing on the eyes of a model.

Steve

[DocFrankenstein]

http://images1.fotopic.net/?iid=y38ayw&outx=600&noresize=1&nostamp=1

I am not sure if this is the eye focusing you were referring to. Or did you mean DOF? S1 achieves minimum DOF at full tele with the closest focusing:

http://images2.fotopic.net/?iid=y38ay0&outx=600&noresize=1&nostamp=1

Hell... check the whole gallery if you want to. Disregard "sales" notice.
http://andrew4137.fotopic.net/c214500_1.html

[fredpb]

I have not tried the macro capability of the S1 yet. I don't think it has much. But I am going to try some 52mm Close up lenses with it when I get the chance. The camera does have adjustable exposure and flash output, which should make it interesting.

It is just sooooo nice to have a small do everything camera with powerful features for nature shots. Carrying around a big camera, lenses, and a heavy tripod gets very very old quick in hot areas.

I did have to adjust to two things using the S1 at long focal lengths...
The delay between shutter press and shutter release....just half press the shutter and be ready.
And the natural camera shake at long focal lengths without tripod or monopod. But just keep shooting until right framing comes up...digital film is free.

[flugelboy]

I find this camera pretty darn good for macros. All of these shots were taken without a close up lens or any filters. Just the stock equipment. You can take a look at the EXIF data on the CD Rom photo by clickin on the EXIF icon under the thumbnail.

http://www.chadwhite.com/Default.aspx?tabid=66&path=Macros

[MontanaMtnGuy]

Thanks Doc and Flugelboy

You demonstrated that close up photos are quite acceptable with the S1. I had also gotten a few but missed others so I'll just experiment more. I've not had time the past couple days.

Question: Did you leave everything on auto or did you switch to manual for the close up shots you took?

Late yesterday afternoon I went on an impromptu hike into the forrest, only went in 3.5 miles but ended up hiking out the last mile in the dark. About 5pm I was hiking along the creek bottom in thick trees and shadows when a clearing opened and we could see a large rock outcrop above us that was glowing in the evening sun. Something was moving on it. Was it a bird? Was it a plane? Nope, binoculars revealed a rock climber as did the photo I just uploaded from the S1. It was almost a mile from us to the climber on top, so detail is not great but is shows the handheld S1 can take such photos.

One of these days I may post a few of my pics in return for others sharing, perhaps someday I'll take a disk to work and upload via a DSL line rather than my slow home dial up internet connection. I can probably upload to this site; if anyone has a recommendation for another inexpensive other photo hosting site, suggestions are welcome.

Steve

[flugelboy]

The CD Rom photo was taken on auto (no flash). If I remember correctly, the others were taken on Aperture Priority because I wanted to control the depth of field.

[banjoplucker2004]

Hello,

Upgraded from a CoolPix 2000 because I needed something with a good indoor/zoom facility inside a very large conference hall. I am pleased with my purchase so far and am gradually working my way through the manual and experimenting with the features.

There is a feature that allows for custom settings to be saved. I find this quite an attractive feature and wonder if anyone has put together a set of custom features for this camera that they would be willing to share. It would take the fun and time out of experimenting, but would provide a general handle on settings and the best combination to use in a range of conditions.

Also, does anyone have experience of the remote control or see the need to buy a power adapter?

Regards

Ritchie

[tonyt]

Well, I'm beginning to think I got the lemon of the bunch. Has no one else experienced the difficulty seeing the image on either the LCD or via that grainy electronic viewfinder? The diminutive 1.5" screen is really a drawback especially for someone like me in the 50+ crowd. The viewfinder makes me long for an optical one. The image sharpness is also less than acceptible. I'm thinking that this must have been the tradeoff for a 10X lens. I'm going back to a 3 or 4X if that's the case. Image sharpness should be the overriding factor if you ask me :evil:

[MontanaMtnGuy]

I recently made an 8x10 print that had acceptable clarity. I'm guessing the S-1 has enough clarity such that the limiting factor is my ink jet printer (Epson C84) rather than the camera.

I don't use the viewfinder, I only use the flip out LCD. Bigger would be handy but I've not noticed a problem.

However, I would suggest this for someone trying to decide on the S-1:

Suppose you would be relatively happy with a $200 point and shoot pocket camera and there was an equivalent model but with a good 10x zoom for an extra $150. Would you spend the extra $150? If yes, buy the S1. If no, buy a good compact point and shoot camera in the 3 to 5 megapixel range for about $200 to $250. (Costo type price as opposed to suggested list price)

Hope that helps. I like my S-1 because of the image stabilized zoom, but realize it may not be for everyone.

[flugelboy]

I too really like my S1. I had already owned a 3.2 mp Nikon Coolpix 885. I got the S1 for the zoom and IS about 2 months ago and am now thinking about eBaying my Coolpix. I'm a novice at this, but the sharpness is just fine for me.

I don't mind the EVF, although I don't use it much. I suppose if I did, I would rather have optical. None of the 10x cams I looked at had an optical view finder though.

I also have some experience with the remote control (for banjoplucker2004). I think that my remote is broken, but when it worked, it was really cool. You could zoom in/out, snap the pic, etc. In viewing mode you could even scroll therough the pics with it (good for when the cam is plugged into a TV).

As for a power adapter, I would only buy one if you will be doing most of your data transfers directly form the cam to the computer. I use a flash card reader so that's not an issue for me. I use rechargeable 2300 m/a batteries and can shoot forever with this cam. That was one of the biggest drawbacks to the nikon.

[Retusnavy]

I agree with Flugelboy, I took a picture of a nickel with my S1 IS at less than one(1) inch with no flash and the pic was clear and sharp.