Contrast Problem in S5 Viewfinder

I just purchased an S5-IS and have been comparing its performance with the S2-IS I have been using. While the S5's viewfinder image is markedly brighter than the S2's, some scenes that are quite clear in the S2 are not in the S5. Specifically, a dark log in a very mild fog was nearly invisible in the S5 viewfinder, but clearly visible in the S2. As a consequence, I had trouble composing the shot in the S5. (The brightness of the S5 viewfinder is set at the lower level.)

Has anyone else encountered this problem? Is it a bona fide difference between the S5 and the S2? If so, is it considered a feature or a design flaw? Is there any fix for it? Canon support wants me to send the camera in for service, though I've had it less than a week. The viewfinder seems fine under more normal conditions, so I doubt that it is a serviceable defect.

Thanks,
Terry

I've used S5, but I haven't had such problem.

Visual perception's a hard thing to diagnose remotely, but, is it possible that the very brightness of the S5 viewfinder's why things are looking washed out? Do you have a brightness control for the VF LCD?

You might also try looking at a few other S5s, in stores, or if there are other S5 users in your area (search the POTN Member Activities Forum for instance) to see if they look the same.

I think I have figured out the problem: somehow, the white balance on my S2 got changed to "flash" (I didn't knowingly change it), which improved visibility in the fog. When I changed the white balance on the S5 to match, it didn't differ significantly from the S2.

The issue then is how easy it easy to inadvertently change settings. On the S2, this was a function both of the number of buttons and the ease of accidentally pressing the left or right sections of the rocker button when you are trying for the up or down sections. The relocation of the programmable button on the S5 is an improvement (I was frequently hitting that when I wanted the function button on my S2). The smaller rocker button on the S5 may have made it easier to hit the wrong part of the button, but I haven't been using it long enough to tell yet.

Terry