Canon PowerShot S2 IS

Reviewed July 2005

Test Photos

STILL LIFE PHOTO

This subject is photographed in a room that has a mix of fluorescent and incandescent light, but which is not brightly lit. The camera's flash is used to add fill light. The backdrop is 1.95 m (6.5 ft) from the camera.

Set to its defaults, the PowerShot S2 produces a good image, but one that is just a touch too dark for our taste. To brighten the exposure a flash exposure compensation value of 2/3 EV is applied.

The S2 has a sharp lens, and a lot of detail are visible in the photo, as is exemplified by the fact that writing on the photo paper envelopes is clearly legible. Moreover, the compression is discreet and does not appear to lower the overall image sharpness.

ZOOM PHOTO

Now we zoom in on a specific area. The intent is to test the sharpness of the image at the zoom's maximum setting. The camera remains at the same distance as with the preceding photo.

With the lens now at the maximum telephoto setting, the camera yields a good photo using its default settings but one that could benefit — in our opinion — from being a bit brighter. So once again, a Flash Exposure Compensation of +2/3EV is added to increase the brightness of the exposure.

The powerful 12X zoom allows the camera to capture a great deal of detail, and as can be seen below, when the image is seen at 100%, fine details such as the dot pattern of the printing screen that creates the light blue-grey background of the envelope is clearly visible.

MACRO PHOTO

The basic Macro mode of the S2 IS provides a focus range of 10 to 50 cm (3.9 to 19.5 inches), capturing a field of view, when the lens is at the wide end, of just over 12cm (4.68 inches).

In addition the S2 offers a Super Macro mode, activated by pressing and holding the Macro button on the left side of the lens barrel. The Super Macro mode allows the camera to focus on a subject that is touching the front element of the lens, a focus distance of 0 to 10 cm (0 to 3.9 inches).

BUILDING PHOTO

This image is our outdoor test. The architecture of the building, in particular the angled girders, immediately show the presence of jaggies. The shadowed entrance can also often reveal the quality of the exposure.

Under most circumstances, wide angle shots captured with the S2 reveal no barrel distortion, and it is only when the subject is close to the camera, and when there are horizontal lines in the subject that a curvature can be observed near the edges of the frame.

Similarly, as can be seen here, the slight chromatic aberration that can appear on the edge of contrasting areas is not easily visible with images such as this one.

ZOOM PHOTO

Zooming in on the entrance of the building, the shadowed entrance takes on a greater importance for the metering and can cause an overexposure of sections that are directly lit.

Metering is very reliable with the S2, but is somewhat sensitive to the brightness of the scene at the centre of the frame when the zoom is at the maximum telephoto setting. For example, with this subject, a small variation is the proportion of dark/bright near the centre of the frame can mean that the exposure will be brighter or darker, revealing more or less detail in the shadow areas.

But, as can be seen here, the S2 is able to capture a lot of detail in the shadowed entrance, without overexposing the areas of the frame that are directly lit.

NIGHT PHOTO

Since this camera is capable of long exposures, a photo taken at night is included here.

The PowerShot S2 is also capable of night photography if the Manual mode is used. The mode offers a maximum exposure time of 15 seconds which, when combined with the 50 ISO sensitivity and the automatic noise reduction system, allows capturing bright and detailed night photos.

The photo presented here is captured with the lens just past the mid-zoom position, and the image is remarkably detailed, as can be seen in the section cropped from the full size image that is shown below.

Even brighter images can be captured by increasing the ISO sensitivity, and up to 200 ISO, the noise reduction system is quite effective. At 400 ISO however, noise is still visible in the image, and it should only be used if the subject is very poorly lit.

With the S2 Canon adds a new feature. Night Display increases the brightness of the display — be it the monitor or the EVF — to aid in framing the subject. While it isn't always perfect, the system is generally effective, and useful.