Canon PowerShot S5 IS

Reviewed July 2007

Interface & Software

Interface

Thanks to its high resolution 2.5-inch LCD monitor, the interface of the S5 IS is even more legible than the S3's, although the overall look and presentation of the interface is similar. The most important camera settings are shown on the periphery of the monitor, and the aperture and shutter speed are indicated when the shutter release is pressed halfway. Still, it is somewhat regrettable that the EVF is not noticeably better than the S3's, as it would have improved the interface even further.

The menu system used on the S5 IS is little changed from the S3 IS and is similar to all menus of other Canon compact cameras. The menus are very legible, presented on a uniform colour background, and divided clearly into 3 sections for the Recording menu and four sections for the playback menu. Whatever the mode, the Setup options are always accessible, making it easy to adjust primary camera settings:

• Mute: On or Off, turns off all camera sounds.
• Volume: allows adjusting the volume over 5 increments for:
  • the Start-up sound,
  • the Operation sound,
  • the Self-timer sound,
  • the Shutter sound,
  • and the Playback volume.
• Audio provides three options:
  • Mic level: adjusts the sensitivity of the microphones over 5 levels.
  • Wind Filter: On or Off. Lessens the interference caused by air moving past the microphones.
  • Sampling Rate allows selecting the sound sampling rate: 11.025 kHz, 22.050kHz, 44.100 kHz.
• LCD Brightness: to adjust the brightness of the LCD monitor, Normal or Bright.
• Power Saving: opens a 2-option submenu to set:
  • Auto Power Down: On or Off.
  • Display Off: 10, 20, 30 seconds, or 1, 2, 3 minutes.

• Time Zone: allows setting a Home time and a World time, which makes it possible to record images using the local time instead of the Home time.
• Date/Time: to set the camera's internal clock/calendar and choose the date format.
• Clock Display: serves to select the display time for the clock, which is displayed when the button is held pressed while the camera is powered on, or if it is held pressed for more than 1 second when the camera is set to a capture mode.

• Format: formats the memory card and displays the card capacity.
• File Number: decides whether file numbering returns to 1 when a new or freshly formatted card is used (Auto Reset), or is incremented continuously (Continuous).
• Create Folder: Serves to create a new folder into which image and movie files will be stored. Two sub-options are available:
  • Create New Folder, which creates a new folder each time the camera is turned on.
  • Auto Create, which creates a new folder automatically daily, or by week day, or by month.
• Auto Rotate: On or Off. When On, the camera uses a sensor to keep track of its orientation while a photo is taken, and accordingly rotates the image upon playback.
• Distance Units: sets the units to be used for the Manual Focus mode (ft/in. or m/cm).
• Language sets the language for the interface: English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Thai, Arabic and Japanese.
• Video System: selects the video output signal, either NTSC or PAL.
• Print Method controls the USB connection: Auto for normal circumstances, allowing the camera to determine which protocol is best, and PictBridge protocol used with a printer, either Auto, or PictBridge, necessary to print W (16:9) photos on a SELPHY CP710/CP510 Canon Compact Photo Printer.
• Reset All: returns the PowerShot S5 IS to its factory defaults, with the exception of the date and time, the language, the video setting, the custom white balance, and the colour mode.

As it is with all Canon cameras, the PowerShot S5 IS is supplied with a printed manual. The manual is complete, covering all the controls and functions of the camera thoroughly. A second manual, explaining how to print directly to a printer via the USB connection is also included, along with a third manual that covers the software.

Software

In North America a single CD is bundled with the PowerShot S5 IS. The disc, called Canon's Digital Camera Solution Disk (version 30.2) contains programs for both Microsoft Windows and Macintosh:

• Windows:
  • ZoomBrowser EX 5.8
  • PhotoStitch 3.1
  • Camera Twain Driver 6.7
  • EOS Utility 1.1
• Macintosh:
  • ImageBrowser 5.8
  • PhotoStitch 3.1
  • EOS Utility 1.1

and for both: QuickTime 7 from Apple.

ZoomBrowser is the mainstay of the programs Canon supplies, and it serves to view, modify, and export images or videos. Images can be retrieved from the camera, seen directly on the camera when the S5 IS is connected to the computer, or retrieved from a hard drive, or a memory card in a reader.

Photos can be corrected for red-eye, adjusted for brightness, saturation, contrast, cropped or forwarded for editing to another program. In addition, images can be exported as backgrounds, or screen-savers, and can be printed or prepared for e-mail.

Photos are displayed on the right side window pane, while the program functions and the folders are displayed below. The EXIF data of each image can be displayed and listed in a new window.

Still another function, MovieEdit, allows assembling video clips, adding sound effects and transition effects. QuickTime, from Apple, serves to view the clips.

EOS Utility is a program that can be called up by ZoomBrowser, run separately, or even started automatically when the camera is connected to the computer. EOS Utility is included with all current Canon digital cameras, and in the case of the PowerShot S5 IS only serves to call up Camera Window, yet another utility that is accessible from ZoomBrowser. Camera Window serves to:

• Start the download of Images, or select images for download,
• Access camera settings and do remote shooting,
• Monitor a folder into which images are imported,
• or do remote shooting.

Selecting Remote Shooting opens yet another window called RemoteCaptureTask.

RemoteCaptureTask provides tools to fully control the camera, and see the image appear on the monitor. The zoom can be controlled, as well as the shutter speed, the aperture, the sensitivity, the flash mode, the image size and quality, the metering mode, etc. The shooting mode can be controlled as well, and filters and effects can be applied. Once the image captured, it appears immediately in ZoomBrowser.

Similarly, PhotoStitch 3.1, a program designed to assemble series of images into panoramic images using the Stitch Assist mode, can be launched directly from ZoomBrowser.

PhotoRecord is yet another application that can be launched from ZoomBrowser. The program serves to organize images and create photo albums, offering the possibility to add frames to the photos, or backgrounds to the album pages.