Canon PowerShot S1 IS

Hi there!!!

I would like to know if somebody has some experience with this model...

I heard something about bad autofocus in dim light... How bad is it? My
friend has a camera, an old one, Canon A300 and in indoor you have to try
and to try and to try... to snap. I think it's because of bad focusing. Is
it the same with S1?

Please, help me, because that's the only camera with IS and AA bateries,
for that is must have.

And yes, I don't mind 3MP...


Thanks in advance!!!

"Teodor" wrote in message ...
Hi there!!!

I would like to know if somebody has some experience with this model...

I heard something about bad autofocus in dim light... How bad is it? My
friend has a camera, an old one, Canon A300 and in indoor you have to try
and to try and to try... to snap. I think it's because of bad focusing. Is
it the same with S1?

Please, help me, because that's the only camera with IS and AA bateries,
for that is must have.

And yes, I don't mind 3MP...

It's pretty bad. The S1 IS has no AF assist lamp. It works
ok when there's a good amount of indoor lighting (e.g. within
10-12 feet of a bright overhead or table lamp), but AF is
practically useless in lower-light situations.

Why are you limited to IS and AA batteries? That's another
gripe we have with our S1 -- it eats battery power much,
MUCH faster than our previous Canon models. Seems like
we're always changing batteries in the damned thing.

Rick

"Teodor" wrote in message ...
Hi there!!!

I would like to know if somebody has some experience with this model...

I heard something about bad autofocus in dim light... How bad is it? My
friend has a camera, an old one, Canon A300 and in indoor you have to try
and to try and to try... to snap. I think it's because of bad focusing. Is
it the same with S1?

Please, help me, because that's the only camera with IS and AA bateries,
for that is must have.

And yes, I don't mind 3MP...

It's pretty bad. The S1 IS has no AF assist lamp. It works
ok when there's a good amount of indoor lighting (e.g. within
10-12 feet of a bright overhead or table lamp), but AF is
practically useless in lower-light situations.

Why are you limited to IS and AA batteries? That's another
gripe we have with our S1 -- it eats battery power much,
MUCH faster than our previous Canon models. Seems like
we're always changing batteries in the damned thing.

Rick

In article , (Teodor) wrote:

I heard something about bad autofocus in dim light... How bad is it?

In my experience, pretty bad, especially in artificial light. It's a
lovely camera in many ways, with a whole host of flexible features which
make it a pleasure to experiment with. But the indoor/low light issue (and
the low resolution EVF) is quite frustrating and make it a difficult
camera to recommend for general point & shoot use.

With my old camera (with AF lamp) I got used to just turning it on and
taking a photo. With the S1 you have to take far more time (usually) to
allow the AF to settle down, or switch to manual and do it yourself.
Either way it's slower and less reliable... the way I use it anyway :-)
Others may have more luck or skill.

All in all I would be reluctant to recommend this camera. I certainly
wouldn't buy another one if this died today. But I would definitely buy an
S2 if such a camera were to be released with an AF lamp and improved EVF.

Andrew McP

In article , (Rick) wrote:

That's another gripe we have with our S1 -- it eats battery power
much, MUCH faster than our previous Canon models

I have 4 2300mAh Ansmann batteries in mine and they work *really* well.
Lots of power, and last for ages. I'd recommend them to anyone.

Andrew McP

In article , (Teodor) wrote:

I heard something about bad autofocus in dim light... How bad is it?

In my experience, pretty bad, especially in artificial light. It's a
lovely camera in many ways, with a whole host of flexible features which
make it a pleasure to experiment with. But the indoor/low light issue (and
the low resolution EVF) is quite frustrating and make it a difficult
camera to recommend for general point & shoot use.

With my old camera (with AF lamp) I got used to just turning it on and
taking a photo. With the S1 you have to take far more time (usually) to
allow the AF to settle down, or switch to manual and do it yourself.
Either way it's slower and less reliable... the way I use it anyway :-)
Others may have more luck or skill.

All in all I would be reluctant to recommend this camera. I certainly
wouldn't buy another one if this died today. But I would definitely buy an
S2 if such a camera were to be released with an AF lamp and improved EVF.

Andrew McP

In article , (Rick) wrote:

That's another gripe we have with our S1 -- it eats battery power
much, MUCH faster than our previous Canon models

I have 4 2300mAh Ansmann batteries in mine and they work *really* well.
Lots of power, and last for ages. I'd recommend them to anyone.

Andrew McP

I like mine a lot: Small and 10x IS zoom.

Low light AF is not the best (no assist light), but has not been a
problem to date. Other AF issues do not exist, in mine.

Phil

Teodor wrote:
Hi there!!!

I would like to know if somebody has some experience with this model...

I heard something about bad autofocus in dim light... How bad is it? My
friend has a camera, an old one, Canon A300 and in indoor you have to try
and to try and to try... to snap. I think it's because of bad focusing. Is
it the same with S1?

Please, help me, because that's the only camera with IS and AA bateries,
for that is must have.

And yes, I don't mind 3MP...


Thanks in advance!!!

I like mine a lot: Small and 10x IS zoom.

Low light AF is not the best (no assist light), but has not been a
problem to date. Other AF issues do not exist, in mine.

Phil

Teodor wrote:
Hi there!!!

I would like to know if somebody has some experience with this model...

I heard something about bad autofocus in dim light... How bad is it? My
friend has a camera, an old one, Canon A300 and in indoor you have to try
and to try and to try... to snap. I think it's because of bad focusing. Is
it the same with S1?

Please, help me, because that's the only camera with IS and AA bateries,
for that is must have.

And yes, I don't mind 3MP...


Thanks in advance!!!

Rick wrote:

Why are you limited to IS and AA batteries? That's another
gripe we have with our S1 -- it eats battery power much,
MUCH faster than our previous Canon models. Seems like
we're always changing batteries in the damned thing.


I've gotten 200-300 shots on a charge with my S1 IS -- some flash.

Are you sure yours is not abnormal?

Phil