Canon Powershot S1 IS Author: Talon Date Posted:14/11/2004 10:50.34 SLRating: Bottom Line: Image Stabilization is useful, and the swivel LCD is convenient. A stylish design and 10x USM lens make for a great family camera. However, noise at high shutter speeds and at ISO 400, plus some focusing issues keep the S1 from reaching its full potential. Article Navigation Introduction PowerShot S1 IS Kit Contents Official Specifications Design Layout Functionality – The Good Functionality – The bad Conclusion Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Discuss This Article

Functionality – The bad

So far we have looked at the positive aspects of the S1, but unfortunately, there are a few shortcomings that bear mentioning. The first and most disappointing is the wimpy 3.2 megapixel sensor and lack of RAW mode. At a top resolution of 2048x1536 (pixels), the S1 is practically useless for blowing up large photos. So if you are a landscape or architectural photographer who likes to enlarge your pictures, you would do better to look elsewhere.

Even so, the low resolution could be tolerated if the S1 performed well in other areas, such as high speed action photography. Unfortunately, it once again falls short of the mark. In our tests, we found that shooting at ISO 400 produced very ugly noise. This is the same when shooting at high shutter speeds; once again, the unwanted noise. See the illustration below for an example of noise at varying ISO settings. All images are 100 percent crops.


ISO 50


ISO 100


ISO 200


ISO 400



As you can see from the illustration, the noise level at ISO 400 is horrible. The shots were a section of fence taken in the morning, so lighting was adequate. At night, expect noise to be even more apparent.

Lastly, the S1 suffers from irritating focusing issues. Especially at high zooms and close-ups, it is sometimes impossible to achieve focus on automatic. Fortunately, the S1 has a manual focus capability, but many photo opportunities are not going to wait for you to achieve focus manually before disappearing.

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Article Navigation Introduction PowerShot S1 IS Kit Contents Official Specifications Design Layout Functionality – The Good Functionality – The bad Conclusion

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