Great Camera - Many Many Options

First a little history on my Digital Camera experience….

I have owned 4 Digital Cameras over the past 3 years…..

Originally I started out with a Canon Digital ELPH S200, I loved the features and compact nature, but was left really unsatisfied with the indoor flash capabilities. Couldn’t beat the size though…

Traded up to the S300 which was a bit more money, but was hoping to gain on the flash…

Pretty much same results, so I at last traded up to the Canon G1 (This all happened in about the first month)

The G1’s flash was much better than the others, but still limited in indoor environments…but this also had a lot to do with my inexperience with cameras….

I ended up buying an external flash for the G1 and lenses, etc. then used it happily for the past 2 years…. Great Camera, but with everything I had for it I was getting tired of lugging everything around….

So (Getting to the S1) after having more experience with digital cameras and the settings, etc. I started looking into the “super zoom” cameras that were coming out.

Not I didn’t spend a lot of time comparing to other cameras, as I am fairly partial to Canon, but I did go down to the local Camera shop to looks at others…..

Kodak, Minolta, Panasonic and Olympus were contenders…

Kodak – felt and seemed cheap, was ruled out in minutes…
Panasonic – Very nice, better zoom, nicely built, but media was SD
Olympus – Again Very nice, but media was XD

I finally decided on the Canon based on the feel of the camera, the main features (THAT I WOULD USE), and media type and batteries.

I prefer compact flash media because of cost, availability and sizes available….

Overall Performance – Great camera for everyday use, extremely exceptional for outside use, still has a few issues with low light focusing, but easy to work around and use (Just set your setting manually and go…)

Favorite Features – Image Stabilization, Video, ability to control onboard flash intensity and ZOOM…..

Pictures turn out very nice once you have had some time to play with the camera. And I really recommend doing this. Gather all of your media and go on a photo-shoot! Doesn’t have to be anything fancy just try to get yourself into different type scenarios were you can take a wide variety of pictures, then experiment with settings…..

Digital Cameras are a lot of fun and can take really nice photos but don’t wait till the trip of a lifetime to try to get to know the camera! Do it ahead of time so that when you want to take photos for keepsakes you are confident that they will turn out.

Another key feature of this camera is the video mode. With quality that is comparable to a Mini-DV camcorder! I haven’t used mine since getting the camera and have seriously considered selling it and getting a portable storage device to go along with the camera (As videos are quite large) And buying 20 large capacity compact flash cards doesn’t seem really sensible. But the video quality is very good.

If your looking for an overall great camera with a wide flexibility in photo capabilities, that is pretty compact, doesn’t require a case load of accessories, can be expanded to underwater shooting, then definitely have a look at the Canon S1!

Just keep in mind that this isn’t meant to be a professional level SLR Digital Camera, nor is it priced like that! The rebel would be a better choice for someone wanting those capabilities.

More mega-pixels would be nice but wasn’t critical to me as we have only ever wanted to have something blown up to an 8 x 10, and it looks great with this camera.

The new S2 which is the successor to this camera has more pixels, zoom, etc and would be better suited for somebody wanting even more, but you can expect to pay another $200-$300 for it!...

The S1 can be picked up for some great prices right now, and is highly recommended.

I have let several friends and family use my Camera, and 3 have since picked up a S1 (two had other digital cameras that were just fine, that they traded against or sold to get the S1, the other never had a digital at the time)

They also all love theirs….

My brother opted for the cheaper, smaller A85, and now is looking to trade-up to a S1…

They are a great little camera….