What a great little camera! Easy to use the basics, with advanced features available
Pros:
Ease of use. Image quality. Outstanding underwater housing. Uses AA batteries.
Cons:
Shutter lag, especially in IS mode. 1.5 inch screen. Plastic lens extension unit.
The Bottom Line:
This is the PERFECT entry-level digital camera. Its options will allow the beginner to learn and move up rapidly. Excellent instructions and intuitive icons make learning easy.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I bought this camera when my wife and I were on our way to Alaska (summer '05) and I didn't want to carry all the film that my Canon EOS film camera would have demanded.
I was concerned that the "low" resolution would be a problem when I wanted to blow up my photos--but then I thought that over. How often do I make 20x30 prints? 3.2 megapix is more than enough for glistening 4x6 and fills up most computer screens when I email pix.
In short, the camera was more than adequate for anything I needed on the trip, providing me with stunning photos (I had not learned to use the movie mode and so missed the tidewater glaciers calving in motion.).
Easy instructions showed me how to view my days' photos on the cruise ship's TV and weed out the poor ones.
And the BIIG advantage--I had invested another $170 in an underwater housing, which allowed me to use the camera on a raft, on the deck of a boat which took large waves into my face, and on rainy days. The housing gave me watertight protection more than once when I'd have been in tears with a conventional, exposed camera.
I also invested in a wide-angle lens attachment and a set of filters--easy to screw on and useful, although the plastic adapter is of low quality and a bit on the flimsy side. A bit of care and I had no problems.
Since the trip, I have used the camera is a wide variety of instances, getting great "snapshots" of family gathering, some truly outstanding pics of art exhibits (some actually published in a little local newspaper), and action shots of high school sports, which have also found their way into the paper.
I recommend this camera as an entry level digital--as I learn more and more about it (using the aperture-dedicated option, for instance), I respect it more and more as a fine tool.
I will be "moving up" from this camera because I'll be taking more sports pictures for the local paper, and will need the higher speeds and ASA ratings that a high quality SLR digital will offer me. Regardless of my "big" camera, I'll keep the S1 IS handy for the kind of shooting that does not require 1/8000 second or 1600 film speed.
