Strengths: Uses AA batteries - rechargeable batteries last a long time. A large number of features and modes. Full manual for those who want it. Easy access to most controls.

Weaknesses: The lens cap pops off too easily. I can see why they did this but it is a bit irritating. Exposures on dark images are grainy. Raw would be nice but exposure bracketing mostly makes up for it's lack.

Summary: I use this camera to shoot a lot of High Dynamic Range images. It's exposure bracketing makes this easy. Do be aware that some of the versions sold in the big box stores are somewhat crippled in their options. My mother wanted to start working with HDR photography and went to a major retailer, the same place where I bought mine 5 months earlier, to check out the various cameras available. The S5 IS cameras they had in stock did NOT have exposure bracketing available. We went to a camera store and the version they had did have the exposure bracketing. The problem was that there was no indication on the box that the camera versions were different. Would I recommend this camera to others? Definitely yes. The 12X zoom is very nice. The videos it shoots at 640x480 are very sharp and clean. Realistically, for the money spent I could not expect to get a better camera. The sample shots here are processed HDR shots.

Strengths: Great Lens, DIGIC III Processor, Good Flash, Great LCD

Weaknesses: Lens cover and cumbersome switch on-off button. No rechargeable/charger provided and bad battery life.

Summary: Overall its okay as a camera...mine was an impulsive buy but I repent now that I did not check for another still better camera from NIKON COOLPIX P80 model for almost similar price but far better features. Please reader you do not do the same mistake as mine. It has 18x optical zoom and 10.1 MP lens plus rechargeable batteries and more.....

Strengths: -Excellent pics in "P" mode at ISO80, with Vivid Color Mode-Decent zoom-BEST video mode for cameras in this price range-Full manual controls for those willing to indulge in that-Add-ons

Weaknesses: -Low light limitation incl weak flash-Noisy at more than ISO200-No wide angle lens

Summary: I bought this during a special at Dell ($286 with 2GB mem card combo) and this was after I bought and returned the Panasonic Z18 from CCity.After 3 weeks of ownership, I stay firm with my decision! The canon S5 is the most versatile camera under $300 and with the ability of add-ons like Macro, PL, UV lens/filters, the results are endless.While I liked the Z18 for its wide-lens and high zoom, anything higher than ISO80 were noisy. That camera suffered from low-light shooting too but it was worse than the S5. The video quality is also nowhere as good as the S5.IF you download the CHKD hack, then you will more options open up to you but I'm perfectly happy with the defaults for now.And, STAY AWAY FROM AUTO MODE!!!! U'll be disappointed and will bad mouth the camera even though its not the camera's fault. Use the Program mode, ISO 80, Vivid color mode and the camera wont let you down...I guarantee you that. Here's a photo of the Golden Gate bridge that I took with my S5 last weekend.Hope this helpsSS

Strengths: I love everything about it, specially the 12x zoom. I was able to video and take pictures for my son't graduation even though I was very far away.

Weaknesses: I have it for 2 months now and I have not found any weaknesses yet.

Summary: I've been looking for a good camera for the past 5 years within this price range but I always ended up selling them or giving them away but now I am so thrilled because this is the best camera I have. I highly recommend it!!

Strengths: - Amazing picture quality- More than enough options for a photography enthusiast- Great features between a point-and-shoot and slr but only at PS prices

Weaknesses: - none if you get the right stuff (i.e. get rechargable batteries, and a highspeed sd card)

Summary: This is my third digital camera, and first canon. The first 2 were sony's (s75 and w70) and I absolutely love this canon. I keep my w70 (compact) for casual/fun shots like at parties. I've only owned my s5 for ~3 weeks. I was considering the s5 or the G9. But price was the main determinant for me, I got the s5 for $273+tax when it was on sale. And I'm not a pro, not by a long shot. I only know to try to adjust the exposure value.I only bought it the day before leaving for a amsterdam/belgium vacation. It was very easy to use (having not read the manual). Don't make the mistake I did, get yourself rechargable batteries. I put in regular energizers and it gave me low battery warning after ~80 shots (I was using the lcd too). I went and bought the energizer lithium ion batteries and used the viewfinder mainly (occasionally using the lcd screen) and got another 500 shots without the battery going out.I got beautiful shots. So happens my friend had a G9 and comparing our amateurish pictures, I couldn' tell the difference. The 12x optical zoom is really nice! Especially coupled with image stabilization (I did not have a tripod with me, but little tricks I learnt - like stabilizing my camera holding arm against a wall or lamppost helps).It's true, the lenscap does come off very easily (actually that helps when my other had is full and I can turn on the camera with one hand - probably shouldn't do it too often though). But it's not really a problem, if it happens it's usually only when I'm taking it out of the camera bag (which is fine since I'm intending to take pictures anyways).All in all, it's the best camera I've ever had. Amazing picture quality and enough options for a photography enthusiast but non-professional. And at the price of pointandshoot cameras, it's a great buy!

Strengths: Comes with 12x optical - full 48x zoom,lots of scene options,color swap and color accent and many more which i have never seen in a camera b4,recording with stereo sound ,and one touch movie button.

Weaknesses: a bit of noise in low lighting and high iso ...no biggy unless you love taking pictures at night.

Summary: If You are a professional photographer ..great camera on the side..if you are just starting out or want a cheaper Awesome camera absolutely get this camera You will Love it ...I guarantee it ..I knw i did. :-)))))

Strengths: -Great video quality stereo sound-Incredible pic quality-Uses standard AA batteries!-Supports SDHC format-Supports audio notes on stored images-customizable sounds for camera functions-

Weaknesses: -No RAW image support-No rechargible batteries or charger included

Summary: Best combination of features and quality in its price range. If you are shopping in this range, you won't do better than this. May come close, or match... but not better!You may hear that the lens cover comes off too easily. Nonsense! It's not like it falls off by simply moving the camera around or turning it over. It stays on unless you bump it or take it off. And consider this: It covers a lens that extends outward from the camera body every time you turn on the camera. And sooner or later you will forget to remove the cover before you turn on the camera, And when this happens the cover simply pops off, with no strain or damage to the zoom lens or the tiny gears inside. Clever!Also. I ordered from Buydig.com on Wed 1/9/08 using free 7-9 day delivery. Received via Fed-Ex on SAT afternoon 1/12. SAT Delivery? Wow! And the Fed-Ex guy apologized for not getting to me sooner in the day. What a great experience so far. About memory- Order a min of 2GB... for the price, less is just not worth it. Also, have a backup plan. If you order an 8, 16 or 32 GB card just for the convenience of having 1 card that will outlive all your needs... consider what happens if it fails or is lost when you are traveling. You are basically out of film! And, you may lose massive amounts of pictures/irreplaceable memories. Consider several 2 or 4 GB memory cards instead... or an 8GB and one or two 2 GB cards. Have a backup plan! One more thing on memory- the SDHC cards are HIGH MEMORY CAPACITY - and not necessarily high speed! Meaning, you can get a "regular" SD 2GB card that may be WAY faster (time it takes for the camera to store images to and retrieve images from the card) than a 4, 8, 16 or 32 GB SDHC card. Speed is an important factor in determining how quickly you can take one picture after another. Why get a nice fast camera and then slow it way down with a slow memory card. Search the web and understand the diff between speed and storage capacity. Buying two or more nice 2 or 4GB 133x speed or 150x speed cards may be what you really want, rather than a single and possibly slower high-capacity card. And dont forget that having only one card puts all your eggs in one basket. That could be hundreds or thousands of eggs (pictures) depending on the card and picture quality settings! And for Pete?s sake.... get decent rechargeable batteries! And make sure they are at least 2700mAh NiMH batteries. And, equally as important as the batteries (perhaps MORE important) is that you get a good charger! DO YOUR RESEARCH!

Strengths: 12x optical zoomcanon brandlight weight

Weaknesses: bulky look

Summary: This is an amazing camera with all the features enabled. 12x optical zoom is great for distant pictures. Even though it looks bulky (bcos of zoom) it is light weight and ergonomic.

Strengths: great image stabilization, photo quality is the best, user friendly, ability to attach an additional flash, lcd panel swivel

Weaknesses: the lens cap comes off easily and too sensitive in power detection of the batteries

Summary: upgrade to this camera from a top name brand point-and-shoot camera that is 3 years old. the image stabilization works superbly. even though i have shaky hands, the pictures all turn out beautifully "stable". i love the indoor mode, the color turns out as they are in real live. my previous camera could not do so.the automatic settings on the camera are user friendly even without having to refer to the manual. the manual settings needs practice and patience. tried taking Chicago's night view from the bar at the top of John Hancock Building with the manual setting and it turn out pretty good (of course taken into consideration of numerous take and me being a novice). this is so much better than any camera i have used (mine and my friends). however, under manual setting, i have to set it on the table so that the pictures are not blurry (i have shaky hands).the lcd is very clear and displays true colors and it can swivel to face front; very convenient especially when taking group photos with timer (less running and more time to pose :) ).all in all, i would definitely purchase this again in a heart beat and would recommend friends to purchase this camera.

Strengths: camera is great for all around, good quality pics that when printed off on printer can t tell difference of this and prints at a print shop

Weaknesses: not a whole lot

Summary: i would recommend this camera to anyone looking for above average photos with great zoom. great for someone looking for a good quality picture but not the the expensive price. love this camera, very nice.

Strengths: 12x optical zoom, face AF

Weaknesses: not much of an improvement from S3 IS

Summary: I bought this S5 IS as an upgrade to my S3IS. I didn't expect this to be much of an upgrade, but I tried it out in a retail camera store, and verify that the AF is better than before, esp. at full zoom. I already have a DSLR for pictures, and I am using this only for its video capability. Would not recommend it as an upgrade to the S3, but I think it's worth it for me, just for the improved AF when zoomed in, during video recording.

Strengths: The zoom, small size, and color accuracy

Weaknesses: indoor picures (lowlight pictures = noise) are it's only real weakness here

Summary: Well first I should say that the only other camera I've owned in the last tree years is the Sony f828, so I'm basing my review against that. I wanted a change because that camera was too big and heavy for casual use.The Canon S5 camera is a lightweight plastic camera with an excellent zoom range. Outdoors it performs very well with wonderful true colors and way too many option to list. Infact I would say there is a steep learning curve for a novice, or someone new to the canon format. I fall into both of those categories. Most of the buttons have more than one use and that use changes between shooting mode or playback mode. Bottom line if this is your first canon purchase plan to spend sometime learning how to use it. As for indoor photos, well few cameras will do great, and this one is no exception. You must use flash or a tripod to keep the image sharp (more important when using the zoom). The IS stabilization feature works, but not like you'd think, the camera still needs to be steady. A bounce flash would be a great addition for indoor pictures, but cost can be the same as the camera!!I think the biggest canon S5 'plus' for me is how accurate the auto white balance is, and how true the colors seem.As for the lens cap falling off, I for one am very happy it comes off easily (very easily) twice now I forgot to remove it when powered on (which makes the lens zoom out). If it had stayed on, I really think the camera would have been damaged. Bottom line I think this is a great camera with lots of fun options.

Strengths: Sharp photos, fast shutter, excellent video

Weaknesses: Low light indoor photos are blurry without flash. Optical zoom is 12X compared to Sony H7 and H9

Summary: I really like Canon digital camera. I have owned Canon G1, G2, G3, G5, G6, S2, and S3. Compared to the G series, the S series has super optical zoom. This is a big plus. The shutter speed is also excellent. On the other hand, when shooting indoor photos, I constantly get sharp photos using any of my G series cameras while the S3/5 can take very blurry photos if flash is off. The S5 also has very decent video. For my G1, I can only shoot 30s video while S5 is almost no limit. So whenever I shoot indoor photos, I still use my G3 or G6 (I sold my G1, G2, and G5). When I go outside, I just take the S5 so I can take photos or decent videos.

Strengths: Everything

Weaknesses: Lack of lens attachments of a DSLR

Summary: Almost Perfect Camera! Movies are easy to film with this camera and Pictures are even easier. User friendly and intiative interface makes it easy for a beginer to use. Takes any type of normal SD card and takes perfect pics with built in IS image stablelizer, perfect camera!

Strengths: Excellent quality photos, ability to go from super macro to 12x zoom almost instantaneously

Weaknesses: Noisy in low light

Summary: I'm a huge fan of Canon cameras. I started with the A85; within a year I got the PowerShot S2 IS and now, needing more MP to permit good-quality prints after some cropping, got the S5 IS. I couldn't be more pleased. I prefer the viewfinder to the LCD screen, but it's neat that it's a bit larger now, and that it articulates is helpful in situations where I must shoot something from an odd angle.I haven't gotten an external flash yet but like that I can, and will.I knew from reading pre-purchase reviews that shots above 400 ISO would be noisy, and they are, and I wouldn't shoot above that except for record shots.The manual is well written and easy to understand, but sometimes one needs assistance from a live person and one of the other reasons I like Canon is its easily accessible toll-free tech support service. Helpful people are almost just moments away. I have rarely if ever waited more than a few minutes for one to answer the phone.