The Canon Powershot S5 IS

I've had my hands on an S5 IS for about 18 hours now, and after some indoor flash shots around the house last night, the camera accompanied me on an early morning trip to the beach where I was scheduled to shoot a surfer for some promotional material. That 12X zoom provides a 36 to 432mm focal length (35mm equivalent) and lands the S5 IS in the "super" or "ultra" zoom category of point and shoot cameras. If you've ever wondered why anyone might need such a range, perhaps the two beach photos will serve to illustrate: both taken from the same spot, one at fully wide angle and the other zoomed in to the 432mm focal range. The big zoom on the S5 IS allows you to maximize those 8 megapixels by composing shots over a wide range of magnification that can reduce or eliminate the need to crop shots to obtain the look you want.

Wide angle

12x optical zoom

The S5 IS has, at first blush, great color and image quality; it powers on quickly, acquires focus in good lighting conditions fairly quickly and shutter lag once focus is acquired is quite good. Built-in flash performance (range and color) appear good, and the camera's body design makes one-handed shooting a comfortable and secure-feeling exercise. We'll have an in-depth review on the S5 IS soon, but if my half day with the camera is any indication, those of you who opt for an S5 IS won't be sorry.