Product Reviews
PowerShot S2 IS
The PowerShot S2 IS is ready for action! With high resolution, an exceptionally long and superbly engineered zoom, sophisticated movie capabilities and an exciting array of shooting options, this camera can more than handle the busiest lifestyles.
Average Customer Rating:
3.6
out of 5
14 out of 27(52%)customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for PowerShot S2 IS
Review 1 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Nickname: Dan
Location: Pittsburg, CA
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
No online manual
Date: January 23, 2010
Pros: good battery life, durable, Lightweight/Portable
Cons: Complicated controls/menu, no online manual
The biggest problem, when you are in pinch there is no easy online manual.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
Review 2 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Nickname: dkchef
Location: Michigan
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Best camera short of an SLR
Date: January 4, 2010
Pros: Good Low-Light Performance, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, durable, Bright LCD, big lens lets in lots of light and color
Cons: Short battery life
Fantastic shots in or outside. Fantastic features. Picture taken in large superfine setting at the Zoo of in the wild produce photos good enough for National Geographic. Shutter button once mastered acts a lot like an SLR. Best camera for the money forget the 8 pixel slim teenie bopper camera. Perfect fit for iphoto on Macs.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
Review 3 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Nickname: sipppp
Location: UT
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes
Great Camera!
Date: December 19, 2009
Pros: excellent image quality
Cons: Heavy/Bulky
So happy with this camera. Got it on a good deal and it has been very solid. Great pictures.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
Review 4 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
1
out of
5
Price/Value
2
out of
5
Quality
1
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Nickname: madmom
Location: kimberly, wi
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: No
Date: December 19, 2009
Cons: Short battery life
I bought this about 3 years ago and have had several issues with it. I had purchased a maintence plan with the store I purchased it from, but it was never resolved. The processor has gone bad and this isn't the first in the series to have a recall, but this one doesn't have one.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
Review 5 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Nickname: Mike
Location: Michigan
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: No
3 years and 3000 pictures later
Date: December 12, 2009
I've been delighted with this camera. I read some comments below. Indeed, get youself the Lithium batteries. They work awesomely, and the extra cost is justified. I have a 1 gig card, and I've never filled it even though I choose settings that take up more space; though I am fairly diligent in downloading them. I thought my LED went one time. There's a little button DISP just to the right of the display. I must have toggled it off.
Share this Review:
Review 6 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Nickname: Fast E
Location: Cocoa, Florida
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Best Camera Ever
Date: November 10, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life, durable, it is 4 to 5 years old and still going strong!
I bought this camera in 2004 or 2005. I have put this camera thru twelve yards of you know where. I have banged it around in my boat, submerged it in water, and I am not talking about a quick in and out either. I use the heck out of this camera and it continues to perform beautifuly. I see alot of comments about battery life. Has anybody heard about lithioum batteries they work great in this camera. I get about 3 months use before I have to replace the batteries. I shoot a couple of 1 gig cards full of duck hunting videos,switch cards and shoot 50 to 100 pictures all in one trip. This camera is the greatest camera I have ever owned. About the only thing I don't like is the the LED light on the front of the camera. It tends to spook the game that I film as it is walking or flying in, but that is nothing that some tape can't fix.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
Review 7 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Nickname: Honyonker
Location: Rural South Dakota
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Product replacement: Yes
Great "user friendly" Camera
Date: November 8, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, Lightweight/Portable, durable
Cons: Short battery life, lcd hard to see in bright sunlight
This is a great camera for my work (home Appraiser) and personal use. The only thing that I wished it had was a wider angle lens and the buttons not near my fat thumb that can sometimes cause deleating of the last picture. The Cannon Company is outstanding in repairing the camera when there is a rare problem and under warranty.
Share this Review:
Review 8 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
1
out of
5
Price/Value
1
out of
5
Quality
1
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Nickname: Nani KK
Location: Sarasota
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: No
Poor Quality, overshadow features
Date: October 11, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance
Cons: Flimsy Construction, card reader issues do not buy!, "memory card error"
The PowerShot S2 IS is ready for action and shortly start with the "Memory Card Error" messages!!!
I recievied this item as a wedding gift. It has great features and is easy to use. However, Canon does not want to admit it. This model has a strong and constant issues with the memory card reader!!!!! This Canon Model fails completely on this part, I have purchased numerous cards, that work on other Canons and other cameras. However, just search/query on the internet!!! numerous complaints about this model and its constant "Memory Card Error" messages, Canon does not want people to know this is a LEMON camera.
3 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
Review 9 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
2
out of
5
Price/Value
1
out of
5
Quality
2
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Nickname: Photo Nut
Location: Greensboro, NC
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: No
Not pleased - LCD/ Viewfinder dead
Date: October 3, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu
Cons: Missing features/settings, Dim LCD, Short battery life, Flimsy Construction, no portrait setting, poor sports image capture
I have taken excellent care of my camera, so I am less than pleased about the LCD/Viewfinder being dead on my camera. The camera failed me at a very important event involving one of my children that I can never get back. This was my first "higher-end" digital camera. My other camera was a point-and-shoot version by another manufacturer and lasted for 5 years with absolutely no problems before my husband dropped and broke it in a fall. For the amount of money I spent on this camera and the special care I took of it, I am SO disappointed in it's mechanical quality. I will purchase another brand next time.
16 of 19 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
Review 10 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Nickname: Anonymous
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Easy to use
Date: October 3, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD
Cons: Poor Low-Light Performance, Short battery life
I bought this camera moving from the G series to the S series. I carry a DSLR and like to carry a point/shoot. The macro feature on this camera was weak compared to my G series. This camera has quite a bit of noise. Having to deal with AA batteries was a bit of pain. Once I'm in the market again I'll go back to G series. This camera is easy to use & has a great zoom. Not recommended for heavy users.
Share this Review:
Review 11 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
2
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Nickname: Dover
Location: Dover, DE
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: No
Not Mac Compatible
Date: September 5, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, Lightweight/Portable, durable
Cons: Short battery life, lens cover, not mac compatible
I bought this camera in 06. It took great quality pics. I upgraded my computer to a mac ('09) & found I wouldn't be able to use the camera because there are no drivers to support mac os for this model. I had to get a new camera.. I would have to agree with the short battery life. It was killing my batteries so I wasn't that upset to have to purchase a new camera. The cover for the lens doesn't stay on well- it just keeps falling off. I did, however, buy another newer model Cannon Powershot and it works beautifully with Mac OS.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
Review 12 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
1
out of
5
Price/Value
1
out of
5
Quality
1
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Nickname: valley girl
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: Yes
disapointed
Date: September 4, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance
Cons: Short battery life
I really liked the camera for the first year. I can now only take about 10 pictures before the batteries run down. I am very disapointed with the camera now. If the issue with the battery life can be fixed it would be a wonderful camera.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
Review 13 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Nickname: Maine girl
Location: Chesterfield, VA
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: No
I Love This Camera
Date: September 3, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality
I have had this camera since Christmas 2005 and have been very happy with the quality of the photos and the ease of use. I take lots of action shots, and the outdoor action shots come out great. I still haven't found a good setting for taking good indoor action shots. Anyhow, I got the black screen problem a few months ago and after reading about it on the internet I thought my camera was done :( Just for the heck of it I contacted Canon support to see if they would fix it.....and they did!! They had me send my camera in with a prepaid label that they sent me and when they checked it out, they offered to fix it for free and they sent it back to me in less than 1 week. I will be a Canon customer for life. Thanks Canon for the great customer service!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
Review 14 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
2
out of
5
Satisfaction
2
out of
5
Nickname: kace
Location: texas
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: No
Hmm.
Date: August 20, 2009
Cons: Poor image quality, Heavy/Bulky
I guess this is a good camera, for close shots. It has a 12x zoom, but if you zoom in that amount, the picture quality is horrible due to only having 5 mgp. I wouldnt get it again if it were free!
2 of 11 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
Review 15 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Nickname: tel
Location: OH
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes
Love my camera
Date: June 12, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, durable
Cons: Poor Low-Light Performance, Heavy/Bulky
I love my camera. I use it for scrapbooking. I get compliments on my beautiful pictures all of the time. Many people ask what kind of camera I have and I always recommend it to everyone. It is easy to use and I am very happy with it. It gets heavy on my neck if I wear it a long time, but the results are worth it. I would buy it again. I have had it about 3 years and I am extremely satisfied.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
Review 16 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Nickname: jewelryjen
Location: Kansas
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: No
Great value
Date: June 11, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, durable
Cons: Heavy/Bulky, Short battery life
I bought this camera several years ago and have been exceedingly pleased with it. I researched a long time to find a camera that could take great everyday pictures, including a great zoom ability, as well as great close-ups since I make jewelry in my spare time. It is very difficult to find a camera that does both well but this camera does both and so much more. I've used the video feature countless times and everyone who has ever used my camera says they need to get one just like it. I'm not an expert but I can take professional quality pictures with out having to switch lenses or take a class to work my camera. It's extremely user friendly. Once in a while you end up with a slightly blurry picture but it's always because you forgot to change the setting to 'cloudy day' or something very simply and easy to correct. You see your pictures right there on the screen and can edit and delete those you aren't happy with (which won't be many). Really, I can't say enough great things about it. I am not easy on my cameras either, they go everywhere with me on vacation and I've dropped mine more than once with no issues whatsoever. I also love that the LCD pivots in just about any direction so you can take pictures of things above you, upside down, take pictures of yourself on vacation etc. It does eat up the batteries a bit in video mode but so what, pack extra or use the good quality lithium ion batteries and no worries. It is slightly bulky but it more than pays off to lug it around. When you get home and you can blow up your vacation picture to an 11"X13" with perfectly crisp definition you'll be glad you carried it around. *If you don't read the manual or try out the controls you might think it has poor low-light performance but you just need to put it on the proper setting; just a twist of the dial. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine!
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
Review 17 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Nickname: wasyed
Location: Bridgeport, CT.
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Product replacement: No
Excellent Camera even after 4 years
Date: May 31, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, good battery life
Cons: Dim LCD
I have had this camera since its release back in 2005. Bought it a month after it has released and now its may 2009 and the camera still amazes me. Although I am more into SLRs than this camera, I enjoy this one greatly. To this date I have taken 16,918 pictures along with a few short videos. I have to say this was an incredible investment and Canon always amazes me with the features that can come for great prices.
some of my highlights about the camera:
*low light performance is fairly good and decent at lower speeds/sensitivity
*400 iso does contain some noise but less noticeable in good light, nothing that software cannot correct.
*iso 200 contains little noise barely noticeable and excellent in low light
*iso 100 seems to be the sweet spot, no noticeable noise in the images and has excellent detailed pictures
*iso 50 gives superb detail in the pictures when selected, great for use in good lighting of course and obviously not good in low light conditions.
*amazing optical zoom at 12x for the price.
*excellent video performance especially for its time the camera was released in.
*continuous shooting mode is very very impressive especially on the high continuous setting
*image stabilization is great especially for shaky hands like mine.
*small lcd compared to other camera however the flexibility of being able to move around the lcd does make up for it by far.
*Battery life is pretty good, of course be sure to get batteries with good recharging and higher mAh density
*macro and super macro that allows focusing even when the object is directly in front of the lens... WOW now this is great focusing capability.
*menus are very easy to navigate through and layout works perfectly, theres even a shortcut button that allows you to set it to a number of things. I have mine set to change sensitivity speeds.
*some of the fun features of the camera are great to play around with such as color swap and color accent.
*no rechargeable battery supplied but they do use standard AA batteries (x4) but this is a pro for me because I have AA rechargeables I use for the camera and if the battery depletes I have the flexibility to use standard AA batteries from a nearby store as emergency.
*a little bit of purple fringing does occur sometimes but I think I noticed more when light is too bright.
*Bright light tends to over expose
some of my highlights about the camera:
*low light performance is fairly good and decent at lower speeds/sensitivity
*400 iso does contain some noise but less noticeable in good light, nothing that software cannot correct.
*iso 200 contains little noise barely noticeable and excellent in low light
*iso 100 seems to be the sweet spot, no noticeable noise in the images and has excellent detailed pictures
*iso 50 gives superb detail in the pictures when selected, great for use in good lighting of course and obviously not good in low light conditions.
*amazing optical zoom at 12x for the price.
*excellent video performance especially for its time the camera was released in.
*continuous shooting mode is very very impressive especially on the high continuous setting
*image stabilization is great especially for shaky hands like mine.
*small lcd compared to other camera however the flexibility of being able to move around the lcd does make up for it by far.
*Battery life is pretty good, of course be sure to get batteries with good recharging and higher mAh density
*macro and super macro that allows focusing even when the object is directly in front of the lens... WOW now this is great focusing capability.
*menus are very easy to navigate through and layout works perfectly, theres even a shortcut button that allows you to set it to a number of things. I have mine set to change sensitivity speeds.
*some of the fun features of the camera are great to play around with such as color swap and color accent.
*no rechargeable battery supplied but they do use standard AA batteries (x4) but this is a pro for me because I have AA rechargeables I use for the camera and if the battery depletes I have the flexibility to use standard AA batteries from a nearby store as emergency.
*a little bit of purple fringing does occur sometimes but I think I noticed more when light is too bright.
*Bright light tends to over expose
I guess my review can go on and on. Im fortunate enough not to run into the black screen problem people are talking about. even after 4 years and 16,000+ pictures its been working really well for me.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
Review 18 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Nickname: Nessie
Have thoroughly enjoyed
Date: February 3, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance
Cons: Short battery life
I am a non professional that gets compliments constantly on the quality of my pictures. If the guide is used, all the features are easy to use. At the moment I am only disturbed by the battery usage & I'm hoping it can be repaired.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
Review 19 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Nickname: shuddles
Location: Medford, OR
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: Yes
Black Screen of Death fix
Date: January 24, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, good battery life
Cons: Complicated controls/menu, Heavy/Bulky, black screen but fixed
I have had this camera for three years. It was the first "advanced" point and shoot we purchased. We have been very satisfied with the camera until a couple weeks ago when I got the dreaded black screen of death. Believe it or not there is an entire website dedicated to this problem. Search for canon s2 troubleshooting and you will find the site. The fix is to do the following. Set you dial on top to TV. Once you are there set the exposure to 1/15. The way to do this is to click the dial on the back of the camera to the left. There is a fraction listed at the bottom of the screen towards the left. As you click you will see the fraction reduce. Stop at 1/15. Then, take a picture, count to seven and then open the battery door and remove batteries. Put them back in and turn the camera back on. Not sure how someone figured this out, but after trying this once, it worked. For others on the site I found it took an hour. The issue is a stuck iris. Overall, we have been very pleased with this camera and with the black screen fixed, we are still satisfied.
50 of 53 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
Review 20 for PowerShot S2 IS
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
2
out of
5
Satisfaction
2
out of
5
Nickname: Larry
Location: Houston, TX
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes
Good While It Lasted Redux
Date: January 10, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life
Cons: Poor Low-Light Performance, black screen of death, hard to use lens fllters
Same boat as other reviewers. Two plus years of very satisfying use and then the "Black-check your batteries-Screen of Death". I can only hope that someone at Canon will figure out that there is really something systematically wrong. I took a lot of very good pictures with this camera and I was very happy with it.
10 of 11 people found this review helpful.
Share this Review:
