10x zoom
image stabilizer
crisp, clear images
vibrant colors in photos
Solidly built body will take a beating

large
heavy
slow ( compared to 2007 cameras)

Great camera for the first generation, but lotsa improvements have been made in the S2 and S3

Customer Service

Never needed it for the S!, but my old canon broke, and was past warranty. Canon wanted $150 to fix it, but the camera was only $180 new. Screw that.

Similar Products Used:

Canon A70
Canon 400elph
Panasonic FZ)!

As mentioned above, having a 10x zoom comes in real handy when you want to capture distant objects which at the same time, won't get blurred with the IS function. On top of that, having a 30fps movie mode is great for those candid movie clips at parties,etc.

Lens cap can be a nuisance, but it's no big deal. The LCD screen is a little small and not as crisp (when you compare to the Pro 1).

This was my first digital camera. It was definitely a great camera to start with. It has great functions - such as 10x zoom, IS, and 30fps movie mode. Its ease of use also helps anyone who has no experience with digital cameras learn quickly and have lots of fun too.

Fits hand real well.Light weight.Easy on batteries.

Cant find any yet.

First one I ever owned.I had it up and running in 10 minutes.Printing pictures in 20 minutes.Its not often I hit a home run first time out.

Customer Service

Havent needed it yet.

Similar Products Used:

Never owned one

the 10x stabilized optical zoom ergonomics (well, not for large hands though I'd imagine, but you adapt) zoom speed 35mm versatility lens speed (2.8-3.1) the sheer joy that such a camera provides in allowing you to play and learn (or in my case, relearn) some elements of photography without burning through rolls of film

lens cap plastic body (if this camera were built in the magnesium shell of the new Canon Pro 1, it would be absolutely fantastic!!!!!) price ... a little steep. give it a few months maybe and it will probably go down battery life (not bad at all with rechargeables ... so this isn't really a weakness, but keep in mind)

I recently sold off my Nikon N80 and all my gear to go digital. I'd expected to pick up a D70. However, the job I was buying for fell through, and I was left without a camera, er, except for my olympus XA2. So I decided to pick up a less expensive digital p&s. I checked out a bunch of cameras, the Olympus 5060, the Sony F828, and the Nikon 8700 in particular. But I knew, realistically, that this would be a p&s camera for candid snaps. But oh, how I was regretting my having sold off the Nikon and the zooms I had. I discovered the Canon Powershot S1 IS at a local retailer. I asked the salesperson for a look-see. The body wasn't overly impressive. Neither was the fact that it was only 3.2 mp. But then I knew I didn't really need an 8mp camera, so this wasn't too big an issue. The salesperson had an 8x10 they'd just printed off taken with this camera, and really, it looked just fine. Not that I'd be making 8x10's anyhow. And thanks to Kent Rockwell's site, I kind of think I knew enough not to concern myself too much with the amount of mega pix. So I played around with it. I played with the zoom. And wow. I was amazed by how fast it could be (it doesn't have to be, as you'll see). The AF was fast too. Ergonomically, it fit nicely in my hands. It took cheaper CF1 cards. And cheaper AA rechargeables. This was, by no means a Nikon D70, but I decided then and there that this camera was worth checking out. I've had it for a couple weeks now. I take it hiking for nature shoots. The fast zooming 380mm equiv. stabilized lens is simply terrific. The true selling feature of this camera. The fact that this camera has all the functions of a contemporary AF SLR is also very appealing. Granted, you are generally limited to low ISO levels, but apart from this, I find myself again learning about photography with a camera that allows me to experiment without going through rolls of film. You can do this with a lot of digital cameras of course, but it's terrific to be doing it again regardless. And a terrific camera to be doing it with. And I'm still discovering little features, like the custom effects setting, which is very cool. I like sharpened images. The software isn't as simple as NikonView, but it's good, and contains a noise reduction feature for prints. Actually, the software tries to mimick photoshop, which is kinda cool I guess. Certainly more versatility than NikonView. If you can accept the fact that 3.2 mps are more than adequate for snaps, the plastic construction of the body (which still actually feels solid ... but obviously one should take care), and the lens cap which slides on and off with relative ease, and must be kept attached to the camera strap to prevent loss (it's really the biggest complain I have), this is actually a fun camera. And again, the stabilized 38-380 zoom (more with digital zoom ... but who uses that for prints?)is just terrific. It's such a pleasure to be taking photos again with a camera of such versatility.

Customer Service

none as of yet

Similar Products Used:

Canon A60, Canon A70, Nikon Coolpix 2100, Nikon Coolpix 5700