Canon Powershot S1 IS

[Rogaine]

OK.....

I'm fairly new here and have searched for any information on this camera and really didn't find much. I am new to underwater photography and have learned so much just by reading past posts but would still like to see if anyone has any information/experience for this camera. It seems like a pretty decent camera for both underwater and land.

Can anyone provide me with some firsthand knowledge or experience?

I found a pretty dang good price on the camera and yes there is a housing available for it (YEAH)......

Thanks all

 

[sprain]

I am using the S1. I would say it's pretty decent, but a strobe would help nicely (it always does!). The zoom is no use unless you have a macro lens attached.

The downside is the low mp count. Means you are limited in how you can crop the picture and still retain the quality.

If you like, you can look at my photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sprain

Have fun!!

 

[Rogaine]

Thanks. A little reassurance is always a good thing

By the way......pics look great.

If you get a chance could you post some pointers and some settings that you like and have used to get some of your photos.

 

[sprain]

Thanks. A little reassurance is always a good thing

By the way......pics look great.

If you get a chance could you post some pointers and some settings that you like and have used to get some of your photos.

Thanks!!

I'll say use Manual all the time. Play around with the settings. Keep taking shots until you find one that works for you. For me, it's usually F5.6 and shutter of around 160-250 thereabouts.

Turn off the IS. It'll speed up focusing and reduce shutter lag I think.

Manual focus might be useful, but I only use it when I have my macro lens attached.

 

[Taxgeek]

I use the S1 IS for video. I never had much luck with it on stills, but I never tried very hard. It takes great video if you are interested in that, you just hafta get a 1g card or larger. I use a couple of Light Cannons for video lights, but you can get by without those if you white balance properly. You can see an 8 minute video I made here.

http://video.mpegnation.com/a001131853488102305120718510.html

 

[Gussy]

sprain...those are very nice pictures!!

Did you use an external strobe and was the camera on wide setting? How far were you from the subject...the hermits and mantis?

 

[sprain]

sprain...those are very nice pictures!!

Did you use an external strobe and was the camera on wide setting? How far were you from the subject...the hermits and mantis?

Thanks!!

Yes, I have an external strobe. The very modest SunPak G-Flash, with extension arm...helps to reduce the backscatter and also let me have a better placement of the lighting.

For the mantis and hermits, I have my lens attachment, and my macro lens screwed on. Didn't zoom in for the mantis, and I think I zoomed in a little for the hermits.

I'm glad the mantis shot came out well, especially the colour. I just love the colour of that shot.

 

[margeka]

This is the camera I currently use for land pics. Where can I purchase a housing and strober kit for it. And how much should I expect to spend

 

[NW_DiverDude]

I use the S1 IS for video...

Thanks so much for sharing your U/W video shot with the S1-IS. Very nicely done! Your editing, transitions, music, subject matter, all very impressive. You sure did see alot of nudibranchs around the Channel Islands and the gathering of Brittle Stars was quite a site.

A couple years ago when I converted from film to digital for my U/W photography I did consider the S1-IS but ended up going with the Canon A75. The most significant factor which dictated this decision was the ability to keep the same housing while being able to upgrade the camera to the A85 in the future should my A75 ever fail and the minimal replacement cost plus resolution increase of the A85 would end up being a win-win solution. The video capability of the Canon A75, A85, and A95 series cameras is pretty good.

What I perceived as an advantage of the S1-IS was the image stabalization which is a benefit for land use but not really for U/W use and since I already have a nice digital setup for land use, I chose to have a dedicated U/W digital camera.

 

[margeka]

I need to get some guidance on the use in manual mode for underwater diving. Got out the directions for shooting pictures in manual mode and am totally lost (dense on camera operation). I purchased this camera for the auto focus features and I wanted the extended zoom operation. Now, we would like to purchase an underwater housing to use it for diving. I don't want to pay $175 for the housing and another $189 for a light kit, if I'm not going to be able to get some guidance. Where/who should I contact?