Features
Inputs and Outputs Notes
Supplied Software

Features

LCD Monitor:  The Canon PowerShot S2 IS has a 1.8" low temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD monitor featuring approximately 115,000 pixels. The monitor is on a hinged panel that swings out from the camera body. Once the monitor is opened fully, it can be swiveled 90° backward or 180° forward. When swiveled 180° forward, the panel can be closed against the camera body with the monitor facing outward. The monitor has a near 100% picture coverage.

LCD Viewfinder: In addition to the LCD monitor, the camera has a 0.33" color LCD viewfinder with approximately 100% coverage. You can change the focus of the viewfinder by turning the diopter dial.

Recording Media: The camera records still images or moving images with stereo audio on SD Memory Cards. Still images are recorded in JPEG, and the movies are recorded in AVI format (Image data: Motion JPEG, Audio data: WAVE (monaural)). A 16MB SD Memory Card is included with the camera.

DIGIC II Image Processor and iSAPS Technology: The PowerShot S2 IS features the DIGIC II Image Processor, designed to improve processing speed and image quality. The DIGIC II processor provides faster camera startup, autofocus, and playback, and assures that every image is more colorful and vibrant. The iSAPS (Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) technology uses an internal database of thousands of photographs to improve focus speed and accuracy, as well as exposure and white balance.

Image Sensor: For optimal image quality, the camera uses a 1/2.5" CCD image sensor with approximately 5.3-million total pixels and 5-million effective pixels.

Image Resolution/Compression: You can choose from the following still image resolutions: Large (2592 x 1944 pixels), Medium 1 (2048 x 1536 pixels), Medium 2 (1600 x 1200 pixels), and Small (640 x 480 pixels). For each resolution, you can set the compression to Superfine, Fine or Normal. Movies can be shot at 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 with a frame rate of 30 or 15 frames per second. Movies can be recorded up to the capacity of the inserted memory card (up to 1GB). The estimated number of still images and length of movies that can be recorded on SD Memory Cards is as follows:

Optics: The camera features a 12x optical zoom lens. The 4x digital zoom extends the telephoto capabilities to a total zoom of 48x.

Optical Image Stabilizing: The Image Stabilizer function allows you to minimize the camera shake which results in blurred images when you shoot distant subjects that have been magnified or when you shoot in dark conditions. You can select "Continuous" stabilization, "Shoot Only" stabilization (active when shutter button pressed all the way), "Panning" stabilization (active when the camera shakes vertically), or Off.

AutoFocus Modes: The camera utilizes TTL (through-the-lens) automatic focusing with two focusing modes:

• Continuous: The camera is constantly focusing wherever it is aimed, even when the shutter button is not pressed.
• Single: The camera only focuses when the shutter button is pressed halfway, conserving battery power.

AF-Assist Beam: The AF-assist beam will sometimes emit when the shutter button is pressed halfway to assist focusing in certain conditions, i.e. dark conditions. The AF-assist beam can be turned off. If animals are your subject, turn off the beam when shooting in the dark to avoid startling them.

Manual Focus: You can select a Manual Focus mode if you want more control, or cannot achieve a good focus automatically. When in the Manual Focus mode, a magnified image appears in a window on the monitor with a linear scale to indicate the approximate focus distance. The focus is adjusted electronically by using the Up and Down buttons until focus is achieved.

Shooting Modes: Using the Mode Dial on the top of the camera, you can select from numerous shooting modes:

• Auto: camera selects the settings according to surroundings and conditions
• Portrait: blurs the background and makes the subject stand out
• Landscape: for shooting spacious landscape scenes
• Night Scene: for capturing human subjects against the backdrop of an evening sky or night scene
• Special Scene: for taking optimal pictures by selecting one of the appropriate shooting mode: Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Indoor, or Night Snapshot
• My Colors: change the colors in an image by altering the balance between blue, green, and red, transforming pale or tanned skin, or changing a specific color before shooting
• Stitch Assist: for taking shots you want to combine into a panorama
• P, Tv, Av, M: These AE modes let you select specific settings manually and allow the camera to adjust other settings:
  • Program AE (P): The camera automatically sets both the aperture and the shutter speed
  • Shutter Speed Priority (Tv): You set the shutter speed, allowing the camera to set the shutter speed.
  • Aperture Priority (Av): You set the aperture, allowing the camera to set the shutter speed.
  • Manual (M): You manually set the aperture and the shutter speed.
• Custom (C): You can save frequently used shooting modes and various shooting settings in the Custom mode.

Focusing Range: The camera features the following focus ranges:

• Normal AF: 1.6' to infinity (wide angle), 3.0' to infinity (tele)

• Macro Mode: 3.9" to 1.6' (wide angle)

• Super Macro Mode: 0" to 3.9" (wide angle)

Auto Rotate Function: The PowerShot S2 IS's Auto Rotate function uses an Intelligent Orientation Sensor to sense whether your images were shot horizontally or vertically. During playback, the camera automatically rotates the image to the correct viewing orientation in the display.

Flash Modes: The PowerShot S2 IS has a built-in flash which can be manually opened or closed as needed. When the flash is open, you can choose whether the flash will fire with every shot or will fire automatically depending on the light level. When closed, the flash will not fire. In the menu, you can select the following flash functions:

• Red-eye Reduction: When activated, the red-eye reduction lamp fires when the flash is used in dark areas. This reduces the light reflecting back from the eyes, making them appear red.

• Slow-Synchro: The flash timing is adjusted to slow shutter speeds. This reduces the chance that only the background will appear dark when a person is photographed against a twilight background or night scene, or when an interior shot is taken.

• Flash Timing: The timing at which the flash fires can be changed to provide different effects:

  • 1st Curtain: The flash fires right after the shutter opens.

  • 2nd Curtain: The flash fires right before the shutter closes.

  • Flash Adjustments: You can set flash adjustments to Automatic or Manual

    • Flash Exposure Compensation: When Flash Adjust is set to Automatic, settings can be adjusted in 1/3-step increments from -2EV to +2EV.

    • Flash Output: In Manual shooting mode, or when Flash Adjust is set to Manual, the flash output can be set to one of three levels.

Flash Exposure Lock (FE Lock): You can lock the flash exposure so the exposure settings are correctly adjusted for a particular portion of the subject.

Photo Effect Modes: You can choose from the following Photo Effect Modes:

• Vivid: emphasizes the contrast and color saturation to record in bold colors

• Neutral: tones down the contrast and color saturation to record neutral hues

• Low Sharpening: records subjects with softened outlines

• Sepia: records images in sepia tones

• B/W: records images in black and white

• Off: records with no effect

Continuous Shooting Mode: You can use this mode to shoot successive frames while the shutter button is fully pressed. In the Standard Continuous Mode, the camera stores approximately 1.5 images per second while the shutter button is held down. In the High-speed Continuous Mode, the camera stores approximately 2.4 shots per seconds. Images may be recorded in continuous mode until the SD Memory card is full. (Shooting speed based on Large image, fine compression setting with LCD Monitor off.)

Interval Shooting: You can shoot images at a set interval to create a series of time-lapsed images. The shooting interval time can be set from 1 to 60 minutes, and 2 to 100 images can be shot. For shooting over an extended period, it is recommended that the camera be connected to an optional AC power adapter (CA-PS700, sold separately).

Metering Modes: You can select from the following metering modes:

• Evaluative Light Metering: used for standard conditions. The area within the frame is divided into several zones and light is measured based on subject position, brightness, direct light and backlighting.

• Center-Weighted Averaging: averages the exposure from the entire image, but places more weight on the subject at the center

• Spot AE Point:

  • Center: meters the area within the spot AE point at the center of the LCD monitor

  • AF Point: meters the spot AF point corresponding to the AF frame

Exposure Compensation: If you are shooting against a bright background or strong backlight, you may need to correct the exposure so that the subject doesn't come out too dark. You can set the adjustments from -2 to +2 in 1/3-step increments.

Locking the Exposure Setting (AE Lock): You can set the exposure and focus separately. This is effective when the contrast is too strong between the subject and background, or when a subject is backlit.

White Balance: You can choose from the following white balance settings:

• Auto: the camera sets the white balance automatically according to shooting conditions

• Daylight: for recording outdoors on a bright day

• Cloudy: for recording under overcast, shady or twilight skies

• Tungsten: for recording under tungsten and bulb-type 3-wavelength fluorescent lighting

• Fluorescent: for recording under warm-white, cool-white or warm-white (3-wavelength) fluorescent lighting

• Fluorescent H: for recording under daylight fluorescent, or daylight fluorescent-type (3-wavelength) fluorescent lighting

• Flash: for recording with the flash

• Custom: allows you to manually set the white balance and store the settings

ISO Speed: The ISO speed can be set to 50, 100, 200, 400, or Auto.

Long Shutter Mode: You can set the shutter speed to a slower setting to make dark subjects appear brighter. You can choose from the following long shutter speeds (in seconds): 1, 1.3, 1.6, 2, 2.5, 3.2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 13, and 15. Note: The camera applies special noise-reduction processing to images shot at shutter speeds slower than 1.3 seconds, thereby producing high-quality images.

Self-Timer: The self-timer starts when the shutter button is pressed. The delay time can be set to 10 seconds, 2 seconds, or Custom Timer. The Custom Timer allows you to choose the timer delay setting: 1-10, 15, 20, or 30 seconds for up to 10 shots.

Editing Movies: The Edit function in the movie control panel enables you to cut unwanted portions at the start or the end of a movie clip.

Sound Memos: You can attach sound memos (up to 60 seconds) to an image while in the replay mode.

Sound Only Recording: You can record sound only, without images, for up to two hours or the available time on the memory card (if less).

Slide Show: Images stored on an SD Memory card can automatically be displayed one-by-one using the Slide Show function. You can display all the stored images or you can customize up to 3 separate slide shows. Up to 998 images can be marked per custom slide show. You can also set the amount of time each image is displayed in a slide show. You can choose 3-10 seconds, 15 seconds, 30 seconds, or Manual. In addition, the repeat function allows you to repeat a slide show after it has finished.

Index Replay: This feature allows you to view nine images at once on the LCD monitor so that you can search for an image quickly.

Image Magnification: When viewing a still picture in Single Image Replay mode, you can magnify the image 2.5x, 5x, or 10x.

Rotating Images: You can rotate an image by 90 or 270 degrees clockwise in the LCD monitor.

Protecting Images: The protect feature allows you to protect important images from accidental erasure.

Power Requirements: The Canon PowerShot S2 IS is powered by 4 "AA" alkaline batteries (supplied). You can also use optional Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) rechargeable batteries. For long periods of continuous use, or when connected to a computer, it is recommended that the camera be connected to the optional CA-PS700 Compact Power Adapter (available from the manufacturer). The typical performance of the batteries are as follows: