"Picky Details" for the Canon PowerShot S2IS digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)

Timing

When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time or delay before the shutter actually fires. This corresponds to the time required for the autofocus and autoexposure mechanisms time to do their work, and can amount to a fairly long delay in some situations. Since this number is rarely reported on (and even more rarely reported accurately), and can significantly affect the picture taking experience, I routinely measure both shutter delay and shot to shot cycle times for all cameras I test, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the Canon PowerShot S2IS. (Green-tinted cells highlight areas of notable improvement over the previous S1IS model.):

Power

The Canon PowerShot S2IS uses a four AA batteries for power, and ordinary alkaline batteries are included with the camera. The table below shows the power drain I measured in various operating modes, and the corresponding run times to be expected from a standard set of 1600 mAh NiMH cells.

Really excellent battery life. With a worst-case run time (capture mode, with the rear-panel LCD in use) of just under four hours, the Canon S2IS has much better than average battery life. In playback mode, run time stretches to a bit under 8 hours. (Note too, that these numbers are based on the "standard" 1600 mAh battery capacity that I've referred to since starting these measurements. Modern cells with true capacities of well over 2000 mAh would produce correspondingly longer run times.) Still, it's important to get high-capacity NiMH rechargeable AA cells and a good-quality charger. See my NiMH Battery Shootout page for actual test results for a wide range of cells currently on the market, and read my review of the Maha C-204W NiMH battery charger, to see why it's my current favorite.

Storage Capacity

The Canon PowerShot S2IS stores its photos on SD / MMC memory cards, and a 16 MB card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying at least a 64 MB card, preferably a 128 MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored on the included 32 MB card at each size/quality setting.