Canon S5 IS Performance

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Canon PowerShot S5 IS Performance

Timing and Performance

About average, in some cases slower than average, speed for a consumer camera.

Mode switching
Startup/Shutdown
Power on to first shot	1.3 seconds	Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy.
Shutdown	1.4 seconds	How long it takes to retract lens.
Buffer clearing time	1.5 seconds (buffer clearing after LSF JPEG shot)	Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.
Play to Record, first shot	2.6 seconds	Time until first shot is captured.
Record to play	1.4 seconds	Time to display a large/superfine file immediately after capture.
Display recorded image	0.9 second	Time to display a large/superfine file already on the memory card.
Shutter response (Lag Time)
Full Autofocus Wide	0.40 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.
Full Autofocus Tele	0.39 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.
Prefocused	0.074 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Continuous AF	0.40 second	This mode usually shows no speed increase with our static subject; we have no way to measure performance with moving subjects.
Manual focus	0.19 second	For most cameras, shutter lag is less in manual focus than autofocus, but usually not as fast as when the camera is "prefocused"
Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large SuperFine JPEG	1.60 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots. Increases to 2.64 seconds above ISO 400.
Single Shot mode 640x480 Normal JPEG	1.58 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots. Increases to 2.55 seconds above ISO 400.
Early shutter penalty?	No	Some cameras refuse to snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer.
Continuous mode Large SuperFine JPEG	0.66 second (1.52 frames per second); 1 second to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first. Slows to 1.91 seconds or 0.52 frames-per-second over ISO 400.
Continuous mode Continuous-AF Large SuperFine JPEG	1.33 seconds (0.75 frames per second); 1.5 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Continuous mode 640x480 Normal JPEG	0.67 second (1.50 frames per second); 1 second to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first. Slows to 1.73 seconds or 0.58 frames-per-second over ISO 400.
Continuous mode Continuous-AF 640x480 Normal JPEG	1.13 seconds (0.89 frames per second); 1 second to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Flash recycling	8.5 seconds	Flash at maximum output.
Download speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0	2,419 KBytes/sec	Typical Values: Less than 600=USB 1.1; 600-769=USB 2.0 Low; Above 770=USB 2.0 High
*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a Kingston Ultimate 133x SD memory card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode.

The Canon PowerShot S5 IS' performance ranges from average to slightly slower than average, depending on what you're trying to do. It starts up reasonably fast, but mode-switching is a little sluggish. Shutter response is good at both wide angle and telephoto, at about 0.4 second, and "prefocusing" the camera by half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure results in speedy lag time of only 0.074 second. Shot-to-shot cycle times are about average, at about 1.60 seconds for large/superfine JPEGs, but the camera appears to capture shots continuously in single-shot mode without having to stop and clear the buffer. Continuous mode could use a boost, at only 1.52 frames-per-second for large/superfine JPEGs (which slows to 0.75 frames-per-second if you want the camera to autofocus between shots), though the camera appears to be limited only by card capacity in this mode. The flash takes 8.5 seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, which is also on the slower side. Connected to a computer or printer with USB 2.0, download speeds are speedy enough that you shouldn't feel the need for a card reader. Bottom line, the S5 IS is responsive enough to handle most family photo opportunities, though its continuous mode isn't quite fast enough to handle fast-paced action.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Average battery life for AA alkalines, though much better runtimes with NiMH rechargeables.

Operating Mode	Number of Shots
AA alkaline batteries, (CIPA standard)	170
AA NiMH rechargeable batteries, (CIPA standard)	450

The Canon PowerShot S5 IS uses four AA-type batteries for power, and ships with a set of ordinary alkalines. Because battery life is vastly improved with NiMH rechargeable batteries, we strongly recommend you pick up a couple of sets of good-quality NiMH rechargeable batteries and a good-quality charger, as they'll save you many times their cost over the life of the camera.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Canon PowerShot S5 IS accepts SD/MMC memory cards, and comes with a 32MB starter card.

Image Capacity with 32MB Memory Card		SuperFine	Fine	Normal
3,264 x 2,448	Images	8	14	29
3,264 x 2,448	File Size	3.6 MB	2.2 MB	1.0 MB
2,592 x 1,944	Images	11	21	41
2,592 x 1,944	File Size	2.6 MB	1.5 MB	762 KB
2,048 x 1,536	Images	18	33	65
2,048 x 1,536	File Size	1.7 MB	966 KB	491 KB
1,600 x 1,200	Images	29	52	99
1,600 x 1,200	File Size	1.0 MB	610 KB	322 KB
640 x 480	Images	111	171	269
640 x 480	File Size	288 KB	186 KB	119 KB

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SD/SDHC memory card at least a 1GB card, preferably a 4GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings and video. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)