What lenses do you have on your Canon S2?

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

03/18/2006 03:21:12 PM · #1

Does anyone still have this camera? have you upgraded anything on it? if so what?

Canadian_eh

Canon EOS-450D Rebel XSi

03/18/2006 04:11:01 PM · #2

I've got the full package on my S1... If your not going to upgrade right away definatly go for the telephoto atleast.... It's pretty sad, but (atleast on my S1) your going to get almost as much for the lense as the camera on trade in

Canadian_eh

Canon EOS-450D Rebel XSi

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

03/18/2006 04:12:04 PM · #3

just got a quote.... Unfortunatly im still an owner... no XT yet ;-)

03/19/2006 09:44:38 AM · #4

I'm pretty happy with it as is.

I keep procrastinating buying a set of filters though.

I will eventually go for a lensmate adaptor (they were the BEST for the A80/A95 series) and probably add a decent quality circular polarizer and probably 3 ND filters with a single Graduated ND.

I don't think I need any more distance. I would guess that the lens couldn't take that much more extra distance before getting too soft.

I find that the lens isn't very good on distant subjects.

Recently I have begun wondering if perhaps there is a bit of a focus issue though... I might take it in.

I also use a Tumax DS20S2 external slave flash and it works great.

I am going to see what happens when I reverse a 50mm lens in front of it in macro mode... Whenever I get the lens that is...

I might get a ring for that if it works well.

FWIW, I don't think that I will be updating to the S3 at all.

Message edited by author 2006-03-19 09:45:22.

03/23/2006 12:29:10 AM · #5

I have the lensmate 58mm and then a cheapie 52mm off e-bay. They both fit tight so im not sure why people say the lensmate is better. It is plain with no morkings on it not sure if thats good or bad. I put a black ring around mine just to give it some contrast. It looks weird all plain i think. The 52 is better for the flash so i think ide recomend that one over the 58.

Some one on the canon forums said the 52 would get vignetting so i got the 58 but i didnt even think about the flash. I get bad flash shadow at the bottom of my shots now so i figured ide get a telephoto lens for it and use the 52 indoor. The 52 does not get any vignetting so im not sure why they mentions that.

The 58 looks better on the camera, gives it a bit of an attitude but this camera needs good lighting at times so i cant block the flash. Maybe you should look for the filters you want befor eyou decided on the 52 or 58 but just keep that in mind if you decide on the 58.

The only telephotos i can seem to find are the cheap ones on e-bay. I cant find any others.

03/23/2006 12:33:08 AM · #6

Good info there. I heard that the lensmate was better on the A80-A95 series, so I guessed that it was also better for the S2 series. Good to know that the no-names can be just as good. I will start shopping locally to see if I can get a better deal.

I think that the filters I will be using will be Polarizers and ND stuff, so I doubt that I will be using on-board flash much. I might use it with my external flash though (which is significantly more powerful).

03/23/2006 12:49:14 AM · #7

58mm adapter

Ruined the shot huh?

03/23/2006 12:53:26 AM · #8

Yikes!

Do you have an external flash unit?

I often shoot stuff like this with my main flash unit on low and use the big external to do the work of lighting.

My external flash works really well with the S2.

03/23/2006 04:26:19 AM · #9

I dont have one yet. Wich one do you have? I want one that has a rotating head so i can use that sphere thing people talk about.

Have you looked into any telephoto lenses yet? what do you think of this one? Sony 1.7X telephoto lens

Pentax FA 77mm f/1.8 Limited AF

03/23/2006 01:22:08 PM · #10

I have found that I don't really care much for the results when I take pictures of things that are too far away, so I use my telephoto mostly for cropping.

I am loosely suspecting a focusing issue with my camera, and I may indeed get around to taking it in one day.

As such, I don't really have much use for a telephoto lens.

Having said that, the 1.7x looks pretty wild. It might just cost more than I'm willing to spend on my P&S cam though. I'm saving for a 30D.

I do like the performance of the lens around 300mm equivalent which is around 50mm actual (6x crop factor).

As far as the flash I use, it's mentioned above as the Tumax DS20S2, but I'm not sure that it's available outside of Taiwan. Haven't heard anything...

When you can use a flash as a slave, you can point the thing in any direction so long as the head can see the burst from the flash. I used mine behind me facing a wall, pointing away from the camera and it fired just fine with the on-camera flash set to low output in manual as a trigger.

The lightsphere is pretty neat, but I'm not sure how important it is in the context of what we do with these things. You can probably do fairly well with just a normal diffuser. I don't think I will be able to understand how those things work until I get one in my hands and do some experimenting.

v5planet

Pentax K7

03/23/2006 01:37:00 PM · #11

eschelar - the distant focusing issue seems to be a problem with the make of the camera itself. I have the same problem with mine, for instance landscape photos typically show very soft focus. I remember reading somewhere ... somebody had upgraded from the S1 IS and was disappointed by this and called canon. The camera's "infinite" focus isn't truly infinite, and was designed with that flaw to compensate for improvements elsewhere in the design. Ah, I wish I could remember where this was.

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

03/23/2006 02:09:22 PM · #12

Before you send in your camera, read threw this list of tips and see if anything helps you. THere was a few things i changed and it seem to help my camera not be so focus happy.

I know what your saying about the telephoto lens but i want some more depth. I wasnt sure i would even use the 12X zoom till i got it, now that i have it i really like the way it works now. I can get the same shot further away and i like how the BG looks.

Now i want more zoom

Message edited by author 2006-03-23 14:22:24.

LoudDog

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

03/23/2006 02:46:19 PM · #13

Originally posted by v5planet:

Correct, that was me.

It's not so much a flaw though. More of a engineering compromise. When the improved the macro capability they lost some of the long focus capability.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 12-24mm f/4.0G IF-ED

03/24/2006 12:58:56 PM · #14

I figured it was something like this.

Yay.

On the other hand, that doesn't really explain why I am recently having troubles with mid-range subjects...

I've already worked some compromises and I no longer shoot anything beyond a hundred yards or so.

Pretty limiting I feel.

I am one step away from actively looking for an FZ20 to switch.

Anyone know if it is plagued by the same compromises?

Also, does anyone know if this lack of true infinity focus affects the use of macro lenses or the reversed 50mm? I'm working on a thread on this, trying to figure out what it all means...

I'll have a peek at bower's list.

jbsmithana

Nikon D300

03/24/2006 01:16:38 PM · #15

For those of you who have the S2 I have a question about lag time. I recently recommended this camera to a friend who does not want a DSLR but does want a faster reaction time from the standard P&S. He is taking a trip to the Galapagos Islands. I read that the S2 is pretty fast in this department.

Did I do him right?

edit: sp

Message edited by author 2006-03-24 13:36:01.

LoudDog

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

03/24/2006 01:27:59 PM · #16

One of many I got that day. Lag time is better then most P&S I've used, but you can pre focus and eliminate that.

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

03/24/2006 04:35:53 PM · #17

Dont you wish we coul decide on the options? i mean if they compensate sharpness or focus to improve elsewhere i would like to pick where.

I would trade in the ability for video. IMO im buying a digital camera, not a digital cam corder. It seems like a waste to have this on the camera when i dont really want it or use it. THey record in such small resolution its usualy not even worth it.

Would be nice to have a firmware to change to and pick if you want a better focus or sharper images over other features.

SamDoe1

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

03/24/2006 04:39:12 PM · #18

Originally posted by eschelar:

I am one step away from actively looking for an FZ20 to switch.

Anyone know if it is plagued by the same compromises?

I'm not sure about the FZ20, but I have no problem at all with infinity focus on my FZ4. It also has a high speed focus mode and very little shutter lag when pre-focused.

03/24/2006 04:53:37 PM · #19

I ordered one of those cheap telephoto lenses of e-bay. What a hunk of junk. I read some people posted they are high priced paper weights. Well all those people were right. Its worthless lol

GeneralE

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

03/24/2006 05:08:40 PM · #20

I thought the whole point of buying a compact-zoom was to avoid the whole changing-lenses business -- otherwise get an SLR.

I wish they'd add the RAW option for the S3, but it looks like they're sticking with JPEG-only.

03/24/2006 06:48:25 PM · #21

Well there was a few reasons why i didnt get an SLR, 1 being price. I dont want to go backwards using CF memory, and i dont want a battery pack. I prefer to have the option to chose what kind of power i want to use and chose the charger and how fast it charges.

I got an adapter and a filter to shield the mechanical lense that moves in and out these can get damaged easy so the adapter and filter it like a little shield around the mecanical lens so it doesnt get the famous E18 error.

I figured i might try the 2X conversion for poo and grins :D

03/25/2006 07:14:26 AM · #22

Not having RAW is one thing that hurt when I went to the S2 from the S30, but I justified the decision because I don't think I ever used the thing in RAW mode anyhow. I simply didn't have the software to handle it (Actually, I didn't have a computer, I was just using a borrowed PIII 450MHZ with no real photo software at all). OK, I had the Canon software, but never felt inclined to mess with it. Suffice to say that at the time, I was VERY beginner.

Now I would appreciate it more, but I don't have it. Well, as you say, that's what a DSLR is for. And I did buy this camera as a 2nd camera.

To be honest, I also counted battery performance as one of the top decision making factors when I picked this over the Panasonic, but after having used it for a while, I'm getting a bit fed up with NiMH batteries. I'd rather have 3 Li-ions which don't self-discharge quite so quickly. I often don't get time to shoot for a few weeks and that's usually enough to leave me with 2 sets of dead batteries. I've since learned, and I throw them in the charger before a day-trip going anywhere, but sometimes stuff happens and you don't have time to wait for a charge...

I'm looking at the possibilities of using a 50mm 1.8 for macro stuff... looks promising based on this other thread...

There might be some truly insane results possible with the 18-55 kit lens reversed too....

03/25/2006 03:02:10 PM · #23

Well the thing is since AA is a standard size, who knows in the next year or so they may have a better rechargable. When its time to upgrade who ever you give the camera to has the option. With a pack your stuck paying the price they want for this proprietary battery. The chargers are also proprietary and they either take all night to charge or they nuke the pack in 15 minutes. The slower you charge the battery the longer its life is but i want to chose that.

Maybe i want a slow charger for one set and a rapid charger for another set?

03/26/2006 03:23:35 AM · #24

Fair enough.

I went to look again to see if I could find a cheap FZ20 in the 2nd hand market and I noticed that there's another thing the S2 has that is totally awesome... the flip and twist screen.

hrm. Can I live without having this one one of my cameras? Tough one.

I still think I'd make the switch if I could find one cheap enough.

On the other hand, I bought the S2 to be a complement to my DSLR, so the more features it has that the 30D doesn't, the better.

The fz20 may be a better camera, but it's probably simply not worth it to muck about with switching at this point.