Alligator reserves do not make it easy for photo opportunities. Since alligators can’t really roam with the public, they are surrounded with wire fencing which gets in the way of shooting perfect photos.

With my Canon s5IS digital camera in hand, I had to get up close and personal with a 12 year old male alligator by careening over a fence.

Since I couldn’t use my tripod, this alligator photo was taken using almost every feature of my Canon s5IS . . . the auto focus mode, the swivel LCD, the telephoto zoom and the image stabilizer.  The Canon s5IS is one of my favorite cameras for exotic photo opportunities which is why I recommend it.

With a MSP of $471, the Canon s5IS digital camera is one of the most advanced point and shoot cameras around. It has an 8MP resolution with 3264 X 2448 maximum image size which translates to around 4Mb file size. The Canon s5IS has a shooting speed of 1/3200 and almost the same photo quality as a dSLR.

A video mode of a 640 x 480 at a maximum of 30 fps up to 60 minutes long (at a maximum size of 4GB avi file). This is a good camera with the ease of the point and shoot with the photo quality of the SLR.

The Canon s5IS digital camera is lightweight enough to hold with one hand because of a plastic and metal body at 450g. The lens is compatible to a 36-432 mm image stabilization lens which is very practical for wide angle and telephoto options.

Although we would have preferred just a bit more wide angle. Internal flash is very nice since you can opt to take pictures with or without it.  Even without flash the camera will automatically lighten the shot. It also has a hot-shoe flash connector that increased the versatility of the camera.

The battery door may look and feel flimsy but it’s sturdy enough to fit 4 AA batteries. Those 4 AA batteries last around 450 min which is has a longer life than other proprietary batteries.  Just take along another set for emergency purposes.

The camera uses an SD card which is located in the same place as the batteries which gets really annoying fast if you consume a lot of SD cards on your photo shoot. Photos taken are well saturated and don’t have that reddish cast as with the older Canon models.

Controls are easy to reach and very practical in design. Although the movie mode buttons are a bit awkward to reach. With the 2.5 inch Swiveling LCD screen, you can also use this for those candid shots or for paparazzi purposes. The advantage of the LCD screen is that you can take pictures without squinting for those with near sighted problems or problems with glare.

The Canon s5IS is a fast and easy to use digital camera with a very quiet motor, a solid body and a superb battery life.

It takes a well saturated sharp focused photo with an option of superb movie quality. This camera is a good choice for an amateur or professional who wants to use the versatility of the point and shoot with the quality of the SLR.

One of my favorite digital cameras for taking candid shots at diverse locations, the Canon s5IS works like a charm.  I have used this camera outdoors at alligator reserves as well as indoors at formal weddings.  You can’t go wrong with the Canon s5IS.