Best Digital Camera For The Buck For Coins

Rechargeable batteries are an optional accessory for the S2 IS. I didn't buy the various accessory kits available for the S2 since I didn't know what I would really need until after I'd used the camera for awhile. A lot of the extras were either superfluous to my needs or I could obtain them elsewhere for less or more tailored for my needs. Here's a short list of some of the extras available for the S2:
http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/pro...x?sku=CNPSS2

When I get a chance, I'll start a separate thread on rechargeable batteries. There's a LOT of variables in selecting rechargeables.

Fred

Bryan, what are you doing reading this when you should be down at the pawnshop scarfing up that S2!

BTW, a Yankee second is a few nanoshakes faster than a NY second.

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Originally posted by shatsi

Ok, so I'm still searching. My first preference is still the Canon S2 IS. But does anyone use a Canon A630? Seem to have good features just like the S2 but no IS!!

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Frankly, image stabilization isn't that important for coin photography if the camera has a delayed shutter feature, which the A630 does. I wanted a camera which would be just as good at a NASCAR race, using short exposures at full zoom, as it is at macro work. That's why I settled on the S2 IS. I need the zoom and IS for race pics, not coin pics.

Advice taken.... will stick to my first preference.

That shows very well what you can do with these IS cameras. You could never get that kind of shot with a non-IS camera with that kind of zoom level unless you used a tripod and a timer. And by the time you get a tripod and timer set up, most of the time you will miss the picture. If that camera didn't have IS, that photo would be a total blur from camera shake.

I think you'd have a hard time doing better than these types of cameras short of spending $3-5k on a dSLR with a honking huge piece of fast, IS glass attached to it.

Stujoe, thanks for reminding me. I shudda added that in order to take the pic of the Redtail, I had to brace my arm against the side of my Jeep GC. Handheld at this magnification, I couldn't hold it quite steady enough although I got a number of satisfactory images in this manner. I considered dashing back inside for my tripod, but was concerned the bird would fly away while I was setting it up. As it turned out, the hawk remained for several hours. It's a regular in our park, but this was the first time I had noticed it perched on my antenna (ham radio 20 meter vertical), the tallest structure in the park. It's been back a couple times since then.

Beautiful picture Fred.. Have taken a few family pics with mine and the S2IS is remarkable.

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Originally posted by shatsi

Does any battery charger work for the Canon S2 or is there a specific one?

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Shatsi, any battery charger with its specific rechargeable NiMH AA batteries will work. While the rechargeable batteries usually come with their own charger if they're bought as a kit (which is what I did along with a second set of rechargeables), there are generic chargers which will work with any NiMH rechargeable battery. I am hesitant to recommend the latter, however since different chargers have varied cutoff points (if any); if a rechargeable battery is overcharged, its service life is greatly shortened.

Canon also has a power pack which will power the S2 IS directly from a wall socket. I don't have one, but from what I read in the manual, it is not intended to recharge any batteries which happen to be in the camera although Canon may have some other (expensive) accessory which will do this. I think the simplest solution is having two sets of rechargeables on hand, one set in the camera and one available when the first set becomes discharged.

Fred