Today I worked with the Canon PowerShot S100 camera and made a second attempt at making a sample movie using the camera’s Super Slow Motion setting. I really enjoy features like this that produce special effects, and I thought it would be interesting for people considering this camera to see what the Super Slow Motion effect looks like. There are a couple of problems with this mode, in my mind — first, you have to rely on the camera’s Auto White Balance setting, and it does not do a great job with incandescent lighting, at least not the lighting I am using. Someday I may try to get bulbs that are balanced more closely towards daylight, but the background in the movie included below is really dark blue, not gray as it appears here.
Second, the resolution of Super Slow Motion video is low, so the image looks quite grainy and fuzzy. I tried my best to get the focus sharp by using manual focus before shooting, but the video still is not sharp.
But, at least you still get to see how a bag of multi-colored wrapped pieces of candy looks when it’s dropped, and is shown falling at one-eighth of normal speed! Click on the link below to view the video. (If you would like to check out my general guide book to the operation and features of the S100, please check out the information page about the book.)
Hello there — I too have been working with the slow-motion feature on the S100 but with similarly mixed results. I have tried the reset the camera to factory settings, though I still appear to have an issue with the focus while shooting in slow motion. It is a strange phenomena that when I have the camera in slow motion, before even shooting, a subject can be perfectly in focus, but when I start to record, the subject quickly becomes blurred and goes out of focus. Is this what you are finding as well?
Thanks for any feedback — your book looks like a good investment!
JT
Hello, JT — I do recall having issues like that with the S100, though I have to confess I have not made any further attempts since I posted those samples on the site, and I have since sold my S100, so I can’t do any more experiments. I think the S100 is a great camera, but I suppose it’s difficult for Canon to get all of its many features such as slow-motion video and autofocus to work together in all situations. Best of luck as you continue on with it!
–Alex White