Recently we decided it would be better to get a little point and shoot camera for our family fun than take along all the expensive equipment we use at the studio.  With that said I started researching point and shoot cameras based on some simple needs:

It needs to be small
It needs to have adjustable settings for exposure
It needs to be relatively quick (no slow shutter responses)
It needs to have a true diopter (the screens are cool but not in the sun)
It needs to record video files
It needs to be the color black (not really.  I am just seeing if your reading.)

I searched for a few and my buddy Farrah sent me to a blog of another photographer with the same needs.  They were using a Canon SD800 for all their fun blog stuff.  I looked at this camera and found it to be rather cool but decided to go with the Canon S5 IS because it was a little more like an SLR and less like a point and shoot.  The SD800 was pretty much only a point and shoot.  The S5 allowed me to shoot manually or even aperture priority.  In addition it has this cool flip screen so if you do want to use a screen rather than a diopter you can. 

So we bought the camera Saturday night and started Sunday off with a little "new camera fun".  Denise and James got up early and went to church.  Whitney and I hung back and made breakfast.  Whitney enjoys helping me in the kitchen and she loves to make her godfather Chad favorite "piggies in the blanket."

I started out with these images set to a higher resolution without flash.  The camera responds well but the images are a bit grainy.  For this purpose it is fine.  I wouldn't sell anything this grainy but we still had fun.

After Denise and James returned we ate and headed over to PaPa's house.  The nice thing about their house is the huge pool and the huge dog that guards the pool.  Buddy the big brown dog was waiting for our arrival.  James and I played ball with him for a few minutes until he decided to take my finger with the ball.  Buddy is sweet and has recently lost about 5 pounds so he is feeling a little macho these days.

My youngest brother Stephen turned 14 so we had a little party for him. 

We tried to tell him these glasses didn't fit but he insisted on wearing them.  He must think they make him look taller.

Whitney and James got their bathing SOUPS on and headed for the pool. 

Whitney was excited to show everyone how much she had learned at swim class.  In three weeks she has learned to almost swim all by herself.  Below is a little movie file form the camera.  The actual file out of the camera was too large for the web.  This is a compressed version so don't let the quality bother you. 

Dan started the burgers and I managed to take advantage of the new flip screen on the Canon.  Apparently Canon found a lot of people that wanted to pictures of themselves so the developed this cool little gadget. 

After the burgers were done dad made a few dawgs for the kids.  I think hot dogs and chips are one of the best foods to go with little wet bodies and shriveled up fingers. 

Apparently the hot dogs and chips are better with dirty fingers.

After lunch we had a cupcake party with Stephen ad all his little buddies were there to enjoy the afternoon.  Most of these guys are pure trouble but there are a couple in there that are pretty good. 

It was a fun afternoon but it had to come to an end.  James was very upset when we left and fell asleep crying and yelling "I WANT TO GO BACK!" 

When we got home he slept on the couch for a while then woke up in anger.  He continued to scream about going back but eventually found happiness in a Disney Movie and juice. 

Overall it was a fun day and we enjoyed our little camera.  The images were pretty good but I am sure with a little practice we will be able to make better images.