Digital-Camera Reviews

I bought the S330 3 days before leaving for Moscow & St. Petersburg. Based on reviews read here and at other sites I also bought a 256MB memory card and an extra battery. The basics of operation took about 20 minutes and 15-20 photos of the backyard, by the second day of my trip operation was effortless. The zoom is quite impressive and most pictures were flawless; whether from a boat, through glass, from a moving car, whatever, even an amateur like myself got some truly special photos. I had a 128MB card from another camera and took it with me, a bonus, the memory cards aren't specific to the camera and you can get real cheap memory on-line from secondary distributers or borrow the cards from freinds with other digital cameras. The batteries charge very quickly, and with two I was able to leave one charging at the hotel and the other in the camera, but I could've easily carried both all day - full charge takes less than an hour. I never had any power problems, I also got in the habit of turning the camera off between shots however. Which brings me to my only real complaint, the on/off switch requires sustained pressure for 2-4 seconds, its not usually problem getting the shot you want but it could be - and it was a little annoying. Since I had so much memory I used 1600x1200 and the finest detail for every shot, and I still took over 350 photos and had room for about 75 more. Now that I'm home its giving me all kinds of options for re-sizing and zooming into whatever details I like most in the picture. The picture review setting on this camera is one of its best features, you can actually zoom into the photo you just took to be sure you've got the level of detail or particular aspect of a subject that you might've wanted. I ended-up retaking several photos and getting precisely the picture I was hoping for. I own an older Sony and one of the original Kodaks, and I can't recommend this camera enough. Good Luck.

After reading many of the customer reviews along with doing my own research I finally decided to purchase the Canon S330 and received it about a week ago from Amazon. I am delighted to report the postive reviews on this camera are right on! I know very little about digital cameras, downloading photos to PC, printing photos etc., but I was doing it all the same evening I unpacked it. The photos I have taken are great; the clarity and colors are amazing! All procedures are clearly explained from start to finsh. I have Windows 98 and downloading the photos from the S330 goes swiftly without incident. I also purchased the recommended (good advice) Viking 128MB Flash Card along with an extra Canon NB-1LH battery pack. I will get plenty of use out of the camera simply because it is fun, compact, easy to use, and I can view and print the photos whenever time allows. No more running out to buy film, batteries, get the film developed, or pay for photos that didn't turn out well. I also purchased the Canon MultiPass F30 Printer/Scanner/Copier which I am very pleased with as well. Taking pictures during the holidays is going to be a snap.

Everyone wrote enough about it, so I will only add that this camera worked much better than expected for quite a long time, until during last trip, I dropped it really hard on cement.
The shutter button came out, the case kind of split in half (could see the guts inside), and of course the door for the memory card broke and the battery came off... I just pushed the camera back together and it snapped in place (kind off, still see inside), put back the shutter button (without the spring that came off which I lost), scotch taped the memory card door, and the camera seemed to work fine. Actually we finished the vacation taking pictures with it for a few more days. No quality difference noticed between the picture from before the accident and after.
Now I am back, unfortunately it would be too expensive to fix it, so I guess will buy another ELPH, perhaps 3-4M pixels and if it will be anything like this one, I am sure I will not regret it.

Good camera, easy to use, handy. Limited flash, and don't try to use an aux flash. The unit flashes 2x, to determine the correct exposure, thus firing an aux flash, and when the exposure flash is firing, the aux isn't. Anyone found a solution?

I was actually looking at a competitors camera (Nikon 885) and was torn between the S300 and Nikon 885. Both were the same price, and the Nikon 885 was a little more powerful (3.0 meg vs. 2.1)

However, I started reading a lot about issues people had with the 885 (oversaturation of red color in photos, software locking up their PCs, etc.). Two coworkers had the S110 (older Elph model) and loved it. I saw some of their photos and knew the S300 was the way to go for me.

I've had the camera for a week now, and I am impressed. It has a durable feel to the camera, not some cheap plastic that feels like it will crack if I'm not careful. The clarity of the pictures is fantastic, and it comes with a battery and charger included.

If you decide to purchase this camera, do yourself a favor, and get a larger memory card (64MB or higher). The prices have dropped significantly. Buy an extra battery too if you can.

If you want a small camera, that will just about fit in your pocket, takes great pictures, and has just enough enough manual features that will keep most people happy, then get this camera.

I'm happy with my purchase.

Pros:
Great pictures
Battery and charger included
Durable construction
Panoramic mode is great and easy to use
Movie mode W/ sound
Some manual features
Small in size

Cons:
8mb CF card too small
Flash could be a little more powerful
Slightly pricey for a 2.1 megapixel camera

I did a lot of research online, I knew I was paying more for the size and style, but I haven't been dissappointed. This camera takes great pictures. My wife and I have taken over 700 pictures (we have a new baby) and we have been very pleased with the results. I took the advice of others on the site and skipped the costly AC adapter. We have one spare battery and keep it charged. You have little warning when the battery is going out.

We bought a flash reader and a 64MB card (we never use the card that ships with the camera). We get about 100 photos on the factory default image settings, 1600x1200 and Fine resolution. That works well even for our new parent photo appetite.

A couple extra points, after having this camera for about a week, I dropped it on a tile floor Ouch! and it landed on the extended zoom lense Ouch! Ouch! That's a feeling I never want to relive, but... Although the inner most part of the zoom was jammed against the outer barrel, I gently dislogged it, turned the camera on and off a couple times to get the lense to retract and extend. The camera issued an error code once, before the lense had fully readjusted, but since then it has been working perfectly. I consider it to be pretty rugged despite it's small size. I suggest using the included wrist strap. Before this incident I had mostly used it as a convenient way to pull the camera out of my pocket.

I like the automatic lense cover, the panorama feature works well and is fun to play with, the movie feature is a lot more useful than I expected, the clips are of good quality, and are convienient to put on a web page or e-mail someone with broadband net access. We have a digital camcorder, but this is more convenient for web clips. 3X zoom is something I would not be without now that I've used it. Sometimes it's not convenient to get closer to your subject.

I was concerned that I might be overpaying, especially vs the new S110 which has most of the same features, other than the zoom, but I can say I have been very happy with the purchase.

This is my second digital camera and from what I see thus far this will most likely be my last. I think I've found the perfect digital camera. Check out the positives and negatives with the PowerShot S30.

Positives: (where do I begin?)
* Made of solid, sturdy metal. Feels like a real camera not a cheap plastic toy like other digital cameras.
* Has features galore!!! Has standard features plus some pretty nice extras such as:
-customizable flash-can change the strength of the flash, helping to prevent washed out pictures which is common with most digital cameras when you use the flash.
-flips landscapes pictures that would normally appear sideways. the camera lets you flip these pictures rightside up so you won't have to do it on your computer.
-can take panoramic pictures.
-the camera is customizable! What does this mean? This camera lets you customize the startup screen. You have an option between clear blue water, evening skyline or a sitting bird. You can change the startup sound, your options include a default theme, science fiction and animal sounds(dog barking or bird chirping). These sounds are designed to presumably match the startup screens but they can be mix and matched. The shutter also has various sounds you can choose from. All these sounds can, of course, be turned off.
-this list goes on and on. Check this camera out to see everything.
* Superb true true-to-life daytime and night pictures.
* Pictures come out crisp and sharp with or without the flash, in
brightly lit or darky lit areas.
* What you see is what you get. What you see on the LCD screen is usually how the pictures will appear on your computer monitor or when you print them out. The LCD, when you press lightly on the
shutter button, will show you actually how the picture will appear once viewed on screen or on paper. So if your LCD has a bright contrast and you are in a dark room, when you press the shutter button lightly, the LCD will adjust itself to the actual lighting of the room. There will be no deception and you won't have to wonder why the pictures look lighter on the LCD than on the computer screen or in print.
* Can record mini movies with sound.
* Uses compact flash card.

There is much, much more that I can add on to this list but you will have get this camera and see for yourself.

Negatives:
* Hard to install the driver software on th PC. I had to ask Canon tech support for help. Even then the process was very confusing.
* Joystick navigator takes some getting used to. Very hard to maneuver through the menus resulting in accidently going to the wrong options.
* There is no power button. You have to shut the lens' lid to turn off the camera. This makes me nervous. I'm always scared that this will somehow damage the lens.
* The macro setting isn't the best. Sometimes the macro pictures can appear blurry.
* Uses the very expensive NB-2L rechargable battery as opposed to inexpensive, more common rechargables such as NiMHs or other types. Plus NB-2Ls can only be used with PowerShot S30, S40 cameras and Elura 40mc camcorders.

I was initially put off by the price of this camera but I must say it is well worth the money.
Get the Canon PowerShot S30 if you want superior quality in a small package.

A friend of mine, who diligently researched the digital camera market for months before making a buying decision, eventually chose to purchase the Powershot S40 -- the top-of-the-line Powershot at the time he made his choice -- because it was clearly the best combination of power, ease of use, and price. Months later, based on his legwork, I went with the S30, because it was considerably less expensive, and I knew that 3MP and 3x optical zoom were fine for my purposes.

As I expected, my friend's research paid off. The S30 is a comfortable camera to use. It is a nice size and feels solid and durable. It is easy to use in automatic mode (open, point and shoot) and offers the usual options in manual mode for power users. With the factory memory, you can shoot up to 37 shots in highest quality, and you can add memory chips up to some ludicrous amount if you just can't bear to download and delete your photos every now and then.

Even though it offers "only" 3MP, it takes beautiful photos in a variety of lighting conditions. Downloading to a computer is simple using a USB interface (it comes with a special USB cable as the camera connection is an odd size) and included Canon software. The software package itself has some nice features for photo editing as well, including email and internet "wizards" for compressing your photos. They are no substitute for a professional photo editing program like Adobe Photoshop, but they are nice as a package deal and will be sufficient for most "holiday snapshot" users.

I have, in fact, nothing negative to say about the S30; and I'm sure the S40 and the latest releases in the Powershot line are even better, if you have the money to spend. I have found mine to have been a very good investment. I wasn't taking many pictures with my 35mm or my clumsy, old, cheap digital camera, so at first I didn't think I would get my money's worth from the S30, but in fact I have found that I shoot tons more pictures now just because the S30 is so easy to use and takes such good pictures -- and that's a great thing since I have a young son and am living overseas for a few years.

I have owned this camera for over a year now and taken probably 3000+ pics. I have learnt a lot in this one year about digital cameras in general and this camera in particular. The picture quality is simply superb in most conditions. The one problem of dull pics indoors that the previous reviewer mentioned is definitely something I noticed too. One thing worth trying is to not use the flash and instead use more light indoors if possible. The problem occurs because the flash range is small and it will illuminate only nearby objects. All in all, a fantastic product. I would buy it again if I had to.

This is a fantastic camera. I bought it for my wife as a general point and shoot and after playing with it found it to be far more capable. Excellent feedback, easy menus, lots of little "neato" features such as black and white, sepia toning, oversaturdation, signal histograms, 50-400 ISO range, video recording, etc. Enough features to make it a worthy tool for even more serious photography.

It's shortfalls are few. It lacks a manual focus capability, the zoom range is limited, video record times are somewhat limited, and though its small size is abundantly convenient, it makes holding the camera steady for slow shutter and telephoto shots difficult.

Nevertheless, it is a lot of camera for the price. Go to Amazon and spend the $... to buy a 128MB or 256MB Compact Flash card. The extra storage will be appreciated. Enjoy!

I recently sold my Canon S30. While it was an EXCELLENT camera, I still found myself wanting a more compact design. It wasn't difficult to decide upon the S230 from the Digital ELPH line of camera's once they had a 3.2MP version.

I'll say this, everything about this camera is top notch. If your looking for a high quality, well built camera that easily fits in your pocket, look no further.

Only bad thing I can think of is the rubber door that covers the proprietary connection port on the side of the camera. It seems pretty flimsy and eventually with enough opening and closing may just wear off. It's a very thin piece of rubber. Other then that, that's all I can think of.

You can try and knock the flash or the weak optical zoom, but if you consider the size of camera your working with I'd say they are more then adequate. If you need a lot of flash power, or a big zoom lense, look for another camera.

What a work horse, plus the great size, just fits in my shirt pocket. Battery life is outstanding, but get a backup, plus this one uses compact flash so I was able to get the Sandisk II 512meg CF card also at Amazon for about $100. It's so good I bought a camera for everyone in my family.

My wife and I were fed up with the costs of film and then developing the APS pictures. The last vacation was the final straw ans total film costs for the vacation came to 60 bucks. I did a lot of research and narrowed my choices to the S200,S330 and S3. I looked at the S3 because I promised my wife that the new digital camera would take as good as a picture as the APS camera. But the 3 meg pix was still kinda pricey so the S200 and S330 were the finalists. The cameras from what I read are the same except for the 3X zoom on the S330. I didn't really use the zoom on my APS camera so we bought the S200 off of amazon. Soon as ups came I started to charge the battery. In the meantime I got familiar with the camera and read the docs. Canon did a great job of a quick start guide and the detailed book was more than I really needed. about 1.5 hours later the green light came on from the battery charger (nice feature to let you know it's finished) and powered up the camera. After setting the date and setting the pics to the highest resolution and super fine compression I was ready to go. Point,shoot and view. It was really that easy. I was able to view the slide show of images I took and I erased the pics I didn't like (that pays for itself being able to erase the pics you do not want). I also bought the viking 64 meg cf card and HP 100 Photo printer with this and I can't believe the photo quality coming from this little HP 100 printer. The S200 takes as good if not better pics (settings are on high) than my APS and then the kicker was I pulled the CF card, inserted the CF card into the HP 100 (doesn't require a computer to print) and printed a 4X6 borderless pic in under 2.5 minutes. We both laughed, cause you can't imagine the quality. Side X Side with a APS photo you can't tell the differnce. Took the little printer and S200 to work snapped some photos and printed them off and I get the same disbelief from everyone.
PROS: small compact, rechargable battery, able to do video out to tv, usb to pc, incredible pics, no more film costs!
CONS: got to get a 64+ meg card with purchase (8 meg card isn't enough)
For [more money] get the HP 100 printer and you won't be disappointed...

Having had experience of digital cameras, this one is good - I wouldn't call it low end, its worth the money and a good comparison to quite a few other cameras. Having to lug around an extra battery (the weighty few grams) is no hassle, and although it would be nice to see what the battery life is - for such a small camera its acceptable. I would recommend purchasing a larger memory card, 128mb at least, because you will find out you'll enjoy taking many many pictures. Also canon makes a great micro fiber case for this, worth getting to tote around this tiny item. Plus it'll hold an extra battery and compact flash.

The video option is cute and small, and great for recording moments. I captured my relatives baby words and steps and easily emailed the video to quite a few people.

I would recommend buying a usb card reader as to speed up the process of uploading your pictures to your computer. Connecting the camera through the included USB cable can consume quite a bit of battery life (if you don't have an AC adapter).

Overall, this canon is a great buy, a tiny digital camera that goes with you wherever and allows you to experience photography. True its not as sharp as a film camera, but the benefits of a digital camera have great advantages almost balancing it out to a film camera.

Let me first qualify my rating a bit before I get into specifics:
1) It seems the mean for compact camera resolution currently is about 3-4 megapixels if bought brand new. This is a 2 megapixel camera, which was the mean for a compact camera about 2 years ago (when I bought the camera).
2) This rating is based on 2 years of wonderful experience with this camera and thousands of pictures taken. If you are set on a 2 megapixel camera regardless of price, then this is the camera for you.

-Picture Quality- Amazing for a 2 megapixel camera. I routinely print out 4x6 pictures at great quality. Before this camera I was using an APS Elph. Without a doubt this camera prints much better quality pictures than my old APS compact camera. Although keep in mind, no matter how good the camera is, the prints can only be as good as the printer. The only problem I had with this camera is that it is VERY dependent on the flash for point and shoot pictures. Without the flash, unless you are in bright sunlight, pictures can come out blurry if you don't have steady hands.

-Features- AMAZING. Simply more features than you will use if you are buying the camera for quick snapshots. Also the problem with the flash dependence that I mentioned earlier can be fixed using the manual features. But with that said, it is impractical to change these features manually everytime you want to take a quick shot, but it is very handy when you want to take portrait type or studio type shots. This camera also has a movie function with sound that most cameras have nowadays. Most people say they don't use it, but I use the function a lot. I find the main problem is that most people just forget they have the function so it is never used, but if you can get in the habit of using it you'll have priceless small clips (at a low resolution) of things that happened.
A 2x optical zoom isn't too shabby either considering many compact cameras don't offer a zoom.

-Durability- again AMAZING. I have never dropped this camera (well once off a bed, onto some really soft carpet), but I've owned this for 2 years and probably 75% of those two years that camera has resided in my jeans pocket with lint, keys, cell phones, change... and not even ONE scratch and it still works perfectly. I did buy a small pouch for it, but the pouch really goes against what this camera is about, fast pictures. It wasn't practical to take the camera out of the pouch everytime I wanted a quick picture so I never used it, and it turns out I never needed it.
Also the camera is heavy and solid for its size. Too heavy for a shirt pocket, but definitely light enough to put into your pants. Its made of a metallic material that feels much better than the plastic that most compact cameras are made of.
The display screen on the back of the camera is plenty big enough to use to frame your shots. The viewfinder however does not accurately show the picture you are taking, which is a problem for many cameras. I never use the viewfinder because of this, but I never really want to either unless I forgot to charge my battery and I want to conserve battery power... which leads me to...

-Battery Life- The battery easily lasts the whole day of picture taking if you are on a vacation for instance. Easily I would be able to take 100+ pictures with flash and the screen on. But I have noticed over the thousands of pictures I have taken that the constant recharging of my battery has made the life lessen a bit. But that is to be expected from any battery over a couple of years of high usage.

-Price and Summary- I think the deciding factor for this camera is price. I gave this camera five stars because I couldn't be happier with my camera... BUT i bought the camera 2 years ago. A quick look at cameras of equivalent price and one can easily find 3-4 megapixel cameras for the same price (but maybe not the same quality). A quick look at cheaper cameras and I can also find plenty of 2 megapixel cameras from reputable brands such as Minolta, Nikon and Fuji. This camera has kept its price amazingly well over 2 years for an electronic device (I bought mine 2 years ago for $250). I think it has to do with the HIGH quality of this product. But if you have the extra $$$ for a mere $100 more you can get a 4 megapixel Elph.
I am very satisfied with this product and I know when I eventually get a new camera several years from now it will be another Canon Elph.

I was a bit skeptical at first - I don't know why, maybe because of it's unbelievably tiny size, but I've always relied on Canon for quality cameras. This one hasn't disappointed me one bit!

I can see where it might be a problem for some men, since the tiny size could be completely lost in a large hand. If you need a comparison, this camera is the *exact* size and shape as a pack of cigarettes.

After years of lugging a big camera bag on vacation & to family events, carrying this camera is a huge relief! I added a 64MB compact flash card, and set at the highest resolution (1600x1200), I can take ~65 photos on one card. And the quality is wonderful - I can print an 8x10 (using an Epson Stylus Photo 820) that the average eye would never know was digital.

This camera is also very "user friendly". I'm the type of person who will only resort to reading the manual when all else fails. I've not needed the manual AT ALL with this camera, other than to confirm what I was able to figure out on my own and to make sure I wasn't missing anything (I wasn't).

Some recommended accessories:

1) A spare battery. Using the digital display alot will burn through a battery rather quickly.

2) If you'll be using the higher resolution and/or video capture, get a high-capacity compact flash (64MB recommended).

3) Canon Soft Compact Case PSC 100. It holds the camera, a spare compact flash card and spare battery and still fits right in my purse.

Bottom line: Money well spent for an excellent quality point & shoot digital.

I will just give a brief technical review based on my experience for non-techy person. Here's the Pro:
- Battery last for 90 mins (about 100 pics with LCD + short review) after 130 charge (from fully discharge).
- LCD refresh rate is excellent
- Flash good until 3m (about 9.8 ft), good for outdoor (very good for camera this size)
- Small size yet has 2x optical zoom & movie capture capability (very good quality) - its so convenient comparing to my other experience using 5 other digicam (I'm a photographer)
- Lots of features (very usefull), too long to be listed here

Contra:
- Charging battery is longer than it's good for
- Flash not promising on indoor environment

Conclusion:
- Best point-and-shoot digicam ever for novice/teenager
- Get 2nd battery ... - its worth [it]
- Use at least 128MB CF to get the most

I've had this camera for almost two years and I love it.

It's the perfect first camera for users who are comfortable with technology. There are simpler (and cheaper) cameras for people who are less compfortable with technology.

This one packs the right amount of sophistication in features, and simplicity in usage - and all that in one small little bundle!

It's strong points:
* small.
* light.
* solid (dropped mine a couple of times and its still going strong).
* good zoom.
* good battery life.
* auto-flash - which is so helpful for amateurs like myself who are never sure about how much light is enough.
* some more advanced ones (manual flash, timer, etc.) if you want to experiment and improve your skills.
* comes with software to download and retouch your photos, rendering the process relatively easy.

All in all, this camera and Canon's Powershot line are an excellent choice for most people.

I've had this camera for three years. I bought it new, when it was cutting edge and very expensive. I put a 128MB CF card in it.

First, I have to say that I have NEVER had the slightest problem with this camera or the software. I've probably taken upwards of 5000 pictures with it, it's been all over the country. The software has been installed on Windows 95, 98, 2000 and XP and I haven't had any problems with it. The camera is solid, performs well, takes good pictures, and the battery lasts pretty long if you disable the LCD viewfinder. If battery life were that big a deal, one could purchase a second battery and rotate.

All that said, I am a little disappointed with the quality of the pictures from the camera. They are razor sharp, the color balance is perfect, and the focus is great. When taking pictures of people, however, it shows EVERY flaw in the subject's skin. Scratches, oil, freckles are magnified and come out looking horrific. It requires extensive Photoshopping to fix the flaws. Other cameras taking pics of the same subjects turn out looking much better. I'm going to buy another camera to take baby pictures, but I'll keep this as a travel camera.

An amazing camera rich in features, quality and output.

Despite this camera's compact size it has a substantial feel of quality. All controls are very intuitive (the zoom surrounds the shutter release & all camera functions are monitored on the LCD at the rear of the camera).

Photo clarity is great at the Large/Fine setting for 5x7 prints, however, anything larger will require the Large/Super fine setting. The standard 8mb compact flash card is only adequate (12 pictures at the Large/Fine setting and only 4 at the Large/Super fine setting). I recommend at least a 32mb card which will increase the storage capacity to a 35mm SLR's with a large roll of film. I also recommend purchasing the Canon accessory kit (leather case, neck chain & spare battery).

Included software is very easy to use and don't forget Canon offers 50mb of storage on their web site to their digital photo customers at no charge. A neat benefit since family and friends can access this site and view your latest photos.

All in all, I'm very satisfied with this purchase!

If you're looking for a moderately priced digital camera (@ $600 including the camera, case, battery, neck chain and 32mb card) this is the one! It's a winner!

Just before almost buying a Kodak DC-280 (a highly touted camera in its own right), Canon released the S100 Digital Elph. I was smitten and bought one immediately. I have taken about 200 pictures in the last 2 weeks and have not been disappointed.

If you want a camera to take everywhere to record life's events, this is the camera. You can't truly appreciate the size of this camera until you see it in person. I took it bike riding last week and hooked it to my belt (using the OEM case). I had to check several times to make sure it was still there.

While serious hobbyists may complain that image quality is not up to the top digital cameras, 99% of us will be more than satisfied. Prints up to 8 by 10 are comparable in quality to film based cameras. Plus I like the fact that with the included software and my trusty Epson printer, I can correct some of my little boo boos like red eye problems.

One final thing make sure that you leave some money in your budget for a larger CF card, an extra battery and the OEM case since you will be taking this camera everywhere and taking more pictures than you ever thought possible.

Great job Canon.

Hi everbody,

First of all, I was fortunate enough to get this camera from Adorama Cameras for $374.00 plus shipping. Must have been some sort of introductory special on Amazon. Got the camera about a week after ordering. Let me say that this is my 4th digital camera and I regard this as the best I have had so far. I have owned both Olympus and Minolta digital cameras prior to buying the Canon S1 IS. I want to say that Canon definitely thought out the ergonomics and the feel of this camera. It feels very comfortable and sturdy (I'm right handed. It is clear that they did not skimp on workmanship I love the smoothness of the 10x Optical zoom (that's reason I wanted a good long zoom camera)and there was no blurriness thanks to the Image Stabiliser. I recommend if you are taking shots and you are zooming in at 3X or greater on the optical zoom, engage the IS. I don't recommend using digital zoom on any digital camera, it is always easier using photo editing software to crop your photos. I tried the camera at a couple of family outings and I was definitely impressed. I was a bit concerned about it being only 3.2MP but the pictures I took looked better than my sister's 4MP Kodak camera. The auto mode works fairly well and the LCD certainly shows good detail in bright sunlight but be warned, have the display set at full brightness especially if you are using the EVF outside. There are only 2 display brightness settings. The photos I took had good contrast and very vibrant colors. There was some very slight purple fringing on some shots I took with the optical zoom at maximum. You may need to adjust the exposure setting if you are trying to photograph a subject that is on a background that doesn't contrast well. I also found that you definitely need rechargeable AA batteries, especially if you are running the LCD screen and if you are running the camera in movie mode. That reminds me, the movie mode is incredible but you need at least a 1GB card to record anything substantial at 30 fps. I recommend if you can afford it, get the 4GB microdrive. I have heard that you can take the microdrive out of the Muvo2 4GB player and use it in the camera since the S1 accepts CompactFlash Type II cards if you know how to do it right. With so many different modes, this camera will definitely grow with you. I wished that Canon had put a flash hot shoe on this camera but I can understand them not trying to create a light stripped down version of the EOS Rebel. Indoors, the flash is above average compared to other digital long zooms but could still be better, it will illuminate your subject. The camera AF did slow down somewhat in very dim lighting, make sure to run it in night scene mode, not auto. The extra long exposure lag definitely improves the shots and just to be fair, the low light performance was certainly superior to other digital cameras I have owned. I do like the fact that Canon included a nice get started quickly template but the manual could be better organized. For most people, I would say using it in auto is fine but if you like to tinker, the full manual mode is a lot of fun. All in all, a good buy despite the fact that Canon should have also included a AF assist lamp which surprised me somewhat since they put them on most every camera they make. Well, that just leaves room for improvement I guess. Now, I gotta get back to shooting some more pictures. Auf Wiedersehen!

I took about 300 pictures with my S1 before I sent it back. It had a bright red "Stuck Pixel" in every shot. I tried to live with it by editing on the PC,turned out to be a big hassle.

Pros-
10X zoom, 32X combined zoom
Very portable
Swivel LCD
Great movie mode.
Ergonomics are very good.
Image stabilzation works well.
Good overall picture quality

Cons-
Lens Cap falls off easily.
LCD and EVF very hard to see in bright sunlight.
Manual focus could be better.
Pictures have alot of noise in certain environments regardless of camera settings.
Requires a large/fast CF/MD card for the movie mode to be of any use.
Use the supplied AA batteries in something else, get some NiMH rechargables(my 2400mha batteries last a long time).
No onboard camera function for ccd mapping, like other makes.

I have order a replacement S1 for my sick one. I am giving Canon one more chance with the S1. I like the camera very much, If this one is not right a Panasonic FZ10 may be in my future.

Being a grad student, I am very picky when it comes to spending a larger amount of money on a piece of hardware technology. I probably did research (try cnet's site) for 2 months before finally deciding on a purchase. I compared heavily against similar cameras like the Sony DSC-V1, DSC-F717, S50, Kodak DX6490, Nikon Coolpix 4300 and a few others.

Deciding Factors:
10x opt zoom & IS
Manual control abilities
Swivel LCD
body style
CF memory
AA batteries
Price & Canon name brand

After purchase:
This camera is awesome. The zoom works great, especially with the IS technology. The manual controls are extremely easy to use. Combined with the comfortable body style i do most things with one hand. Think of holding a gaming controller. I'm very surprised at how much I use the swivel LCD (ie hold against a steady place and view easily). The cheapest memory and ease of AA batteries make this a camera to use for an extended amount of time. Indoor, low-lighting situations are hard on auto mode, otherwise I'm very happy.

i've had the pro90 for about six months.

the goods:

* battery life: i have 3 bp511s and am not worried about running out of battery power. these last me for more than a FULL day of shooting. (get a battery charger. in camera charging makes it impossible to charge while shooting).
* zoom: 10x - this has been sufficient. i'd only need more if i were a spy, or stuck in bleachers far away from the action.
* i love the full swivel of the LCD. the digital viewfinder is also very cute (let's you see the picture for a couple seconds) after it's taken without having to turn on the LCD.

the bads:

* autofocus is challenging and manual foc is hardly exact.
* slow fps. slow slow slow. i don't even use the multiple
shot mode, even when i'm taking action. i just try to
time things.
* higher ISOs are, of course, grainy.
* this is picky, but i'd like more control when in black and white mode.

the best thing about this camera:

it makes me want to buy a new, professional grade camera.

I am a great fan of this camera. I've used point-and-shoot 35mm cameras for years, always being intimidated by the jump in expertise needed for a "real" SLR camera where all the decisions were not automated. After a trip to Alaska, I was intensely disappointed with my pictures from the point-and-shoot. Most wildlife photos were of the "See that brown dot? It's a moose!" variety, and many of my photos on snow or glaciers were overwhelmed by all the brilliant white in the image. I'd always told myself I'd one day go digital, but always thought the technology wasn't "ready". When I returned from Alaska, and saw this camera, I decided the technology was ready, or at least I was! I was initially attracted by the 10x zoom, and was further impressed by the image stabilization, and the ability to go "full auto" on all the technical settings, yet ease myself into setting such things as f/stop, white balance, and shutter speed myself. The camera has fulfilled all my expectations. It takes fine pictures in most circumstances if you let the camera make all the decisions, but you have the ability to experiment with manual settings yourself, and the quick availability of the digital image means you can learn faster, and without having to wince over paying for film and developing. I bought the camera only a few days before leaving on a trip to Florida, focusing on the Everglades. I got some excellent photos using the telephoto lens, and the image stabilization made using the maximum zoom easy, even with handheld shots. I used automatic settings almost exclusively for the Everglades trip, but now am practicing and experimenting with the manual settings. I have a few minor quibbles, though they do not detract from my positive feelings for the camera: 1) The camera is a bit slow--If you want to spend most of your time taking pics of athletic events or similar places where "split second" photography is needed, it may not be a good choice. It has a maximum frame rate of about 1.5 seconds per shot. 2) The battery life is workable, though I did need to shell out for a second battery (about $75, though they are rechargable). One reason for this is because I chose to use the camera with IBM Microdrives, which have a huge photo capacity, but put more drain on the battery. 3) The camera is certainly less convenient than a point and shoot to carry around, but compared to a 35mm SLR with a 370 mm lens, it is VERY easy. I doubt I'd even notice this if I wasn't used to sticking my teeny Olympus point-and-shoot in my front pocket and forgetting about it! If you use any digital camera while travelling, I suggest you consider getting the Iomega Fotoshow to store your pictures and free up your memory cards for more shooting. It also makes a convenient way to review and show off your pictures on a television set. 4) The price is a bit stiff, but if you want a camera of this class, you are going to have to bite your lip and pay up!

i am in love with the elegant design of the camera. the technical data is superb.i hope and wish to own this camera for business purpose.