Digital-Camera Reviews

This is perfect for you if you are looking for a small, portable digital Camera. You can take this thing anywhere.

Pros:
1. Size and weight - I love the fact that you can just drop it in your pocket and head on out. It's small, sleek, and light weigt.
2. Picture quality - At 4 megapixels, this is not a technological lightweight when it comes to picture clarity. The pictures I have taken so far have come out excellent.
3. Canon Quality - Canon makes great digital cameras that feel sturdy and are well - built.

Cons:
1. Digital Zoom/Lack of optical zoom - The zoom feature of this camera is not good at all. It's a trade-off for its compact size. When using the digital zoom, the pictures dont come out very sharp.
2. Red-eye - You will note a tendency for images to have a bit of red-eye in the subjects. That's not much of a problem if you have image editing software.

Suggestions:
1. Buy a bigger Memory Card - the one that the camera comes with is too small. At the very least, get a 128mb card, 256/512mb is my recommendation.
2. Buy an extra battery - this way when you are out, you can just swap batteries without having to worry about how much power you have left.
3. Buy a USB 2.0 memory card reader - If you take a good number of digital pics and your computer has a USB 2.0 port, then a reader is excellent for downloading pictures and transferring it to your computer. USB 2.0 is very quick and where a typical transfer may take approximately 5 minutes, with USB 2.0 the same transfer will take 45 seconds.
4. Get image editing software- This affords you the opportunity to brighten images, sharpen images, take the red-eye out, crop images. I use adobe photoshop, but any image editing software should do. It just gives you a greater sense of control over the output.

Conclusion:
You know that there will be a trade-off in some camera functions for its small size, and for me, I have no regrets about it. I simply can't get over how small the camera is. It excels in close to medium distance images in daylight. At 4 megapixels, the resolution of the pictures is very satisfying. This camera delivers as promised.

*OK so this bad boy is TINYYYY. You will never have to worry about carrying a bulky camera again, plus its really ultra chic and trendy looking. HUGE PLUS.

*Unlike a lot of other digital cameras that take forever to take a picture, this thing is faaaaast. The time between each snap shot is fast too. VERY impressive.

*I'm not a professional photog but if your just about quality photos without all the technical craziness then this camera is perfect for you. Right out the box its super easy to work with without having to first read the lengthy manual(s).

*The digital zoom on this thing is more than cute enough to accomodate you and I find that it doesn't distort the photos or comprimose the quality of the pic. I understand there are a lot of people that don't care for this dital zoom feature but It hasn't been a problem for me.

*Its so tiny you feel like its the most fragile thing in the world. Its roughly about the size of a credit card!

*There's no optical viewfinder on this camera (for the lay person its the little hole most people look through on any other camera before taking a picture). I thought that it would be wierd having to look through the screen before flicking it up, and surprisingly its not. In fact taking pictures is easier now,

* I havent used the camera's included software because my computer allows me to download my photos by inserting the memory disk directly into it so I can't comment on that particular aspect.

*I'm in loooove.

*The ONLY bad thing about this little camera is that its so cute people want to hold it all the time and the belt clip is secured only by a leather velcro strip so it doesnt feel as secure as I would have liked.

*This camera is soooooo worth the money. Click that "BUY NOW" option immediately and stop fooling around, you know you want it. = )

I just got my camra today! It's the cutest thing ever. It's smaller than the rest of the camra's on the market. The 4.0 mega pix is a plus too! WOW I love it. It's smaller than my cell phone. You should get it too!

This is perfect for you if you are looking for a small, portable digital Camera. You can take this thing anywhere.

Pros:
1. Size and weight - I love the fact that you can just drop it in your pocket and head on out. It's small, sleek, and light weigt.
2. Picture quality - At 4 megapixels, this is not a technological lightweight when it comes to picture clarity. The pictures I have taken so far have come out excellent.
3. Canon Quality - Canon makes great digital cameras that feel sturdy and are well - built.

Cons:
1. Digital Zoom/Lack of optical zoom - The zoom feature of this camera is not good at all. It's a trade-off for its compact size. When using the digital zoom, the pictures dont come out very sharp.
2. Red-eye - You will note a tendency for images to have a bit of red-eye in the subjects. That's not much of a problem if you have image editing software.

Suggestions:
1. Buy a bigger Memory Card - the one that the camera comes with is too small. At the very least, get a 128mb card, 256/512mb is my recommendation.
2. Buy an extra battery - this way when you are out, you can just swap batteries without having to worry about how much power you have left.
3. Buy a USB 2.0 memory card reader - If you take a good number of digital pics and your computer has a USB 2.0 port, then a reader is excellent for downloading pictures and transferring it to your computer. USB 2.0 is very quick and where a typical transfer may take approximately 5 minutes, with USB 2.0 the same transfer will take 45 seconds.
4. Get image editing software- This affords you the opportunity to brighten images, sharpen images, take the red-eye out, crop images. I use adobe photoshop, but any image editing software should do. It just gives you a greater sense of control over the output.

Conclusion:
You know that there will be a trade-off in some camera functions for its small size, and for me, I have no regrets about it. I simply can't get over how small the camera is. It excels in close to medium distance images in daylight. At 4 megapixels, the resolution of the pictures is very satisfying. This camera delivers as promised.

*OK so this bad boy is TINYYYY. You will never have to worry about carrying a bulky camera again, plus its really ultra chic and trendy looking. HUGE PLUS.

*Unlike a lot of other digital cameras that take forever to take a picture, this thing is faaaaast. The time between each snap shot is fast too. VERY impressive.

*I'm not a professional photog but if your just about quality photos without all the technical craziness then this camera is perfect for you. Right out the box its super easy to work with without having to first read the lengthy manual(s).

*The digital zoom on this thing is more than cute enough to accomodate you and I find that it doesn't distort the photos or comprimose the quality of the pic. I understand there are a lot of people that don't care for this dital zoom feature but It hasn't been a problem for me.

*Its so tiny you feel like its the most fragile thing in the world. Its roughly about the size of a credit card!

*There's no optical viewfinder on this camera (for the lay person its the little hole most people look through on any other camera before taking a picture). I thought that it would be wierd having to look through the screen before flicking it up, and surprisingly its not. In fact taking pictures is easier now,

* I havent used the camera's included software because my computer allows me to download my photos by inserting the memory disk directly into it so I can't comment on that particular aspect.

*I'm in loooove.

*The ONLY bad thing about this little camera is that its so cute people want to hold it all the time and the belt clip is secured only by a leather velcro strip so it doesnt feel as secure as I would have liked.

*This camera is soooooo worth the money. Click that "BUY NOW" option immediately and stop fooling around, you know you want it. = )

I just got my camra today! It's the cutest thing ever. It's smaller than the rest of the camra's on the market. The 4.0 mega pix is a plus too! WOW I love it. It's smaller than my cell phone. You should get it too!

I originally had an S50 until it was stolen, so after much new research I replaced it with the S60. The focusing is much improved over my original S50. Although friends who also had the same camera never seemed to have focusing problems. The navigation buttons on the back of the camera have been improved. It is definately lighter than the S50, which is a bonus for those carrying the camera hiking or climbing. And, its start up time is good if you need to capture a picture really quick. So far it has handled all sorts of lighting conditions very well, and the color definition has been excellent with very little (if any) purple tinting. This is a very feature rich camera, if you like gadgets. However, it is also easy to use when set to fully automatic. The photo software it comes with is much improved, and is an acceptable choice if you don't have the money to buy something like Photoshop. I like the rugged, solid feel of the camera overall.

What I don't like about it is the slidable lens cover. I keep bumping it when it is open because of the way I like to hold the camera. The cover extends almost to the right hand side of the camera. If you bump it during picture taking, it shuts down the camera and you don't get your picture. This has happened to me maybe a half a dozen times. I have to consciously force myself to hold the camera as to not disturb the cover when it is open. Maybe in the future canon can move it back from the edge a bit, or reduce the sensitivity of the mechanism that shuts the camera down. Last, this camera isn't design for use in the shirt pocket. If you are looking for a pocket camera this one is a bit big.

I was looking for a digital camera that has many features as SLR does, yet want it small enough that it's convinient for me to carry it anywhere to do a lot of photographs. I got S60 and so far I'm satisfied with it.

The camera produced sharp images and good color balance. And the camera gets ready fast enough to shoot after we turn it on.

Though I took many pictures with it and reviewed the images many times, I found out that the battery is long-lasting.

I also like the software that puts the picture in folders titled by the date automatically. So I can choose not to print date on the pictures.

However, sometimes it's quite hard to slide open your camera when your hand is sweaty. And also almost every single time I take the camera out of my pocket, I slide open the battery door. Yet, they are not a big deal to me.

If you're a digital SLR user with some old IBM Microdrives and high-capacity thick CF cards this is a good point-and-shoot camera. Most of the smaller P&S cameras today take the newer smaller xD cards so you end up having to manage an inventory of different kinds of storage devices. The S60 can share memory cards with full-size digital SLRs.

How does the camera work? Like any other point-and-shoot at around the same price, more or less. It is more responsive than older cameras but still takes a second or two to turn on or wake up, long enough to lose the moment. The menus and controls will be intuitive for anyone who has used Canon digital cameras before. The 28mm equivalent perspective lens is a nice feature.

You'll get better pictures with a Digital Rebel or Nikon D70 if only because those cameras have better viewfinders and controls large enough to operate by feel. But you can't fit one of those digital SLRs in your pocket...

The new Canon PowerShot S500 is a 5MP upgrade to the immensely popular S400 model, which was a 4MP digital camera. The S500 produces excellent images, is easy to use, and is compact enough to carry in a pocket. 3X optical zoom is standard on these cameras. Besides shooting still photos, you can record low-res video clips as well as audio clips, but don't expect high quality on either.

For a hundred bux less, you can get the 4MP S410 model which is otherwise identical to the S500. Should you go for this or the S410? I think for most consumers 4MP is plenty enough, with room for cropping and enlargements. 5MP is only necessary if you really crop a lot *and* plan to blow up the cropped images. The S410 strikes a great balance between pixel count and price -- it's a better value.

This is my first digital camera, and I have no regrets. It's a damn fine point-and-shoot with very intuitive controls and can be used virtually right out of the box (just charge the battery a bit). The video capture feature is just fine; afterall, if you wanted a video camera, you would have purchased one. I considered the Sony DSC-T1, but with Sony's proprietary memory requirements, the cost/benefit just didn't add up. The S500 is a sturdy camera, and should satisfy the casual photo enthusiast for quite some time. The included software is also user-friendly and easy to use.

My Canon Elan 7E and Canon Elph 2 kept me content for quite some time. With hundreds if not thousands of dollars spent on photo-processing however, it was simply time to get into the digital age.

For accessories, you'll want to get a case for it (such as the PSC-50) as it only comes with a wrist strap. In addition, consider purchasing a larger CF card (256MB or 512MB... I purchased the SanDisk Ultra II 256MB). Once you buy a card, you'll be able to use it in digital SLRs if you go that route; the included 32MB card will quickly run out of space if you are taking full resolution photos.

Anyone interested in taking the leap into digital photography and wanting unbiased reviews should take a look at Steve's Digicams at www.steves-digicams.com.

Choosing a digital camera is very much a function of lifestyle. If you are used to SLRs and like being able to bring multiple lenses for special photography opportunities, then consider the Digital Rebel or EOS 10D; you won't find better cameras on the market. If however, you want a compact camera that you can easily take anywhere, consider the S500 as a happy travel partner to capture those moments, and never process film again!

If you just need a digital camera to take pictures in the sun light, you can almost pick any digital camera.

But if you want your camera to take great pictures under all different light conditions (i.e. in door, with dark background, wedding photos and other complex light situations), then Canon S500 will be the only choice. Thanks to Canon DIGIC Image Processor and iSAPS Technology, this Canon S500 really takes perfect pictures in all different light conditions, which no compact digital camera from other vender can match.

However the Canon case for S500 is very dispointing, which is poorly made with cheap fake leather.

I found the most beautiful, perfect fitting leather case for Canon S410/S500 from http://stores.ebay.com/ProCases

The new Canon PowerShot S500 is a 5MP upgrade to the immensely popular S400 model, which was a 4MP digital camera. The S500 produces excellent images, is easy to use, and is compact enough to carry in a pocket. 3X optical zoom is standard on these cameras. Besides shooting still photos, you can record low-res video clips as well as audio clips, but don't expect high quality on either.

For a hundred bux less, you can get the 4MP S410 model which is otherwise identical to the S500. Should you go for this or the S410? I think for most consumers 4MP is plenty enough, with room for cropping and enlargements. 5MP is only necessary if you really crop a lot *and* plan to blow up the cropped images. The S410 strikes a great balance between pixel count and price -- it's a better value.

This is my first digital camera, and I have no regrets. It's a damn fine point-and-shoot with very intuitive controls and can be used virtually right out of the box (just charge the battery a bit). The video capture feature is just fine; afterall, if you wanted a video camera, you would have purchased one. I considered the Sony DSC-T1, but with Sony's proprietary memory requirements, the cost/benefit just didn't add up. The S500 is a sturdy camera, and should satisfy the casual photo enthusiast for quite some time. The included software is also user-friendly and easy to use.

My Canon Elan 7E and Canon Elph 2 kept me content for quite some time. With hundreds if not thousands of dollars spent on photo-processing however, it was simply time to get into the digital age.

For accessories, you'll want to get a case for it (such as the PSC-50) as it only comes with a wrist strap. In addition, consider purchasing a larger CF card (256MB or 512MB... I purchased the SanDisk Ultra II 256MB). Once you buy a card, you'll be able to use it in digital SLRs if you go that route; the included 32MB card will quickly run out of space if you are taking full resolution photos.

Anyone interested in taking the leap into digital photography and wanting unbiased reviews should take a look at Steve's Digicams at www.steves-digicams.com.

Choosing a digital camera is very much a function of lifestyle. If you are used to SLRs and like being able to bring multiple lenses for special photography opportunities, then consider the Digital Rebel or EOS 10D; you won't find better cameras on the market. If however, you want a compact camera that you can easily take anywhere, consider the S500 as a happy travel partner to capture those moments, and never process film again!

If you just need a digital camera to take pictures in the sun light, you can almost pick any digital camera.

But if you want your camera to take great pictures under all different light conditions (i.e. in door, with dark background, wedding photos and other complex light situations), then Canon S500 will be the only choice. Thanks to Canon DIGIC Image Processor and iSAPS Technology, this Canon S500 really takes perfect pictures in all different light conditions, which no compact digital camera from other vender can match.

However the Canon case for S500 is very dispointing, which is poorly made with cheap fake leather.

I found the most beautiful, perfect fitting leather case for Canon S410/S500 from http://stores.ebay.com/ProCases

This is my third digital camera, my previous was a 3.2MP Casio QV3000EX. While Casio is not a well known name in the US for cameras, it's still hard to find a digital camera today that matches the QV3000EX feature/price point. The S50 does this and more!

The Good:
1. Made in Japan (not China as some other Japanese cameras ie Minolta).
2. Metal case, and it feels like it is well made (heavy). Buttons give a solid feel.
3. Turns on quick - 4 seconds.
4. Small size. This will easily fit into your shirt pocket. The S50 has the features of a G3 and the compactness of the S400. The best of both worlds. No other 5MP camera comes close to this size, with the exception of the Minolta F300.
5. Extreme manual control: 10 aperature settings (most digital camaras have 2), 45 shutter settings! You will not find a camera with more control at this price.
6. Lens can zoom in macro mode. Others such as Minolta S414 cannot.
7. Fast Canon lens - great pictures in low light and little to no blooming (purple fringe). In my opinion, Canon makes the best digital camera lens. The Casio QV3000EX has a Canon lens, and it takes great pictures. The lens makes or breaks a camera, don't compromise here.
8. Will NOT turn on when in your pocket. It's just plain annoying that manufacturers continue to make knobs that turn at the slightest touch. The dial on the S50 gives a solid and metal sounding click.
9. Battery charger is small an unobtrusive. Fits into the smallest of camera bags.

The Bad:
1. You pay a price for Canon. But you get what you pay for. You can get a cheaper digital camera, but you will not get one that has perhaps the best lens, great auto focus, and exreme manual control, and - in the end great pictures. Take a look at the sample pictures at Canon's site. Compare them to similar cameras. You will wonder why you thought of buying another brand. Also consider the S400 for a more limited point and shoot, or the G3 for professional/traditional SLR look and feel.
2. Uses a proprietary battery. To be honest, I'd rather use AA Ni-MH batteries. But with the Canon system, you probably get bettery power management since they can monitor the battery state better than if it is generic rechargables. In the end it's probably a wash. Buy a second battery.

Pros: Compact size, 5 megapixel resolution, ease of use, lots of creative photography options, Solid all metal compact body, Quality Canon lens, quality, enlargeable images, sturdy, macro capability.

Cons: No provision for add-on lenses or filters, Expensive, 5MP is probably overkill for most users, Underwater housing does not allow full control, not as sharp as most 4 MP cameras, 4-way Navigation Button & Proprietary Battery, Some photos had red eye, doesn't come with carrying case.

Summary: This compact Canon digital camera really impressed me in the week I've had mine so far. I've been looking and playing with the Sony DSC-P9 for some time but took a chance with the S50 sight unseen, with a few recommendations, and my expectations have been well exceded. Excellent image quality and easy to learn interface with ample effect, memory, and capture options are not compromised by the camera's size (slightly chunkier than the Sony, but still slips into a pocket easily). Crisp and bright image replay on the rear color LCD monitor. Easy downloads to PC with USB and unimposing Canon software, and fairly quick battery recharge too. This is a really great compact digital camera for those looking for great images in different conditions without a bulky, intrusive large body reflex. The movie capture is better than on previous Canon models, though still slightly choppy at 12 frames per second (not that making movies is your first choice in features for selecting pocket cameras). Nonetheless, after looking around I believe this is the best deal for quality/function/money versus size in the compact digital camera market.A+

I have a lot of experience with a wide range of fully manual SLRs and digital SLRs, and this camera stacks up nicely. As an architecture student, I bought the S50 to have a quick alternative for shooting models, sites and other miscellaneous scenography to use in large scale presentation format. After 7 months, I have been very pleased.
A few things:

The good:
-RAW format (nice to have that versatility)
-color balance is nice
-easy acces to menus
-loads of manual functions
-light adjustments are right on
-nice lcd, crisp and bright
-overall great consistent pictures, and it's easy to be really creative (making you feel like a better photographer than you actually are)

The not so good (but no so bad either):
-there is too much discrepancy between the area that is seen in the viewfinder and what the sensors see. (You always get more than what you see)
-the 5-way toggle selector button has got to go!
-a little bit too brick-like
-noisy zoom

I would recommend this to semi-serious light-heavy shooters. (but get a spare battery, 2 for a full day of shooting with lcd on)

My S45 has broke twice in the 6 months I have had it. I am very disapionted. I've always bought Canon but will look somewhere else next time! Very poor quality.

The Canon S45 is basically a revision of the S40 with some newer software included. The S40 is itself a version of the Powershot G3 without the gimmicks like remote control, flash mounting, and a few other tricks. The sensor and optics are the same for all three cameras, the difference is in the software on the camera, the editing software for the PC that comes with it, and the gimmicks.

The S45 is a nice camera. The user interface is much better than on the S40, and it still has the excellent color quality and image resolution of a 4MP camera. It is ruggedly designed, has high quality optics and CCD, and numerous buttons that are out of the way for normal use. It has full auto and full manual modes, so it's appropriate for beginners and experienced users.

The downside of the camera is the slow startup time. The flash is also in a spot where your finger might cover it if you're not careful. There is some noise at low light levels, but this is true of all CCD cameras, and the S45 is about average in this respect. The images are excellent at high resolution/large file size, but the included 32MB flash card is a joke. Canon should know better, and ship all cameras with at least 256MB cards.

The major downside of the package is the photo editing/printing software that comes bundled with the camera. It's user interface is an atrocity, buttons have icons rather than labels, there is no menu tab, etc. The camera is quickly recognized by USB port, and the downloads are quick. Just be sure to get Photoshop or another quality editing software package, rather than relying on the [stuff] that comes bundled with this camera.

I spent weeks looking for the right digital camera to replace my old Canon digital camera. I finally settled on the Canon S45 due to it's features, quality and the deal I was able to get.

So far I am very pleased with the camera and the quality of the photos. I recently took the camera with me out of state to visit family and upon returning I plugged the usb cable into my Apple powerbook and loaded the pictures into iphoto. All the pictures came out very well, only needed to enhance the image on a few photos. All the photos I took were through the automatic setting. I'm sure once I'm comfortable with the manual controls the picture quality will be even better.

I was worried about my choice after reading some of the reviews online about the lens cover that is also used to turn the camera on/off. To my relief this turned out to not be a issue at all. Some reviewers stated that the cover was cheap and came off easily. Not sure what they mean as my S45 lens cover seems very sturdy at this point.

I almost went with the S400 due to it's size and features but after seeing one in person it just felt too small to me. Although heavier, the S45 size does feel nice and doesn't seem to be an issue as far as carrying around in a small case.

For about 80% of people, this camera is going to be a dream come true.

Simply put, it's the pinnacle of ultra compact digital camera technology. With a 4 megapixel resolution with a better sensor than almost all of its competitors in a body the size of a pack of cigarettes, the Canon S410 is fabulous. The buttons and other physical factors of the interface are all well designed: the zoom and shutter button are in the same place for ridiculously easy one handed operation. The function knob on the upper right provides easy access to several shooting & playback modes. Compare this to other recent sexy, ultra-compact powershooters by Casio & Fuji (Think Z4U and A340) and you'll understand why this is a superior camera.

Other pros:
-Canon STILL uses Compact Flash media, which is significantly cheaper than xD and sD, which a good 90% of other brands use. I have yet to see a downside in everyday use (don't ask me about extreme temperate conditions or whether the various media survive prolonged exposure to electromagnetic fields of varying strengths, as I won't know, and most people don't care).
-I personally like Canon's picture quality far better than that of most of its competitors, within the same style of camera.
-The auto-focus system is superior to all other cameras of this size and strength. VASTLY superior.

Cons:
-Canon's movie mode is growing steadily outdated. This is one area where you may be able to find another camera that serves better: This camera is limited to 3 minutes of 15 FPS 320 x 240 resolution motion capture, regardless of the size of your memory card. I do, however, think that if you're that serious about wanting to record digital movies, you should look to a device more aimed at that sort of thing, like the new Panasonic digi-video-cams that take still images as a secondary function.
-Memory door is made of plastic, not metal like the rest of the camera, and I have seen it break.
-1.5" LCD leaves something to be desired (esp. compared to Casio's line of 2" LCD ultracompacts).
-No easy, pre-set scene modes like Fuji or Minolta have.

Reasons why you would NOT like this camera:
-If this is your first digital camera. I can understand how you may be disappointed by the fact that 99% of point & shoot digital cameras do not make film-quality prints. This is something you will just have to deal with, or not use digital cameras: short of a $700+ SLR digi camera, you will NEVER consistently get film-quality prints, and even then, you will not get the same quality as a comparably priced film camera.
-If you are a photo enthusiast. Canon's Digital Elph line of cameras is designed around every day snapshooters that do not need or know how to use things like manual white balance, various aperture settings, add-on lenses, etc. The similarly priced Canon S45 is much more along the lines of what you're looking for, if you insist on remaining in the compact category. Otherwise, invest in a digital SLR camera, as you will be much happier.

I have been using Canon Powershot for around 3 years now and I think I am in pretty good position to dissect it's features, pros and cons.

I started out with Canon Powershot S100 and now upgraded to this one. And it's been pleasure all the way. Let me explain why.

1. It's incredibly rugged and the aluminium-steel body is way classy then most plastic-bodied cameras out there.
2. The picture quality is awesome and I can rival Webshots in photography with this tiny little camera. I am a lot satisfied with the quality of photographs I have been taking all these years. Shots at night are perfectly focussed, thanks to focus-assist light that turns on when you press the shutter halfway down.
3. The movie mode has been upgraded over earlier versions and this one lets you shoot clips of upto 3 minutes, with sound. The number of movie clips you can shoot is only limited by your card size. The sound quality is not great, but okay for amateur shooting.
4. Ease of use is not really a very important criteria coz I believe no one using a digicam is that dumb. But I believe this one is really easy to use.
5. The battery charger doesn't have dangling wires and the prongs are collapsible. Not a great thing, but pleasant.

Cons: (What canon could have done to make it better)
1. Should have a battery level indicator. This is important and can give you heartbreaks when you run out of power in the middle of a great shoot. It does have a low battery warning, but that comes too late.
2. It's not plug and play. You can't just connect this camera to your Win 2K or XP pc and download the photos. You need canon software or a CF card reader. Can be an annoyance sometimes.
3. The 640X480 movie resolution doesn't look great and doesn't really make sense to shoot in that mode. It looks as if 320X240 mode is digitally enlarged. The picture quality in 320X240 is satisfactory.
4. The text near controls got erased by use a little too early I guess. They could have used better technology for printing text onto the camera's body.

The facts:
Fact 1. When I purchased this camera, my friends had none. Now after 3 years, I can see atleast 10 of them who own Canon Powershot. This makes me believe this is the best of the lot.
Fact 2. I recently went to a store and wondered if a Sony or a Nikon would be better choice over Canon Powershot. The store guy told me this - "Are you insane!"

Now the verdict: Everything has cons. But ultimately I believe for a digital camera, the quality of photo matters. That stays as memory. Everything else is history.

You can take my word and get this one. You will thank yourself!Good luck.

I'm not an expert on photography. I have only taken one photography class in my life, but this little camera is quite amazing! The size fits perfectly in anyone's hands; moreover, the buttons and controls are easy to manuever.

I was able to operate this camera pretty much right out of the box without having to read the manual. I have no problems downloading the pictures into my computer. It's very user friendly.

The pictures are crisp and clear, as you can see in the open window. It's a great daytime, point and shoot sort of camera and the pictures look quite professional. The only problems it has is taking night-time photos. This camera has a bit of a problem in the dark, but overall, great value for the price!!!!

I highly recommend it!

Canon's S400 is the second 4 MegaPixel compact digicam from a major manufacturer on the market (I consider Minolta's F100 the first). Overall, the S400 is a winner for anyone looking for a basic point-and-shoot digital camera with a few added picture modes. While the overall build quality of the S400 is slightly inferior to Canon's 3MP S230 camera... the bevy of features compensates for this.

On the plus side is the 4 MegaPixel photo capture, 3x OPTICAL Zoom (which is way more important than what level of digital zoom it has), built-in speaker and microphone, 9 point AutoFocus system, improved user interface with the new FUNC button, DIGIC image processor which speeds up photo capture and improves photo quality, improved battery life over the older Canon digital ELPH even the S230 camera, up to 3 minutes of movie capture in various resolutions, and voice annotations on photos. All of this in a camera that fits into your shirt pocket. You also have a few manual settings if you desire with manual exposure control, white balance (with several preset values), some photo effects (sepia shots, B&W, motion blur), and long shutter settings to name several user adjustable settings.

On the minus side, battery life is somewhat short (150-170 in my use on a full charge), the flash is weak especially for low light and nighttime shots, you often will get red eye in your flash shots even with the red eye reduction (although it is greatly reduced), the off-center tripod hole makes it more difficult to have stitched photos, the limited manual controls versus other cameras in this price range, and the price of the camera.

Overall, this a great compact digital camera best for vacationing and those who need an easy to carry camera with little operating hassle. If you desire more manual features and professional level features, look at Canon's S45 4MP digital camera with is the same price as the S400.

I am a casual photo enthusiast who enjoys taking pictures of my friends and family wherever I go. Both photographic quality and portability are of paramount concerns and I think I found my holy grail with Canon S400.

Pros:
- Extremely portable, yet very rugged
- Beautiful design with excellent overall ergonomics
- Typically excellent photo quality in all-auto mode with no redeye
- Very fast -- startup time, image processing and acquisition, menu response
- Long battery life
- Uses widely popular (and inexpensive) CompactFlash Type 1 memory cards
- 4 megapixel resolution (2272x1704)
- 3X optical zoom/11X max with digital
- Useful movie mode with audio (3 minutes at 320x240 or 160x120)

Cons:
- Minimal manual controls (e.g., no manual focus)
- Cheap A/V/digital output cover
- Movie mode limited to 3 minutes (and no 640x480 mode may irk some)
- Proprietary battery
- Some barrel distortion when taking wide angle shots

While S400 has some shortcomings, mainly lack of manual focus, exposure, and shutter speed. And some may be bothered by its use of proprietary lithium ion battery, although given its compact size, I think Canon engineers had to implement proprietary battery. On the plus side, the battery lasts a long time, capable of taking several hundred shots before running out of juice (and takes only a couple of hours to recharge).

I've managed to fill entire 512MB memory card (32MB is included) on a single battery charge.

Did I mention how beautiful this camera is? The photos do not do this camera a justice. At 3.4" by 2.2" by 1.1", the S400 is no larger than most compact cell phones. Inch by inch, it's only a tad larger than my tiny Sony Ericsson T68i cell phone and smaller than (although a bit thicker) my Apple iPod MP3 player.

The ergonomics are consistently excellent. Although there are some learning curves (particularly given rich feature set), once mastered (comprehensive manuals make it easy), most will appreciate elegant menu layout and ideal number of buttons and layout.

But beautiful design means nothing if it does not accomplish its main functions -- taking beautiful pictures. In full auto setting, which is what majority people might use, the pictures were consistently satisfying, although overriding the white balance to match the lighting condition improved the quality significantly in many shots.

This is a great camera.

Not all memory cards work well with all cameras. I tried to use a Viking card with my Canon s230, and got the E18 error mentioned here. As soon as I swapped my SanDisk back in, the problem was gone forever. I think sending the memory card back was a much better and cheaper solution than ditching an excellent camera.

The Canon PowerShot S40 was a terrific small digital camera when it was introduced, but the digital camera market advances quickly and this model has been surpassed by Canon's own S45 (an updated S40) and the new S50 (5 megapixel in the same body only in high-tech black). Serious photographers seekng a digital would turn to Canon's EOS Digital Rebel. The S30 and S40 are good cameras if you want lots of features in a small package without paying a lot of money.

Features begin with the generous maximum 4 megapixel image size (you can make them smaller to conserve space on the CompactFlash card). Several modes are available to you such as Sports (high shutter-speed and high resolution shots), Portrait, Night, etc. You can put it in complete Idiot Mode (okay, Automatic mode) and let it select your shutter speed and aperture, or you can pick one or the other and let the camera pick the missing one, or you can go full into Manual mode and pick both. There's even a Movie mode, complete with sound. These video clips are 320 x 200 pixels.

This small camera fits in a purse or shirt pocket easily and won't get in the way if you're shouldering it in a case (not included, just buy a generic). But you pay a price for the small size: the optical zoom is limited to 3x. And unfortuately, the S40, like all the PowerShot S family, starts out with a focal length of 11mm, which is a very wide-angle view. Even at 3X optical zoom you will max out at 55mm, often not as close as you'd need. There is a digital zoom, but so what? Crop your picture in software later rather than play with that silly feature. I found 55mm insufficient for shooting across a large room. If you work closer in this won't be a problem, but it is not a good focal length for shooting children, who stop whatever adorable thing they're doing when they notice you framing that shot. (And see comment on slow shutter response, below.)

The sliding door that covers the lens (and turns on the camera) seems flimsy and can cause problems. My 3YO niece got ahold of my S40 and ripped the door off. I was able to reattach it but now it's a loose tooth, ready to fall off again. Even under warranty, my choice was to send it back to Canon for 12 weeks or live with it. I couldn't live without the camera, so I kept it, loose sliding door and all. I've just learned not to lend it to people who can't baby it; a good push and that door is off the camera again.

One of the S40's most frustrating limitations is a slow shutter response. I can't tell you how many shots I've missed using it; I frame it lovingly, I see the perfect moment, I shoot... but no score. The people have moved on, the sun has set, the universe suffers heat-death, and finally the shutter clicks. If you want a fast shutter then you must have a digital SLR, as almost all the compact-style digital cameras such as this one have the delayed shutter issue. Another note of annoyance on the PowerShot S family: they come with a wrist strap but no shoulder strap. I don't know what use a wrist strip is for a camera; if I'm not using it then I want my hands free. I bought a generic shoulder strap but it wasn't a great fit. At least Canon should offer one as an extra-cost accessory.

One difference between the S30 and S40 is the latter only allows an ISO of 400 which restricts low-light photography. This is a limitation of the larger CCD in the S40. ISO 800 shots on the S30 are quity noisy so it isn't clear you are missing this feature in the S40, and you gain an extra megapixel.

I still give this camera 4 stars for putting so many features in such a small package. The pictures are reasonably good, and at this size you can crop plenty out and still print good 4x6 inch images. The PowerShot S40 comes with software, but you'll probably want to buy your own image editing package, such as Photoshop Elements. The one provided is fairly limited. Useful software includes PhotoStitch, which allows you to make your own panaramic style images from a series of linked shots. The included 32 MB CompactFlash card is also too small for typical use, so plan on buying a bigger card. Also plan on buying a second battery.

(...) After looking at the Digital Elphs and the A-series cameras, I stumbled upon the S40. This camera has it all. Four mega-pixels, a sturdy metal body, complete control over almost every aspect of your shot, and all in a compact size to boot. The feature-set is based on the popular Canon G2, which is a professional grade digital camera, so you know it uses a fully field-tested, high-quality internal design.

I mostly use this camera in auto mode, in which it takes absolutely beautiful pictures. They are clear, beautifully saturated, and capture motion extremely well. Indoor and outdoor pictures are equally impressive, and I found the metering to be very intelligent. That is, highlights, shadows, and exposure levels are all handled very well.

The camera offers an amazing amount of control with 12 user-selectable modes in addition to the auto mode. (...) But, suffice it to say that anyone seeking a high-level of control over their settings will not be dissapointed by the S40.

A Little Advice:

1. If you are looking to spend a little less money and do not need a 4 mega-pixel camera, a 3 mega-pixel version is available in the S30.

2. If you are looking for a point-and-shoot camera only, you do not need to spend this kind of money. Look toward the Canon A-Series cameras instead. These are plastic and lack the high-level of user control, but they are also much easier on the wallet.

3. Although this is a very compact camera, it is not the smallest that Canon makes. If you want the ultimate in portability, look at their Digital Elph line.

4. The proprietary battery that comes with the S40 is extremely powerful and has an impressive life. The charger is also very compact and very fast. However, I highly recommend buying a spare battery from Canon's website (for about $70).

5. Do not waste your money on the leather case for the S40 that Canon sells on their website. It is far too small for the camera and the lens cover slides open whenever you try to put the camera in it. I am not a big fan of sliding lens covers in the first place, and the leather case does nothing to win me over. Go buy yourself a generic camera case that fits the camera properly.

6. The included 16 MB CompactFlash card is embarrassing. Go buy a 128 MB card (at minimum). And while you're at it, pick up a USB card reader. They are under $(...) and are far more convenient than using the direct camera hook-up (although the S40 software and connection is quite convenient compared to many other digital cameras).

7. Be careful when removing the label from the lens cover. You can actually pull the cover right off if you're not careful. PEEL SLOWLY!

Conclusion:
Overall, this is a beautifully designed, well-built camera from an excellent company. As you can see by my review, Canon has won me over. In summary, the S40 matches the excellent picture quality of the finest Nikon and Kodak cameras available. The difference is, Canon does not skimp on the build of the camera by using cheap plastic parts. This, in my opinion, puts the S40 above the rest in this category.

Well Done Canon!

This is a great camera, highly recommended, photo image quality is great, even the video quality is surprisingly good for short clips.

The only gripe I have so far (which I've seen in many other reviews) is the set button, when pressing it you can easily press the arrow down/up or left/right by mistake, but overall it's actually not that bad and with experience it gets easier.

I read a lot of reviews of this and other cameras before deciding on which one to buy.

What I love about this camera:
- 4 Megapixel camera at this price point
- complete manual control available
- program mode will remember your last settings
- iso setting up to 400 - This is really great for getting good night time shots without having to use the flash
- very easy to use software with both win and mac/os x versions
- large lcd screen for preview
- fairly good interface and on-screen menu system
- good lense for a compact camera

A minor issue is the lense sliding door, seems a bit flimsy in the construction, like it would easily come off, time will tell. If Canon fixed this and the set button they'd have a perfect 4Mp camera in my opinion.