Canon PowerShot S100 2MP Digital ELPH Camera Kit w/ 2x Optical Zoom

Canon PowerShot S100 2MP Digital ELPH Camera Kit w/ 2x Optical Zoom
Manufacturer: Canon
Product Type: Photography

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com Product Description
Canon's latest crowning achievement, the PowerShot S100, packs a high-quality digital camera into the tiny, elegant body of Canon's Digital Elph series. With this item, Canon becomes the first to produce such a small digital camera with high resolution. The super-popular Elph APS cameras were favored because users could slip them into shirt pockets and take them anywhere. Now the digital camera has truly come of age with this ultraportable model.

The PowerShot S100 uses the same durable stainless-steel case as the traditional Elph series cameras. It offers 2-megapixel resolution for high-quality photos and prints up to 8 by 10 inches. Canon provides the PowerShot S100 with a high-resolution, low-distortion, all-glass aspherical 2x zoom lens (and a 4x digital zoom as well). The 1.5-inch LCD monitor displays most camera settings with easy-to-understand icons and minimal text. The PowerShot S100 features a 0.37-inch CCD that creates full color or black-and-white images up to 1,600 x 1,200 pixels (it also offers a 640 x 480 pixel image size). The built-in flash uses a light guide and does not need a fresnel lens or a large reflector, making the camera even more compact.

The PowerShot S100 stores images on an 8 MB CompactFlash card. Adobe PhotoDeluxe and PhotoStitch control image management, editing, compositing, and printing, while ZoomBrowser EX or ImageBrowser produce self-running screen slide shows, automatic e-mail preparation, and auto layout. The camera uses a high-speed plug-and-play USB interface, plus it has NTSC-out so you can view your photos on your TV. It's fully compatible with both Mac and PC platforms.

Canon PowerShot S100 2MP Digital ELPH Camera Kit w/ 2x Optical Zoom

Average customer rating:

Digital Camera that thinks it's a tank!
One of the better *compact* cameras for beginners
Very handy second camera
Software not compatible with XP
Neat Toy

Canon PowerShot S100 2MP Digital ELPH Camera Kit w/ 2x Optical Zoom

Manufacturer: Canon
ProductGroup: Photography
Binding: Electronics

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Accessories:

SimpleTech STI-CF/128 128MB CompactFlash Card
SimpleTech STI-CF/256 256 MB CompactFlash Card
Canon CBC-NB1 Car Charger (Charges NB-1LH Battery) for S200, S230, S330, S110, S100, S300, S400, S500 Digital Cameras
Canon PSC-50 Soft Leather Case for Canon SD400, SD450, SD550, SD500, SD300, SD200, SD100, S500, S410, S400, S230 and S200 Digital Cameras
Ceiva Advanced Digital Photo Receiver

Product Features:

2.1 megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 8 x 10 prints
2x optical plus 4x digital zoom lens with autofocus
Included 8 MB CompactFlash card holds 12 images at default resolution
Connects with Macs and PCs via USB port
Rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery included

ASIN: B00004TS16

Amazon.com Product Description

Canon's latest crowning achievement, the PowerShot S100, packs a high-quality digital camera into the tiny, elegant body of Canon's Digital Elph series. With this item, Canon becomes the first to produce such a small digital camera with high resolution. The super-popular Elph APS cameras were favored because users could slip them into shirt pockets and take them anywhere. Now the digital camera has truly come of age with this ultraportable model.

Customer Reviews:

Digital Camera that thinks it's a tank!.......2004-12-23

I bought this camera when i was a sophmore in college. And now, 2 years out of college, a handfull of beautiful days, a half-dozen life changing moments, and umpteen vacations later it's still goes with me everywhere and snaps photographs. all the sticker labels on it have since been knocked off but it doesn't matter because i know what they all do. This puppy is built to last. When I eventually pass this one down in the family and buy a new one, I'll be getting another canon for sure.

If you're looking for a high-value digital camera that thinks it's a tank, get the Canon s100.

One of the better *compact* cameras for beginners.......2004-12-22

I bought this camera for the same reason many of you are considering it, or have already bought it--it's size. It is amazingly small, it's hard to believe all that has been packed into this camera. I take it with me everywhere,literally, it is so small that I am able to keep it in my pocket, and I don't have to fear that it will get ruined in my pocket because it is so durable. There is also a small covering for the lens, so you need not worry that the lens will get scratched.
The picture quality surprised me, when I first saw this camera I saw how small it was an instantly assumed that the picture quality would not be good--but I was wrong! The picture quality of this camera is outstanding (taking its' size and price into consideration).

However, I do have a few things to complain about...

First off, the battery. This camera uses a lithium battery, I find lithium batteries to be highly inconvenient; because what if you are on vacation, where the nearest place to buy batteries is just a gas station--there is no way that you are going to find lithium batteries there. Not only is it inconvenient, but also the battery life span is short. The longest I've had it work was about 1 hour and 45 minutes. This isn't uncommon in cameras, though, just as long as you bring your charger and spare batteries, you should be fine.

Another problem I had with this camera was the zoom function. Such a small zoom length that you would think that the zoom would be silent since it hardly zooms in...wrong! Very wrong. The zoom function on this camera is so loud that sometimes you will be unable to use it if you find yourself in a situation where you must be quiet. Even just turning the camera on will move the lens a little, resulting in a noisy start-up.

The flash is very weak. Really dissapointing. If you are inside, you can't be any farther away then 10 feet in a lit room.

The last problem I found with this camera was the macro function. The auto-focus on the camera seems to have trouble focusing on the subject. To make matters work, there is no manual override to overcome this problem. The focus is great, though, if you are not taking a macro shot.

These are all the flaws I found in the camera, it's not my first choice in cameras, I have come across many other beginner cameras that I prefer over this camera, but the thing you have to keep in mind about this camera is the size. If you are just looking for something to keep with you at all times, then this is a great camera choice.

Very handy second camera.......2003-07-22

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 will also say that it takes a very long moment for the camera to do its digital image processing between the time you press the button and when the camera actually takes the picture. By the time the shot's taken, something (especially a squirmy child or a sports play) has invariably moved and it's not the exact picture you wanted.

I'm going to buy a real Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) to take baby pictures, but I'll keep this as a travel camera.

Software not compatible with XP.......2003-06-15

I originally gave this camera 5 stars. When I had Windows 98 it was wonderful but I got a new computer last November with XP the usb software is Sooo... not compatible with XP I have found however that you can just buy a card reader to solve this problem. The new drivers on cannon's site do not help at all but try them if you want they have made me have to use the backup software. The Adobe software also was wonderful in 98 but it will not let you print correctly with XP so you are forced to create your document then either print it from Windows or export it to another application. But it takes gorgeous pictures for a 2.1 MP camera.

Neat Toy.......2003-06-07

Positives - Cute, compact, solid, Durable (2+ years & no problems). People are always curious and pleased to check out how they look on the LCD. Picture quality very good at highest resolution and good for on-computer or TV viewing at lower res.

Negatives
- Short battery life (buy an extra & carry the charger)
- Tiny (for my big hands) and tiny non-intuitive menus
- Heavy for the size (but solidly built)
- Optical zoom is nice, but digital zoom feature should have been left off

Advice - Buy larger CF Card (they're cheap now), buy extra battery, carry everything (ie. charger, etc) in a medium sized camera bag. This Camera seems indespensible to me now.

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