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Canon PowerShot S10 2MP Digital Camera w/ 2x Optical Zoom

Canon PowerShot S10 2MP Digital Camera w/ 2x Optical Zoom

List Price: $599.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Some tips when using this camera
Review: 1. Turn the LCD screen off except when framing shots. This will allow the battery to last a long time. 2. Make sure that you have the most recent operating system for the camera. It should be v.1.0.0.2. You can verify this (via any of the included software programs) when the camera is connected to your computer. This firmeware upgrade corrects many of the color imbalances as well as allowing a faster shutter speed for flash pictures (1/30th sec. vs. 1/15th), which reduces the probability of camera shake. 3. Don't try and install the firmware upgrade (available on the Canon website) if you have a Mac. I don't know the genesis of the problem (something about the USB connection or an installation glitch) but for most people the camera freezes during upgrade, rendering it useless. Canon can install this for you under warranty and are very quick on turnaround. (I guess this is a long winded way of saying - give it a shot, but only if you're prepared to send it to Canon anyway).

I'd give it 5 stars, but the glitch I had with the firmware upgrade irked me. Canon did fix it promptly and the camera works like a charm.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good things come in small packages
Review: After reading some of the other Amazon reviews, I felt compelled to write my own.

First off, I'll get the only bad thing about this camera out of the way. You MUST buy the optional power supply kit, otherwise you will be spending an extra 20 bucks for a Lithium CR5 battery every couple of weeks. The power supply kit, from what I have seen, goes for about 60-80 bucks, and includes the rechargable battery, charger, and A/C adapter (for operating without a battery when plugged into the wall, which comes in very handy).

Without buying this kit, the camera does come with the required lithium battery, serial cable for PC, serial cable for Mac, USB for PC/Mac, video cable, and an 8MB compact flash memory card. (Wrist strap, CD-rom, manuals and camera also included, obviously) First of all, the 8MB memory card can hold a lot more than 12 pictures, as quoted by one of the reviewers. If you read the manual, you'll find that the S10 can take pictures in 3 different resolutions, as well as 3 different compression ratios. In other words, 1600x1200 is a huge picture, and most normal people find 800x600 (the smallest setting) to be plenty sufficient for taking everyday pictures. Most people's computer resolutions are set to 800x600, and a picture that size would fill up the whole screen, if that gives you any idea. If you set the camera to 800x600 and high compression, you can put 61 pictures on the 8MB card. These are only a couple of the good customization options I found by reading the manual. This camera also 4x digital zoom and 2x regular zoom, which was not clarified by another reviewer. This feature can be enabled if you turn it on in the camera settings. It's not enabled by default.

Besides the zoom and large amount of picture storage, this camera can do a ton of stuff that I couldn't do on my old Fujifilm camera. Aside from the resolution and compression options, and the 4x digital zoom, the S10 can be set to manual mode and adjusted for specific situations. You can adjust the white balance, exposure level, object focus, and lighting condition options. If you don't feel like fooling with all these individually, there's an "Image" mode which allows you to set the camera for specific conditions, like Landscape, Fast shutter, Slow shutter, Night scene, and Black and white. And even further than this, there's a regular picture-taking mode for amateurs that allows you to just point and click while the camera automatically adjusts to the best settings. To top it all off, there's an included slide show option that cycles through all the pictures or a specific line-up that you make, which when hooked up to the TV (via the video cable) can make for great, quick entertainment, without having to download all the pictures and show them to someone on a computer. And for the outdoor photographer, there's an included photo-stitching mode that allows you to take several pictures, vertically or horizontally, and stitch them together seamlessly with the included software. (I.e. taking 3 pictures of a long beach and pasting them together)

In summary, after reading the manual included with the S10, I found that nearly everything is included into this durable, pocket-size camera. I'm extremely glad that I bought it, and it far outperforms my Fujifilm camera in picture quality, useablity, and transfer speeds. (with the USB cable). Even the LCD display is much brighter and clearer! Plus it looks cool! It's hard to go wrong if buying this camera. You won't be let down.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pleased with Canon S10
Review: At almost the last minute before leaving on an Alaskan cruise, I decided to dump my usual point-and-shoot camera and go digital. Amazon got the camera to me the day before I left - needless to say, I was reading the manual and taking test photos on the plane to Anchorage! I found the S10 to be very easy to use, and very difficult to take bad pictures with. I'm still discovering new features. One of my favorites is the ability to connect the camera to any television set and show your pictures within seconds of taking them. We did this several times on the ship. The compact size of the S10 makes it more likely that I will carry it with me on outings, rather than leave it at home. I've not yet gotten into the computer/software side of digital photography, but I'll attack that soon - I just got back from Alaska yesterday. Three recommendations: 1) you MUST get the rechargeable battery set, and probably an extra rechargeable battery. It's unfortunate that the charger outfit was not included with the camera (and included in the price). For this reason, if I had it to do over again, I would look very closely at the Canon S100. 2) You should consider getting a larger capacity compact flashcard - I got a 32Meg, which holds about 140 snapshot-type pictures. 3)Think about getting a soft case for the camera - Canon makes a leather case - you can also get nylon cases that work. I worry about scratching or otherwise damaging the LCD screen while carrying the camera unprotected.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Una buena camara con pobre bateria
Review: Compre esta camara en Mayo y debo decir que estoy muy contento con el software y con la calidad de las fotos, pero MUY molesto con el hecho de que la camara consume las baterias a una velocidad increible.

Es altamente recomedable que se compre el kit con la bateria recargable, pues en Mexico las baterias C2R5 son extramadamente caras. Sin embargo, un punto muy agradable de esta camara, aparte de su magnifica resolucion, es el hecho de que los lentes Canon en esta camara son asfericos, lo cual elimina la distorsion que existe en lentes comunes en los extremos de una fotografia.

Con esta camara se pueden tomar 2 o 3 fotos y juntarlas en una foto panoramica con el software que trae (Adobe PhotoDeluxe 3.5)

Si amas la fotografia esta camara es la indicada, ma sno olvides comprar la pila recargable.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A great camer
Review: easy to use and downloading to the PC is a breeze. I wish the buttons were a bit more intuitive, but overall a strong camera.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fabulous Little Camera
Review: I bought this camera after doing a lot of research and have owned it for two months now. It is small, easy to use and feature-loaded for those of us who like to go beyond point-and-shoot. If you want to point-and-shoot, you can do that too, but if you want more creative latitude, this is a fine little camera for the job. I especially enjoy close-up photography and this camera far exceeded my expectations. The macro feature is remarkable. Yesterday I took photos of a monarch butterfly which had just emerged from its crysalis. The sharpness and detail are incredible and most importantly, I had greater depth of field than with my close-up lenses of my 35 mm days. The photos are gorgeous, sharp, and even on the lowest resolution setting they make better 4X6 photos than my 35 mm cameras do. Do buy the rechargeable battery--disposables are expensive and get used up fast. This is a problem for all digitals, BTW. I use my camera with a Macintosh and PC both. The software included is simple to use. You really can take the camera out of the box, take a bunch of pictures, and print them up a few minutes later. You get free Adobe Photo Deluxe versions for both--the PC version is loaded with layout features which the Mac version lacks. I went ahead and bought PhotoShop LE for photo editing and have been really happy with what I can do. I sold all my darkroom equipment to set up for digital photography. I'll never go back to chemicals and working in the dark!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: handy little camera with very good pictures
Review: I found a firmware upgrade for S10, so it would support IBM 340MB micro drive. http://www.canon.co.jp/Imaging/PSS10/FIRM/pss10_download-e.html It also improve the quality of the picture taking using internal flash light. The reason I would choose S10 over S100 or other camera is for the Compact Flash I and II slot compatible. Can S100 or S300 use the IBM microdrive...? Nope, Can S10 or S20? Yes! And that's important to me because as a serious photographer, I hate to swap out compact flash memory card often. It also has a built in AF illumination light, which activtae during low light condition, it projects a bright red light on the subject to help focus accuately, which is a rare item in the Digital camera world!!!

I am loving it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Canon S10 firmware upgrade from 1.0.0.0. to 1.0.0.2
Review: I found a firmware upgrade for S10, so it would support IBM 340MB micro drive. http://www.canon.co.jp/Imaging/PSS10/FIRM/pss10_download-e.html It also improve the quality of the picture taking using internal flash light. The reason I would choose S10 over S100 or other camera is for the Compact Flash I and II slot compatible. Can S100 or S300 use the IBM microdrive...? Nope, Can S10 or S20? Yes! And that's important to me because as a serious photographer, I hate to swap out compact flash memory card often. It also has a built in AF illumination light, which activtae during low light condition, it projects a bright red light on the subject to help focus accuately, which is a rare item in the Digital camera world!!!

I am loving it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Camera
Review: I got this camera 2 months ago, and am very satisfied with it. This camera is just right for me.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderful Item
Review: I got this camera over two years ago. (...) I agree that it's kind of annoying that you have to pay extra for an AC adapter, but I think Canon learned from their mistakes. I am now looking for an S110 for even more compact size.

Pros:
- Solid metal body.
I dropped it on concrete floor (unintentionally),and I really thought the camera is not going to work any more. I was wrong. Except for the dent at the corner, the LCD just came back up and I continued to take pictures.

- Good Camera Lens quality.
Maybe this is not a Carl Zeiss Lens but it's a decent glass multi element lense from Canon. Fairly decent picture quality for a 2.1 megapixel machine.

- retractable lens.
This keep the form factor compact.

- Fast usb transfer of images.
I used the serial connection for images transfer from camera to pc for over a year until I purchase a computer with USB connection (yes I had an old old machine). The performance difference was dramatic when I moved to USB.

- Slide show, video out to TV
The basic on function is pretty intuitive. Video out is convenient cause I can show others the picture on TV right after I took the picture. (not everyone have a computer)

Cons
- The software that comes with Cannon, although it works, it's not the best.

- Short battery life.
I have to turn off the LCD most of the time to conserve electricity.

the overall experience with this Canon product is good. That's why I bought a Canon ZR25MC for video and may replace my S10 with S110.


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