Home :: Cameras :: Digital Cameras :: Under 2 Megapixels  

2 to 2.9 Megapixels
3 to 3.9 Megapixels
4 to 4.9 Megapixels
5 Megapixels & Up
Advanced Point-and-Shoot
Digital SLRs
Extended Zoom
Professional & Serious Amateur
Simple Point-and-Shoot
Ultracompact
Under 2 Megapixels

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

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

List Price: $349.99
Your Price:
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Easy to use....Joy to own
Review: First off, I ordered this package deal from Amazon almost 2 weeks ago. With 1 week of very solid use, over 300 photos taken to date, and both myself and my wife using the camera, I believe that I can make a good assesment of this camera.

First, the complaints about the battery are all correct. The lithium batteries are not worth the cost. You really need to get the rechargeable package from Canon. Yes, it is an additional cost, but it is not a hidden cost. Anyone that does a very brief background on this camera knows about this issue. However, the rechargeable battery does a very good job. I have seen comments on digital forums that the battery wears down after 50-60 high-res photos, usually with flash. If you fully charge the battery the first time, fully discharge it, then recharge, you can significantly improve the performance. I am up to 150 photos on the third recharge.

The image quality is fantastic. You can certainly look to a 3 MP camera, but the added cost is probably not worth it. If you will be posting to a website, or looking to get 5x7 prints, this is all that you need.

The camera feel is solid. You won't worry about dropping it, except for fear of scratching the LCD monitor on the back. The camera controls are easy to use, once you play with it a little. And playing with a digital is very easy. Neither of us read the manual, and we figured it out.

The 32MB card with the kit is essential. 8MB just does not cut it. Large size, fine resolution allows 55 images. More than enough.

For a camera that is almost 2 years old, and with several siblings out there (S20, S100, S110), it is still a very good buy, and a solid performer. Certainly a rechargeable battery would be nice to have included, but it isn't. Purchase something else if you don't want to purchase that separately.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent Value, So Far
Review: First, a disclaimer: I've only been using the Canon S10 for about 10 hours after receiving the "value package". So, this review is based on first impressions, and not heavy usage.

That being said, I have to commend Amazon.com yet again for an extraordinarily quick delivery, and I appreciated the "digital camera phone help" line, since I used it, and enjoyed the conversation. I highly recommend the phone line if you're shopping for a digital camera, since the Amazon.com online resources are fairly thin.

The S10 value pack seems to be a great buy, in that the camera resolution, ease of use, quality of images, and peripherals are all very good to excellent. First of all, the extra 32Mb flashcard is de rigueur, since the capacity of the included 8Mb with the stand-alone camera has only enough onboard storage for a small roll of film. Second, the extra battery pack is welcome, since the battery life for this camera is quite short if you use the LCD display constantly. Third, the extra memory and battery pretty much make up the "value pack", since the carrying case is a nice but quite cheaply made nylon sheath that isn't large enough for the manual and camera together.

That being said, image resolution is excellent, both on the viewfinder screen AND in the finished product. Just for the hell of it, out of the box, I took a few shots using the AUTO setting, in the dark, with low incandescent lighting, and expected to see nothing. The shots were vibrant, bright, and quite clear, much more so than my eyes. After that joyride, I've been snapping various things between the hours of 8:00 PM and 1:00 AM, and the results are fun--the damned camera gets a good picture even when it shouldn't, and I'm left with having to decide how to deal with the downloaded picture.

Canon did a nice job with peripherals and software. Cables for USB connection, video connection, and serial connection are included in the box. The software includes Canon's own photo download and treatment software, as well as a version of Adobe PhotoWorks Home, which can be used together or separately for image storage, treatment, modification, or whatnot. Further, the Canon "Camera User Guide" and "Digital Software Starter Guide" (i.e. the manuals included with the camera) are concise, informative, and easy to read--quite unlike many electronic toy manuals which seem to have been translated by aliens.

Incidentally, I've only read the above manuals after setting up (in about 3 minutes) and using the camera for about 3 hours. If you have half a brain, you can set up the camera and get impressive shots in about 5 minutes after tearing off the Amazon.com tape from the outer box--that's what I did.

PROS: Easy to use, excellent quality shots at any resolution, onboard splicing features (for panoramas and conjugated shots including several combined photos), extremely clear viewfinder screen, understandable controls and input/output links. Camera can be set for different lighting and "image" situations, most of which are right on the mark. Images can be viewed and photographed in black and white. 2.1 megapixels provides photo results that are very good at 8x10 on a 19" monitor.

CONS: Battery hog--I just ordered the battery charger/AC unit, since the battery I installed 8 hours ago is quite low after only 50 shots. Then again, I've kept the viewfinder on for some time, so my stupidity might not reflect yours. The other con: though the camera body is for the most part metal, the cover for "digital" communication (i.e. USB or serial port) is a flimsy piece of rubber, and I'm sure it's going to drop off after a few uses.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent Value, So Far
Review: First, a disclaimer: I've only been using the Canon S10 for about 10 hours after receiving the "value package". So, this review is based on first impressions, and not heavy usage.

That being said, I have to commend Amazon.com yet again for an extraordinarily quick delivery, and I appreciated the "digital camera phone help" line, since I used it, and enjoyed the conversation. I highly recommend the phone line if you're shopping for a digital camera, since the Amazon.com online resources are fairly thin.

The S10 value pack seems to be a great buy, in that the camera resolution, ease of use, quality of images, and peripherals are all very good to excellent. First of all, the extra 32Mb flashcard is de rigueur, since the capacity of the included 8Mb with the stand-alone camera has only enough onboard storage for a small roll of film. Second, the extra battery pack is welcome, since the battery life for this camera is quite short if you use the LCD display constantly. Third, the extra memory and battery pretty much make up the "value pack", since the carrying case is a nice but quite cheaply made nylon sheath that isn't large enough for the manual and camera together.

That being said, image resolution is excellent, both on the viewfinder screen AND in the finished product. Just for the hell of it, out of the box, I took a few shots using the AUTO setting, in the dark, with low incandescent lighting, and expected to see nothing. The shots were vibrant, bright, and quite clear, much more so than my eyes. After that joyride, I've been snapping various things between the hours of 8:00 PM and 1:00 AM, and the results are fun--the damned camera gets a good picture even when it shouldn't, and I'm left with having to decide how to deal with the downloaded picture.

Canon did a nice job with peripherals and software. Cables for USB connection, video connection, and serial connection are included in the box. The software includes Canon's own photo download and treatment software, as well as a version of Adobe PhotoWorks Home, which can be used together or separately for image storage, treatment, modification, or whatnot. Further, the Canon "Camera User Guide" and "Digital Software Starter Guide" (i.e. the manuals included with the camera) are concise, informative, and easy to read--quite unlike many electronic toy manuals which seem to have been translated by aliens.

Incidentally, I've only read the above manuals after setting up (in about 3 minutes) and using the camera for about 3 hours. If you have half a brain, you can set up the camera and get impressive shots in about 5 minutes after tearing off the Amazon.com tape from the outer box--that's what I did.

PROS: Easy to use, excellent quality shots at any resolution, onboard splicing features (for panoramas and conjugated shots including several combined photos), extremely clear viewfinder screen, understandable controls and input/output links. Camera can be set for different lighting and "image" situations, most of which are right on the mark. Images can be viewed and photographed in black and white. 2.1 megapixels provides photo results that are very good at 8x10 on a 19" monitor.

CONS: Battery hog--I just ordered the battery charger/AC unit, since the battery I installed 8 hours ago is quite low after only 50 shots. Then again, I've kept the viewfinder on for some time, so my stupidity might not reflect yours. The other con: though the camera body is for the most part metal, the cover for "digital" communication (i.e. USB or serial port) is a flimsy piece of rubber, and I'm sure it's going to drop off after a few uses.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: one of the doors broke off...
Review: I enjoy this camera, but one of the doors broke off my powershot s10. When I tried to get customer service on the product, I was emailed a phone number. When I called that number, I was given another phone number. When I called that number, it seemed like the person that answered did not know what I was referring to...

The camera works nicely, but the design doesn't seem that 'durable' and the customer service was not responsive.

I'd suggest you look for another offering that doesn't have flimsy parts that break off.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: After much looking we chose the S10!
Review: I looked at smart media vs. compact flash vs. sony memory stick and floppy storage. I looked at features on Olympus, Sony, Kodak, and several other brands. The only other camera that came close was a CoolPix. However, the coolpix cameras are more expensive and larger. We opted for the S10 and feel we got the best. Sm. size, great features and compact flash cards are easy to carry overseas. We cruise alot and in Feb.01 came home with 735 digital pictures using the medium pixel setting on the S10. We download the pics, then manipulate the images in Photoshop, import to Pagemaker where I add text for our memory pages. We print at 720 DPI and it is simply GREAT! You will love this camera!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Digital is the way to go
Review: I purchased this camera a year ago and it has delivered as I would expect for a quality Canon product. The detail is great and transferability to my laptop wonderful.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best Value
Review: i purchased this package last april. It is a great deal. the price of the canon powershot s10 without the extra battery and the bag and the extra 32mb card(which you really need).... The canon lense is great!!!! I take a lot of photos and it fills your hard drive so if you buy this camera get a cd burner or get like 50 gb hardrive. One cd holds hundreds of photos. also you should get the power supply kit. i think its around 90 dollars the batteries go very quick and they cost from 9 dollars all the way to 13 dollars and it really adds up. if your planning on taking more than 75 photos before you get back to your computer i reccomened another 32 mb card it will give you around another 50 photos. The software that comes with the camera is alittle confusing at first but its easy once you use it for a month or two. If you are planning on printing out your photos you should get a TRUE PHOTO QUALITY PRINTER. At least 2,400x1,200 dots per inch. If you have any less it looks really bad i know from experience. A very good one that is all in one and is photo quality( this means it prints scans and coppies) is the HP 750se.

Pros-
1. great qaulity
2. sturdy
3. looks nice
4. great for projects

Cons-
1.exspensive batterys
2.uses alot of hardisk space

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: somone who knows alot about digital stuff
Review: i purchased this package last april. It is a great deal. the price of the canon powershot s10 without the extra battery and the bag and the extra 32mb card(which you really need).... The canon lense is great!!!! I take a lot of photos and it fills your hard drive so if you buy this camera get a cd burner or get like 50 gb hardrive. One cd holds hundreds of photos. also you should get the power supply kit. i think its around 90 dollars the batteries go very quick and they cost from 9 dollars all the way to 13 dollars and it really adds up. if your planning on taking more than 75 photos before you get back to your computer i reccomened another 32 mb card it will give you around another 50 photos. The software that comes with the camera is alittle confusing at first but its easy once you use it for a month or two. If you are planning on printing out your photos you should get a TRUE PHOTO QUALITY PRINTER. At least 2,400x1,200 dots per inch. If you have any less it looks really bad i know from experience. A very good one that is all in one and is photo quality( this means it prints scans and coppies) is the HP 750se.

Pros-
1. great qaulity
2. sturdy
3. looks nice
4. great for projects

Cons-
1.exspensive batterys
2.uses alot of hardisk space

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: excellent 2.1 mpix digital camera; and what a price!
Review: I see most reviewers have written raved reviews for this Powershot S10 digital camera. I also find that it has no glaring weaknesses. It is an excellent camera and the price is just right. However, I would like to just point out a few minor weaknesses that prospective buyers might want to know:

Using the camera the first time is not easy. Navigating the camera software is accomplished by the mode dial and menu, which is shown on the LCD screen. Many of the buttons on the camera are unlabeled and can be confusing. Commitment to reading the manual is a must to utilize the potential of the camera. However, once the controls are mastered and settings adjusted, the advantages and benefits outweigh these minor flaws.

If the resolution and pixel settings don't meet your photography needs, the PowerShot S20 should be considered. It combines all the features and benefits of the S10 with a higher resolution, with a suitably higher price tag.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The canon s10 is a total win!
Review: I tried 2 other digital cameras before this one. ...then I got the Canon S10 and I am a happy camper! It takes wonderfully sharp pictures that look like the real thing. You can turn off the flash which is good for portraits and shiny objects that you don't want a reflection bounce. I got the package with case and 32flash card which takes 59 pictures with the high resolution. (Plenty) and it came with extra battery which I think has a good life. I also bought the battery charger for another [price]so I don't have to buy anymore batteries. I tried the resolution on medium and the pictures were still a fine shot.... You will not be dissapointed in this little camera. It is very light for carrying on your shoulder and just an overall great buy!


<< 1 2 3 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates