Rating: 
Summary: Beware that sliding door!
Review: The Canon PowerShot S45 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 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. This is a good camera 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 (although the product info above suggests this is new to the S45, this was available on its precursors the S30 and S40). 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). But you pay a price for the small size: the optical zoom is limited to 3x. And unfortuately, the S50, like all the PowerShot S family, starts out at a focal length of 11mm, which is a very wide-angle view. Even at 3X optical zoom you will only come in to 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. But getting back to the range, I found it insufficient for shooting across a large room. If you work closer in this won't be a problem, but 55mm is not a good focal length for shooting children, who stop what they're doing when they notice you right next to them. 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's (exact same body as the S45) and ripped the door off. I was able to reattach it but now it's a loose tooth, waiting 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 S45's 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. 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 S45 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.
Rating:
Summary: Like Re-discover Photography Again!
Review: After over a month experimenting with most of the function/settings, have to admit I'm pretty impressed on both built/picture quality of the Canon newly improved S45. Even at auto mode you can hardly produce a bad shot, provided that I'm a die-hard manual SLR fan of NIKO FM2 for nearly twenty yrs. Rarely need to use photoshop to polish/adjust pics taken by S45, unlike my previous digital camera which I have to spend lots of time to correct digital noise, redeyes..etc. When shopping for digital camera, don't get too obsessed with megapixels or spec. 'number', what's more important are the software/chips which make the camera provide precise light sensing & focus accuracy as well as flexible tweaks when you want your pics to have optimum result at any given changing shooting environment. This point is well taken by users of Sharp's 4mp digital camera which uses Canon G2 equivalent lens but produces far inferior pics than Canon's even though Sharp's camera cost 40% less (so is the quality...). For S45, a large capacity CF card & a spare battery is always a must if you do indoor flash shooting & prefer to store pics at high resolution(which gives you stunning result), costco's website do provide a package deals that include above mentioned extras at reasonable price. LCD comes with a clear plastic cover that gives you enough protection, or you can buy those LCD protection sheets for PDAs then cut to desired size for less than five bucks. Exterior of S45 is a nice brushed metal finish which provides enough protection for its lens. No comment on the software since I installed the camera's driver only & use photoshop to polish when needed. Twain driver is quickly recognized by most 3rd party graphic & photo album softwares when hooked up with PC. Upon comapring Canon's G2,G3,S230 & S45, S45 provides the best combination between size/function/pic quality criteria & one can hardly go wrong with any of them.
Rating: 
Summary: for vidyakonda
Review: vidya, For night shots the light is let in for a longer duration and any movement during that period blurs the picture.
try using a tripod when taking night pictures. if you cannot/dont want to use a tripod try using the camera in the timer mode where the picture is taken after a small interval of time ( i think the interval is programmable ) . Normally when we depress the button to take a picture we tend to shake the camera a bit. using the timer will minimize that. i hope this works for you
Rating:
Summary: Get one before they're gone!
Review: I'd been waiting for the five megapixel version of the digital Elph, but when the first reviews of that camera came out, I was a little disappointed. It seems that Canon is having a bit of a problem cramming so many pixels on such a small sensor, resulting in noisy images. What does this mean? It means that the four megapixel cameras are taking better looking photographs with smaller file sizes. I decided to get the S45 over the S400 after a little research. The S400 will probably suit most users fine, but if you want to have manual control while still retaining a reasonable camera size, the S45 is great. The S45 also has the capability to shoot in RAW mode and the S400 does not. This allows you to store images in an uncompressed state, with all the data from the sensor intact. I wanted a camera that I could grow into, not a camera that I would completely master in an afternoon. Right now I'm using it in auto mode and experimenting with the many manual capabilities. Downsides? While the camera is small, it doesn't fit comfortably in your pocket. If this is really important, buy the S400. After all, you won't get a shot if the camera isn't with you. I don't mind carrying a camera, so it's no big deal. I bought this a few weeks ago when Amazon was closing them out at less than 300 bucks. They're gone, but still can be found elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful 4 MP camera... easy to use and with flexibility too
Review: The Canon S45 is an excellent digital camera with a few drawbacks. As far as 4MP cameras go, it is a bit pricey but the quality of the camera build and the features on the camera make it well worth the price. While the camera isn't exactly shirt pocketable, it is still fairly easy to carry around with you and not overly bulky. On the plus side, the S45 has:
1) 9 point AutoFocus
2) DIGIC processor which speeds up capture of photos and their quality
3) 3x Optical Zoom (who cares about the digital zoom)
4) 4 MP picture quality
5) Easy to use interface with quick access to manual settings via FUNC button
6) close to centered tripod attachment for easier stitch photo taking
7) A ton of manual settings (exposure settings, aperture settings, shutter settings, white balance, photo effects, and more!) Almost all the settings available on Canon's high end G3 camera!
8) A pretty tough metal body
9) Ability of the camera to take RAW shots for photoediting. On the minus side:
1) Decent to weak flash that is better than the S400 but still weak for low light and night photos at greater than 10 feet away.
2) Decent to below average battery life... 200 shots on a full charge with LCD on in my experience
3) Slide door that protects lens and doubles as power switch worries me in quality a bit.
4) Red eye problems with straight flash use but much less so when the red eye reduction is used.
5) I wish it had a hot shoe or some other way to add an external flash unit. The camera takes fantastic shots even when in manual mode although its strengths will be found when you learn the manual settings of the camera. I think this is a better buy than the Canon S400 since they are the same price. If you're willing to sacrifice a little size... this Canon won't disappoint!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent pictures
Review: This is a great camera. My pictures always turn out well. Every piece of equipment made has some shortcomings... The camera is not an Elph (i.e. heavier and larger). I am into the great outdoors and I hate lugging around a camera, a GPS, water... The smaller and lighter everything is the better. For a camera this big and heavy, I want MORE ZOOM!!!! My camera is sometimes really slow, but not always. I cannot figure out why. It is not a flash needs to charge thing. The color of my photos almost always needs to be adjusted after downloading them onto my computer. One major thumbs up for this digital camera: no low light problems! Yes, it still needs a flash when it is dark, but I can take pictures of sunsets and full moons w/o problems. My bottom line: Cannon makes [really good] cameras! Buy the Elph!
Rating:
Summary: Compact & well built camera takes great pictures!
Review: After extensive research, I decided on this camera as a replacement for my older 2 megapixel Olympus 2040. I have been very impressed with it so far - it seems very well built (sturdy), is small enough to fit in my coat pocket, and takes great pictures. The telescoping lens extends and retracts very quickly making it easy to take a picture on a moment's notice - this was a problem with my old camera - it was too slow. When researching the camera, I was trying to find one that took "AA" batteries since they are much cheaper (NiMH). However, the Canon NB-2L battery isn't too expensive if purchased from a third party retailer (I got a generic one for [$$]). Also, the included charger is very small and portable with built in retractable AC plug - it's lightweight and easy to throw in a bag and take with you. The camera records the orientation that each photo is shot with in the EXIF header, and if you use the bundled Canon software to download the photos, it auto-rotates them for you. This is very handy. Unfortunately, it doesn't work if you use other software such as iPhoto or Image Capture. The mode dial is very handy - it has enough settings on it (ie, automatic, manual, shutter priority, aperture priority, night shot, portrait, movie mode, etc.) that you can quickly flip to the one you want. My old camera required the use of menu systems to set most of these modes - the dial is much faster. The camera features a stitch mode which allows you to stitch together multiple pictures to form a panorama. When in this mode, the camera shows you the last picture you took (offset to the side) allowing you to roughly overlap 1/3 of the next picture with the previous one. Using the included stitch software, I was able to easily make a Quicktime VR movie - pretty cool. You can also make panoramas with this mode, and unlike some manufacturers (Olympus), this works with any brand of CF card, it doesn't have to be the manufacturer supplied one. The only drawback I've found for this camera is the lack of a USB auto-mounter feature ("Mass Storage Device") which many other cameras have. This feature allows you to just plug in the USB cable to your computer and have the camera auto-mount on your desktop like any other removable disk. I wish Canon would include this feature since it enables you to completely bypass software for the import process. This is something I can live without though - the other features make up for it. Overall, a great camera which I would highly recommend!
Rating: 
Summary: Good camera - except for red eye
Review: Happy with the features, functions, and performance of the camera in all except one area. The red eye reduction function is useless. I'm aware of the physical reasons behind red eye, and undertand it can never be completely eliminated. But most of the photos I've taken of friends and family are absolutely terrible when it comes to red eye. I had a compact Pentax zoom 35mm before this, and the red eye reduction with that camera was outstanding. Cannot undertand how many outstanding reviews I read about this camera with any mention of it's weakness in this area. If you ever plan on photographing someone's face, look for another camera.
Rating:
Summary: worth it
Review: Its a good deal for that price but I have some difficulty in taking night shots. Basically, what ever picture I take in the night shot, they will be blurred. Anyone has got any idea to rectify or improve the condition for the same.
Rating:
Summary: Great point & shoot camera
Review: After 6 months of pretty heavy use, I'm very pleased with this camera. The image quality is superb for a consumer digicam. Many think the S45's image quality surpasses that of the (5-megapixel) S50, and I agree. The S50 suffers from higher image noise, and the extra megapixel doesn't really make a big difference in resolution (2592x1944 versus the S45's 2272x1704). Don't expect SLR quality, however. Be realistic. All consumer point & shoot digicams utilize very small sensors, so image noise will always be an issue at higher sensitivities (above ISO 100). Overall it's a fantastic little camera, and very fun to use. It's so much fun, in fact, that it has turned me into a bit of a photography buff. This is turning into a rather expensive hobby (DSLR $1000-1500, large memory cards $150-350, lenses $75-8000). Prospective owners beware, this camera can open up an expensive can of worms. One final word of warning: beware of cheap memory cards. You wouldn't want it to die during your family vacation to Disneyland (as mine did--it was a Viking 256). I've heard that Lexar offers a free data recovery service should one of their cards fail, so the slight premium might be a wise investment.
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