Rating: 
Summary: quick correction on the prior review...
Review: I too recently purchased the Canon S410 and love it. It's amazingly lightweight and compact. Fits easily and discreetly in my pants or jacket pocket. Yet packs as much power as many of it's 4 megapixel toting brethren. However I thought I should make a quick correction on the prior review in order to prevent consumers from being misled. The Canon S500 comes with the 640 x 480 video resolution but the Canon S410 does not. The S410 only has 320 x 240 and 160 x 120 video resolutions. The one immediately noticable difference between the S400 and the S410 is the addition of the Direct Print button on the back of the S410. This allows the user to connect the S410 directly to a Direct Print or PictBridge compatible printer (not necessarily a Canon brand printer) and allows him to print straight from the camera (rather than using a flash card reader or interfacing through a computer).
Rating:
Summary: A worthy buy
Review: The Canon PowerShot S410 is a slightly upgraded version of the immensely popular S400 model, which has been discontinued and can be found for close to three-hundred bux. I think since the S410 is only slightly improved -- it is slightly faster than the S400 and sports a new print/share button which I'm not sure you'll be using a lot if you are the typical user -- the S400 is a much better buy. That said, the S410 will be the new standard bearer for 4MP digital cameras. It has a compact form factor, although not as small or light as offerings from Minolta or Pentax or Casio, and it's a bit heavier than you might have expected from the size. It puzzles me why Canon continues to use the older CompactFlash memory card as opposed to the more-standard Secure Digital format. Maybe they simply wanted to save money in upgrading the S4xx series. The plus side is, CF cards are a lot cheaper than SD ones for the same capacity, although the difference is shrinking as expected. Like the S400, the S410 produces excellent image qualities, both indoors and outdoors. It's got the best color and exposure balance from automatic programs among all the cameras I have tested/used. The S410 is slightly faster in taking pictures than the S400, but image quality is largely the same. You won't be disappointed. And as before, the S410 is easy to use, with buttons that aren't too small like on ultra-subcompact cameras from Casio or Pentax. Battery life is about the same as before, which is pretty good and should last you a whole day of moderate shooting. As always, turning off the LCD (via a simple press of the Disp button), turning off the flash, avoid zooming in and out frequently, and using a lower resolution and lower quality will all help preserve battery life (this comes in handy when you realize the battery is about to run out). I wish Canon had increased the optical zoom. 3X is standard but not adequate in a lot of situations, e.g., shooting a stage play your kid's in. But this is only a minor complaint for a camera in this price class. For another hundred bux more, you can get the 5MP S500 model. Should you go for this or the S500? 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. The S410 strikes a great balance between pixel count and price -- it's a good value.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Just got Better!
Review: I'll keep this review short since I'm sure there will be a lot more coming soon... The main thing I noticed that was different and an improvement over the S400 is the ability to shoot 640x480 VGA Videos up to One minute in length (versus 3 minutes for the 320x240 and 160x120 modes) but at this resolution it consumes a lot of memory/storage space... It's ironic that the original S200 (2MP) had this 640x480 VGA movie recording ability but it was only good for 6 seconds which of course is quite useless! Both the S230 (3MP) and S400 (4MP) removed this ability for some reason, and many folks have been asking... WHY?... and I guess Canon finally listed to the customers and brought this S200 feature back!! The little speaker on the S410 just like the S400 and SD100 is really nice when playing back videos you record! This feature was missing on the S200 and S230 Canons... With the price of Compact Flash memory cards dropping, just pickup a few extra memory cards and you'll be recording some nice videos in no time! Not to mention the photographs it takes are awesome as well! Instead of bringing both the digital camcorder and camera, we now just bring the Canon instead! Truly an amazing camera!! It'll be interesting to see how the S500 compares to the S410!
Rating:
Summary: Go with Canon and Don't Look Back
Review: Regardless of what style of digital you choose - make sure it is Canon. These, like all of their cameras are great. I currently use the Canon Rebel and I am looking at the digital rebel. I am not a big brand name person - unless it counts. It counts with Canon. Here is a link to some photos taken with the 35mm Rebel. Canon is a great company. www.blairknox.com
Rating:
Summary: Do not use a generic battery!
Review: I want to point out that you should never buy a generic battery, like the person from San Diego who reviewed the S410 on May 15, 2004, was recommending. Yes you'd save money, but there have been many reports of generic batteries exploding when charged for too long. And don't think if your generic battery explodes you can sue somebody and win millions. These batteries are made in sweatshops in China, India and Korea, and I doubt you can find anybody to sue. So play it safe, both for your own sake and the camera's sake. If you want a spare, get a real Canon one.
Rating:
Summary: Pros and Cons
Review: I have had my camera for a year and this is what I have found.
This is a great camera and here is why:
1. Light weight and I can carry it with me everywhere I go.
2. Takes excellent pictures and are able to blow them up, and still look great.
3. The recording feature is great, compared to others like olympus which only records video, and no sound. You need sound! Plus it has speakers, so you can play back your video with sound right after shooting - great feature.
4. Easy to use features. When I lend it to people, they can start using the different features right away without reading a manual.
5. The display window is small, but very good quality. A lot of others have less resolution, so the picture doesn't look as good. Your pictures look great on this little window.
6. This camera really captures color and detail. All my pictures come out vibrant and I have no problems with cropping.
7. The battery life lasts relatively long. I do have a back up battery - see cons (1). Cons:
1. The battery lasts a long time, but when it tells you your battery is dying, you only have 1-3 pictures left on the charge. So, I would recommend keeping a spare (I know they are pricey, but I got a generic brand for pretty cheap and it works just as well as the canon battery that came with the camera).
2. The Red Eye feature does not work very well. It works great close up, if you are looking straight at the red light. From distances, it doesn't matter if you look at it or not, it doesn't work too good.
3. The Auto Focus is a pain some times. Some times, it works great and captures everything you want to focus on, but others, it won't focus on what I need. I usually then easily switch to a different mode and focus it myself. These are everyday issues, I hope this helps. I have not once regretted purchasing this camera, and would not trade it for another. It has so many great features, the cons don't seem to be too big of a deal to me. Just to let you know, I have a lot of friends who have a Nikon Coolpix 3100, and seem to really like it. It is a bit less expensive, but is only 3.2 megapixels. You might want to try it out.
Rating:
Summary: So Far So Good
Review: Rcvd from Amazon about 6 wks ago. Great camera. I was suprised to get higher quality prints than from my old 35mm. See full review on epinions.com. Battery life is fine but needs more memory! I get 17 shots on the CF card that came with it.
Rating:
Summary: Camera to Last a Lifetime
Review: Compact, light, affordable, and quality are the 4 words that describe this camera. The Canon S410 provides top-notch photos with vibrant colors and amazaing detail. It is one of the smallest cameras in its class contained inside a rich, strong metal body and an excellent rigid shape designed for the use of one hand. It provides adequate night shooting (wide range of shutter times), great macro shots (closeups), and a good host of functions (rapid shots, photostitch) needed for the beginning/intermediate photographer. Although it does not have many of the advanced features of other cameras in its classes, most users will not need them as point-and-shoot is generally what is desired. This camera will not disappoint as it's quality and size will make picture taking an enjoyable experience. This 4MP camera with its adequate functions will be the camera that will last for a lifetime. Pros:
1) Small, light, good looking
2) Excellent quality, zoom, colors, macro shots, night shots
3) Easy to use, good battery life
4) Great beginning/intermediate functions Cons:
1) No battery display indicator (only displays when time to recharge)
2) No advanced functions
3) No scene modes
Rating:
Summary: Exquisite little gem!
Review: I own a 10D which I absolutely love and was getting tired of using my old Olympus Epic (a GREAT film camera) and was looking for a good digital point and shoot. My two major candidates were the S410 and the S50 and possibly the new S60 (not yet released at the time of this review). If you follow the photography boards at all you realize that this is a fairly common dilemma - the S410 or S400 vs the S50. The S50 offers excellent manual controls while the S400/S410 is significantly smaller without any manual control whatsoever other than exposure compensation. I just LOVE the look and feel of the S410 though if anything it could be argued that it is TOO small. If you feel it is and you are looking for a carry everywhere camera it is well worth the effort to get used to the small size because the camera takes beautiful pictures. The S400 is simply beautiful. I can live without all the manual controls since I own the 10D and since this camera is primarily for my wife and for me when I don't want to lug the 10D around. Several have pointed out that since this camera is so small it will always be with you whereas the S50 would be less likely to be carried along because of its increased size. This is a very good argument! The camera is SUBSTANTIALLY smaller than its bigger brother the S50. The form and size factors are what finally won me over. One criticism of the camera. Low light focusing is less than ideal. You need to work with the camera to understand its limitations indoors. I am a huge fan of the Canon cameras and I would advise anyone looking for a camera, whether a point and shoot or a DSLR to carefully consider the Canon line since, in my opinion, Canon currently represents the state of the art.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Camera for what it is meant to do!!!
Review: I've owned the S410 for a couple of months and I give it 4 Stars. This camera targets a particular kind of consumer and it does a great job of it. I've seem some hard-core enthusiasts portray a negative picture of the S410 as well as it predecessor the S400, and I believe it is unfair. This camera was a gift for my wife. My wife will carry a camera only if,
1. It is relatively light in weight,
2. It is compact (fits in her pocket-book), and,
3. It will think for itself. The Canon does these well, and is meant for consumers like my wife. Switch on and shoot! My wife upgraded from the Canon Elph (APS) to the S410. If the SD110 had a 3x zoom, we'd probably have gone with it. The S410 is built in stainless steel and is built like a tank. You will feel this in the weight of the camera. It is not the smallest or lightest out there, but it's one of the best when it comes to balance between weight and size. It feels very comfortable in the hand. The buttons are sized and laid out very well. I like the mode-select wheel, which is particularly advantageous to people with large fingers. People who have not used Canon P&S cameras will be pleasantly surprised by the zoom controls. The zoom encompasses the shutter-button and is extremely intuitive. The menus are self-explanatory and relatively simple to use, though it does take a little getting used to the menu mechanics. The most used controls, macro mode, flash modes, metering modes and timer functions have hot keys and are selectable without accessing menus - a big advantage to accommodating last second changes. There is a short startup lag, so don't expect to just pick-up and shoot. The auto-focus is fast. There is a delay between depressing shutter and capture, but is about the same as other cameras in this class. There is also a slight lag between shots, but again, is the same as other cameras in this class. One glaring issue is that the red-eye reduction is not very effective. To speed up shot-capture, switch this mode-off. It really helps!! The photos are AMAZING! Indoors and outdoors, the photos are crisp, the colors vibrant and life-like, and, this was very surprising to me...the camera could capture depth. The photos are truly a pleasure to look at.......you can experience Canon's over 50 years of optic and technology expertise at work here. (FYI, I'm a NIKON person...it is huge for me to say this!!) Why only four-stars?!! 1. Strong, over-powering flash. The flash is SO strong that it hurts subjects 5 feet away. You can literally feel the heat. There is a high possibility of flash-spots or wash-outs in case your subject is in front of a reflective surface.
2. This might be related to the strong flash...the front of the camera body becomes "very warm" but not "hot" after taking a few photos (approx. 10), with the flash on, in succession. I guess the metallic body heats up.
3. Auto-Focus. The auto focus can get annoying at times, especially if two subjects are nearly the same distance from the camera. It'll keep shuttling between the two subjects. The multi-zone AF is one of the reasons I did not buy a Canon SLR a few years ago. I find it inconvenient. Overall, I think this is a great camera. It balances mega-pixel resolution, optics, technology, size, weight, price, and features-functionality in a compact package. If you're the kind of person who likes getting great photos without working for them, this is the camera to buy.
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