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Editors' Rating:
7.7 of 10
| •
Value for money |
7 |
| • Ease of Use |
8 |
| • Performance |
8 |
| • Image Quality |
8 |
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Average User Rating:
9.5 of 10
(4 votes)
| • Value for money |
9 |
| • Ease of Use |
10 |
| • Performance |
9 |
| • Image Quality |
10 |
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Where to Buy ?
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PROS
•
Good image quality.
• Improved autofocus.
• Time between pictures is unimaginably short.
• Camera is beautifully designed.
CONS
• Limited zoom range.
• Some color shifts with purples and reds.
• Weak flash.
• Only 16MB CF Card. |
Includes: Canon PowerShot S230 Digital Camera, 16MB CompactFlash Card, Lithium-Ion Battery Pack NB-1LH,
Battery Charger CB-2LS, Wrist Strap WS-110,
AV Cable AVC-DC200, USB Interface Cable IFC-200PCU, ArcSoft Camera Suite CD-ROM,
Canon Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM, camera manual, software manual.
Recommended
Accessories |
With the Canon PowerShot S230, you've got the best of both worlds -- the compact size and high style of the digital Elph series plus the higher resolution of a 3-megapixel camera. Updating the popular 2-megapixel PowerShot S200, the PowerShot S230 also features a 2x optical zoom, an improved 3.2x digital zoom, movie mode for videos up to 3
minutes.
Featuring a 3.2-megapixel CCD sensor, the PowerShot S230 delivers a wide range of detail and color (with images up to 1,600 x 1,200 pixels) and prints up to 8 by 10 inches. Canon's high-quality 2x optical zoom lens allows you to close in on the action, while the 3.2x digital zoom allows for a combined 6.4x zoom, letting you capture intimate details that might have been missed with another camera. The PowerShot S230 is also one of the few digital cameras to feature wide-area nine-point autofocus for taking crisp, sharp images no matter where the subject appears in the image frame.
PowerShot
S230 Major Features:
| • |
The first Digital ELPH with 3.2-megapixel
resolution. |
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1.5" low temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD. |
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Real-image optical zoom viewfinder. |
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Canon 2x optical zoom lens and 6.4x combined zoom. |
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3.2x digital zoom. |
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Autofocus: TTL AiAF (9 focusing points), TTL AF (user-select focusing point). |
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Program AE automatic and Manual exposure modes. |
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Aperture range: f/2.8 to f/4. |
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Enhanced Movie Mode and Photo Effect. |
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Shutter speeds of 15 seconds to 1/1500 second. (Long speeds from 1 sec. to 15 sec. must be user-set in Long Shutter Speed mode) |
| • |
Sensitivity:
Auto/ISO 50/100/200/400 (equivalent ISO). |
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Intelligent Orientation sensor for proper image orientation. |
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Stitch Assist mode. |
| • |
Exposure compensation: +/- 2 EV in 1/3-step increments. |
| • |
White balance control: TTL Auto White Balance; Pre-Set White Balance (Available Settings: Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H); or Custom White Balance. |
| • |
Photo Effects: Vivid Color, Neutral Color, Low Sharpening, Sepia, Black & White. |
| • |
Built-in Flash
operation modes: Auto/On/Off, Auto Red-Eye Reduction Auto/On, Slow- Sync. |
| • |
Powered by Canon NB-1LH
rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack (included). |
| • |
USB cable for high-speed connection to a
computer. |
| • |
Direct Print Mode with Canon Card Photo Printers
and Bubble Jet Direct Printers. |
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Full Specs
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Customer Reviews
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Wesley Chan,
from Cambridge, MA, US, Nov 05, 2002
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The Canon Elph S230 is a small, solid point-&-shoot digital camera that is for you if you're looking to take photos without any hassle. It's the first camera in that size from Canon to sport a 3.2 megapixel CCD, enough to print reasonable quality 8x10 prints on a photo-quality inkjet printer at 2400 dpi.
It sports a 2x optical zoom (never pay attention to the digital zoom--it just makes your photos look really grainy) and has an advanced AiAF auto- focusing system. This just means that your photos look sharp and always in focus if you take them when there is plenty of sunlight; this system does a much better job than anything Canon or any other digital camera manufacturer has released to date.
Because of its simple design, the manual controls on the camera are limited. You can set a couple different flash modes (on/off/red-eye/night- time), the shutter speed, and the light sensitivity setting (ISO 100-400) but beyond that, the lens is always in automatic mode. You can't set the aperature, nor can you tinker with other settings that can give you full control of the shot. (Thus, you can't play around with depth-of-field or do anything else artistic if you're looking to do some serious amateur photography).
One additional gripe, because the lens element is so small, low-light or indoor photos are really blurry and grainy (more so than other digital cameras). The flash is also somewhat weak; if you're 3 feet away from the person you'll be able to see him clearly but anything beyond that gets really dark and fuzzy.
Ok, enough of the techno-talk--onto looking at the user experience. Some thoughts:
1. The camera is really easy to use, and the controls are rather intuitive. The setting buttons are small and sometimes hard to press, but then again, the camera is small I'm not one to complain.
2. Changing photo options often requires that you go into a menu system. While it works, I prefer a camera where I can press a button to access that particular option rather than having to navigate through a couple of menus.
3. Taking a photo is a snap; just point, shoot, and the camera does the rest. The AiAf feature and other intelligent controls help figure out all the details (focus, matrixing, etc.) for you so you don't have to deal with that.
4. The photos come out really nice; it's comparable to larger, more expensive digital cameras, except, as I mentioned previously, in low-light or indoor conditions where the small lens element makes the photos a bit more fuzzy than it otherwise needs to be.
In any case, I'm happy with the camera. The best thing about it is it's extremely portable; just slip it in your pocket and you won't feel a thing.
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Value for money
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9 |
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Ease of Use
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10 |
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•
Performance
|
9 |
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•
Image Quality
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10 |
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The Lowest Price is not always best !
 When you buy a digital camera, the basic package almost always includes
extras such as a battery charger, lens cap, batteries, flash memory card, and software.
One of the more disreputable practices a dealer can engage in is called unbundling. These
dealers remove items from the package that are normally included in the price and
price them separately.
When purchasing
a camera you have three components of the price to consider - the camera price, postage and
handling, and taxes. Many dealers lower the price to make the camera more attractive, then
increase the postage and handling to boost their profits.
Hesitate before
accepting extended warranties. Every knowledgeable consumer expert says it's better to
gamble. Most of a company's profit is in the sale of these warranties so they press, and
press hard. Your job is to resist, and resist hard. The only thing to keep in mind is that
digital cameras can be horribly expensive to repair. If you want peace of mind, you may
want the warranty, even though it's probably overpriced. The cost of a repair can
approach, or even exceed, the original purchase price.
When you buy a
camera from a reputable dealer, you expect to be able to return it if you aren't
satisfied. Some dealers try to discourage this by requiring a restocking fee for returned
merchandise. This is always explained as a way to recover their costs of checking the
merchandise and restoring the packaging you may have opened.
Many dealers is
truly a false, deceptive and a total crook. Bait and switch tactics used. Does not sell
new merchandise and will ship used or refurbished goods without notifying customer. They then
try to charge a restock fee on top of their exobitant shipping fees to make a profit where
they could not on their goods. A try case of buyer beware.
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Where To Buy
Canon PowerShot S230 Digital Camera:
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