Canon PowerShot S500

coolasfcuk · 03-05-2004, 05:57

So I've been looking around for a digital cam ... and the Canon PowerShot S500 has got my attention the most. I was wondering if anyone else out there has that camera? What are your thoughts on it? Maybe someone has the PowerShot S410? Or maybe you just want to recommend a totally different camera? Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

nath · 03-05-2004, 06:37

Olga has it, I think.......

NO!........I've seen the pic and i've made a mistake...

She has a Canon bigger (size)..a CANON power shot S50 may be : http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/cano...0-reviews.html .but she is very happy about it ....

Me I have the Canon IXUS400 ....and i'm very happy about it ! http://www.surcouf.com/Catalogue/Fic...927&Detail=Non
It's smaller than the Olga's one (size) but has less fonctions for manual selection....
For exemple , you can't choose the strenght/capacity of the Flash ( just one possibility + red eyes)...

I don't really see the fonctions on your camera but it seems goooooodddddd....i mean if it is S500 , it might have all the fonctions of Olga's camera + the small size and weight of mine !...I think it's good...but may be the S410 is enough....cause after you get very BIG pics with too much pixels , so too heavy to send them by e-mail or via internet ...so you have always to Reduce the weight of your pics when you want to send them by the net...

Me i always had Canon, for the "normal" cameras too...and i love this Brand.....

Kate · 03-05-2004, 07:17

I dunno about Canon, but Sony has the best cameras. [One of my friends takes photography, and really knows his stuff, says Sony cameras are really good.] I myself currently have two digital cameras, Sony CyberShot DSC-P10 and Sony DSC-F717 with a Cark Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lens.

Both are great, especially the last one. But I recommend getting the smaller one, CyberShot, unless you are planning to use your camera professionally.

1). Sony CyberShot DSC-P10
Picture here!

2). Sony DSC-F717
Picture here!

Good luck. Hope you'll make the right choice and be happy with it.

forre · 03-05-2004, 14:10

coolasfcuk, sunwalk, Canon PowerShot S500 and Canon IXUS 500 is one and the same camera. Different model names for different markets only. They are rather satisfying but has difficulty to cope with imaging extreme situations like snow or a gig, sport events. The absolute advantage of Canon IXUS series is the size. It goes without any problems in any of your pockets. Excellent colours, precise autofocusing and superb measuring technique. Highly recommended. I tried Konica Minolta DiMAGE G600 a couple of days ago and that's another ultra compact 6 megapixels machine, which can attract most of the consumers, except me maybe. Then, I'm very picky when it comes to the images. So, don't listen too much to my complains.

For professional use, SLR machines (aka system cameras) have no competition. You hardly meet any pro-photographer with a Sony or an Olympus. They go for Canon EOS or Nikon cams. The core of any camera is the measuring processor used and lenses of course. Normally you'll get a lot better image with a SLR digital camera of 4 megapixels than a compact with 6 megapixel. SLR:s don't have video features though. As said, the professional photographer's toys.

By my experience the lager camera is, the less you use it. So, an advice - get the compact IXUS or similar and you'll be absolutely happy. I'm sure of it.

katbeidar, your cams are great but the size is not quite satisfying for frequent use. Nevertheless, having two machines for different occasions is the best option.

Some adds:

Sony DSC-F717 Night shot vs Canon EOS D-60 Same shot (copy & paste)
Canon EOS 300D Night Shot (copy & paste)
Canon Power Shot S50 Night Shot (copy & paste)
Canon PowerShot S500 (aka Ixus 500) Night Shot (copy & paste)

As you see on the pictures above, we have the best image with Canon EOS 300D and D-60 (6 megapixels System cam), then goes Sony DSC-F717 (5 megapixels semi-professional cam) and only after a compact Canon Power Shot S50 and S500 (both 5 megapixels). Finally, the price differes along with the image quality.

A top range a $7000 and 11 megapixels "toy" from Canon will give you This Night Shot .

P.S. I took night shots for comparison as it's more difficult to take a good night shot and the difference in quality is seen better.

... and FINALLY Canon PowerShot S500 Detailed Review. cool, read the review and buy the thing. My nose says you'll be more than satisfied.

denial · 03-05-2004, 14:32

Well .. I use my sister's Sony Cybershot U - Digital Still Camera - DSC-U60 .. only 2 MB pixels ..
advantage .. can take picture under water .. so thinking of capturing the moment of your love one while she's in shower? .. or playing under the rain ....ummmm... pricelesss...

QueenBee · 03-05-2004, 16:00

Me wants a digicam too!

My friend has one which is as small as a credit card and the pictures are okay.. not the best though.

There are some good reviews at http://www.steves-digicams.com you can check there if you want.

coolasfcuk · 03-05-2004, 16:37

Thanks everybody for the answers

I've always gone for Canon as well, for regular cameras. And the main reason why I really like this one is the size/price/quality -kind of perfect combination - of course there would be better quality cams, but large in size or their price is waaay more than i want to take out of my bank account

although if i had the money I would

forre, I also looked at that Minolta at the store yesterday ...hmmm....

and forre

thanks for the great compariosons - so now I wonder about S50 as well

Quote:

Originally Posted by forre

cool, read the review and buy the thing. My nose says you'll be more than satisfied.

He he, I read lots of reviews, but sometimes its a bit easier for me if they have it in the store so i can touch it - but they are usually cheaper to buy online. So I will go to the store again soon and look+touch and then order online.

I also really want something more than 4 Megapixel, because you can always reduce it for e-mail, but I'd need the larger size images for my portfolio.

Kate, those are very nice cams, esp: Sony CyberShot DSC-P10 - my 'fiance' has that one or something very similar, but he never brings it anywhere, so he barely uses it, because of the size

He is also going to Europe same time I am, and he is looking to buy smaller camera now, so he can bring with him and take it anywhere easily. But for photoshoots for portfolio, its

Ill try to go to the store after work today and report if ive made my mind...

Kate · 03-05-2004, 20:57

coolasfcuk, forre, what are you talking about? Cybershot cam is tiny!! Here I am with it: forre: Of course, I was speaking refferring to DSC-F717.

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/9538/cybershot01.jpg

forre, once again, try to avoid missleading people when you don't know what you are talking about. Sony CyberShot camera cannot be more smaller, more sexier and more useful. It has smart-zoom, MPEG movie, 5.0 MegaPixels, and god knows what other features that are good enough for a professional to use it.

Yes, I admit that DSC-F717 is a bit larger, but it's pretty light in weight! Plus, the quality makes up for it. This still doesn't change the fact that CyberShot cam is small.

P.S. Some GREAT macro photos taken with Sony DSC-F717 can be found on http://seafairy.deviantart.com Also, forre's examples are in HUGE resolution, and fair judgement cannot be made. Just take a look here: http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/sony/dsc_f717-review/

nath · 03-05-2004, 21:04

Please Cool....buy "Cybershot cam tiny" to make Katbeider happy !...hi-hi....

Kate · 03-05-2004, 21:09

sunwalk, stop being stupid. Why do I even bother to do some good, when you and forre always manage to ruin everything by turning it upside down? What kind of people are you?

nath · 03-05-2004, 21:12

katbeidar.....i'm not your little friend so try to behave and have a correct langage with me. Thanks.
In France , we say : "Nous n'avons pas élevé les cochons ensemble" ...Try to translate...it will be a better activity for your brain than to insulte people.

EDIT: I see that you have deleted your insulte . Don't try another time to tell me "Shut up!"

Kate · 03-05-2004, 23:16

sunwalk, bite me.

Your not my mommy (thank god), so don't try to tell me what to do, ok? Thanks. Your' insults are so lame, I can't even begin to explain why.

teeny · 03-05-2004, 23:16

I've got me a Sony cybershot DSC-P52. I'm not sure how to use all the functions yet.
Resolution is 3.2mega pixel I think. It has 2x optical zoom. I was told the optical zoom is the thing that matters if comparing zoom functions.
Dunno if I would recommend my cam though. It's easy to use, and the sound in videofiles is pretty well.. but you already have a recorder for videos, so I guess that part is needless

Besides I haven't studied the fuctions closely. I went for the best cam I could locate at the time, in the cheaper end of the scale. And I'm a bit of a Sony freak so I'm baised as it is

edit: kate, will you grow up at some point?

Kate · 03-05-2004, 23:20

TLFdk, maybe I won't. I enjoy the youth, while some of us here can't do that anymore. LOL.

teeny · 03-05-2004, 23:22

well good thing that you can show us all exactly what we are missing out on

added: the canon one had nothing but good reviews at a Danish comparison board. So seems like a good choise

Kate · 03-05-2004, 23:23

TLFdk, yep.

Being care free is always good. Although argueing with elderly women from Sweden is not my favorite pass time.

teeny · 03-05-2004, 23:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by katbeidar

Being care free is always good.

Always? Well having a heart is overrated I guess.. caring can't be good either.. when will people learn?

Quote:

Although argueing with elderly women from Sweden is not my favorite pass time.

And yet you seem to be looking for it all the time. Lacking attention?

Yes I will stop going off topic right now, before I get a warning

coolasfcuk · 03-05-2004, 23:33

I've been reading all thats been said in this thread, please dont make me close it very soon.

Kate, why 'attack' even here?

Of course that Sony CyberShot could be smalled. (Im sorry for sounding disrespectful after asking for some 'suggestions' on a cam, but you make it impossible not to). Chop off that whole rounded right part and you get the Canon S500

And why 'attackingly' try to argue - I'm design major, took photography (have lots of friends that are photographers) - in that field Canon and Nikon have no match

, look for good 'Sony' in the TV section, but not photography.

What else can I say: Wow your mommy bought $699 and $399 cameras, your 'status' in the society has been confirmed

edit: yes, TLFdk, stop putting oil in the fire, when you shouldnt.

edit: on a second thought, this has turned into complete 'Jungle' again, and since I got enough suggestions for now, the thread goes to 'closed'

Thanks to all that participated

forre · 04-05-2004, 20:49

So, the smartest move will be to take any of the pocket variants. Canon S500, DiMAGE G600 or Kate's sexy thing. The image quality of all those 3 is more or less similar. 3-x optical zoom (digital zoom is not important) and I guess the choice will fall on the one you prefer and the one that gives the best value for money.

1. DiMAGE G600 has a 6 megapixels processor but the lens is still the one used for G500. The overall quality and design is superb! The startup time is fast. The battery time is not that great. No focus assist either. Many manual features included. Review

2. Sony DSC-P10 has somewhat noisy image at high resolution but gives you sharp ans well-balanced images otherwise. The "royal" battery performance. Review

3. Canon S500 gives great close ups. Fast enough and easy to operate. Review

Similar scenes taken with all 3 cameras: (for the DiMAGE sample, the 5 MP G500 was used):
Minolta DiMAGE G500 - Gallery
Sony DSC-P10 - Gallery
PowerShot S500 - Gallery

coolasfcuk · 04-05-2004, 21:44

Thanks alot forre

The choice was made last night, Canon Powershot S500 was ordered

*awaits for it to arrive in the mail soon* hope it was the right choice since its not too cheap anyway

p.s. I asked for Powershot S50 and they said it is discontinued, so they dont make it/sell it anymore

and the place online said it was 'Out of Stock' so take good care of it and dont break it