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| Date Reviewed: 06/02/2003 |
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 This is a nice cam but is hardly any different fro ... Strengths: 5 mps,
extensive range of features,
solid construction,
quick operation,
nice bright quality snapshot
Weaknesses: auto mode yields some odd results,
a bit bulky compared to the competition
so so metering,
buttons fiddly to operate quickly,
two tone quality
Lack of helpful critique from reviews,
Summary: This is a nice cam but is hardly any different from the S45 and thats much cheaper. It has marginally better colour lacking the two tone quality of the s45 though it is still there...red yellow...blue green and so on. Flash picture are good and are about average and outdoor pictures vary, there seems be some odd results that I cannot explain when photographing normal scenes. Many of sample images look great in the reviews however, but Steve Digicams pics look very different to DCR. I hope I did not buy this cam based on contrived imagery. Loads of options but they can wait while I sort the auto modes. My advice is to try and give perfect reviews a pinch of salt or go for something cheaper if you don't need extensive control or go for the S45. Happy hunting.
 100% of People (14/14) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 08/10/2004 |
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Strengths: Great pictures, easy to use. Great batttery.
Weaknesses: Needs more optical zoom and a brighter display. Should come with a bigger Compact Flash Memory, but the larger ones are not that exspensive.
Summary: Best camera I have ever owned, even better then the S-30 I had before. Fits in your hand. Lots of manual and automatic features. Battery last a long time on one charge. Pictures look great.
100% of People (9/9) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 12/10/2006 |
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Strengths: Good picture quality, easy to use, comfortable to handle.
Weaknesses: Lens cover. Without it closing or opening properly the lens won't function.
Summary: After 2 years of use, this wonderful camera ceased to function due to the lense cover getting stuck. Never had a problem til this happened. Fortunately I bought it at Best Buy with 4 year insurance and not sure if they lost the camera or if it couldn't be fixed but I was allowed to get another camera (chose the Canon SD800) in exchange.
100% of People (1/1) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 05/31/2005 |
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 I would not buy this camera again because I have a ... Strengths: 15 sec exposure time for night shots. 5MP resolution. Several manual modes. Has video mode.
Weaknesses: Slow (~1sec to take a picture). Not very good on low light (indoors). Noisy ISO 400 mode. Purple fringing. Light sensibility does not change after you start shooting a video.
Summary: I would not buy this camera again because I have a toddler and this camera is slow and is not very good in low light. So, when I try to take a picture of him, by the time the camera focus/shoots (~1 sec), he is long gone....
The camera is not very good in low light and the flash always kick in when we try to take pictures indoors. This causes the subject to be too lit and the background to become dark. ISO 400 would help, but it is too noisy.
The manual modes are very good. I use it to do some photography with my telescope and I was able to take some decent pictures. However, the purple fringing kicks in for high contrast targets, such as stars in long exposures...
This camera has also noticeable vignetting on the wide field mode.
It is also a bit bulky.
I would not buy it again, newer cameras are faster and better.
The manual modes and resolution are good. This camera is okay if you are going to take pictures of adults in sunlight.
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| Date Reviewed: 12/25/2003 |
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If you buy a 256MB card, which is great for this c ...
Strengths: Top quality pictures and features. Need weeks to learn all features.
Weaknesses: Lens cover is very poor design and can't be closed directly with a single move. Battry is poor quality, not even enough for the 32 MB card depending on what you do. Battry dies after 1 hour :(
Summary: If you buy a 256MB card, which is great for this camera, buy also a car charger for the battry. The lens cover is so poor quality that I don't think it will last more than a year. The first time I tried to close it I had to battle during minutes with he cover. I am a carefull and patient person ... I think Canon will have a class action on this or a recall. Those two things were very disappointing.
However the camera is great (5 stars) as long as it runs. I can't point out any useless features or missing features on the camera. I am still trying to understand all the features there are so many. The image quality is very good. Unless you are a professional you will not be able to notice the small defects.
96% of People (27/28) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 04/16/2004 |
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Strengths: Excellent picture quality, great colors, lots of manual controls, size
Weaknesses: Some issues with low light focusing, the common 3x zoom
Summary: 2004-07-07 09:14:31 I'm just a beginner to digital photography.
I've had this camera for a couple of days now and I must say that I'm very impressed with it, so far. I have not tested all the features & scene modes but in Auto & Program AE mode, this camera takes some great pictures! I had also considered the Fuji FinePix 3000/3800, Olympus C740, Kodak 6440 & the Canon A75/A80.
Low light focusing is a little hard in dim lighting, but the AF illuminator is a plus. I'm also not a fan of prop. batteries, but sometimes you just can't worry about that. The four way switch takes a little bit of getting used to, but it's not bad.
At today's prices (generally around $400), I believe this camera is a great buy.
93% of People (14/15) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 04/05/2004 |
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Strengths: Quality shots, size (it fit in my adidas pocket). manual control
Weaknesses: none. Seriously
Summary: I read all the reviews. Here and a couple digital camera review sites. My eyes were burning for days. I have to admit I wanted the G5, but with the price difference I figured I could live without add on lenses. I mean will you ever really need them? This camera takes perfect pictures in nearly all situations just leaving it in auto. A couple days with the manual and you can get any shot you want.
If you like the price and the size this camera is awsome. Take the 5mp camera cause you can always shoot at 4 or 3 megs later with it.
92% of People (12/13) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 10/09/2003 |
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The combination of great build quality, good form ...
Strengths: In outdoor ambient light camera produces vibrant, sharp photos.
Weaknesses: Useless red-eye reduction makes camera dicey at best for indoor flash photography...almost useless. Also, in low light focus does not perform well.
Summary: 2003-10-09 05:28:27 The combination of great build quality, good form factor and excellent ambient light performance make this camera a great product. The mpg1 movie functionality works well also. HOWEVER, the red-eye effect is not reduced by the built in red eye reduction function, it simply does not work. I think it is a defective feature. So beware, if you need to do indoor photography, ESPECIALLY with children, you are compelled to look elsewhere. Even though i love this camera, i would not buy it again due the the horrendous red eye problem that cannot be corrected with the cameras reduction feature. Software correction is not acceptable after the fact....
92% of People (11/12) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 08/24/2004 |
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Strengths: High Quality Pictures. Good and numerous Auto and manual controls. Battery charges quickly(in about 1 hour)
Compact (was more compact at time of purchase as lots of new small camera have come out)
Weaknesses: Poor Red-eye reduction (I wouldnt good as far it doesnt work at all as some have said). Battery is proprietary, so you need a backup.
Summary: I am very pleased with the camera. The camera is versatile with its manual and auto features. Taking the best picture does require the use of manual controls at times.
Some users reported problems using the viewfinder(instead of LCD screen) and picture being off center --- this is true with most cameras and the manual reccomend the using the LCD screen as do I.
Poor Red-eye redcution is valid complaint -- I was disappointed(since it reduces battery) however with todays software its not a problem fixing. Battery life might be less than expected depending on much you use the screen ---reviewing etc uses more battery. I found if I am taking a lot of pictures which doesnt happen all that often that shooting 100 pictures with flash and reviewing is barely achievable.
There are lots of features of the camera even after a year I have not used all of. Those who are comforable with setting some or all of setting like from an SLR will be at home. The price has dropped over $150 since I bought it. Although a lot of new camera have come out in the past year I feel that the camera is still an excellent choice to be considered.
91% of People (10/11) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 06/11/2004 |
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Strengths: Great pictures, ease of use, small size, uses compact flash cards, durable, variety of different modes, including one you set up yourself.
Weaknesses: Delay between pictures - will not allow picture if it is not ready.
Summary: I bought this camera as the first of a two-part team of cameras. This one is used for casual picture taking because of its small size. It provides excellent pictures up to 8x10. I am now matching it with an 8 mpxl for the serious picture taking.
I have had none of the problems sometimes mentioned about this camera. The lettering on the mode wheel is still perfect; you just have to use it properly to avoid rubbing it off. The lens cover works perfectly; you have to be careful when you close it. I keep the camera in the optional leather case available from Cannon.
I see very little edge problems and when there is anything, it can be fixed with Photoshop. There is some vignetting with the flash, but it has been a minimal problem.
All in all, one of the nicest cameras I have owned.
90% of People (19/21) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 01/22/2004 |
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I own a really nice digital SLR with all the assor ...
Strengths: Excellent photo quality. Sharp, colorful.
Weaknesses: Rotated CCD.
Summary: I own a really nice digital SLR with all the assorted lenses, etc. What I needed was a good point and shoot that I could easly slip in to my pocket and take with me wherever I went. The S50 fit the bill because it took Microdrives(CF-II) cards, which is what I already owned. I really wanted to like this camera. I took it out and tested it and I must say that the picture quality was stunning.
But, and this is a big but....every picture I took was slightly tilted by about 1 degree. I had to go to Photoshop and do a 1 degree counterclockwise adjustment to straighten all my photos. I found this odd, so I went searching the web for answers. I found it at www.dpreview.com. They reviewed this camera and had the same problem.
You can test yours by putting it on a flat surface and taking a photo of the S50 into a mirror. You will see that the photo comes out tilted. Check out the www.dpreview.com review and see his example "tilt" photo.
Anyway, although most folks will never have a problem with this. It just bugged me too much.
I returned it and got the Olympus 5050 instead.
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| Date Reviewed: 11/11/2003 |
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Strengths: Ease of Use, price.
Weaknesses: Low light conditions and night flash.
Summary: I like this camera alot and the durability of the cannon name. I like the zoom function and the quality of the images that come off it. I use it mainly for snapshot opportunities so it will not be my staple for high end photography.
89% of People (8/9) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 07/30/2003 |
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Strengths: Great pictures, many options, auto/manual features
Weaknesses: PRICE, somewhat complicated operation, red eye
Summary: I am very pleased with this camera. It takes great pictures in tremendous detail. Took a close-up picture of me and my girlfriend (large, superfine), printed it out on my HP 2210 as an 8X10 and was amazed -- girlfriend made me throw it out b/c you could count my pores and see the peach fuzz on her jaw ... Auto settings are generally very good (especially for a quick pic), but they sometimes make the pic look a little strange. However, it isn't hard to re-adjust the settings and take a manual pic. I say it isn't hard, but only once you get used to it. There are MANY settings, but only full manual allows you to adjust everything -- your level of adjustment depends upon which setting you've chosen. This can be a bit of a problem when you want to combine effects. Also, I think I carried the manual around in my pocket for the first two weeks (which, by the way, is very well written), but now I only consult it when I want do do something different. 4-way toggle is also kind of awkward since I have big fingers; and red eye reduction only works when subject is looking directly at the light (not just the camera, directly at the light). Finally, it won't save raw images in auto mode (which hasn't been a problem yet -- we'll see if it becomes one in the future). All in all, it's an expensive camera, but as far as I'm concerned, it's the best pocket-sized camera out there.
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| Date Reviewed: 04/20/2003 |
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Strengths: High quality, sleek, versatile
Weaknesses: NA
Summary: This is a fabulous camera with lots of features including ability to change modes, shutter speed, etc. The viewing and editing capabilities are also top of the line. I would highly recommend this camera.
88% of People (7/8) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 11/24/2003 |
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Strengths: superb image quality, plenty of features, ease of use, small and powerful
Weaknesses: no (useful) battery indicator, off-centered pictures using viewfinder, terrible red-eye reduction, purple fringing, slightly rotated CCD
Summary: 2003-11-25 06:35:03 I took many pictures with my S50 and I am very pleased with it. The most important thing - picture quality and colors are excellent. The use is very straightforward and even the begginers can take very good photos in no time. As you learn more and your want more from your camera - S50 is powerful enough to deliver that. You can set everything you can think of manually. However, there are 2 serious problems. No, lack of battery indicator is not such a big problem - it goes more to ease of use, but rotated CCD and off-center photos when shooting using viewfinder are really noticeable problems. It is known that shooting close subjects using viewfinder is not recommended, but S50 has problems with centering distance objects. For example, when you shoot with viewfinder (LCD off) you'll later find out that the photos are noticeably off-centered. The effect is more obvious when you shoot at close objects, but its really big problem whatever you shoot at. Solution - shoot with LCD on. The other problem I am constantly facing is red-eye reduction. It is useless. It is so bad I am close to write it does not work at all. Other problems (purple fringing and rotated CCD) are not so noticeable in most photos. My final words are - very good camera, I don't regret buying it - but it could be better, not in feature list (it is impressive) but without these "bugs"
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