Electronics: Buy Canon PowerShot S230 3.2MP Digital ELPH Camera w/ 2x Optical Zoom Online

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WHAT IT COMES WITH:
- Canon PowerShot S230 Digital ELPH camera
- NB-1LH Lithium-ion battery
- 16 MB CompactFlash (CF) Card
- USB cable
- A/V cable
- Wrist Strap
- CD with Canon software suite
- Users Manual

POCKETABILITY:
The first thing you notice about this camera is that it's small. Probably the smallest digital camera I've seen in the 3 megapixel category. You can truly put this in your pocket and not have everyone stare at the bulge...

DURABILITY:
I've already dropped this camera once on my hardwood floor. Amazingly, it still works like a charm. The S230 is encased in stainless steel with a few chrome accents and a couple of plastic parts (mainly the switches & dials). I expect this camera to last several years without any problems, if not longer. A buddy of mine has owned his Powershot S100 for over two years and he still loves his to death.

EASE OF USE:
The S230 was as easy to use (if not easier) as my previous Sony digital cameras. Before selling my Sony DSC-S75, I had the chance to compare the two, side-by-side. The size alone, gave the S230 an overwhelming advantage. The picture quality is very impressive with the S230. The indoor photos that I took without the flash turned out great. The auto-exposure, as well as the auto-ISO settings works fine, but if you want to manually set those on your own, it's easy to do. There are other cool features on the S230 such as picture effects (black and white, sepia, soft, sharp, etc.). The 1.5" LCD is very useful and is very clear, even in bright sunlight.

ADVANCED FOCUSING:
AiAF (Artificial Intelligence Auto-Focus) is a new feature found on the S230 that was not present in the earlier models of the Powershots. This function allows the S230 to select from one of the nine focus areas within the frame to capture the sharpest shot. It's pretty amazing how this works. This feature can also easily be turned off in the settings. This feature is found on the new Canon G3, as well, and is the flagship of the point-and-shoot digital camera line for Canon.

PICTURE QUALITY:
As I mentioned, I was quite impressed with the photo quality. I managed to print some of them on photo paper using my HP 960c deskjet printer. Printing them in 5X7 produced brilliant, almost photolab quality pictures. I might add that my Sony DSC-S75 also produces some of the best photos, as well, but I expect that from a camera that boasts a Carl Zeiss Sonar lens, 3.3 megapixel resolution quality.... If you own a Canon printer, you should be able to directly print off of your S230 using the supplied cable. I just ordered the Canon i850 printer, so I'm anxiously waiting to try it out.

VIDEO MODE:
The ability to capture 30 seconds of 640X480 AVI video (20 frames per second) with sound is awesome! My father was surprised at how clearly it captures motion video. Although you're able to capture the video with sound, you won't be able to play it back with sound on the camera itself, as it is not equipped with a speaker. The S230 is capable of capturing more than 30 seconds if you use smaller resolution. After visiting the Canon Powershot website, I learned that if you use a high-speed CompactFlash (CF) card, you should be able to capture more than 30 seconds of 640X480 video. Canon expects to market the high speed CF card soon.

BATTERY STRENGTH:
This is where I'd say that my Sony DSC-S75 shines. All of Sony's digital cameras display the remaining life of the battery in minutes. The S230 goes strong until there's about 5% or less power left. I've read a few articles and reviews stating that the battery life is the weakness of this camera, but it's not all that bad. It all depends on how much you use the LCD display, the flash, and how often you turn on/off the device. I quickly ordered an extra battery from buy.com and I'm perfectly happy now.

The S230 comes with a separate battery charger. This is very convenient, as you don't have to charge the battery using the camera, like most of the Sony cameras do (Sony sells the battery charger as a separate accessory). From a fully discharged battery, the charger is able to completely charge it in about two hours. There is an LED which displays in 'red' when it's charging and 'green' when it's complete.

OVERALL WEAKNESSES:
Some people will say that the small size can be a weakness, but I'd say that the size is definitely its strength. The optical zoom capability is only 2X, so you won't be able to zoom up very closely from afar. It does offer a digital zoom, but this may result in grainy photos. The macro mode of the S230 isn't as crisp as my Sony DSC-S75, but I can live with it. Also, the flash on the S230 isn't as effective as it should be. The flash tends to white out (too bright) close-range subjects, but is very weak for any subjects more than 6 feet away. I'll have to play around some more with the settings, I guess. Finally, the tripod mount is not positioned in the center of the camera. It's actually placed on the side, causing it to be off-center and hard to balance.

SUMMARY:
I mainly purchased this camera for its size, but it's turned out to be a much better camera than I anticipated. In terms of photo quality, it may not beat the higher-end digital cameras, but it will sure give them a run for the money. We have to hand it Canon for developing a truly pocket-sized 3.2 megapixel digital camera.

I've always considered 3 megapixels to be the minimum required for photo quality 4x6 prints so when I came time to upgrade from my Kodak DC280, I went with the Olympus C-3000 over the 2 megapixel S110 despite the fact that I found the Canon's small size very appealing.

Now that the S230 has finally arrived, I can say that I am very happy with my purchase. The picture quality is not quite as good (a bit more 'noise' is noticeable in night shots) as my Olympus but still much better than my old Kodak DC280.

Just as a note to those who can wait: Minolta will soon be releasing the Minolta DiMAGE Xi 3 megapixel version of their popular DiMAGE X camera. This camera is thinner and features a 3x optical zoom as opposed to the 2x zoom on the S230. If it's priced competitively, it might be worth a look. Although for me, it didn't matter; this camera is small enough for me to carry around in my pocket...anything smaller really wasn't necessary and I really didn't want to wait with the holidays coming up.

The S200 and S230 are the smallest, having the same exact body as each other. The main difference is that the S200 can process 2 Mega Pixels and the S230 can process a little more than 3 Mega Pixels. If the larger images are not important to you, you might want to save some cash and get the S200. Otherwise, the S230 is definitely a little faster, has a much better quality movie mode and longer movies, 9-point auto focus (the S200 has 3-points), and a higher price tag. They have exactly the same zoom, which is only 2x optical. The battery life in both has been very good. I use Macintosh computers and downloading the pics is a breeze in OS 10.2 and OS 9. The menus are really intuitive and operation is generally quite user-friendly.

As for the S320, I can't think of too many reason to buy it. Sure, it boasts a 3x zoom, but for most situations, this is only a slight improvement over 2x. Otherwise, its a larger camera. Still small by most standards, but to me, size was a huge selling point, since I am much more likely to take a camera with me if it is not a hassle. This one fits unobtrusively in your jacket pocket. If you require more zoom, you should probably look at something other than an Elph.

As for the S230's weaknesses, there's the small optical zoom and otherwise the only complaint I have heard is that the flash in the whole digital Elph line is kind of weak. However, I have found the flash to be more than sufficient for most indoor situations.

I have only had this camera for a few days, so I can't comment on long-term reliability, but I have great faith in the Canon brand. I tend to research my purchases to death and I feel like I made an excellent decision with this camera.