Canon PowerShot S80 Review
Simon Joinson, November 2005

Review based on a production Canon PowerShot S80
Just over a year after the launch of the 7 megapixel PowerShot S70 Canon revealed its replacement, the new S80, which boasts a slight redesign, an extra million pixels and a few new features - including the latest DIGIC II processor. The S80 is smaller and lighter than the S70 yet it packs a much larger (2.5") wide viewing angle LCD monitor, a control wheel / 4-way controller, XGA video capture (15 fps), USB 2.0 High-speed and SD/MMC storage. Some may, however, be a little disappointed to hear that RAW capture has been dropped.
- Wide-angle 28-100mm (35mm equivalent) 3.6x Optical Zoom Lens
- 8.0 Megapixel CCD and UA Lens Technology for Superior Image Quality
- Full photographic control
- 21 shooting modes
- 2.5-inch Wide viewing angle LCD screen
- DIGIC II Processor
- USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
- Newly-designed easy-to-use interface
- High Resolution (1024 x 768 pixel) XGA Movie Mode
Canon PowerShot S70 vs PowerShot S80 (main differences)
| |

Canon PowerShot S80 |

Canon PowerShot S70 |
| Effective Pixels |
8.0 million |
7.1 million |
| Processor |
DIGIC II |
DIGIC I |
| Max image size |
3264 x 2448 |
3072 x 2304 |
| Storage |
SD /MMC |
CompactFlash |
| Raw mode |
No |
Yes |
| LCD screen |
2.5-inch, 115,000 pixels |
1.8-inch 118,000 pixels |
| Max movie size |
1024 x 768 at 15 fps
640 x 480 at 15 or 30 fps |
640 x 480 at 10 fps up to 30 secs |
| Shooting modes |
Auto
Program AE
Shutter priority AE
Aperture priority AE
Manual
Custom
My Colors
Portrait
Landscape
Night Scene
Night Snapshot
Kids & Pets
Indoor
Foliage
Snow
Beach
Fireworks
Underwater
Digital Macro
Stitch Assist
Movie |
• Auto
• Program AE
• Shutter priority AE
• Aperture priority AE
• Manual
• Custom
• Portrait
• Landscape
• Night Scene
• Fast Shutter
• Slow Shutter
• Stitch Assist
Movie
|
| Continuous shooting |
Approx.1.8 fps |
Approx.2.0 fps |
| Connectivity |
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed |
USB 1.1 |
| Dimensions |
104 x 57 x 38.8 mm
(4.1 x 2.2 x 1.5 in) |
114 x 57 x 39mm (4.4 x 2.2 x 1.5in) |
| Weight (excl battery) |
225 g (7.9 oz) |
230 g (8.1 oz) |
Key specifications
| Street price |
US: $514
UK: £399 |
| Body Material |
Metal |
| Sensor |
1/1.8 " CCD
8.0 million effective pixels |
| Image sizes |
3264 x 2448
2592 x 1944
2048 x 1536
1600 x 1200
640 x 480
|
| Movie clips |
1024 x 768 at 15 fps
640 x 480 at 15 or 30 fps
320 x 240 at 15 or 30 fps
160 x 120 at 15 fps (3 mins max)
Duration limited by card capacity (streaming), 1GB max file size
AVI (Motion JPEG) |
| Lens |
28 - 100mm (35mm equiv)
F2.8 - F5.3
3.6x zoom |
| Focus |
TTL
9-point AiAF
1-point AF (any position or fixed center)
Manual
Macro: 4cm |
| Shooting mode |
Auto
Program AE
Shutter priority AE
Aperture priority AE
Manual
Custom
Portrait
Landscape
Night Scene
Night Snapshot
Kids & Pets
Indoor
Foliage
Snow
Beach
Fireworks
Underwater
Digital Macro
Stitch Assist
My Colors
Movie with sound
AE compensation -2.0EV to +2.0 EV in 1/3EV steps |
| Shutter speeds |
15 - 1/2000 sec
Slow shutter speeds of 1.3 sec. or slower operate with noise
reduction. |
| Apertures |
Wide: F2.8 / 3.2 / 3.5 / 4.0 / 4.5 / 5.0 / 5.6 / 6.3 / 7.1 / 8.0
Tele: F5.3 / 5.6 / 6.3 / 7.1 / 8.0 |
| Metering |
Evaluative
Center-weighted average
Spot (Center* or
AF-point) |
| Sensitivity |
Auto
ISO 50
ISO 100
ISO 200
ISO 400 |
| White Balance |
Auto
7 presets (Day Light, Cloudy,
Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash, Underwater)
Custom (manual white balance) |
| Image parameters |
Vivid
Neutral
Low Sharpening
Sepia
Black & White
Custom (3 levels each of sharpness, contrast, saturation)
My Colors (9 settings)] |
| Continuous |
Approx.1.8 fps
Large/Fine mode with LCD monitor off |
| Flash |
Built-in flash
Auto, manual, on/of, red-eye reduction
Flash range (W): 55cm - 4.2m (1.8ft - 14ft) - auto ISO
Flash range (T): 55cm - 2.0m (1.8ft - 6.6ft) - auto ISO
Flash level control
External High Power Flash HF-DC1 (optional) |
| Storage |
SD /MMC
32 MB card supplied* |
| Viewfinder |
Real Image Optical
Approx 80% coverage |
| LCD monitor |
2.5 inch type, low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD
115,000 pixels
picture coverage 100%
Wide viewing angle |
| Connectivity |
USB 2.0 Hi Speed
AV out |
| Power |
Rechargeable lithium ion battery (NB-2LH/NB-2L)
Charger included |
In the box* |
PowerShot S80 Body
Battery Charger CB-2LWE
Wrist Strap WS-DC1
SD Memory Card SDC-32M
Battery Pack NB-2LH
Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM
ArcSoft Camera Suite CD-ROM
Interface Cable IFC-400PCU
AV Cable AVC-DC300 |
| Other features |
PictBridge and DPOF compatible
Playback & record histogram
Autofocus Illuminator
Voice Annotation: WAV (monaural) up to 60 seconds per image
Optional Tele-converter 2.0x TC-DC10
Optional Wide Converter 0.8x WC-DC10
PC-controlled shooting via USB
Optional underwater housing (up to 40m) WP-DC1
AE Bracketing |
| Weight (inc batt) |
268 g (9.4 oz.) approx |
| Dimensions |
104 x 57 x 38.8 mm ((4.1 x 2.2 x 1.5 in) |
* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).
Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.
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DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C. |
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This article is Copyright 2005 and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author. |