Sterling142809
Well-known member
Perfect beginners digital camera wrapped in a pocketable package. Has just enough user control in manual mode to keep you entertained composing shots, while offering the semi-flexible auto mode as a dependable back-up setting. I do find myself fumbling with the menu and buttons sometimes. Set it for the room/light beforehand when you can, or use auto mode for action/candid shots until you've practiced a while.
Construction is top notch, and still better than the S400. The stainless steel housing is wonderful, but does'nt make it drop-proof. Dropping it will kill it (as with any other camera, I suspect!). I hope Canon continues with this build quality.
Photos come out clear, but practice is needed to find optimum color saturation and lighting combos. Red eye is terrible. The photos are clean.
I love the cam-corder mode. It's great. I filmed clips of my first child being born. I trusted the camera with my most prized visual record, and it delivered beautifully.
The best movie resolution it can do is a 30 second long 640x480 clip @ 15 frames per second. Film a child blowing the candles out on his cake, take it home and plug it to the computer. Decompress the 30 second film clip, and you have 450 640x480 shots to pick from! (No missing that shot!)
Playing film clips on the television is a blast!
I've had it for about a year, and I've advanced in my photography skills as well. I'm always looking at the newest gadgets and still I find nothing more appealing than the S230.
Problems:
Mode/menu buttons are awkward (it is a mini-camera, afterall).
Red eye is awful, but most software will help with this.
The movie audio leaves much to be desired. Everything sounds like it's in a tin can.
Buy a second battery! Some say that leaving the LCD on while using it causes the battery to drain faster. But I think it's more due to constantly turning the camera on and off.
In a still photo shoot where I left the camera on throughout, along with the LCD, I found the battery to last suprisingly well. I attribute that to the lens extender motor not constantly advancing and retracting the lens during power up/down.
Get a case! I got a piece of debris in the view finder by carrying it in my pocket...a real no-no.
Construction is top notch, and still better than the S400. The stainless steel housing is wonderful, but does'nt make it drop-proof. Dropping it will kill it (as with any other camera, I suspect!). I hope Canon continues with this build quality.
Photos come out clear, but practice is needed to find optimum color saturation and lighting combos. Red eye is terrible. The photos are clean.
I love the cam-corder mode. It's great. I filmed clips of my first child being born. I trusted the camera with my most prized visual record, and it delivered beautifully.
The best movie resolution it can do is a 30 second long 640x480 clip @ 15 frames per second. Film a child blowing the candles out on his cake, take it home and plug it to the computer. Decompress the 30 second film clip, and you have 450 640x480 shots to pick from! (No missing that shot!)
Playing film clips on the television is a blast!
I've had it for about a year, and I've advanced in my photography skills as well. I'm always looking at the newest gadgets and still I find nothing more appealing than the S230.
Problems:
Mode/menu buttons are awkward (it is a mini-camera, afterall).
Red eye is awful, but most software will help with this.
The movie audio leaves much to be desired. Everything sounds like it's in a tin can.
Buy a second battery! Some say that leaving the LCD on while using it causes the battery to drain faster. But I think it's more due to constantly turning the camera on and off.
In a still photo shoot where I left the camera on throughout, along with the LCD, I found the battery to last suprisingly well. I attribute that to the lens extender motor not constantly advancing and retracting the lens during power up/down.
Get a case! I got a piece of debris in the view finder by carrying it in my pocket...a real no-no.