Rating: 
Summary: A very good camera UNTIL ....
Review: I left the camera in my car in Maine (not a very hot place) and the LCD screen cracked ! I then realized a major design flaw. All the camera's functionality is only available (or selectable) when the screen is functional. When the screen stops working, you're out of luck !
Rating: 
Summary: The Perfect Camera for "Fun Photos"
Review: My first impression of Elph S100 was that there couldn't POSSIBLY be room in the thing for anything other than a battery and a memory card. Somehow, the engineers at Canon did it, and the results are nothing less than astounding.Three things make this camera a particularly good buy: First, and most importantly, its size makes it SO CONVENIENT. I have had absolutely no qualms dropping the S100 in a bag or pocket and walking out to a birthday party, a sports event, or whatever--space simply isn't an issue with this camera. As a result, I have taken some of the best shots of friends and family with the Canon. Second, the feature set is basic, but very easy to use. The power button is a simple button--no toggle thumb switches with multiple settings that can sometimes be confusing. Switching between viewing and capturing modes is simple and straightforward, and even the more advanced features (such as changing the flash mode) are easy to figure out even without reading the manual. Finally, the "built in" lense cap is a big plus. I didn't realize how nice this "feature" is until I briefly used a friend's digital camera and had to remove and replace the lense cap WITH EVERY SHOT. The built in cap seems insignificant with light use, but when taking many shots over the course of a few hours, the S100 really shines. Photographers should be warned, however, that the S100 is not a professional-level camera by any means. The 2.1 megapixel resolution, while not meager, is not enough to yield even high-quality 5x7's. Serious cropping of a photo is usually out of the question because of the limited resolution. So, if you will be using your camera as a "fun" camera--for casual pictures--look no further. This is the one. If you're serious about picture quality, compare the S100 carefully to its larger siblings--the S20, and the G1. Overall, a fantastic little camera.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Camera!!!
Review: I have to admit, I don't have very much experience with digital cameras prior to this, but I did a TON of research before deciding on this one, based on price, size, battery usage, and picture quality. Before I bought it, I got it as a graduation gift. It is soo cool! Here are some things you should know about the s100: 1. The battery usage is pretty good, I've heard a lot of complaints about other cameras. For some reason I always have the LCD on, so I dont know how long they last without that. Buying a second battery is very helpful, and I really recommend it. 2. It comes with 3 cool softwares. One is great for organizing your pictures in a "library", it does it quick and easily accessible. You can put the pics into folders and name them. From the camera, each picture already has a date on it. Adobe PhotoDeluxe is good at editing, but if you want pro quality, I recommend Adobe Photoshop. It also installs a software for making panoramic photos. The camera makes taking those pictures easy, and the software makes stitching them together even easier. You can stitch together 2 pictures or more (I usuallly do 5 or 6). 3. Some people seem to have a few problems with the flash, but I like it. It is really tiny, and hardly noticable, but very strong. It also sends a smaller light out first to decrease red eye. I still get red eye sometimes, but i fix it easily with a kids photo software program. 4. I have pretty big fingers, but I havent had much of a problem with the controls. You can do all kinds of things right on the camera, like manual exposure or flash, regular zoom, continuous shooting, deleting and rotating pictures, or making them black and white. All can be done quite easily. 5. When I am taking pictures of people at home, I love to plug the camera into the TV so everyone can see the LCD screen. This was a big hit at my graduation party. 6. A lot of people will come up and ask you about the camera. Most people are surprised its digital and the features it has. Also, people are really surprised by the photos you print, if you have a good printer. I also got a memory card reader with mine, which downloads pictures really fast and doesnt waste battery power. I love this camera and would recommend it to anyone who wants a good digital camera for taking everyday pictures. If you would like to see some pics mine has taken, or have some questions, email me ...
Rating:
Summary: Great Quality from such a small camera
Review: I like this camera because 1. it takes wonderful pictures. I keep the camera in high-res mode, that way i can put the pictures straight onto my desktop at work. 1600x1200 is wonderful. 2. It's small- i can put it in my pocket anywhere i go. I have taken it into concerts where photography was not allowed, etc. Also, it has stayed the same (...) since i bought it. A friend of mine has been investigating which camera to buy, and the S100 seems to be it. I upgraded to a 128MB CF Card last month; i can take pictures all day and never worry about running out of memory.
Rating:
Summary: A great camera for everyone except the pro's
Review: We bought this camera at Christmas but I delayed writing a review until we returned from our long-planned cruise down the Nile. The camera was excellent. We took nearly 300 pictures, and most looked quite good in spite of our lack of photographic experience (or instincts). It traveled quite easily and even survived an unexpected camel gallop while swinging wildly around my neck. Hints: · We got the camera at a discount by waiting until a local photo shop featured "Canon Day" with special deals on Canon products. For us this happened around the holidays. · Extra flash cards are a must, but the amount will depend on the longest interval you expect before downloading. We did not bring a computer, so we needed lots of megabytes worth of storage. Flash cards go on sale in different sizes at different times from different stores, so pay attention. I scored some cards cheap when a local Office Depot store closed down and sold off their inventory at low prices. Tip - calculate the cost per megabyte to better compare various vendors' functional prices. The sweet spot these days seems to be 32 meg cards. · Although the camera travels well in your pocket, a small inexpensive belt-mounted camera case helps keep an extra battery and flash cards in one place. · You'll definitely want a second battery if you do more than, say, 35-40 photos before re-charging. We only used the second battery twice because we only turned on the display when needed. · Don't bother buying a neck strap. When you go to a professional conference and ask for a neck strap instead of a pin or clip for your name tag. After the conference, put the neck strap on the camera. · The menu is pretty intuitive, but just to be sure we re-typed some basic settings in a small font on a small piece of paper and laminated it. It's a tribute to the user-friendliness of the camera that we rarely used the card after the first day or two. Negatives: The zoom is anemic, probably because they had to make trade-offs somewhere. Low light photos are poor, although this may be my lack of experience. The thing is almost too small and light - I constantly had to check to make sure I still had it. The software isn't bad, but it still isn't as intuitive as it should be, especially Zoom Browswer Ex. Definitely a good purchase. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: The "take everywhere" 2.1 megapixel choice
Review: I replaced my Canon S10 with an S100 within only a few months of the initial purchase. Even with its relatively compact size and rugged construction, I found myself leaving the S10 behind more often than not. It was light, it was small, but it wasn't light enough, and it wasn't small enough. The S100 solves that. For the most part, it is an S10 in a smaller, lighter package. Slipped inside your coat pocket, or hanging off your belt in a case, it's barely noticeable. But take it out to shoot, and the quality and flexibility will astound. As with the S10, the S100 is easy to learn. Unlike the S10, there is no secondary display on top to provide information on shooting mode, pictures remaining, etc. The color LCD on the camera's rear shows overlay menus and stats to provide this. In other digital cameras, this might be a serious negative: using up valuable battery power. But given how miserly the S100 is with electricity, the arrangement doesn't seriously impact the number of pictures you can take. And you can take a lot of pictures. By adding a larger compact flash card, such as the Viking 128MB, you can capture a short vacation's worth of pictures without downloading. A choice of three different resolution/compression settings helps conserve memory. The rechargeable battery (included) will nearly see you through the entire 128MB, depending on how much you use the LCD display for shooting and editing. With a second battery, you're virtually assured that you won't run out of power during a day out. The recharger is multi-voltage, so with a plug convertor, you can recharge your battery in many foreign countries. The electric frugality also means that you're free to edit your shots on the go, snapping a half dozen or more in any circumstance, and deleting all but the best. This is great for shooting pictures of the camera shy. They're assured that you're only keeping the "good" shots. It also works well with children, as you can provide them the instant gratification of seeing the picture only seconds after it's been shot. (This isn't particular to the S100, obviously, but its battery life helps!) A few negatives of the S100: (1) the flash slot is CF1, rather than CF2 (as in the S10 and S20), which means no microdrives. (2) The flash is weak, as might be expected in a camera of this size, and located so close to the lens as to just about guarantee red eye. I've gotten some spectacular examples of the latter. With post-processing you can mitigate the red-eye, but it often takes an artist to really eradicate it. (3) The controls are small, and may be difficult for some fingers. (4) The shutter lag is substantial, making it very difficult to capture action (although the continuous shooting mode helps). (5) The 2x zoom often leaves me wanting. The 2-megapixel resolution helps, as you can often blow up the middle of a shot and still have sufficient pixels for a smaller print. The programmed exposure modes are adequate, and the manual settings can help, but at its heart, the S100 is a happy snapper. Great for snapshots, but frustrating for sophisticated photographers who find themselves in unusual lighting. The panaromic mode, combined with the photo stitching software works well. One can discuss the merits and demerits of the 2- and 3-megapixel cameras on the market, but if portability is your primary concern, the S10 is hard to beat. No matter how good your camera, it won't take good pictures while sitting in a drawer.
Rating:
Summary: Great camera!
Review: I've been into photography for about 3 yrs now and I'm sick of carrying my Canon Rebel around that weighs like a small child. I want a small, compact, digital camera that delivers. The S100 is definitely it. It takes amazing pictures and is easy to use. Even if you aren't really familar with the menu and the options, all you do is spend 20 to 30 minutes to read the manual, you are set. It is light and fits easily in your pocket. You don't even know you are carrying it sometimes. I take a lot of pictures of people (strangers I ask if I can take their picture), and since it looks so unique and interesting, the camera eases the people I take pictures of - instead of sticking that zoom lens in someone's face- its the ultimate icebreaker, and then after I am done, I show them the picture and they are always happy. What a great hobby. I'm documenting cities and people I come across, and the little S100 is such a great help. People can't help but ask about it and participate - this camera is great! Plus the picture quality is outstanding. No complaints here! *I would recommend buying an extra battery and flashcard that has more megs. I bought a 32 meg card and I can store an amazing amount of pictures on it. I guess it comes down to preference depending on how many pictures you store- I tend to spend a day taking pictures and when I'm home, upload them to my machine, so I don't need a enormous card. But either way, this camera takes amazing pictures, is fun, and is small. What more can you ask for? I haven't had any problems with it, so I have nothing but good things to say. I highly doubt you will have anything bad to say about this camera. You'd think I own Canon stock, but I don't! I'm just jazzed about this camera!
Rating:
Summary: Best birthday present ever!!!
Review: My boyfriend bought this for me for my birthday last month--yes he thinks I'm special. The only digital camera I had ever used was a Kodak with limited battery life that my brother has. In the middle of a boat ride in AZ it died. But I've had nothing but fun since I got this camera. I spent the first few days running around snapping pictures of friends to send to a pal in AK via e-mail. The software included makes downloading to your computer a no brainer, and you can compress photos and send them to disk or via e-mail instantly. The memory card that comes with it is kinda cute, but I recommend ditching it for a larger one--8MB just isn't enough. My guy gave me a 48MB compact flash card, and with the photo quality set at fine/large it still holds about 80 images. The camera's size makes it a blast to handle; it will fit in your pocket or one of the riddiculously small cases I found at Ritz Camera. I think what I love most about it is that it takes the guesswork out of taking pictures. I've always been a pocket camera type of girl, and would leave film sitting around on shelves and in my camera until I didn't know what was on the rolls anymore. I'd develop picures and say, "Oh look, it's London from last spring!" But now I can view my photos as I take them, and can ditch the stinkers. All in all, I believe it's a worthwhile investment despite the price, but it's even better if you can get someone to buy it for you!
Rating:
Summary: Digital Heaven
Review: I, as many others, have waited for many years for the convergence of price, features, size and ease of use to hit that happy center point. Well wait no more! This Camera is just plain FUN. I have had it for 5 months and barely a day has gone by that I haven't used it. It really changes the way you approach photography since you can edit on the fly, the instant feedback helps you shoot till you get it right! Trial and error - the best way. Tip - after shooting an image hold the shutter button down and the image will show in the LCD screen It's very well suited to people with a medium level of computer skills (perfect for Mac users) The photo stitch feature is awesome letting you seamlessly join panoramic pics together with supplied software. I recommend the following accessories: 1. Extra compact flash card, as large as you can afford, I got the Viking 128 MB 2. Extra battery, although the supplied pack is pretty good once it runs out you need a back up. (Get the elph Kit which includes a nice case and a really cool strap for not much more than a single battery) 3. If you plan on using the camera with more than one computer (like home and office) get an extra USB connector so you don't have to bring it with you every time. 4. Compact flash reader - I got one of these thanks to other reviewers although I don't use it much. You can upload 50 hi-res pictures in a few minutes with the supplied "image browser" software. It is a good battery saver but with a spare it doesn't matter anyway. I'm still waiting for the perfect printer, everythhing is SO big and UGLY! but I guess if I wait long enough...........
Rating:
Summary: Compact, full of features, easy to use
Review: I bought my camera based on recommendations from my other friends who own it. I am very pleased with my purchase. It's best to list the pros and cons of this camera: Pros:
- smallest 2 megapixel camera availble.
- light & easy to carry, fits into your shirt/jacket pocket. - "zoom" ability when previewing pictures
- 2x zoom moves quickly
- very good daylight pictures
- very fast downloading of images to PC/Mac via USB cable
- provided software works for Windows or Mac
- has 3 modes of pictures (640x480, 1600x1200 and 1600x1200 high quality). The images between the two 1600x1200 are indistinguishable on the computer screen. I've enlarged to 5x7 prints and the lower res 1600x1200 looks as good as a normal film camera.
Cons: - doesn't come with a case, I used my non-digital Elph case and it fits perfectly as the sizes are exactly the same.
- battery lasts only 20 shots or so. Buy a backup.
- provided compact flash card (8MB) is too small to store printable pictures (about 12 images). Have to buy another card.
- flash works terrible in the dark
- can't provide external power without buying a power adaptor kit.
- no serial support for download. Either use USB or buy a compact flash adaptor for PCMCIA drives.
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