Rating: 
Summary: disgruntled, and embarrassed
Review: I love Canon products. I love the zoombrowser software. I LOVED my S200 digital elph. So I upgraded..
I bought 2 S500's, and had 3 friends buy one with me, (including my girlfriend). I am embarrased to say, the pics aren't very good. I am a photographer, and have tried every manual feature on this camera to try and improve the pictures. They rarily turn out sharp, and it is very hard NOT to wash the pics out with the flash (even with the pre-flash feature). The 5MP doesn't seem to matter. BTW, turn off the zone focus and go center weighted, the zone focus will drive you nuts picking the wrong subjects. I called canon, and they think I'm wrong, but I'm not. I have defended it to my unhappy friends- but not anymore. E-bay here I come... Anyone know of a good, compact digital camera?
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic
Review: I love this camera. I wanted a small camera that I could take everywhere with me. My first digital camera was a Nikon Coolpix 700 which did me great, but was bulky and difficult to tuck in my pocket. The s500 takes wonderful pictures and is so compact. I love the stich assistant feature which is on the included software- after a trip to the Grand Canyon it worked beautifully. As others have suggested, it id definately worth purchasing a larger capacity memory card if you intend to go on vacation with your camera as the 32MB included takes only 11 pictures at full size. I also use a close fitting case rather than one with lots of padding and pockets. I think using a bigger case defeats the object of having such a small camera in the first place. You can always put extra cards and batteries in your pocket/purse.
Overall this is a fantastic camera. It is portable, and takes great pictures. It looks great too!
Rating:
Summary: Canon s500
Review: I originally purchased the Canon s500 because I wanted a small, portable camera that would take decent pictures. That's exactly what I got.
There's no doubt about it that there are cameras out there who take better quality picture than this one. Originally I got this camera thinking that it was more important that I get the shot than that the shot be completely flawless. I must say, when I first got the camera and took some test shots with it I was pleasantly surprised with just how nice the pictures turned out. I rarely shoot in the full 5 mega-pixel mode, as for me it's over-kill. Yet the camera still produces very nice pictures. Add to the great photo quality the camera's small size and you've got a great package.
Build quality on the camera is very nice. The metal casing feels substantial and sturdy in your hands. Unfortunately, I've dropped the camera a few times, yet it still works flawlessly. The camera uses a proprietary, rechargeable battery, so you can't pop in typical alkalines if need be. This may be a drawback for some; however the battery is nice and compact, and seems to work just fine for me.
The only drawback to this camera, at least that I've encountered, is the flash. It does a nice job of illuminating subjects up to ~10 feet away. Being a small camera, much beyond that and the flash isn't bright enough and pictures come out somewhat dark. Overall I believe this is a great camera. Its small size, great picture quality, and good usability make this camera a winner.
Bottom Line: If you're looking for a compact camera with great picture quality you can't go wrong with the S500.
Rating:
Summary: Exquisite little gem!
Review: I own a 10D which I absolutely love and was getting tired of using my old Olympus Epic (a GREAT film camera) and was looking for a good digital point and shoot. My two major candidates were the S500 and the S50.If you follow the photography boards at all you realize that this is a fairly common dilemma - the S500 vs the S50. The S50 offers excellent manual controls while the S500 is significantly smaller without any manual control whatsoever other than exposure compensation. I just LOVE the look and feel of the S500 though if anything it could be argued that it is TOO small. If you feel it is and you are looking for a carry everywhere camera it is well worth the effort to get used to the small size because the camera takes beautiful pictures. The S500 is simply beautiful. I can live without all the manual controls since I own the 10D and since this camera is primarily for my wife and for me when I don't want to lug the 10D around. Several have pointed out that since this camera is so small it will always be with you whereas the S50 would be less likely to be carried along because of its increased size. This is a very good argument! The camera is SUBSTANTIALLY smaller than its bigger brother the S50. The form and size factors are what finally won me over. One criticism of the camera. Low light focusing is less than ideal. You need to work with the camera to understand its limitations indoors. Also, battery life could be better, but that's the price you pay for such a small camera. I purchased the leather Elph case which protects the camera well and only adds insubstantially to the bulk. Some have complained that prior iterations of this camera scratch easily. I've owned them and found that if you keep the camera in a case and exercise modest caution that the camera will remain pristine. The pictures are just fantastic! Color saturation is superb and the file size is sufficient that you can crop with impunity. Other than in low light the camera locks onto its subject quickly and accurately. I am a huge fan of the Canon cameras and I would advise anyone looking for a camera, whether a point and shoot or a DSLR to carefully consider the Canon line since, in my opinion, Canon currently represents the state of the art.
Rating: 
Summary: Compact and powerful digital
Review: I purchased this camera a few months ago and so far have been very pleased with it. Ergonomics and interface are excellent. The camera isn't the smallest on the market, but it is very small for all of the features the camear has. My only criticism, which I think holds true for all of this class of digital camera, is shutter-lag. Capturing moving objects like dogs or children can be difficult.
Overall, I highly recommend the camera.
Rating:
Summary: This is a good camera, but...
Review: I'd been waiting for the five megapixel version of this camera to come out, but after a bit of research I have some advice; buy the four megapixel version instead. Canon's been having problems putting five megapixels on such a small sensor like the ones used on the S50 and S500 (they use the same sensor). Check out the online review at dcresource(dotcom). Why buy a five megapixel when you get better image quality and smaller file sizes with the 4MP version of the same camera? I ended up buying a brand spankin' new S45 on closeout from Amazon for 2/3 of what these sell for. Let the members of the upgrade of the month club have their new toy, and be waiting to take their "old" camera off their hands, or buy a new one at a fire sale price.
Rating:
Summary: Love it, glad I got it
Review: I'm a big fan of Canon cameras. I have an old AE-1 SLR, a point and shoot, and a Powershot S100. I got the S500 mainly because of my past experience with Canon. I'm not disapointed in the least. I love my S100 because of the size. I literally carried it with me everywhere I went. Now with the S500 I do the same thing, and the pictures are so much better. I just got my first set of pictures from Ofoto and they came out stunning. The pictures are sharp, vivid, and balanced. I love my S500. I do think you should get a bigger memory card, because 32mb is barely enough for a handful of pictures. However, the camera is top notch. And the size makes it so much easier to deal with. Your not giving up quality for size with this thing.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Little Camera That Packs a Punch
Review: If you are looking for a camera that has excellent picture quality, easy to operate, and compact enough to take everywhere - Canon's PowerShot S500 deliveres. This camera replaces my Sony DSCV1 Cyber-shot 5MP and left treadmarks on it. The S500 has better picture quality and is smaller. These are the qualities that I want in a compact, portable, point and shoot rig. If you want more features consider the new Canon Rebel (digital rig). Pound for pound this camera hangs with the best of them.
Rating:
Summary: Best Still Picture Quality for Compact Digital Cameras
Review: If you just need a digital camera to take pictures in the sun light, you can almost pick any digital camera. But if you want your camera to take great pictures under all different light conditions (i.e. in door, with dark background, wedding photos and other complex light situations), then Canon S500 will be the only choice. Thanks to Canon DIGIC Image Processor and iSAPS Technology, this Canon S500 really takes perfect pictures in all different light conditions, which no compact digital camera from other vender can match. However the Canon case for S500 is very dispointing, which is poorly made with cheap fake leather. I found the most beautiful, perfect fitting leather case for Canon S410/S500 from http://stores.ebay.com/ProCases
Rating:
Summary: S500 works fine for a small package
Review: Just upgraded from Canon S100 to Canon S500. Very happy with it. Same steel case and small size... perfect for mobile use. The newer options for continous shoot and video are handy. Added a 1GB CF card for plenty of storage space. Picture quality is very good. Five stars for value in a small package. Glad I upgraded. New camera software (ZoomBrowser) works fine ... make my edits in PhotoShop. Slick package.
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