Rating: 
Summary: Great photos, great camera - but a few faults
Review: When I was in the camera store I said that I really like the metal bodied cameras and the sales guy said that actually they come in more often for repairs because plastic is more forgiving when you drop it - and yes, I found this out the hard way. I dropped it and the camera's outer body bent exposing a little bit of the guts - but it still works! The thing that bugs me the most about this camera is that it doesn't tell you how much memory you have left. There is no indicator at all. Takes great photos and has held up for several years with no major glitches (oh, except once a flash card got erased when i opened the battery cover while it was reading off it - don't do that - it says not to do that in the instructions).
Rating: 
Summary: I wanted the best camera.....
Review: A couple of years ago I developed a passion for making costume jewelry. I got my own website, and started to sell the things I made. But a business like this stands or falls with the quality of the pictures of the creations that you display on the website. When I started searching for a digital camera, I looked at the most important features, and 'micro photography' was # 1, with 'easy handling and downloading' as a very close runner up. This camera is the best thing since sliced bread. The quality of the pictures is AMAZING, it is EASY to use, small and light in weight.
The operating mechanisms are clear and easy accessible. It has many features and options that make it FUN and challenging, but it remains easy enough to not get confused.
The software that comes with the camera is very user-friendly and allows you to adjust the pictures, so that they load faster for use on the web. It certainly was not the cheapest camera available. But I have never been sorry that I decided to spend the $$$. Every time I use it, I am happier than a pig in the poop. I wanted and DID get the best camera there is. Mildred, MilliJoolz on the www.
Rating:
Summary: Good camera, needs a couple of extras
Review: I got this camera about seven months ago, and I've been very pleased with it. However, there are a couple of extras that are important to have in order to make it usable: 1 - The included memory card is a bad joke. Plan on buying at least a 128, more likely a 256. You'll need it. (I bought a 128 at the same time that I got the camera, and I've found that it's not enough. The 256 that I picked up a few months later seems about right.) 2 - BUY AN EXTRA BATTERY, and carry it with you. My single complaint with this camera is the expensive proprietary battery. Expensive as it is, though, an extra battery is indispensable if you're going to use the camera much. 3 - Particularly for low-light shots and no-flash shots, get a tripod. (That's going to be my next purchase.) My hands are good and steady, but not steady enough for this camera.
Rating:
Summary: Canon - Easy to use, not fun to download
Review: After tons of research into prices and megapixels, I decided I wanted a 4 MP camera even though most people never seem to need more than 3. My brother's Elph works beautifully at 2 MP.
I chose the Canon S40 for the price to functionality and after three months I still think it was a good choice. Since my price range for all the accessories was $...I couldn't go for the Canon G2.
I had to choose between the G2's fantastic functionality that still wouldn't match my Pentax 35mm with beautiful lenses...and a smaller camera that I would actually use. I was tired of dragging my Pentax with its many lenses and flash around - I needed a smaller camera. The Canon Elph would have been my choice, except the smaller the camera the more it costs to get the same functionality.
Now to the end result - Apart from the not-so wonderful flash distance, the Canon S40 takes beautiful pictures. Took daylight shots of the Grand Canyon, night shots of Las Vegas and some family pictures inside. Daylight shots were dreamy, family pictures with flash at close range were good. Distant shots in a badly lit room - not good at all. Distant shots at night required a steady hand and a change to the night setting. I had no issues with the camera - I have a steady hand! However, the second someone without experience tried to take photographs at night, there was a lot of shake.
Bought a 256 MB Viking CF card (also from Amazon) and an extra battery. Both were necessary - the highest quality jpegs eat up memory and I had enough to take a week's worth of vacation shots.
Don't forget to format your CF card before use - had some memory errors when trying to download.
I don't enjoy the downloading process for 250 photographs - try and do it every 30 or so photographs and format the card before you start again. I think I'll be buying the AC Adaptor as soon as I'm feeling flush with money again... it's a pain to have to worry about whether the battery will die on you while you download.
Rating:
Summary: a fine 1st timers camera
Review: I have never even used a digital camera before I bought this one and started using it. It is very friendly. The pictures are great and the software is usefull but redundent if you have a picture program in your computer. This is a very flexible camera. A real good buy.
Rating: 
Summary: Auto and movie modes has big problems
Review: I got it three weeks ago. I try it a lot. But I returned it back finally.
Auto and Movie mode have big problems. Auto Focus seems not working right. Picture quality is not sharp. And movie is totally blurry and much worse than my brother's 2 MP canon one.
Lens seems not clear, I guess there is dirt or moisture inside the lens.
Very disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Generally A Good 4M Camera
Review: Bad Side: 1. the selection and confirmation button is a big drawback. it is hard to press "ok" without mistake. 2. the user's manual is unclear and badly organized. 3. too slippery, if add some rubber handle like other cameras would be much better. 4. lens'cover is a little bit loose. 5. too sensative to slight shaking Good Side: 1. after all, it is a very good camera at the medium level and above. 2. it has almost all the functions you may desire. 3. picture quality perfect at very large size. 4. small and portable. 5. LCD displays very well and clear (noticeably better than 3M cameras like Kodak 4330) 6. self-contained image processing functions 7. easy to instantly discard unwanted pictures 8. process very quickly Overall, the best one if you want to pay less than 500 for a
picture
Rating:
Summary: Power shot S40 doesn¿t disappoint
Review: I have owned this camera now for about 4 months and it is one of the best purchases I have made in the last few years. The pictures produced by the S40 are great, and color reproduction is on right on target. Why I bought the S40 over the G2?
The main reason I bought the S40 instead of the G2, another great camera, is portability and size. I find the S40's smaller size more convenient and I am more likely to bring it when I go out, and thus more likely to use it. I also liked the S40's feel and look. It is a sturdy camera and well built, which is important if you tend to be rough on things as I am. What's good, what's not?
It is hard to complain about the S40. Pictures come out colorful and sharp. The S40 also has so many options for a point in shoot, including manual settings and aperture and shutter control. It also has a movie mode and while it is not a replacement for a video camera, I found that taking a couple 30 second movies at events in addition to pictures really improves your memory of the event/party/whatever. The S40 also has amazing resolution for a point and shoot... You can pretty much make prints as large as you want. At 8 x 10, this camera produces pictures indistinguishable from film, and can probably produce much larger prints with the same quality, although I haven't tried myself. Also the battery, though proprietary, has good stamina, however you should get at least one additional backup battery. Last this camera has an unbelievable flash. My wife is actually scared sometimes to have pictures taken of her at night because the flash is so strong. Flash is very important to digital cameras in general where low light tends to be an Achilles heel. Like most digital cameras, there are a few places where there is room for improvement. The two biggest problems with the S40 that I have found, neither of which should steer you from this camera, are the controller and the AF. The controller is a little awkward to use in selecting. The button is hard to push in while not accidentally pushing up down left or right. The other area for improvement is the Auto Focus. At times the camera has trouble focusing on the subject. This only happens occasionally, but can be frustrating when you got a good picture that comes out blurry (You can't tell it's blurry on the LCD). This seems to be something that occurs throughout the canon line of cameras, even the high end digital SLR's, and many digital cameras have some focus problems, especially in low light, but canons focus light usually takes care of the problem. Picture quality
I have read some reviews on here that say the resolution is the same as there 2 MP camera, don't believe it. Anyone who says the resolution on this camera is poor probably doesn't know anything about digital photography. For example, most digital cameras base there photo quality on resolution, which is the size of the digital photo. If you zoom two pictures, one a 4 MP and one a 2 MP to 200% they both may look equally pixilated. This is because when you zoom in on a picture you are comparing pixels per inch more then resolution, and in many cases the pixels per inch can be the same on a 4MP as in a 2MP. (Most lower end cameras capture at 72 pixels per inch (but can be higher), the S40 captures at 180 pixels per inch on the highest setting). So, total quality of the picture is the pixels per inch and the number of inches you have. Also, it doesn't help that the software Canon provides with the camera reduces the resolution for viewing in the program (At least that's my impression). Some graphics software does this to make layout with pictures easier, requiring less computer power, because you are not moving the full resolution version of the picture around (Quark, a popular layout program for designers does the same thing, however there should be no loss the picture quality when you actually go to print). To really appreciate the picture quality you should use a program like Adobe Photoshop. Also, when you print a picture out, especially an 8x10 or larger, you should first change the pixels per inch to a higher level. I usually up the pixels per inch in Photoshop to 1000 and then adjust the document size to the desired size. You don't add any information this way, but I found it helps the printer create sharper better quality prints. Also make sure you properly setup you printer to print best quality on photo paper, highest res and slow to maximize quality. Conclusion
This camera is a great buy and promises to make a great replacement for your point in shoot film camera. I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone and have yet to find another camera that I believe is better for a mid range consumer camera, except maybe the G2, which is slightly better but bulkier 12/12/02. Also, with 4MP, this camera is unlikely to become obsolete anytime soon, as you would need to get a 16MP camera to double the resolution of this camera. (You need 4 times the MP to double resolution. I.e. a 4MP is double the res of a 1 MP and 50% better then a 2MP)
Rating: 
Summary: Fred
Review: After having a great experience with the Canon A20 I decided to trade up to a higher pixel Canon camera. The S40 appeared to be highly regarded in reviews. Up front I will say that with the appropriate settings set up (not auto), this camera can take some great pictures. But, in auto mode, the camera is less than spectacular - probably not as good as the A20. Flash shots at night almost always seem over exposed. I have had to use the M mode and dial down the flash brilliance. The camera has a tough time of focusing in average light conditions. If you have the camera set up through the center meter for focus (again, manually set), it works pretty well. But if you, again, use the auto mode, the algorithm between the difference points of reference it uses to focus, can cause the image to look very "soft". In all I really like the camera (albeit that it doesn't sound like I do), but my wife truely hates it due to the fact that in order to get decent photos she has to have the camera in specific modes. Therefore the WAF (wife acceptance factor) is a big 2 out of 5.
Another annoyance with the camera, is the multi-something on the right rear of the camera. You use this for erasing shots, and moving around. It is very hard to properly press, particularly if you just want to press straight in. If you are primarily taking point and shoot photos, really look at saving money and getting the A40 as it should do a much better job at simple quick snaps.
Rating:
Summary: Revolutionized my work
Review: I was somewhat leery of this machine due to the questions of problems with low light and/or heavy contrasts. Don't believe the critics! It is superb. My wife, an artist, manufactures porcelan lamps. For the first time ever I can make a successful portrait in the dark with the lamps lit... And it does that in automatic mode! This camera loves to cope with heavy contrast, unlike nearly every other camera, digital or otherwise, I have used. Together with an external; storage device ( mine is the MindStor 10gb) I can make hundreds of high quality photos without stopping for a lengthy download. It is cheap when all the features are considered.
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