Rating: 
Summary: I love this camera!!
Review: I take my Canon PowerShot S230 every where. The pictures are fantastic. I love the video options. With a 256 MB memory card, I take almost 500 pictures.
Rating:
Summary: This a great camera
Review: I think that this camera is great. I like that it is compact making it very easy to keep with you. The picture quality is great I have taken far shots and close-ups. The color from the pictures are so full. This camera has many features such as manually setting the AWB (auto white balance) or you can have the camera do it in the auto setting. I like the 3 minute video feature. Now nothing is perfect so this is what I don't like about the camera. First is you don't know how much battery life there is for the camera so best bet is to keep an extra battery available. I recommend getting the 256mb of memory the 16mb that comes with the camera is simply not enough. Also I don't like the switch on the camera that is used to go between still pictures, video, and replay/download. The switch moves to easily it should have a little more resistance. I like compact and quality prints, and many options this camera was for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Little Digicam
Review: This is a really great camera. Has a lot of features like autostitch and movie recorder (has a built in microphone). Allows you to change picture settings like b/w, sepia...Very convenient to carry around, fits into a pant pocket easily.
Rating:
Summary: How a Digital Camera SHOULD Perform
Review: This is my second digital camera. My first, a Nikon Coolpix 995 is so INFERIOR to the Canon S230 that they're not even in the same class. The Canon's operation is much more streamlined and simple than the Nikon, plus, and this is a BIG PLUS, there is virtually NO LAG TIME between pressing the shutter and it releasing. With the Nikon, as with other digitals, there can be a 1-4 second (non-self timer) lag which can spoil many a picture. While the Canon may not have all of the features of the Nikon, it has more than enough settings to fine tune your images. But the trade-off in performance alone makes the Canon superior. If you're looking for a digital camera that performs and functions like a regular film camera you can't go wrong with the Canon S230.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible Quality, Several Small Problems
Review: Wow. I got my s230 about five weeks ago, and have taken over 1500 photos already. I am thrilled with the quality of the camera. It is heavy, built with a very sturdy case, the buttons are quality, the menus (software) are incredibly concise and easy to use/understand. Of course, what most people are concerned with is the picture quality--for this type of camera, it is outstanding. Very few of my photos have turned out "flat" and looking like cheap digital pics. Most of them are vibrant and full of depth and detail. Here are the only problems I've encountered so far: 1) The worst problem is the delay from the time you push the button to the time the photo takes. It is NEVER immediate, and often takes half a second or more. This is fine for a posed shot, but good luck taking action shots or candid moments. You have to learn the art of predicting where people and objects will be in a half second. Do not buy this camera if you intend to take photos of people in action, i.e. playing sports. You will miss every key photo. I have not found any way around this--playing with the settings does not change the delay. 2) Dust collects in the viewfinder lens (on the outside). Not a major problem, but it's very difficult to clean. 3) The 2x optical zoom is indeed small. You will have moments where it frustrates you. 4) The flash is weak and does create bad red eye. 5) The custom USB connection point seems very delicate. I am concerned that in the future this will wear out (however, that is just a guess--no problems have occurred yet). 6) The tripod mount is in an awkward position (on the left, but the trigger button is on the right, so the camera tends to wiggle while shooting on a tripod). As for the battery life, I have no problems. I've taken dozens of photos and movies (using the flash and the lcd screen) and it has lasted fine. No complaints there. The memory card is very small for taking hi-res pics, so you will have to get a bigger one. This thing has changed my life. I slip it in my pocket everywhere I go, and it has not let me down. I would highly recommend getting one. Incredible quality + very few complaints.
Rating:
Summary: A superb choice in its domain
Review: In April of 2003, as a footnote to the purchase of my Canon G2, I bought a Digital Elph s230 for my wife .... This is a very popular, ultra-compact 3 MPixel 2x zoom camera. I won't do a full review of it, but here are some quick impressions. Overall I'm pretty awed by this camera. My wife took great photos with it, and she is neither a photo geek nor a computer geek. I highly recommend it. (Canon has since introduced the s400, which is one step up from this camera -- 3x zoom and 4 Mpixel -- for more money.) It is incredibly small, feels very solid and tough. The model I bought is made in Japan. There are extensive manuals - with one major error: the manual doesn't make clear that to get the "continuous shooting" and "infinity shot" behaviors you have to switch from "automatic" to "manual" mode". These modes are mislabelled; they should be "simplified" and "standard" mode. In the default "automatic/simplified" mode a number of the controls don't work (white balance, infinity, continuous shot). In the "automatic/standard" mode all the controls work. It took me a while to figure this out, the documentation really fell short on this critical point. It supports the EXIF Orientation Tag. A sensor in the camera is used to document camera position at the time of image acquisition. Uses CompactFlash, same AV output and data cable as the G2, the same desktop software and very similar camera interface and operations and similar CF card format. So if you are familiar with a G2 (or G1, G3) this is almost your only logical choice.
Battery is very small, very nice charger that plus directly into a wall outlet (would not fit well on a surge suppressor). I think you really need two batteries with this camera. Note that even though the charger is reasonably elegant it's almost as big as the camera! The charger can handle 110/220V and 50/60 Hz. Since a camera-plug charger is an unnecessary optional add-on, you really want to use a CF Card reader with your PC and don't bother using the data cable. My favorite CF card reader is hardly larger than the USB data cable, and arguably easier to transport. Canon made a very nice case for this camera, the PSC 300, that was sold on Amazon for $...! It had a small pouch for a flash card. Naturally, it was discontinued. It's been replaced by the PSC-50, which is even smaller. As of April 2003 neither of these cases is available, the PSC-50 cases are on back order and the PSC 300 have been discontinued.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely happy
Review: This is a fantastic camera! I agonized over the purchase of a digicam and finally settled on this one - it was the right choice. The size is a great feature. I slip it into my pocket and always have it available. As a result I have captured some great candid moments with my kids that I would have missed had I run to get the camera each time. 3 min video is great! With the flick of a switch you can capture adequate video (up to 180 secs!) WITH SOUND!! See above about capturing moments that were previously lost. Battery life is impressive - I keep waiting for the battery alert to go on but this little camera keeps chugging away through filming, video taking, and playback. I can take between 100 - 200 shots before having to switch batteries. And these charge fully, fast. Image quality is stunning, the included software is extremely useful and intuitive enabling you to bulk prepare photos for email by saving them as smaller images - no need to launch a separate photo editor just to reduce the size of the image for email or web. I would lke a larger optical zoom (the s400 has 3x) but the digital zoom impressed me with its clarity. The AV out cable is great allowing you to view all images and videos (WITH SOUND) on a standard TV. I also purchased a 256MB CF card which allows for loads of picture taking at all resolutions. And also get a spare battery to have ready to go.
Rating:
Summary: Best money ever spent, feature rich super compact
Review: I struggled with all the options of digi cams. I've never taken lots of pictures, so I read up everything from CCD size to megapixels to apperatures and shutter speeds. I determined brands. Sony was out due to the limitation of its (proprietary) Memory Stick. Olympus was the front runner with options, models, features, and lowest prices. Canon was second. I started to like the features on the Canon PowerShot S230. ... Put simply, this is some of the best money I've EVER spent. I come from an industrial design background (sort of); and it is rare I ever say a product is nearly flawless in design, function, and value. Trust me. If you can only spend $200 or $250 on a camera, save up your rainy day funds. Wait another month or two. Drop $400 and never worry about a camera again-period. You'll be happy for the 3.2 (true-not rated) MP's when you start shooting. Images are so good, you'll want to have a good printer like the Canon i950 (4800x1200 dpi). Images enlarge to 8x10 perfectly. Never buy film again. Change between 50 and 400 ISO frame to frame. Black and White is fantastic. Sepia has that old world quality perfect for some pics of New Orleans. The long shutter speed allowed me to shoot some cool shots that are "instant Desktops" for my Mac. Downloading's a breeze. Bottom line. The S230 is a feature rich camera. It's size allows me to take it everywhere with me. The Olympus D-5550 I assure you would not fit in my Triple5Soul cigarette belt-pouch. My flash covers AT LEAST 15' of throw. The only downsides? Sometimes I need to fiddle with settings for a minute or two to get them right for a shot. I mean: set ISO, white balance, light metering, color setting/b&w. Then there's always the movie setting. Took lots of video of my dog playing outdoors. But hey! I wanted more features and control over shots, right? For the first time, I have it. Oh, the "red eye reduction" feature doesn't work as well as I might've hoped. Yes, it's only a 2x optical zoom. That's the limitation of such a compact camera. I do wish it was a 4x-6x (3x wouldn't make that much difference), then I remember I probably wouldn't be lugging that monstrous camera and couldn't be holding it right then. I'm just glad I didn't buy a Nikon F1 or Canon AE-1 a few years ago. The 35mm camera would sit while my compact Canon travels. All these positive ratings aren't wrong. It would be a mistake to buy anything else.
Rating:
Summary: Red-eye problem
Review: I shopped for a digital camera for about 2 months, I went through 2 cameras. Olympus D520 and Canon S200. I finally bought the Canon S230 and was not fully satisfied with the red-eye reduction. 80% of my pictures that were taken at night or in the dark with the red-eye reduction selected, have red-eye on the picture. With the sofware available now, it could be removed, but why pay so much for a camera that should do it by itself. I would pay more and get the new S400.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent small camera
Review: I have owned a few digital cameras in my time, and spent too much money on them I might add. This one was cheaper than the others, and as far as point and shoot goes, this one is the best. Easy to use and it takes great pictures with little hassle. The battery provided takes enough pictures on one charge to fill a 64 mb card. (about 111 shots in the largest size & 400 small shots) I am Impressed with the quality of the camera for the price. It fits comfortably in my pocket so I can take it with me everywhere, wich I do!
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