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My Selection Criteria
My criteria for a digital camera included:
- Cost less than about $700 CDN
- Include easy "point & shoot" capabilities
- Compact, take anywhere, including a rugged body, and full lens
protection, with no separate lens cap
- Complete "creative" capability, including exposure and focus controls
similar to a traditional SLR
- 3 mega pixels or greater
- 3x optical zoom (35-105) or greater
- Macro capability
These criteria were based on my personal situation. I was looking for an
affordable "point & shoot" camera that the whole family could use, and we
would take anywhere for "snapshots". But I also wanted a camera that would
have good creative control, that I could use to re-kindle my interest in
photography.
The Selection Process
There are a lot of digital camera out there! Its a competitive industry -
the sale of digital cameras overtook the sale of film cameras in 2002.
I narrowed my selection by limiting my search primarily to the experienced
camera manufacturers with an excellent reputation: Canon, Minolta, Nikon,
Olympus.
I used a number of the digital photography review web sites to select
candidate cameras, and learn more about what to look for in a camera. The
sites I found particularly useful included:
While
these sites are very high quality, and contain detailed, accurate
information, they also tend to be very positive... they don't give bad
reviews, and don't necessarily talk about the "cons" the the various
cameras. Look for reviews that mention both "high-points" and "low-points".
From these sites I learned I was looking for a camera in the "prosumer"
category.
I also discovered that there are not many cameras that have a small size,
a "point and shoot" capability, as well as controls that mimic an SLR.
The Final Selection
I originally decided that the Canon PowerShot A70 would be the best
choice. It looked like a very capable camera, at a very affordable price.
The Canon Powershot S45 looked great too, but was a little beyond the price
point I'd set for myself. While the Powershot G3 was tempting, I struck it
off my list due to it not meeting my "compact, take anywhere, no lens cap
criteria", and its price.
But there were a few things about the A70 that I was not comfortable
with:
- The LCD viewfinder was only 1.5" and 78,000 pixels, vs. the 1.8" and
110,000 pixels of the S45 and many other cameras. My middle-aged eyesight
is not what it used to be, and given I was going to be using the LCD a
lot, I wondered if the A70's smaller LCD would be an issue.
- The A70 has a smaller sensor (1/2.7") compared to the S45 and G3
(1/1.8"). Smaller sensors generally imply lower picture quality.
- The A70 case did not seem as rugged as the S45
In the end I went with the S45, and got the price down by buying the
camera new on eBay. Buying on eBay saved me significantly, and was a very
positive experience.
A Mini-Review of the PowerShot S45
I've been pleased with the S45. It has fully met my expectations. The
quality of the images are excellent. My 11 year-old daughter can use it in
auto mode and take good pictures and videos. I can use it with full exposure
control as a "poor man's SLR". And its size is such that it really can be
taken anywhere.
Some specific good and bad points:
- I read a lot of forum postings complaining that images from Canon
cameras were "too soft". This is rubbish. Its just that the Canon software
does not do a lot of sharpening in-camera. All the image
editing/processing software allows sharpening to be done when the images
are processed, which is the right place to do it.
- The "image orientation sensor" is a god-send. Portrait orientation
images can be auto-rotated automatically by your image processing
software. A huge hassle reducer.
- The battery life is excellent. The LCD is almost always on when we are
using the camera, and I was concerned about using proprietary batteries.
This turned out to be a non-issue. I almost never have a battery run low
when I'm shooting, and if I do, the small, single battery can be changed
in 10 seconds, in the middle of shooting.
- I was right about my LCD viewfinder concerns. I'm really glad to have
the larger 1.8", 110,000 pixel LCD. Highly recommended.
- The macro-focus capability is poor. The image quality is great, but
you can't focus in close. This was not a selection criteria when I bought
the camera, but then the first thing I got attracted to was nature macro
photography... insects, flowers, etc. So this was a bit of a
disappointment.
- The software that comes with the camera is awful! You pretty
much have to find an alternative to ZoomBrowser, Canon's image
browser/image management software. When I tried it, it constantly crashed.
Its terribly slow, its user interface is awful, and many users have
reported actually losing their images permanently when it crashed. YUK!
The image editor (ArcSoft PhotoStudio 5) and the photo stitching software
(from Canon) is OK. See my software section
for more information on replacements.
- It was not until after I got the camera that I realized how much I
wanted to be able to add lenses and filters, and to have an off-camera
flash. (What I really wanted was a PowerShot G3, in an S-series case, at
an A70 price... dream on, eh!). The S45 has no hot-shoe, no external flash
connector, and no threads on the lens. I eventually plan to address these
issues with a slave flash controller, and an after-market lens adaptor
from CKC Power.
- I personally find that the auto-focus "misses" its intended target
more often than I would like. But then it amazes me that it works as well
as it does. I expect all cameras probably have this issue. I notice the
auto-focus light makes a huge difference in improving auto-focus
performance in low light conditions.
See my digital experience page and my
hints page for more information.
Here are a couple of good (and in my experience accurate) reviews of the
Canon PowerShot S45
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