Negatives
- Short battery life (buy an extra & carry the charger)
- Tiny (for my big hands) and tiny non-intuitive menus
- Heavy for the size (but solidly built)
- Optical zoom is nice, but digital zoom feature should have been left off

Advice - Buy larger CF Card (theyre cheap now), buy extra battery, carry everything (ie. charger, etc) in a medium sized camera bag. This Camera seems indespensible to me now.

This camera is small and light and rides in my purse all the time. On the highest quality setting in good lighting it makes very acceptable prints. For pictures taken in lower lighting outside the reach of the flash, you can definitely see the prints starting to get grainier. If you dont make prints at all but keep your pictures on a computer, youll probably be perfectly happy with the resolution.

I did get a 64MB card in addition to the 8MB card the camera came with; you might also want to consider a second battery since using the flash a lot (like at indoor family gatherings) can quickly exhaust the poor thing. (It recharges pretty quickly though.)

Overall, Ive been delighted with this cameras convenience, pleased with the prints, and never had a moments trouble with it in the year Ive had it. A very satisfying purchase.

The only structural flaw that Ive experienced is that the door to the CF bay broke but for $$$ I was able to contact the Canon Service Center (through their website at ...) and order the replacement part shipped directly to my door. Installing it involved removing the piece attached to the lanyard with a mini-screwdriver, but all in all the fix took 5 minutes. Though the newer cameras have corrected this structural flaw (and others), I have found this camera to be extremely durable.

This camera also works extremely well underwater if you purchase the waterproof case. The case is extremely bulky, but for what you get by being able to take it underwater, the bulk is more than worth it!

All in all, this is a great camera!

The "Zoombrowser" software this product comes with is, far and away, the worst software product I have running on my computer. Its buggy, has bad error messages, performs slowly, doesnt play well with Windows file directories. Sometimes I spend 10-15 minutes trying to get my computer (a 6-month old Dell laptop, Windows XP, plenty of memory, processing speed, etc...were not talking an old computer problem) to recognize the camera so that I can download my pictures from the camera to my laptop.

This week, Im in Anaheim, CA to take my family to Disneyland. I need to take the last batch of pictures off the camera so we can take pictures at Disneyland. I got an error message when launching the Zoombrowser program (the incredibly friendly "The Error E_Fail occurred in the program", with only the "OK" button to push. No additional information.)

I waited until the next morning when I can talk to someone in customer service. I called in, went through 3-4 menu prompts , and got to a human in about 3 minutes, which was better than previous times. Im told by the technical support person that I "need to uninstall and re-install the program, and re-load all my images. Do you have your original Zoombrowser CD?" I explained that I was travelling, and that I didnt carry all the software I have with me, what were my other options?

Heres the killer: he said there werent any! I explained that I was connected to a high-speed Internet connection at the hotel, surely there must be a way that I could get the program. The rep explained that they dont make the program available because they sell it to others, and others would download it. This went on for 10 minutes. I asked to speak to someone else who could give me some options, or explain why I couldnt download a copy of the program, and he refused to pass me along. I asked for the address of the person who runs the photography business unit at Canon, and he said he had no idea, that person was in Japan. No help whatsoever.

This is about the fourth or fifth time the Zoombrowser software has died on me in 18 months. Its a just a piece of junk. I love the camera, but would actually buy another product if its still being sold with Zoombrowser software (I have version 2.2.0.16). Last I checked about 6 months ago, its still whats being sold with the camera. Run somewhere else!

Ill be using one of those disposable cameras at Disneyland tomorrow. Buy a Canon Powershot with Zoombrowser and you will be too!

Speaking of software, the program that came with the camera 2 years ago was horrible, but theyve since upgraded to a program thats decent which you can download from the Canon website (and likely they provide the latest software with current purchases--Im not sure).

The normal zoom works well, but when you get into the "digital zoom," everything gets fuzzy--both the viewscreen and the actual pictures are big blurs. So I just dont use that feature.

Overall, its a decent buy.

If you believe, as I do, that the utility of a camera is inversely proportional to its size, you cant help but love this camera. I take it with me almost everywhere, even when I dont expect to take a picture. It fits in a pocket easily, and you soon forget about it. I have so many picture Ive taken with this camera that I wouldnt have taken otherwise, simply because I wouldnt have bothered to take the camera with me.

Is 2MP enough? For most purposes, I would say yes. You have more than enough pixels for an excellent 5x7. And if you do no cropping whatsoever, you can make a barely acceptable 8x10. The lens and sensor combination seem to work well together, and I havent been bothered by noise or odd colors. Flash is anemic but usable up close ~10 ft.

The proof is in the pictures, and I love the ones Ive made with this camera.

go out and by a 128 MB flash card - theyve gotten pretty cheap and one will hold plenty of shots.

i like using a USB flash card reader to transfer shots - so easy and you dont have to mess with the camera and run the batteries down, etc.

avoid the optional Canon bag - awkward getting the camera in and out ...- the velcro closure is lame. Eagle Creek makes a great small camera bag. its black, cushioned, has an elastic opening with an ample shoulder strap and neat little pocket that can accomodate your extra battery and flash card(s) - highly recommended.

if youre looking for a good quality digital camera and compactness is a major criteria, youre search may be over. I would look at other reviews of similar form factor cameras by Canon as I purchased this late last summer and they may have an improved version at the same pricepoint. snap on!

But worst of all, the design is definitely defective. My camera died after little use with the dreaded "E18" error. After checking reviews on the web, I realized that this is a common and recurring problem. ...[Expensive to] pay Canon to fix it, Id rather buy a new camera. Not from Canon, of course...

The camera:
Amazing size; it is literally about the size of a deck and a half of cards. It fits into my pants pocket or my chest pocket without a problem.
Great pictures, especially in daylight. I went for a walk with my dog today and took a picture in the midday sunlight and I got back and it was fabulous. But pictures with the flash arent that great, unfortunately. The foreground usually gets too bright and the backround not light enough.
The 2X optical zoom is great but the 2X digital zoom doesnt do much Ive found. The resolution is good enough so that you can take a picture using optical zoom and then crop the part you want and it will still be a good sized picture.
The software that comes with camera is adequate. It lets you view the pictures you take and then edit them a little bit, extract redeye was the feature I used most. But there are many other great features that I havent really explored, but I have played around with a little.

The battery:
It probaly lasts about a half hour using the LCD screen. But if you just point and snap using the traditional viewfinder the camera lasts very much longer. It takes about an hour to charge with the included charger that plugs right into any outlet. I would recommend buying an extra battery.

Also I would recommend buying a carrying case, the Canon Powershot case is an excellent fit and also has a small pounch on the front for an extra CF card and/or battery. I bought a 128MB card which is great when you go away for a while and wont have access to your computer. But I found that I rarely fill up even half the card which holds 210 pictures at medium resolution. The Viking Flash Reader is a nice touch, although definitely not needed. It allows you to upload pictures a bit faster without wasting the battery of the camera.

All in all heres what you really need:
1. An extra battery pack.
2. A bigger CF card, 48MB is sufficient, 64 is really nice.
3. A carrying case to protect your investment.

Its a lot of fun too!

1. Although it says it on the box once you buy the camera, the amazon.com website failed to mention that transferinng your pictures to your computer via the USB cable works ONLY if you have a pre-installed version of windows 98 or windows 2000 on your computer. If you have upgraded from a previous version of windows, the USB cable will not work. That being said, I bought a San Disk card reader and it works great. It is so convienient that this method is probably better anyway.

2. The battery does not last long at all. That is what prevented the camera from getting 5 stars. With the LCD on it only maybe for 40 pictures. You definitely need a second battery... but youre gonna have to shell out a high price.

Even with the problems, i love this camera and probably would buy it again.

This may be the last digital camera you ever buy!!!!

I see a difference between the Fine & Super Fine modes, but I have printed 8x10 in both and am pleased with the results.

My biggest complaint is the size of the memory card included with the camera, only 8mb - this will only store 4 pictures at max resolution in Super Fine mode. Luckily prices on Compact Flash cards are cheaper now (128mb for ($$$)). I have also found 3rd party batteries (...)for half the cost of the Canon battery.

The pocket size charger makes traveling with it very simple, no cords needed to charge.

Other - I wish the AC Adapter was a little cheaper, at ($$$)I think it is a little out of line.

Bottom line, buy a camera from camera company and you get a good camera. Canon knows optics and knows how to bring it all together in a small package.

The cameras resolution is an optimum balance between getting sharp pictures and not taking up a great deal of memory on your harddrive - 2.11 megapixels is plenty.

Youll definitely need another CF card - get a 128 MB CompactFlash Card which will take about 150 pictures easily! I got a SanDisk 128 MB CF Card.

You *may* want to get an extra battery. If you turn the LCD display OFF while taking pictures, you dont even need an extra battery. I got one just for kicks - its always reassuring to have a spare battery you can reach out for when the cameras battery is running low.

I also bought the SanDisk CF Reader. I havent used it yet since Windows NT 4.0 doesnt have USB Support. Guess Ill have to wait for my new computer to arrive before using it. I have heard that it transfers images quickly and conviniently (more so than attaching the camera itself). Not to mention, the cameras battery will not drain.

Summary: Get this camera! For the price they have advertised here, it is a fabulous buy. Its incredibly easy to use (very intuitive design). As for accessories, a bigger CF Card (to meet your needs) is a must - amazon has pretty good prices on these cards as well. The extra battery and CF reader will provide a great deal of convinience.

Youll be surprised at the # of pictures youll take with this little thing -- after all, you can always erase the bad images :)

Cons.-- the battery drains way way to fast you basically also most have to buy two to have fun and/or carry the charger, which is small with a cool flip up plug. Another thing I might find annoying is that you cant change the image quality in auto mode. They are set to mid and I personally think its to big, especially for the 8 meg CF card. It then will only hold about 7 pictures. Wah wah wah.

I think I wouldlhave enjoyed this a bit more if it came with a tiny remote for the self timer, Why? So i can shot myslef and not everyone else. :D
Buy the camera -----Ive had a few and this is a great value and great pictures.
Arturo Delgadillo

Its been nearly a year of fun use of this little darlin, and theres no stopping me. The picture quality is excellent, and the camera itself is sure to become a classic - what with the real aluminum shell, and tiny size, this camera is packed with cachet. Nice thing is that its also easy to use, and the results are remarkable.

During our company softball tournament in which my boss and I were playing, I handed this to one of my friends to take pictures, and my boss handed another his "best in class" Olympus 4 mega-pixel. The results - the Olympus was a little sharper, and had a bigger telephoto, but the users all showed a preference to own the Canon.

Heres the scoop - Pixels arent everything. There are several other variables in getting a great picture. Of course theres the aesthetic of the photographer which cant be quantified, but on the technical side there are also others. Many tend to focus on numbers when buying equipment - whats the resolution - how many watts - whats the horsepower. But can you really rate things this way? Is a BMW Z3 the most powerful car or is it sufficiently powered? How well it corners may be a better metric. The S100 may not be the most powerful in terms of resolution or zooming capabilities, but it sure looks and handles great!

On the technical side - the lens is excellent. I suspect that its pushing the resolving power limit for such a small piece of glass. If you remember from your Physics classes the theoretical ultimate resolving power of a lens is directly proportional to its diameter. With such a small diameter, one can only reach a certain limit. From examining the results up close one can see that the resolving power of the lens is the limiting factor in the overall resolution. Details break up in the image before the pixels become evident. All this to say that the only way to make the picture sharper would be to make the lens wider which would scale the whole camera bigger, and who would want that?

The camera does an excellent job focusing, determining the correct exposure, and balancing colors - three other aspects to good image quality - other than simple "pixel count". Ive made prints from shutterfly.com up to 5x7 so far, and nobody would be able to tell that these were not shot with 35mm - and a full size SLR at that.

OK now for the drawbacks. Nothing is perfect. The main gripe I have is the amount of "shutter lag". That is, the amount of time it can take between pressing the shutter button and the camera firing. I suspect that most of this delay is required to get such fine results. Canon calls it AiAF. It basically takes a sample picture prior to the real one and sets the focus, exposure, flash, and white balance accordingly. Nice thing is that its reading all this stuff from the same CCD sensor that will eventually give you the image - not some little sensor away from the lens that point and shoot film cameras require. But it does cause about a 0.5 second delay - just long enough to loose the moment. But with some practice its not difficult to pre-focus by pressing halfway down - then press the rest of the way down when ready to fire.

I could go on and on about this little jewel - cool stuff - with just a few minor issues - the shutter lag being by far the worst.

Right now I see that Amazon has a great deal on it. Great deal! They must have bought up a bunch of these for this price. It has been discontinued and replaced with the S110. The only differences I can see is that the S110 has a minor video mode and 2MB of built in Flash memory so you can take a picture or two without a memory card in it - no big deal. I just keep the 8MB card that comes with it as a spare, after all you are going to go out and get at least a 64MB card to go with it any way arent you? If you want to pay extra, get the S300 which has a 3X zoom instead of the 2X on this one.

Enjoy and happy holidays!

Pros: Excellent pics, ultra-compact, easy-to-use, good s/w bundle, super-durable
Cons: Controls a bit tiny, short battery life, wish Canon included the case

Tip: To conserve the battery, turn the LCD viewfinder off and just use its optical viewfinder like a regular camera to take pics. After taking a pic, leave the button depressed and itll pop-up in the LCD after a second for you to review it until you let go. I have yet to even open my backup battery using the camera this way.

I found the Canon on closeout at Compusa for a crazy low price. Should have bought every one they had, but lacking the bucks, I picked up one, intending to play with it for a day or two and then sell it off at Ebay for a nice profit.

Im still using it 4 months later. I cant bring myself to sell it. Ive never opened the included 8mb CF card as its stupid for Canon to even include a card if theyre going to put one in that small, it wont hold the equivilent of a roll of film. There are lots of sellers of CF cards now priced right. I put a 128mb chip in that cost me less than $50.

Ive read some complaints about the battery. I dont think those folks know what they are talking about. As long as you are not messing around too much reviewing photos, the included battery will last you all day. If not, get a converter and plug your battery in your car for a quick recharge. No big deal.

The lens is a bit slow, and it really doesnt have the reach Id like, but thats fixable. (...) buy an adapter and one of his monocular lens add ons. Works very well, but its a bit of a pain to focus. Once you figure out how it all works together you can get photos of birds in the tops of trees with no trouble. Better buy a little tri-pod though.

The best photos are taken by the camera you have at the time you need to take the photo. This camera and the others in its line are pocketable and built to be hauled around. This is the camera that will take the photo you would have missed! The only reason I put this camera at 4 stars is the little 8mb cf card that comes with it. If theyd put a 32, Id given 5 stars.

"GUILTY AS CHARGED"

This camera wont let you down. Its solid construction, light weight, great quality shots and convinient compact size is just what the doctor orrdered. (...)

The only little problem with this camera is that not many people know how to use modern cameras which translates in: I have to take the pictures if I want a really neat one. I bought a 48Mb memory card which I have never used entirely, in a whole weekend or 4 days, which is long enough to download the pictures at home (279) lowest quality
I also bought an AC/DC conector which worked perfectly when taking pictures for my e-commerce business, (. . . ) and my thesis with pacients and their development of their therapy Ive re-touched the pictures in photoshop and these tools are really saving me LOADS of money.
The software is some how ineficient in the sence of re-naming pictures. Downloading is farely fast (about 30sec with 65 full size pictures).
Picture quality: If you buy a profesional camera, you get profesional pictures if you take the time to do so otherwise dont kid yourself about pro-photography.
If you are not a professional photographer, you will not notice
any loss of quality or color in them, the photos were a little dark at the beggining in certain colors, but just by fooling aroundwith its gadgets Ive managed to overcome the little problems.
The flash: It is good for a distance of 4mts. But then again, what did you spect from this TINY little monster?

If you want an absolutely great point and shoot digicam, buy this camera. Also, Ive used Kodak, Canon and Sony software, and by far I like the programs that come with this camera the best.

The battery is not too bad anymore since I dont use the display. I bought 2 but I might get a 3rd. If you take pictures with the screen off then it lasts for a nice long while. I recently turned the screen on to test how many pictures I could take with the display on and it lasted for a good 93 pics. (I dont think the battery was fully charged, and I was taking the pictures with probably only 5 to 10 second pauses in between them at medium res). Also get a tripod since the smallest of movements will blur your pictures. But at least you can view them and delete them if needed.
I also bought the 256 MB Viking card with mine, it does over 1500 low res pics and over 430 8x10 pics. The Highest res will take over 120 I think. I really like this card, because its worry free. I was taking pictures not having to worry about wasting film, and getting some very very nice artistic/risqué car shots that I wouldnt have taken if I had a regular camera. This Pocket Cam is excellent!

One peeve is the time it takes from depressing the "shoot" button, there appears to be a slight delay, so shoot early to capture those quick moment pics. Otherwise Excellent Bargain.

The only caveats: outside of flash range, indoor pictures tended to come out dim, and nighttime shots didnt work at all. Also, the battery often ran down by the end of the day, or after about twenty minutes of continuous previews. Still well worth the price . I would recommend a 128 MB card and an extra battery for travel. I also needed a voltage adapter for the battery charger.

Not only did it last the entire trip in my pocket, in humidity changes, temp changes, altitude/pressure changes, but i came back with over 200 8x10 quality pictures! A 128meg memory card allowed me to take more pictures durring a day than i ever needed. Bringing the upload cable allowed me to dump my images onto cd-rs every couple days. it comes with software to manage pictures, merge panoramas, etc. Definitely the most user-friendly digital camera ive used as well. The menu system is simple and easy to navigate.

The flash on the camera is outstanding. Taking pictures in a pitch-black room gave me images that seemed like daytime.

There are too many features of this camera to list here.

I bring this camera with me to work, to my parents house (when i visit), on short trips, to the beach, etc. What an amazing product.

If you are in the market for a digital camera, this should be on the top of your list.

The resolution and the quality of the picture are indeed ok. But then not too long after I purchased this camera, I "occasionally" can not turn the camera off: that is, when I press the off button, the zoom len would not contract. I have to use brute force to push the len in. I also have a problem with blurred images every now and then. After I contacted the Canon support person, they told me that the len is defective and I have to send in for repair. BTW, I have the camera for a grand total of six months and I have only used it for 5 occasions.

Another problem with this camera is that it does not fair very well if the lighting is not sufficent, even with the built in flash. If you use automatic mode and if you want to take outdoor night view, be prepared that you might not get what you want.

One thing I can say positive about this camera, besides the obvious ultra light weight advantage, is that its software (image viewer) is fairly easy to use. It is more "intuitive" than the Nikon View 4 software (I also have a Nikon Coolpix 995). So this is good news for beginner.

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 isnt 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 didnt realize how nice this "feature" is until I briefly used a friends 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 5x7s. 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 youre serious about picture quality, compare the S100 carefully to its larger siblings--the S20, and the G1.

Overall, a fantastic little camera.

1. The battery usage is pretty good, Ive 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 ...

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.

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.

· Youll 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.

· Dont 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. Its 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 isnt bad, but it still isnt as intuitive as it should be, especially Zoom Browswer Ex.

Definitely a good purchase. You wont be disappointed.

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, its 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 cameras 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 doesnt 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 vacations 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, youre virtually assured that you wont 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 youre 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. Theyre assured that youre 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 its been shot. (This isnt 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. Ive 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 wont take good pictures while sitting in a drawer.

*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 Im home, upload them to my machine, so I dont need a enormous card. But either way, this camera takes amazing pictures, is fun, and is small. What more can you ask for? I havent 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. Youd think I own Canon stock, but I dont! Im just jazzed about this camera!

The memory card that comes with it is kinda cute, but I recommend ditching it for a larger one--8MB just isnt 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 cameras 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. Ive always been a pocket camera type of girl, and would leave film sitting around on shelves and in my camera until I didnt know what was on the rolls anymore. Id develop picures and say, "Oh look, its 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 its a worthwhile investment despite the price, but its even better if you can get someone to buy it for you!

This Camera is just plain FUN. I have had it for 5 months and barely a day has gone by that I havent 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

Its 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 dont have to bring it with you every time.

4. Compact flash reader - I got one of these thanks to other reviewers although I dont 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 doesnt matter anyway.

Im still waiting for the perfect printer, everythhing is SO big and UGLY! but I guess if I wait long enough...........

You will want an extra battery, another flash card (I bought a 64 meg flash card) and a flash card reader. With the flash card reader, you just take the flash card (the film, in essence) out of the camera, put it in the flash card reader, and your computer reads the flash card just as if it were an extra A: floppy drive. You can drag and drop pics into your select directory on your computer, and as they pile up on your hard drive, save them on a Zip drive or a CD if you have a read/write CD Rom.

Camera is a piece of cake and no complaints so far.

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. Ive enlarged to 5x7 prints and the lower res 1600x1200 looks as good as a normal film camera.

Cons: - doesnt 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
- cant 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.

memory card. I also recommend a disk reader. I have the sandisk. It was a little tricky installing the driver but it makes downloads a breeze. This stuff adds up fast and that is the only down side, cost. However, it is up-front cost and believe me it is worth it! My favorite way of sharing the images is to hook the camera up to my vcr. This turns the tv into the camera monitor and then I can make video photo-albums by recording the images onto a tape! The camera functions are easy to control and the images are great! It is alot of fun to see your pictures on tv, a 21st century slide-show that is easy & fun to do. Of all the ways that I have used this is the most popular with my family & friends. Of course digital images have so many possibilities. The more you experiment, the more fun it becomes! The only drawback is lack of time for hobbies, and of course hard-disk size. The latter is solved by the many on-line storage sites. My favorite is OFOTO.com. They also offer easy to download software, and competitive prices on developing prints. In summary if you are sitting on the fence like I was about digital photography, the camera you have been waiting for is here! Its size, ease of use, image quality and rugged construction make this the perfect next step into the future!

the 8M card is not enuff. but in Singapore the Canon package throws in a free 32M CF card to sweeten the deal.

even though u have to juggle a few buttons for the manual features, these are intuitive and u can get the hang of it after a while.

Im planning to get a spare Lithium batt for lon trips even though the battery life seems to be OKay so far.

Usability - Ihave to admit, I abhor reading manuals, so after charging thebatteries I immediately dove in, pressing buttons and whatnot. I wasalmost instantly rewarded with the ability to shoot very high qualityphotos, browse through the results, and file manage my pictures. Thesoftware install was a snap, and the plug-n-play of USB PCconnectivity is truly a godsend. I remember not that long ago digitalcameras had floppy drives in them, and the "flash" media usedwas 1.44 MB floppy disk drives!

Performance - Again I was verypleased with the features included in this camera. The Macrofunction, in particular, is stellar. Ive not had a chance to playwith the various black and white, exposure, and landscaping featuresyet - but the next trip I take this little guy is definitely comingalong.

Expandability - The camera comes with an 8 MB memory flashcard - which can be upgraded to 128 MB card that can store manymore pictures. The 8 MB card stores 16 pictures at the defaultresolution, whereas the 128 MB card can store around 300 (I believe,Im still waiting for mine to be delivered). Now thats what I callexpandability. Also, the unit comes with a DV connector - oh thepossibilities...

Looks - OK, so beauty is subjective, blah,blah, blah. This camera is a beaut! Its small yet feels verysturdy, and the all metallic shell gives it a very post-modernistic,cutting-edge look and feel (how can a camera be post-modernistic youask? Its a digital camera - the whole paradigm ispost-modernistic!).

I unequivocally recommend this product to anyonewho is looking for a digital camera (and even those who are but dontknow it yet).

Some hints: I had no problem with the battery b/c I didnt use the LCD. I would turn it on maybe twice or three times in a day just to check if I got the shot I wanted (often, instead of checking, Id just take several similar shots and sort it out later). Then I still had plenty of juice left at night to run through all the shots from that day, deleting duplicates and total failures.

I did however run out of memory. I took 256 MB but it wasnt enough--I averaged 50 pix / 32 MB a day. Take plenty of extra memory on a long trip--you can always sell it on eBay later.

Buy this camera now and enjoy!

The jury rated the S100s prints in the middle of the pack, but its overall image quality results fell at the low end of the midlle for 2-megapixel cameras. Color balance measured better than average, with a noticeable blue cast in images shot under outdoor lighting conditions. Though the S100 only offers center-weighted metering, we overcame a tough indoor-exposure situation by using both exposure and focus locks. Other 2-megapixel cameras offer a more powerful zoom lens and more image-control settings.

The flash worked fine for shots taken at the maximum-rated distance under indoor lighting conditions, but it overexposed images taken inside at the minimum-rated macro distance. We were impressed with the sharpness of macro images captured outdoors with no flash. Standard shots taken without flash under outdoor lighting conditions showed slight underexposure but accurate color. The S100s panorama mode worked effectively, as did its burst mode, in which we captured one shot per second at the high-resolution and high-compression settings and three shots every 4 seconds at the high-resolution and low-compression settings.

The S100 feels balanced in its shiny stainless steel case and flattens to a smooth, flat box when the lens retracts; an integrated cover protects the lens when retracted. External control buttons are minimal, because you adjust most of the setting through menus, but, unfortunately, the relatively small LCD and small menu font present an operational challenge.

The S100s bright LCD displays a graphical menu system which attempts simplicity, but misses the mark and leads you back to the User Guide to clarify navigation and features at every turn. It can be frustrating to use the small LCD to take advantage of the cameras effective panorama mode, but better that than using the viewfinder in this mode. The S100 can be ready to capture your first shot in 3 seconds and subsequent shots every 7 seconds.

Compared to others in its class, the S100 is well equipped and designed, with both a USB interface and convenient access to batteries and media when the camera is mounted on a tripod. The included software bundles together a valuable mix of applications, particularly the effective image-stitching software for panorama-mode shots.

1) Sex appeal. This thing is tiny, and silver, and made of metal. It looks hot, it feels sturdy. Many people have come up to me to ask about it.

2) Portability. I take it everywhere, literally. Its in my purse and goes everywhere with me so I never miss the perfect picture of a gorgeous sunset or my husband doing something funny. The size is also good because its unobtrusive -- SLRs can get in the way at parties and inhibit "natural" pictures because people are too aware of the camera. The S100 is less invasive -- its quick, its small and its fun, and thats the way picutures of friends and family come out because of it.

3) Quality. The pictures are very good quality. I almost never take my Canon 35 mm SLR out any more because the S100 takes great photos and is so incredibly portable. Dont get me wrong, Im not saying this can replace an SLR if youre a serious arty photo buff. But the ease of use and portability of it makes up for the minimal drop in quality. Compared to my friends digital cameras, the S100 takes superior pictures, even at the middle quality setting. As for prints, I bought a Canon BJ color printer for a couple hundred bucks and the prints are superb!

4) Memory. Compact flash, while still pricey, is the least expensive common form of removeable media. Dont count Iomegas click disks which are cheap but arent widely used. Stock up on CF -- if youre anything like me youll need a lot of CF cards because you wont want to stop taking pictures. I have used cards from the major manufacturers in the following sizes with no problems: 96, 64, 15, 8. Removeable memory is WAY better than embedded because when you use up the space, you can just pop in a new card and keep shooting.

The negatives:

1) Weak flash. If youre inside, you had better be no farther away from your subject than 10 feet in a lit room and 5 feet in a dim room.

2) Micro focus. The focus is a little flakey on very small objects. I like close up shots, and if Im trying to shoot a small insect or flower (maybe half as small as a dime) the focus has trouble finding it. There is no manual override. This is semi-reasonable, but still disappointing. Other than this extreme close up limitation, the focus is great.

3) Short battery life. This problem is not unique to the S100. Its no problem really, just make sure to get 1-2 spares. Mine lasts me about 2 hours of solid use. If youre planning to take it on a trip, just make sure you bring the charger (included) and spare batteries.

Bottom line, the pros far outweigh the cons. I couldnt be happier with the camera. If youre serious about getting a digital camera, you must buy this one.

I wanted a digital camera to replace my 35mm point and shoot - primarily for snapshots of my kids at various events. I wanted something I could easily take with me without having to "lug" around a big piece of equipment. I wanted quality images to email to family members AND to occasionally produce quality prints. I also wanted the ability to transfer the images easily to my PC. The s100 delivers on all points.

Pros

Compact Size. Did you ever go somewhere with your camera and feel like carrying it with you was an annoyance and a hindrance to enjoying yourself? Before I bought the s100, I would usually bring my 35 mm point and shoot instead of my SLR simply because of the size. Now I take my s100 everywhere which means more and better pictures. You can slip it into your pocket and take it anywhere without that "burdened feeling" of carrying around a big camera. The s100 is very small (about the size of a deck of cards) yet comfortable to use. Some other digital cameras like the Sony Mavica are much bigger and to me, carrying them around is a hassle.

Image Quality. This camera takes excellent quality images. Outdoor photos are superb. Images shot indoors using the flash are very good although sometimes a bit under exposed which is the case with most digital cameras in this class. The macro (close up) function works incredibly well. I ordered prints from images produced on the high resolution/fine setting which came out great. Realistically, there is no digital camera substitute (yet) for a good 35mm SLR in terms of image quality on prints. But if youre considering replacing your 35mm point and shoot with a digital, the s100 is an excellent choice.

Video Out. The S100 comes with a video cable that allows you to connect the camera to a TV to display the images. At first, I couldnt care less about this feature as I figured Id never use it. Wrong. I use this more than I thought - like when I took photos at a birthday party and everyone wanted to see the pictures. Instead of people crowding around the little camera, I connected it to the TV, set it to auto-display, and we watched a slide show of all the pictures! This is handy if you have family members without a PC since you can record the photos to VHS tape.

Cons

Limited Resolution Settings. This camera has only two resolution settings: 640x480 (fine compression) and 1600x1200 (fine and superfine compression). So, you need to decide before shooting what you plan to do with the images. The lower resolution is for online viewing and email while the higher resolution is better for making prints. A medium setting such as 1024 x 768 would be nice since its acceptable for both online viewing and producing small (4x6) prints.

No Battery Life Indicator. This camera has no indication of how much battery life you have left. You get an indicator when the battery is low but by then its too late. It would be nice to have an estimate of the time remaining.

Small Optical Zoom. This camera has only a 2X optical zoom which is on par with most of the cameras in this class. This is sufficient when shooting subjects that are fairly close but a higher powered optical zoom would be nice. Digital zoom degrades the image so I suggest turning it off.

Low Light / Fast Action. You really need an adequate light source when shooting indoors to get an optimum picture. Generally, the flash works well if youre within several feet of your subject but further away you need to have sufficient ambient light. This camera is also not a great choice for fast action shots like sporting events. You can use the continuos shoot mode but it is pretty much hit and miss. The low light / fast action issues are typical for most digital cameras in this class. If you plan to shoot a lot under these conditions, youll need a higher end camera or a good 35mm film camera.

Accessories

Battery. I didnt buy a second battery and so far havent needed one. It will all depend on your picture taking habits. If you plan to use the camera over a long period such as a vacation, I recommend a second battery.

Compact Flash (CF) Card. You DEFINITELY need a larger CF card than the 8MB included with the camera. I bought a 32MB card which is sufficient for my needs. I typically shoot at the high resolution using fine compression which gives me about 60 shots on the 32MB card. Using superfine Id get less than half that. If you plan to take many pictures at the highest resolution/superfine compression, youll need even more memory.

CF Card Reader.... I dont use any of the software that came with the camera.

AC Adapter. If you get a CF Card reader you will not need an AC Adapter unless you plan to use the camera for extended periods.

Summary. I love this camera! It has its limitations like all digital cameras in this category....

1. The 3-point AiAF works great in most situations. But for tricky situations, youll be greatly disappointed as you cant control the focusing point.

2. Dont have high hopes for macro mode. Forget about closeup shots of flowers and insects. It just cant focus close enough. Also, youll have to use the LCD for macro cos the optical viewfinder does not have closeup correction.

3. Fleeting moments will remain fleeting moments. The lag between the pressing of the shutter button and the actual picture is very noticable. Common for digital cameras, but if youre used to film cameras, this is something youd have to get used to (really tough taking sports photography).

4. Dont try taking pictures of people at wide-angle, unless you know what youre doing. Zoom it all the way in, or youll get distorted faces and enemies if you send it to the subjects.

5. Just a minor point here. The lettering on the camera body comes off real easy, especially if you subject it to rough usage like I do. Like the ON/OFF button on mine is completely gone, so friends cant figure out how to turn it on (which suits me fine). But the body is really rugged. Subjected mine to a good number of minor knocks, but its not worrying.

6. Last point. Minor for some, major for others. This thing is highly attractive. Youll have to get used to friends drooling in awe. Wait till they see the pictures (provided youre already a decent photographer).

Five years later, the Canon Digital Elf S100cathes my eye, and voila, Im a picture freak. I take the camera withme EVERYWHERE !!!! Its very compact, but packs all of the higher endfeatures and picture quality that most "full-size" cameraslack.

My camera knowledge is above-average. The S100 satisfied allof my criteria, including the ability to take awesome day, night,still, and action shots. The zoom is great for a camera its size.With one charge, I can take and view pictures of a day trip. It isextremely easy to use, and best of all, the battery life is great aswell.

I am a very picky person who researches his purchasesthoroughly before buying. The Canon Digital Elf S100 is my latestbargain acquisition and my favorite new toy...

I HIGHLY RECOMMENDthis camera to all levels of camera users interested in purchasing adigital camera !!

Enjoy...

In my opinion the 3X zoom is nice but it is not worth $.. more and a large increase in size. I also cannot see how such limited movie making capabilities would be useful. I therefore bought the S....

The camera takes very good pictures. The flash has a tendency to cause a slight blue cast on some things indoors. The low-light capabilities are not that great but then I think they are as good as my previous Minolta Vectis APS point-and-shoot (which by the way has a 76mm zoom compared to the S100s 70mm, not much different). The ability to preview shots after taking them is great. Outdoor shots are where this camera really shines. They are great! Overall, I think it takes pictures just as good if not better than my old Minolta APS. It fits easily in my jeans pocket. The battery life is not bad. Get a second battery if you are going to use it on trips.

I deducted a star for the following reasons: they should have either not included a compactflash card and reduced the price or included a larger compactflash card than 8mb, they should have a leather case available in the US like they do in Canada and Europe, I would have preferred a pop-up flash like they do on some of their Elphs, I would have preferred more standard batteries but I understand why they went with the proprietary one, I would prefer the ability to change image capture resolution without having to switch into manual mode.

Overall this is a great camera. Well worth the price. It is going to replace my Minolta Vectis APS 25. I am very impressed with the pictures I have taken with it so far (except for maybe some of the indoor with flash shots). Very easy to use. Well recommended.