My only complaint with these cameras are their less than desirable lenses. The S40 has a 3x optical zoom (11x digital) and doesnt have the lens power of some of the other Olympus cameras. Then again, if youre looking for that type of lens capability, youre not looking at these cameras and are more apt to looking at the higher-end SLR versions.

Overall, these cameras have the Canon photo quality and the construction quality. A great buy!

Some of the things I like about it:
1. It takes very nice pictures. Your pictures will look as good as anyones.
2. It has a movie mode that I didnt know existed until recently. Saves the movie (with sound) in AVI format (QuickTime player will play it)
3. Attractive small body (and who doesnt like attractive small bodies?)
4. The LCD display is great for reviewing your pictures
5. It takes gigantic pictures. At 100% they are about 20" tall by 30" wide. You probably wont ever print out anything this large, but this just means you have a lot of detail and resolution wont be a problem.

What I dont like as much:
1. Too many manual settings keeps me from experimenting too much. You would have to read the manual if you want to do any shooting besides automatic. And who wants to read a manual?
2. You have to get pretty close to your subject. Taking group pictures from much further than 10-15 will not turn out very good. If you can get up close you will have great pictures. Dont try to use this camera at a football game from the stands. I just dont think it has enough zoom power.

Ive enjoyed using mine for the last year and a half. Like the reviewers before me, I recommend doing the following:
1. Get an extra battery cause you never know when the battery will run out of juice. It will cost $25-$50 depending on what brand you get.
2. Im not sure what size compact flash card comes with the camera, but its probably in the 16MB range which is pretty much useless. Being a 4.0 Megapixel camera, and shooting such a large picture, it eats up memory. Get a couple of 128MBs or even larger if you can and you will have room to take 100 or so pictures.
3. I dont think it comes with Photoshop Elements, but if you can afford it, get it. If you do cropping and getting photos web-ready you will want to have this or the full Photoshop package (you better be very good if you want Santa to bring this)

You will like this camera and all your friends will tell you that you take great pictures.

Features begin with the generous maximum 4 megapixel image size (you can make them smaller to conserve space on the CompactFlash card). Several modes are available to you such as Sports (high shutter-speed and high resolution shots), Portrait, Night, etc. You can put it in complete Idiot Mode (okay, Automatic mode) and let it select your shutter speed and aperture, or you can pick one or the other and let the camera pick the missing one, or you can go full into Manual mode and pick both. Theres even a Movie mode, complete with sound. These video clips are 320 x 200 pixels.

This small camera fits in a purse or shirt pocket easily and wont get in the way if youre shouldering it in a case (not included, just buy a generic). But you pay a price for the small size: the optical zoom is limited to 3x. And unfortuately, the S40, like all the PowerShot S family, starts out with a focal length of 11mm, which is a very wide-angle view. Even at 3X optical zoom you will max out at 55mm, often not as close as youd need. There is a digital zoom, but so what? Crop your picture in software later rather than play with that silly feature. I found 55mm insufficient for shooting across a large room. If you work closer in this wont be a problem, but it is not a good focal length for shooting children, who stop whatever adorable thing theyre doing when they notice you framing that shot. (And see comment on slow shutter response, below.)

The sliding door that covers the lens (and turns on the camera) seems flimsy and can cause problems. My 3YO niece got ahold of my S40 and ripped the door off. I was able to reattach it but now its a loose tooth, ready to fall off again. Even under warranty, my choice was to send it back to Canon for 12 weeks or live with it. I couldnt live without the camera, so I kept it, loose sliding door and all. Ive just learned not to lend it to people who cant baby it; a good push and that door is off the camera again.

One of the S40s most frustrating limitations is a slow shutter response. I cant tell you how many shots Ive missed using it; I frame it lovingly, I see the perfect moment, I shoot... but no score. The people have moved on, the sun has set, the universe suffers heat-death, and finally the shutter clicks. If you want a fast shutter then you must have a digital SLR, as almost all the compact-style digital cameras such as this one have the delayed shutter issue. Another note of annoyance on the PowerShot S family: they come with a wrist strap but no shoulder strap. I dont know what use a wrist strip is for a camera; if Im not using it then I want my hands free. I bought a generic shoulder strap but it wasnt a great fit. At least Canon should offer one as an extra-cost accessory.

One difference between the S30 and S40 is the latter only allows an ISO of 400 which restricts low-light photography. This is a limitation of the larger CCD in the S40. ISO 800 shots on the S30 are quity noisy so it isnt clear you are missing this feature in the S40, and you gain an extra megapixel.

I still give this camera 4 stars for putting so many features in such a small package. The pictures are reasonably good, and at this size you can crop plenty out and still print good 4x6 inch images. The PowerShot S40 comes with software, but youll probably want to buy your own image editing package, such as Photoshop Elements. The one provided is fairly limited. Useful software includes PhotoStitch, which allows you to make your own panaramic style images from a series of linked shots. The included 32 MB CompactFlash card is also too small for typical use, so plan on buying a bigger card. Also plan on buying a second battery.

I was vastly disappointed at the battery life. I found that after about 25-30 photos, my battery was dead. I bought a second one at a photo shop, thinking that mine was somehow defective. Same story there, too. Having been spoiled by an older Sony compact digital camera, I was disappointed to find that I needed to carry along my charger and a couple of extra batteries in my pockets, or else plan to ration my shots for the day. The additional hassle of bothering people for the use of an electrical outlet to charge my batteries adds to the fun.

Im probably spoiled by my professional camera. The battery pack in my EOS 1Ds is good for more than 100 shots, operating all the features of the camera, including the autofocus and the LCD display. Nonetheless, battery life is troublesome.

In all other respects, I am happy with the functioning of the camera. The images are crisp and the autofocus and exposure metering are quite good. The level of manual control afforded by the camera satisfies the urge to control my exposures and to experiment with different exposure schemes and focus points.

If they can improve battery survival, this will be an awesome compact P&S digital.

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.

1 - The included memory card is a bad joke. Plan on buying at least a 128, more likely a 256. Youll need it. (I bought a 128 at the same time that I got the camera, and Ive found that its 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 youre going to use the camera much.

3 - Particularly for low-light shots and no-flash shots, get a tripod. (Thats going to be my next purchase.) My hands are good and steady, but not steady enough for this camera.

1. the selection and confirmation button is a big drawback. it is hard to press "ok" without mistake.

2. the users manual is unclear and badly organized.

3. too slippery, if add some rubber handle like other cameras would be much better.

4. lenscover 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

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 S40s 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 S40s 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.

Whats good, whats 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 havent 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 cant tell its blurry on the LCD). This seems to be something that occurs throughout the canon line of cameras, even the high end digital SLRs, 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, dont believe it. Anyone who says the resolution on this camera is poor probably doesnt 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 doesnt help that the software Canon provides with the camera reduces the resolution for viewing in the program (At least thats 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 dont 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)

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 S40s 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 S40s 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.

Whats good, whats 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 havent 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 cant tell its blurry on the LCD). This seems to be something that occurs throughout the canon line of cameras, even the high end digital SLRs, 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, dont believe it. Anyone who says the resolution on this camera is poor probably doesnt 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 doesnt help that the software Canon provides with the camera reduces the resolution for viewing in the program (At least thats 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 dont 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)

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.

(2). After you start shooting movie, you cant zoom. This is unbelievable inconvenient.

(3). Only AVI format for movie clip is available. I think mpeg format is better. File size will be smaller.

(4). Amoung about 100 pics I took, I bearly remember any one that does not have red eye, even though I used red-eye reduction flash.

(5). Distortion on the photo edge, as you see in all other small cameras.

(6). My friend has a Sony digital camera, when it is connected to PC, you see the camera like a hard drive or CD. It is very easy to download/upload files. In S40, you cant do it this way.

In addition to the camera, I also purchased a 256 CF from SimpleTech. This was more then adequate. When I selected the medium format, I got ~ 220 pictures.

As for the quality of the pictures, in bright sun, the pictures came out quite wonderfully. I felt the camera had problems with lower light situations. I did find that the camera has the ability to control the shutter speed for longer exposure but its not as convenient during a trip. At the same time, I also compared pictures taken from the S40 to my friends Elfp S200 and you can definitely see a quality difference. I shots from the S40 have much more color depth.

A improvement I would like to see is a better zoom. It seems that 3x zoom is acceptable given the size but more would be better. Obviously there is a digital zoom but I tried it and without a tripod for stability, it can be quite useless.

On of the nice features Ive found in this camera that didnt exist in older digital models was when you take a picture, this camera actually sounds a clicking noise. I realize this is a really small thing but when you give your camera to a stranger to help you take a picture, youd be surprised what a different this makes.

To sum it up, you cant go wrong with this camera if youre looking for a compact digital camera with some flexible features.

The S40 retails for $..., I paid a hundred less by shopping around. I did however buy it from a Canon authorized dealer which cost a lot more than the "gray market" cameras online. I dont trust those discount places, I never read anything good about them.

At first, I was disappointed with the S40 as I was playing with Canons G2 right before I bought it. The S40 isnt as point and shoot as the G2 due to its smaller size. It is much more sensitive to lighting conditions. Also due to its small size, it is more difficult to hold steady. However, after a few days of playing with it and tweeking out the adjustments I was able to produce some very high quality pictures.

The auto mode on the S40 is terrible and almost can not be used. It always seems to focus on the wrong part of the subject. For some reason, it tends to focus on the background more than the object you intended to shoot. This is due to their 3 box focusing system. Very similar to their Automatic SLRs. But I didnt have this problem with my Elan EOS. However there is a counter to this problem. I simply use their Tv or Av mode. This allows for focusing only in one box rather than three and it allows you to adjust the aperature or speed at touch of a button.

This is truly a real camera and not only a point and shoot. It can be switched to full manual mode in just one click. I like the way it tells you exactly what f stop your are at and at what speed you are going to shoot. And with a simply push of a button you can change the f stop and speed very easily right before a shot. Its like a fully digital manual camera!

The flash is slightly inadequate but not as bad as some other brands that I have tried. Also the battery is very short lived. It uses a proprietary lithium ion battery and is rated at giving you 180 pics with the screen on and 420 pics with the screen off. Not bad considering my last camera gave me about 30 pics with a set of batteries.
It will however give you about 1 day of heavy usage, thats about it. You will almost definitely need a extra just to be safe.

One of its best feature is the design. I like the fact that I dont have to fumble with a dangling lens cover. The S40 incorporates its lens cover with a clam shell design. Just slide the cover over and it turns on automatically, snap it closed and it shuts off. I also like the all metal construction. I hate plastic cameras!

It also doubles as a camcorder. You can record short avi/mpeg movies. 30 secs in high resolution and 120 sec in low resolution. However this eats up memory in a hurry so if you like this feature, get ready to put out for some higher memory. The camera uses Compact Flash, which is slowly starting to turn into the industry standard in storage. It also allows you to use micro-drives if you are really into storing large batches of pics.

This is a good camera for those who like things small. Its a beutifully designed piece of equiptment considering its size. Does it compare to its bigger brother, the G2? NO. But its not designed to. This is a good compromise for those who want 4.0 megapixel in a small package. For those who need and want the best pictures possible from a digital camera I would recommend the G2 but for those who dont need the very best from a picture, this is a very good and well made camera.

The best new features are the video clips and RAW mode images that are not much bigger than superfine JPEG. I can now get lossless images off the camera and play with them without paying a TIFF-sized penalty. Ive been using Breezebrowser to do batch conversions and it works well. The video clip capability is also cool - I always thought it was stupid when this started showing up on digicams, but it is great for filming kids. The 30-second limitation isnt as much of an issue as I thought, though the quality is lacking. Cant wait until these little digicams get 640x480 at 30fps - would still not be as good as the miniDV camcorder I have, but I hardly ever use the camcorder, whereas I almost always have the digicam.

The only negative Ive seen so far is that the autofocus seems to be worse than on the S20 - slower, noisier, and has problems in low light conditions. Part of this may be the AF focus assist light on this seems dimmer than the S20. Overall though, the focusing system is more flexible - settable focus points plus manual focus if you really want. And you can set metering too.

And finally, hitting the AE lock button while holding shutter button halfway will fire the preflash, letting you use this camera with standard slave strobes - kind of kludgy, but cheaper than springing for one of the new "digital" ones that support cameras with preflash.

In addition to the camera itself, there is a nice underwater case for it that is under $. For most other digicams you have to shell out major $$$, often more than the cost of the camera, for third party underwater housings. This alone would have been a major factor in choosing the camera; in addition to using it when diving, which I do infrequently, its also great for taking beach or pool pictures without worrying about getting the camera wet, and even with the case the size is pretty small.

All in all, a pleasant upgrade - twice the camera at half the price I paid for my S20 two years ago. Of course in another two years the S60 will be twice as good and half the price of the S40. Such is progress.

As far as problems go, I was unable to get USB cable connection working at first.( I only wanted this to set the owner name, I use a Firewire compact flash reader for downloading photos). Turned out to be a compatibility problem with my Bearpaw 1200 flatbad USB scanner. Now I have the camera working, but the Bearpaw is broken even after driver reinstalls :-(

It would be nice if this camera were smaller. Like the digital Elphs, but with the S40 features. Oh well, I guess in a couple of years...

Brite Flash, fast and easy, bye bye my Film Camera, now I need a good ink Jet to print too!

ONLY GRIPE!
I didnt like that Amazon didnt sell it direct, it went thru J&R...

I am very happy with this camera! It has great range for its size and many of the semi-professional features avid photographers will enjoy!

You can use it as a quick snapshot camera but if you want to this baby can do a great many things other higher end film cameras can do with the added benefit of seeing a very good representation of the final picture on the mini LCD screen.

On some of my treks I have accidentally dropped the camera from a few feet, a few times on some rocks ( ouch ) but it is fine!

I am not a fan of the "digital" zoom since I think you can do that fine yourself with your photo editing software later - you just have to shoot at a higher resolution first.

For instance - while in Rocky Mountain National Park I saw a Marmot sticking its head up from between some rocks. I simply shot him at maximum resolution and the 3X Optical Zoom - that creates a HUGE picture but then I used my software and cropped out what was useless and I have a wonderful Marmot picture and it looks like I was about 4 feet away instead of the 15 - 20 I really was.

I use the 128 MB Memory Stick I purchased afterwords and havent needed the 16 MB stick that comes with it yet - not even close.

Its easy to hand this to others and let them take the pictures - you know theyll be horrible with feet cut off and too much sky - wall etc. but then you just crop it later and make it look like YOU took the picture :-)

Its a great camera for the price!

a c slonaker

The only gripe I have so far (which Ive seen in many other reviews) is the set button, when pressing it you can easily press the arrow down/up or left/right by mistake, but overall its actually not that bad and with experience it gets easier.

I read a lot of reviews of this and other cameras before deciding on which one to buy.

What I love about this camera:
- 4 Megapixel camera at this price point
- complete manual control available
- program mode will remember your last settings
- iso setting up to 400 - This is really great for getting good night time shots without having to use the flash
- very easy to use software with both win and mac/os x versions
- large lcd screen for preview
- fairly good interface and on-screen menu system
- good lense for a compact camera

A minor issue is the lense sliding door, seems a bit flimsy in the construction, like it would easily come off, time will tell. If Canon fixed this and the set button theyd have a perfect 4Mp camera in my opinion.

I am concerned about color and so forth, but the important things in THIS camera were shutter lag time, ease of use for others, 4 meg results, speed and battery life.

I had the chance to side by side compare. Sorry Olympus, but you need to work on some things in pocket cameras.

1. Shutter Lag Time: This is the time from pressing the "button" to getting a picture. Though neither is extremely fast like the E10, the Canon is much faster than the Olympus. You still need to pre-focus if shooting a moving target but with the Olympus, you still wont catch them in movement.

2. Write Time: The write time of the Canon is superior, especially using a microdrive--which it does. Either I or II (microdrive). I really prefer compact flash to SmartMedia, which is the like Beta to VHS in future I think. It has its place, but not in 4 meg cameras.

3. Ease of Use--Both cameras utilize one of the most user friendly systems around. Equally impressed with both.

4. Batteries: I did like the idea of AA batteries in the Olympus--but my very good rechargables were drying up like crazy while I played with it. The Canons lithium rechargable isnt cheap and you need two, but I am greatly impressed so far. The charger is light and plugs right into the outlet--no cord. Canon wins, even with the propriatary battery...P>5. Zoom: Neither is going to bring the world in like a true telephoto, but the Canon is much better here also.

6. Startup Time: When you pull open the lid, how long does it take to get a shot off? Thats why I have the pocket camera--spontaneity. Canon again comes in first on time to ready. Not alot, but faster.

Bottomline is Canon easily won this Olympus photographer hands down. Id rate the Olympus D40Zoom a 4 plus, but the Canon Powershot ... a clear 5 for its class of camera.

I loved it

Minor points and I DO mean MINOR, are not-so-solid sliding door for the lens, battery latch that doesnt hold perfectly and weak flash (maybe thats a good point so you dont use it).

Major points for solid design, lots and lots of features, great colours, fast response times, RAW format, excellent picture reviews features and more more more.

Also include at least a 128MB flash card and extra battery when taking a longer holiday.

What I like:
1) Its compact but not too small. You cant take a picture if your camera is too big to lug around.
2) Its metal construction is quality to the nth degree. At a time when consumer electronics feels flimsy as far as Im concerned (too much plastic), its nice to own something thats built so well with good material.
3) The picture quality is excellent. Like I said, this is my 5th digicam and the image quality is the best, by far. The colors are rich and the detail amazing. Everyone who has seen my photos are amazed.
4) The video feature is nice. You might not think its necessary but I find the ability to capture up to 30 seconds of video (albiet not of the best quality) very useful.
5) Battery life is much improved vs. the older Canons and the Nikon. Without LCD on, you can take well over 100 shots.

What I dont like:
1) The macro performance is poor. The Nikon 995 did an amazing job in the area.
2) Low light situations results in poor shots.

What youll need:
1) A larger memory card, at least 128MB. I went with a 256MB Viking which works really well. Its fast and holds up to 120 shots on the highest resolution setting.
2) A bag to protect your investment, I recommend the Lowepro 10AW. Its VERY well padded, has slots for an extra battery and memory card, and is lightweight. Some may opt for a smaller bag. Its a matter of preference.
3) I got an extra rechargeable battery. Its a safety net actually since battery performance is pretty good and you can always bring your charger along.
4) A LCD protector because the screen is prone to scratches. You can buy ones meant for color PDAs or try purplemoo.com and/or daprotector.com.

I am very happy with this purchase and consider the S40 the best overall 4MP digicam in the market for me.

In brief, if you are looking for a realy GREAT digital camera, this is it. I recomend this for amature or advanced users. I use ofoto printing and have the best prints you can imagine, even large 20 x 30 inch posters with great resolution.

I do recomend a 128MB flash card or larger.

I am a very, very loyal Sony customer and was all set to buy their new 4 megapixel camera until I started looking into Canon. Granted, its not quite as small as the Sony, and it just doesnt have the same design elan, but when you get down to what counts - the ability to take fantastic pictures - I dont think any other 4MP out there can beat it. The reviewers at the online digital photography review sites seem to agree.

I found it for a reasonably good price and decided to take the leap. As promised, it took fantastic point-and-shoot pics and even better manually adjusted shots. There did seem to be a little trouble with some of the automatic settings wherein the picture came out a bit blurry, but futzing with the setting seemed to help a lot. All in all, though, I have nothing but praise for this small little wonder. (In case youre worried, the body of this thing is extremely solid. Its primarily made of metal - not plastic like most others out there.)

The great thing is that the S40 does it all. I took great close-ups of flowers, action shots of a dog running, landscape shots, portraits of friends. All of these shots have an almost professional quality and cause every one who sees them to comment on how well they turn out.

In almost every case, the colors are true - never too dull, never over saturated. The focus is very sharp, as well. And since its a 4MP, you can make nice sized prints - at least 8x10 - without making them appear pixelated.

Overall, the camera is easy to learn. The controls can be a bit complex, but the manual is clear. For those who prefer the trial and error method, the S40 wont pose too much trouble. Everything is fairly intuitive, however, and even confirmed technophobes get the hang of it after a while.

One hint: Be sure to adjust your screen for maximum resolution before viewing the pictures. The CCD on the S40 is far crisper than most monitors, and so shots might not appear in their full splendor unless you make the screen resolution very, very high.

A few caveats: the accompanying software - ZoomX Browser, or some such - is pretty basic. You cant do much with it, even compared to the stripped down (and much better) Adobe programs out there. Also, Im using the camera on both an XP machine and on a Windows ME machine. With XP, the computer reads it just like another hard-drive, making it exceptionally easy to grap and import photos. With ME, its a bit buggier. I needed to call Canons tech support (helpful and quick to answer the phone, by the way) in order to resolve conflicts between the camera and my printer.

Anyway, this camera is well worth the investment. It wont make you a pro, but it will at least make your shots look that way.

But I returned the S40 because:

1) The lens suffers from huge barrel distortion. The camera is simply uncapable of reproducing a straight line outside the centre of the picture. Most zoom lenses - even on SLRs - suffer to some extent from this disease, but this is about the worst Ive ever encountered. The problem is present at all focal lenghts within the S40s range, but worst in wideangle mode. Buildings and plane surfaces bulge out in an almost psychedelic way which is very unnatural and unpleasing - to my eye, at least. It is a mystery to me why this phenomena is so seldomly mentioned in reviews. Once you are aware of it, you will notice immidiately. Maybe the lens on the Canon G2 performs better in this respect (I havent tried it yet). But then you might as well bring your old SLR, since the G2 is too bulky for your pocket anyway.

2) The coverage of the optical viewfinder is ridiculously small. You get at least 25% more in the final picture than you see in the viewfinder. Since the LCD-screen is useless in bright light (and will drain your battery faster than necessary) this means that a lot of cropping will be needed. In reality you will often waste a megapixel or more before you hold the final result in your hands. If you are into careful edge-to-edge picture composing you should consider other alternatives than the S40. But, sadly, most viewfinders I have seen on digital cameras are even worse than this.

Why dont any manufacturers produce a compact digital camera like the S40, but with a decent viewfinder, an option for external flash and a fast high-quality lens with a fixed focal length equal to the classic 35 mm (in other words: a mini Leica)? I would buy it on the spot. 25 years ago the market was flooded with small, inexpensive compact 35 mm cameras like this. I own one of the kind (the classic Ricoh 500G), and it still takes extremely beautiful pix. With the possibily of auto-exposure, fully manual controls and without trigger delay, fisheye-infected perspective or ridiculous vignetting. I want a digital version. Someone give it to me, please!

In my opinion the S40 is a great (but slightly expensive) pocket companion for snapshots and everyday non-critical use. But if you are looking for a serious alternative to a good SLR or viewfinder camera, this is not it. I, at least, will save my money for tomorrow, when a digital SLR-body comes within my financial reach. Sadly, I dare no longer hope for a compact digital camera with a decent lens.

The main reason I wrote this review is to point out that even though the tech specs say this camera is not compatable with Mac OSX, it in fact is. iPhoto has no problem recognizing the camera, neither does the image capture utility. You will need to use image capture to transfer any mpeg movies to your computer.

I simply wanted a compact digital camera that produced high quality photographs - not snapshots. Why take pictures if the potential quality is not going to excellent? It is a false economy to invest in a camera that does not even have the capability to produce high quality photographs. I think this camera has overcome that burden and has the potential. It is not perfect on an absolute scale (so it really shouldnt get 5 stars), but for what it delivers, it is a buy.

Some compromises:
Since it IS compact, the controls are small and the on-screen icons are small and a little hard to read.

All the functionality is there if you want full control, but you need to master the manual pretty well to get full use of it AND be fast on the draw to navigate the controls to get the results you want in fast changing photo situations.

The auto-focus and exposure lag is still not what it should be and is not fast enough to replace a manual SLR.

The lens is slow (f2.8 wide angle and f4.9 telephoto) limiting use in low light situations without a flash. But, it is sharp.

Like other people have said, get a 128 MEG flash card, an extra battery, and a USB flash card reader for your computer to make this a fully functional package.

I consider this camera as my quick "take-along" camera that can produce high quality images when I dont want to lug around my SLR gear. I tried it for sports photography but it is too slow and without enough zoom (3x, to about 100mm 35mm standard). It is also for my wife, who can use it as a point-and-shoot and get superb results.

I had some basic criterias for what my camera should do.

(1) - It should be small and portable.

The Powershot S40 is a small and compact camera, although it is a bit heavier than other cameras with the same size. However, since it is made of metal, it gives you a sturdy feeling. Being small and portable is the property that might decide weather or not you will be able to capture those moments that occur every now and then.

(2) - It should take great pictures.

The Powershot S40 takes pictures with good quality (based on my weeks of experience) and with its 4 million pixels, you can easily select a part of a picture and still have nice resolution. By having 4 million pixels it is easy to select a part of an image (cropping) and print/use that one, for example the upper right corner of the picture is all I want or maybe just the face of your girlfriend to put in your wallet. If the number of pixels are to few you might not be able to use this technique. Also, since of the high resolution, you can easily print sharp nice pictures.

(3) - It should be simple but at the same time have the possibility to let me "grow into the camera".

The Powershot S40 provides a fully automatic mode that allows you to take those simple "point and shoot" pictures. The camera has several pre-defined modes for different occasions (night scene, landscape, portrait and so on) that make the camera easy to use. Furthermore, the camera allows you to adjust many parameters (if you want to) such as shutter speed, aperture priority and ISO film-speed. After a couple of weeks of use I have been able to take pictures that I have never been able to take before using an automatic camera, for example in dark conditions, night shots and so on. These photos can now be made good.

However, nothing is perfect. There are 3 things one must have in mind when deciding to buy this camera listed in importance order:

(1) - You need more memory. The provided memory card is way too small. You need at least 128MB in order to not have to transfer pictures to your computer so often. On one 128MB card I usually store around 100 pictures. 128MB cards are quite affordable today.

(2) - You need an extra battery. Using only one battery is ok for most situations, but these days when you are taking more photos, for example at a party when you are showing the pictures to your friends using the LCD screen of you camera, the battery will not last. Having a spare battery solves this problem. I guess it is possible, but you will have to work hard in order to use up 2 batteries in one day. Recharging a battery is very fast, usually between one and 2 hours.

(3) - The camera is a bit heavier than other cameras with the same size. This is not a problem to me though. With its small size I could (before I bought a camera bag) carry the camera in the pocket of my jeans.

Enough said. I strongly recommend this camera that is suitable for most users. It produces great pictures and it provides a lot of possibilities for manual adjustments together with a nice set of predefined automatic operation modes. Remember, the Canon Powershot S40 does not only take great pictures, it looks good too.

I had some basic criterias for what my camera should do.

(1) - It should be small and portable. Since carrying your camera with you or not is what is going to decide weather or not you will be able to capture those moments that occur every now and then.

(2) - It should take great pictures. Having captured that special moment, verifying that it looks nice on the small LCD-screen on the camera, and going home to find out (when you look at the picture on your computer) that it is blurry or got some other flaws, is not the situation we want. Another important property is the number of pixels the camera use. Having more pixels allows you to select a part of an image (cropping) and print/use that one, for example the upper right corner of the picture is all I want or maybe just the face of your girlfriend to put in your wallet. If the number of pixels are to few you might not be able to use this technique.

(3) - It should have the possibility to let me "grow into the camera". Being not professional, I wanted to have a simple to use camera that allows me to just take photos with one click. On the other hand, since of the great feature of digital cameras which allows you to see the actual picture directly after you take it and if you want, delete it, I suspected that I would start to do more experiments with photography, i.e., adjusting shutter speed and changing parameters (actually I have after a couple of weeks use which allows me to take pictures that I have never been able to take before using an automatic camera, for example in dark conditions, night shots and so on. These photos can now be made good). What the Canon provides is a fully automatic mode that allows you to take those simple "point and shoot" pictures as well as other modes that gives you the possibility to adjust more parameters. The camera has several pre-defined modes for different occasions (night scene, landscape, portrait and so on) that make the camera easy to use.

The Canon Powershot S40 fulfils all these criterias and it is giving me a lot of great pictures. However, nothing is perfect. There are 3 things one must have in mind when deciding to buy this camera listed in importance order:

(1) - You need more memory. The provided memory card is way too small. You need at least 128MB in order to not have to transfer pictures to your computer so often. On one 128MB card I usually store around 100 pictures. 128MB cards are quite affordable today.

(2) - You need an extra battery. Using only one battery is ok for most situations, but these days when you are taking more photos, for example at a party when you are showing the pictures to your friends using the LCD screen of you camera, the battery will not last. Having a spare battery solves this problem. I guess it is possible, but you will have to work hard in order to use up 2 batteries in one day. Recharging a battery is very fast, usually between one and 2 hours.

(3) - The camera is a bit heavier than other cameras with the same size. This is not a problem to me though. With its small size I could (before I bought a camera bag) carry the camera in the pocket of my jeans.

Enough said. I strongly recommend this camera that is suitable for most users. It produces great pictures and it provides a lot of possibilities for manual adjustments together with a nice set of predefined automatic operation modes. Remember, the Canon Powershot S40 does not only take great pictures, it looks good too.

Second, the interior: The S40 takes 4.0 megapixel pictures, which look great on any computer screen and will print out very nicely up to 5x7 and even 8x10. Its ability to capture color is far superior to most other digital cameras. Most of the control menus are reasonably easy to use. It is packed with pre-set photographic options (for action shots, portraits, etc), but has full manual override for those of us who grew up on old-fashioned SLRs. It also focuses much faster than many of the digital cameras Ive seen - helpful for capturing wildlife or childrens sports events. Finally, the included battery is surprisingly long-lasting and recharges (with a very compact included recharger) quickly.

Third, the software: The S40 comes with Canon ZoomBrowser (for viewing) and ArcSofts PhotoSuite (for photo-editing). I find ZoomBrowser intuitive and can easily organize my photos, however it sometimes has problems printing on my inkjet printer. The ArcSoft program is much less capable than Adobes PhotoShop, but can delete red-eye (or unwanted individuals at the edge of a picture) without too much trouble. On the whole, both should be adequate for the casual user.

Are there drawbacks? Well, yes, there are several. Like most digital cameras, the S40 sometimes has problems focusing on the correct subject and, in automatic mode, often opens the aperature too wide (resulting in a narrow range of focus). There is a way to manually focus the camera, but it is not terribly effective. It is also impossible to attach separate lenses - but that drawback is common to any digital camera of this size.

Bottom Line: Despite the drawbacks, this is one of the best digital cameras Ive seen. It is conveneint, well-built, and easy to use out of the box. Ive already dragged it to Vermont, Atlanta, central Africa and Australia without a hitch-not to mention that I can take it on my frequent bicycle rides closer to home. Id be happy to send a sample photo demonstrating its resolution and color-capturing abilities (about 1.2 MB) if you ask. On a final note, I would suggest buying a 256MB (or larger) compact flash card. This will let you take 200+ max. resolution photos at a go.

Advantages:
The S40 has many advantages, in general too many to complete in a list. But here are few of the most important issues:
- Impressingly clear pictures.
- A lots of options; most of them are simple to use
- Can be used by mid-pros, semi-pros and even pros.
- Microdrives can be used, offering up to 1 Gb of
memory (5500 pics at min. res.).
- The camera can record video and sound.
- A surprising performance in low-ligh situations.

Drawbacks:
The biggest drawback is the multicontroler. It is the second most used button on the camera (only the sutter button is more often used). It offers the user to select up, down, left, right and enter (pushing the multicontroller button IN). It is easy to push in the four directions but requies almost a luck to success in pressing the button in. I would have preferred another button for the in selection.

The second drawback is how difficult it is for beginners to master the usage of the autofocus system. As a user, youll have to select which spot of the proposed picture frame is going to be used as the auto-focus spot. Changing spots can be a little complicated so I believe that many users will just take another picture to get the focus right instead of mastering the manual and the methodology behind the autofocus system.

Other drawbacks are completely minor. Often, the cameras setting & options can be complicated. But that cannot be regarded as a drawback because it isnt possible to have a camera with all this great options if it is ought to be simple in all occurrences.

1) The expensive and virtually useless "AC power adapter" accessory (sold separately) is NOT what you think it would be -- it does not let you plug the camera into an outlet and charge the battery. Instead, its AC adapter end actually replaces the battery in the battery bay area. So you have to remove the battery if you want to run the camera off the wall current. Consequently, you must also use the separate battery charging unit to recharge the battery. (If only this camera came with a USB/Charging "cradle" like some of its competitors! Thats my biggest regret with this camera.)

2) The camera has a habit of falling asleep during the middle of long uploads, interrupting the upload. (This is a big bug -- obviously, when the computer and the camera are actively transferring, the sleep mechanism of the camera should not kick in, but it does.)

3) The flash setting (I always prefer No Flash) is NEVER saved when the camera shuts down -- even when it sleeps. Consequently, in the course of a casual day or evening of occasional use, you a) either remember to keep turning off the flash every time you want to take a picture, or b) end up taking the picture with the flash and then having to re-take it without. The default flash setting should be one of the many preferences in the cameras system menu.

4) When you rotate an image in the camera, the image is not actually rotated when you import it into the computer -- you have to go and rotate them all over again after importing (this is using Mac OS X (Image Import and iPhoto applications). Maybe its different with other applications, but I doubt it.

Otherwise, this is a great camera with a great user interface -- it makes simple, point-and-click use easy, and hard, all-manual things possible. There are even some great semi-manual modes.

I would strongly recommend it if you can live with the shortcomings I outlined above.

Recommendations
Get the largest Compact flash card available i.e. 128 or 256 they are really getting inexpensive. You will be happy you did. Second get a Palm pilot screen protector (cut to size) for the LCD monitor you will be happy when you do. And third get a card reader for picture transer to you PC, they are work the same price is not a factor and if you have Windows XP it will recognize the card reader and install its own software.

This is a great Camera all in all I am glad I bought the 4-mega pixel instead of the 3-mega-pixel version. You will truly enjoy it as for the G2, well look for it on Ebay!

I mostly use this camera in auto mode, in which it takes absolutely beautiful pictures. They are clear, beautifully saturated, and capture motion extremely well. Indoor and outdoor pictures are equally impressive, and I found the metering to be very intelligent. That is, highlights, shadows, and exposure levels are all handled very well.

The camera offers an amazing amount of control with 12 user-selectable modes in addition to the auto mode. (...) But, suffice it to say that anyone seeking a high-level of control over their settings will not be dissapointed by the S40.

A Little Advice:

1. If you are looking to spend a little less money and do not need a 4 mega-pixel camera, a 3 mega-pixel version is available in the S30.

2. If you are looking for a point-and-shoot camera only, you do not need to spend this kind of money. Look toward the Canon A-Series cameras instead. These are plastic and lack the high-level of user control, but they are also much easier on the wallet.

3. Although this is a very compact camera, it is not the smallest that Canon makes. If you want the ultimate in portability, look at their Digital Elph line.

4. The proprietary battery that comes with the S40 is extremely powerful and has an impressive life. The charger is also very compact and very fast. However, I highly recommend buying a spare battery from Canons website (for about $70).

5. Do not waste your money on the leather case for the S40 that Canon sells on their website. It is far too small for the camera and the lens cover slides open whenever you try to put the camera in it. I am not a big fan of sliding lens covers in the first place, and the leather case does nothing to win me over. Go buy yourself a generic camera case that fits the camera properly.

6. The included 16 MB CompactFlash card is embarrassing. Go buy a 128 MB card (at minimum). And while youre at it, pick up a USB card reader. They are under $(...) and are far more convenient than using the direct camera hook-up (although the S40 software and connection is quite convenient compared to many other digital cameras).

7. Be careful when removing the label from the lens cover. You can actually pull the cover right off if youre not careful. PEEL SLOWLY!

Conclusion:
Overall, this is a beautifully designed, well-built camera from an excellent company. As you can see by my review, Canon has won me over. In summary, the S40 matches the excellent picture quality of the finest Nikon and Kodak cameras available. The difference is, Canon does not skimp on the build of the camera by using cheap plastic parts. This, in my opinion, puts the S40 above the rest in this category.

Well Done Canon!

Love the Canon. It does well in all situations Ive used it in. Not quite small enough to fit in a normal pocket, but its still quite portable. Great pictures -- prints are clear and color rendition is quite good. Not up to a good SLR for those really critical shots, but great for most situations.

Has a relatively fast shutter delay for a digital. Flash is barely adequate and theres no provision for adding another. This is a common problem for small digital cameras. The optical viewfinder is small and captures only about 80% of the picture frame. I find it worthless, but one adjusts to using the LCD screen. In time I doubt that Ill even miss the viewfinder.

Easy to use and everything is organized so that the more complex features dont get in the way of the ones you use 95% of the time. Very nicely designed.

A bit expensive, and for most occasions a 3 mpixel would be fine -- in that case the competition is tough. But if you want a small 4 mpixel the S40 cant be beat at present.

After waiting a couple of years for the megapixels to increase in smaller cameras, I purchased this before a trip to Hawaii last December. I took this camera and left the 35 mm at home.

Overall, the camera functions remarkably well for its size. it has most modes of the Canon EOS system and the operation is very intuitive. It is a little slippery and I recommend extreme caution when handling this as it does tend to slip away from you.

The pictures of my Hawaii trip turned out very well. The metering was accurate on all but the most difficult shots. For those difficult shots, I was able to adjust the exposure compensation to get the exposure dead on. The lens seemed to work well at all focal lengths; however, at telephoto, the aperature is very high and shots seemed to beg for a tripod. The flash works well up to a range of 15 feet.

When I returned home, I printed all of my shots with an HP deskjet 960 on quality paper. I found that the resolution was adequate at the 5x7 size; but bad at 8x10. This is a limitation of the format and not the camera. I think that I will take this camera along with the 35 mm systems on my future vacations. This is a wonderul tag along camera but no substitute for the resolution of a good 35 mm system for those "money" shots.

All in all, this is the perfect camera for someone who would like to have a small quality camera that they can fit in their pocket or bag with no worry. I would recommend an extra battery to have on standby and at least a 128mb memory card.

Although I highly recommend this camera, the only complaint I have about it is that although it does have a "manual" focus mode, unlike SLR cameras, this one is dependent upon using the LCD screen to judge focus and the image on it while focusing is way too low of a resolution to allow for me to judge focus. Put simply: the auto focus is good and the manual focus is unusable.

If you want a small digital camera that you can put in your pocket or throw in your bag, this is a great choice.

My only complaint is that the included Zoom Browser software for Windows 98 is not very robust. I permanently killed mine by trying to open a directory with too many images (400+). Now it dies on startup. Even reinstalling the software doesnt help. Oh well, ThumbsPlus and Photoshop do the same thing.

Thank You Cannon! Im glad someone figured it out.

Maybe the nicest aspect of the camera is the software package included. The installation was a breeze and the programs ran perfectly without any glitches. It was probably 20 minutes from the time I opened the box to when I was downloading my first pictures.

The only downside to this camera might be its size. As small as it is I am afraid I will drop it and break it. Other than that, this camera is fantastic and definitely a great buy.

This is not my first digital camera, I also own a Sony Digital Mavica FD-72. A few months ago I realized that the Sony was not performing well in any situation where the lighting was less than ideal (Bright sunny days or bright indoor lighting).

My first question was "What am I doing wrong?" So I purchased the book Digital Photography For Dummies® by Julie Adair King from Amazon. After reading through the first 5 chapters, and surfing several Mavica websites, I began to realize that it wasnt me but the camera I was using. So I began my quest for a better camera. I based my requirements on recommendations from the aforementioned book and website reviews.

What I desired was a camera that was simple enough for a novice to use but also had enough, more advanced, settings for difficult lighting situations. An additional requirement was the size. My Sony Mavica is almost as big as a digital video camera, I wanted something smaller. The next major requirement was the photo size. The largest picture that my Mavica will take is 640 x 480. Other requirements included a view-finder in addition to a LCD screen, long battery life, and lots of storage capacity. The Mavica had a LCD screen only, it was difficult to see in bright sunlight. In addition, the Mavica drained the battery quickly and a floppy disk only holds about 1.5 megs.

The Canon S40 met all my requirements at a reasonable price. So far Ive only used the Auto, or novice, mode and have yet to get a bad picture. Ive tested my two cameras side by side and the Canon always excels.

I highly reccommend this product.

BTW, I first considered the Canon Digital Elph, model S300 because of the price. However, the Elph lacked the more advanced feartures like manual shutter control and apateur. Im now glad that I paid a little more and the S40 is not that much bigger.

a. Its visibly less sharp than other cameras in this resolution range. Not a lot less, but enough to notice. The color is great, but the pictures arent quite as sharp as the ones the S40s big brother (the G2) produces.

b. The macro mode (or should I say lack thereof) isnt very good. I find it odd that Canon hasnt worked on improving this in their newer model cameras; pretty much all of the Nikons have *excellent* macro modes.

Other than that, its a sweet little package. I like the fact that the play-mode button is no longer part of the control dial. You no longer have to move the camera out of whatever record mode youre currently in to get into the play mode. The play-mode is controlled by a little standalone switch on the back of the camera. Slide it across once, you go into play mode, slide it across again, you go into record mode. Another positive is the long lasting lithium-ion battery (which has a quick charge time and does not require draining before recharging).

Highly recommended for most users. If you think youll be making a lot of large sized prints with the camera (i.e. bigger than 8x10), you might check out the G2 instead.