Pros
Small and can fit in your pocket, great quality pictures, excellent movie mode with sound, comes with battery and charger, not complicated to use, all around excellent camera, and again the 3.2MP makes the pictures very pleasing to the eye.

Cons
Zoom isnt the best buts its alright, it takes good pictures when its dark out but you have to edit with a program such as photoshop to make it brighter. These cons should no way bother you much and should not deter you to buy this camera.

I suggest you buy a viking 256MB memory chip because the one that comes with it will leave you able to only take a few pics. With the 256MB chip you take long videos and take well over 1200 pictures. All in all excellent camera and as usual amazons shipped it fast and got the camera in a few days after making the order. I look forward to buy from amazon and cannon again.

Im never without a camera---this one is so compact I can carry it in my purse, so if I want to capture a design idea for my house or one of my hobbies, or if theres a beautiful sunset, or whatever. When showing it to people, I call it my "computer in a cigarette case".

This is the 3rd Canon camera Ive had since the 70s (and the other two are stil going strong). Ive always been pleased with their quality and reliability. Like the others, this model is as easy or as complex as you want to make it. I carry the book with me at all times, because this has so many features that I cant keep them all in my head! Ive taken great snapshots with it on the fly, as well as some pretty nice "arty" pictures.

I love the digital because I can review each picture before I decide whether or not Ive captured the EXACT shot I want. Much better than taking 5 pictures, hoping I got the one I want, and waiting for the film to come back. Also much more cost-effective. For anyone debating about whether to go digital, Id recommend this camera. I think the first one has about paid for itself by now in saved developing and film costs. If I want pro prints, I just send them to one of my favorite studios.

I bought this camera at an end-of-year sale in 2002. I have found it to be an excellent entry level model for me with many features I have yet to take advantage of. The interface is so intuitive, I have figured out most of the cameras features without the user manual. I find the battery life very good, even with prolonged use of the LCD screen for picture taking and displaying. The charging time with the included charger is very fast - about a couple of hours. The camera does suffer in not having a battery life meter, but gives adequate warning when its about to expire.

Like some other users, I find some of the pictures grainy and even blurry. Primarily those taken indoors, close to the subject and with the flash. The 3.2 MP model will surely make the pictures less grainy, and playing with the features may help. The best pictures, however, are taken outdoors. And these pictures are wonderful with very crisp, true colours! The optical zoom (2x) is disappointing. 3x or more is preferrable, even for basic photography.

A couple notes: digital cams do NOT have "grain", thats what film has. Digital cams have noise, which can be seen in blue and black skies, due to pixel heat. As for those circles in flash pictures, I noticed that the reviewer is from the desert, well, ALL digicams will have ghostly circles in flash pics, due to dust. This is NOT relevant to just the S230, but ALL digicams.

Problems with this camera:
Artifacts, or circles from low-light flash pictures. These are by far the most annoying problem with the camera, and I can spot them out in quite a few shots. But keep in mind, that many small digital cameras with a flash close the lense suffer from this problem. If you really have to have a small, compact camera, then this may not be such an issue.
Red-eye. Another problem with small cameras that have a flash close to the lense. This camera offers a red-eye reduction, which helps quite a bit, but these features often cause subjects to close their eyes or move from the initial flash. Once again, this is common for small cameras, so Im not going to hold it against Cannon for this problem.
Proprietary battery: Its expensive, in case you wanted to buy spare batteries.
2x zoom: Its hard to get a decent zoom lense in a small camera. When you are dealing with something this size, 3x zoom is asking for a lot. Once again, I forgive Cannon for this.

Good CCD sensor. Outdoor shots come out well.
Tough body, with a light lense cover. Small enough to fit in your pocket. Though some reviewers complain of the tripod mount, I find they placed it fairly well to allow for some tripod users to change the battery while the camera is mounted or when using the AC battery dummy adapter. Incase you were wondering, this is why the tripod mount is offset, and it would have been difficult to place it any further from the battery compartment due to the small size of the camera.
Autofocus is ok, but the ability to switch between compound and spot metering/focus will help you take better pictures. The feature is conviniently located and all users should learn how to lock focus and light meter.
Filming is pretty decent. The reason you have a 3 minute/30 second max recording time is because the film is stored in the buffer before writing to the CF card. This buffer also allows for quick snapshots without waiting for write times, or continuous action shots.

I could go on about every feature but it has been covered. If you cant deal with the artifacts, red-eye, and 2x zoom, then look for a bigger camera. If you have to have a small camera, then this camera will be a fine choice. Remember, the best camera you own is the one you use the most. If you find a Canon G2 for a good price but find it a little bulky and fragile and dont want to bring it with you everywhere, then what good is it?

I am taking a half star off for not able to add date stamp into the pictures, although the upload will put it in the right directory. The menus are a bit confusing. I should Read-The-Fine-Manual.

Besides the driver, the software that it comes with it is quite useless. I dont need such things.

Its a great gift and fits nicely in your pocket to carry around at all times. Why spend more for a larger camera that you cant put in your pocket? If the camera is not with you, you cant use it. Dont wish you had your 5MP 10X zoom camera with you. Get this camera, put it in your pocket, carry it around with you, take pictures and enjoy them!

When dad got a Canon Powershot S100, I was amazed by it, it seemed so good.

Then for my birthday, I pulled off getting an S230. I loved it! It took (and still does take) a very short time to charge.

Though it has only 2x optical zoom, you can do a wide variety of shots. Digital zoom seems to work fine for me, it never gives me poor quality images.

Video mode is probably the best thing about this camera. Though 3 minutes is the maximum, you can always use your computer to merge the videos together.

This is a very good camera, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a new camera.

the only con is the movie that you can take is max 3 min for every clip no matter how big is your CF card......

Why this camera is great:
--Canons digital cameras take the best quality pictures. Sure, some other cameras flaunt their miniscule size and weight, but this camera beats those all in what matters: photo quality. Crisp and clear!

--It is small! Perfect for putting in a pocket without worrying youll lose it. Sturdy and stylish exterior, and lots of easy-to-use features (such as movie mode) are on the camera.
--It has optical zoom. Although the zoom may only extend to 2X, it is still useful. An unless you are taking extreme close ups all the time, its all you really need.
--The price is amazing! I looked at the competitors, and you cannot find this combination for under $300. Some of the more expensive models are bulkier, come with smaller memory cards, or dont have optical zoom! The price is likely low because Canon came out with the SD100 to basically replace this camera, but that has some problems with it and doesnt have better features (except for a special chip that prevents erased photos. Basically an expensive gimmick!)

Overall, if you want a great digital camera that is small, sturdy, easy to use, has an optical zoom, takes crystal clear photos, and is relatively inexpensive...go for the Canon S230!

PROS:

(1) In the video, the sound and pic quality are shockingly better than what G5 manages.
(2) Body design is good for holding and clicking with one hand.
(3) Controls are sensibly positioned and, for the most part, adequately labeled.
(4) Software bundle includes Canons adequate photo utility for downloading and managing images, and ArcSoft Camera Suite 1.2 .

CONS:

(1) The optical zoom is decent but will leave you wanting more
(2) The response time from a click is a bit sluggish
(3) I like low-light pics without the flash, but this cam is not as good as the big brother PowerShots.
(4) Some of the advance features are a bit hard to navigate, e.g., setting different focal points and certain light adjustments.

UPSHOT:

Excellent carry-around cam for people who want their cams lightweight, or buying their first modern digicam, or upgrading from an archaic 1-pixel piece. Recommend souping up with some extra memory and battery and youre good to go.

Like most cameras Ive bought, it comes with a teeny card (16MB I think). I have several 256MB and 512MB cards that I use - you can hardly fit anything on a 16MB card! I wish the camera companies would start selling their cameras with better cards, but thats getting off the topic.

This camera is easy to use and probably best for taking outdoor shots, or shots in good lighting. Its not meant for taking shots in low light, and the flash isnt the best out there. The movie mode on this camera is GREAT, and easy to transfer from the card to your computer.

The batteries last a decent amount of time, and its quick to charge. Overall, a great camera - especially for beginners who are not quite sure how to use a digital camera! There are better out there, but it is a solid camera and definitely a good buy.

This is a good camera to consider if you want one that is easy to use, and you will mostly be taking outdoor and bright light photos. Batteries last a good amount of time and recharging only takes about an hour.

My main reason for buying this camera was the movie mode and I was not disappointed. I went on a 2 1/2 week European trip in July and took at least 200-300 movies in the full 640x480 mode. The limit for each clip is 30 seconds. I put together a movie for each country by editing together individual clips. I have movies now as long as 15 minutes. Oh yeah, I also took pictures . I took a total of 12 gigabytes for movies and pictures. They turned out fantastic. Since I only had one 512meg card, and three 256 meg cards, I brought along a portable hard drive that is specifically built to hold up to 20 gigs of pics and movies from your cameras flash cards. So every night I would dump the contents from my cards to the hard drive.

I took over 3 hours of movie clips and hundreds of pictures. After 9 months the camera is still going strong. I am as please with it now as I was on day one. I also got some very good reviews from those who were on my trip. I sent out a CD with the movies on it to each person. They loved them and commented that they could not believe the quality.

The 2x zoom on this camera was adequate, but of course more is better. You need to buy a spare battery as you can go through more than one if you are really taking a huge amount of pictures or movies in one day. Pictures in low light are sometimes difficult to take, however I found the movie mode in low light to be amazing. Even better than my friends digital camcorder. Also my wide angle was wider than my friends camcorder. The video clips can be downloaded to your computer so you can edit them immediately. Much easier than camcorder downloading.

A great and free editing software for these movies is at http://www.virtualdub.com

Overall picture quality is excellent, but that has been mentioned a million times in other reviews.

BTW, I got really good deal on Amazon.

Great camera!

My Thoughts about Some Complaints Others May Have:
1)2x optical zoom: this is a mini point and shoot camera and most of the time you can just stand closer to your subject if you need a closeup. I mean, I also have a canon s30 which is 3x, but I personally could not justify much advantage with a single x higher. (if you want to see a real difference pickup a 5x-8x optical zoom camera and you will understand my point, but be ready to pay an extra 200+ dollars)
2)Red Eye: Small camera means close proximity of flash to shutter = red eye. What do you expect? Plus this only happens at night, and can easily be corrected with software provided.
3)Technology: which other camera gives you 9 point focus? (not to mention Flexizone). which other brand give you 640x320 video? How often do you actually want video clip longer than 30 seconds? (if you need longer, if would be great idea to buy a camcorder, cause 512mb flash is only going to give you 8min at max)
4)Proprietary Battery: I challenge anyone out there to fit 2AA battery in this thing. There is no way.

One misconception I see alot in reviews is that people dont see the overall funtionality and quality of a product base on camera class. You cant expect this thing to perform like a huge camera, at least not in todays technology.
1) Just because a camera has the same 3 megapixel doesnt mean their picture quality are the same ... Some camera over compress the file so it looks a little grainy at full size, which for me is annoying.

Finally, I read numerous reviews and saw various cameras before I finally decided on my s30 and now s230 (my second canon baby brother). I catergorized digital cameras in general based on overall feature and performance with 1 being the finest and 5 being the most basic as follows: (Note Canon and Nikon are tie at first place)
1) Canon (sharpest,most color accurate pictures)
1) Nikon (sharp, outstanding macro capability)
3) Sony (great laser and lens, picture quality can be better)
4) Olympus (AA battery and good picture, high optical too)
5) Minolta,Casio,Fuji,Kodak (these you have to enlarge their sample photos to see what I am talking about, and understand why they are in the last place)
Dont just take my word. I encourage you to read more professional reviews. Just thought my research can help give you some insight.
Wish you all get to own a great camera for keeping precious memories of life!

This should be a great seller for any woman for Xmas!

pros:
- very good photo quality.
- uses the same DIGIC image processor found in more expensive canon cameras.
- good metering and good tonal balance - maintains shadow detail.
- good natural light white balance, strong and balanced colours.
- all metal body, solid construction.
- low noise at ISO 50 (keep in mind that ISO 50 for this camera is actually ISO 100 for everyone else; likewise, ISO 100 is in reality closer to ISO 200, etc).
- the LCD monitor (1.5") is bright and has an anti-reflective coating - gives good live preview and review even in well lit situations.
- shooting priority play mode (a half-press of the shutter release always returns to shooting).
- fast shot-to-shot times.
- fairly good startup time, especially for an extending lens camera.
- minimal shutter lag.
- AF assist lamp works well.
- USB connectivity.
- good battery life, although i would recommend carrying a spare since canons batteries are proprietary.
- as with most canon cameras, documentation and included software are very good.
- ultracompact: 3.4 x 2.2 x 1.1 in, weighing only 6.4oz.

cons:
- limited 2x optical zoom.
- redeye performance could be improved.
- average macro performance.
- average flash performance.
- youll need to remove from tripod to open the battery compartment.
- AF Assist lamp doesnt have enough power at telephoto zoom.
- very few manual controls - this is okay if all you want is a point and shoot.
- RAW and TIFF formats not supported.
- the supplied 16MB CF card is inadequate - be prepared to shell out a few more bucks for at least a 256MB card.
- proprietary battery - again, a few more bucks for a spare.

as already mentioned, the s230 continues to be a good value but there are newer entries in the ultra-compact segment of the market. if you want 4MP resolution and 3x optical zoom, consider the canon s400 - the eighty dollar premium is well worth it, in my opinion. more comparable cameras at about the same price point would be the canon s100, pentax optio s, and the casio ex-z3.

i hope this helps you with your buying decision. peace.

Cons:
16MB compact flash that is included is okay, but could be better
2X zoom relegates this amazing camera to mostly a point and shoot

The weakest part is its low-light shooting, but it just takes some fiddling around with the white balance. Generally, once you find the right settings on exposure and so one, the flash is fine for most general purposes. It handles close-ups well (even macro-type shots), and is a great size. The battery life is a bit on the short side, so get an extra battery to carry around with you if youre going to be out all day.

I use this camera alongside my Canon SLR, so its a nice mix - the SLR for the stuff Id like to set up more for, say when I go hiking or weddings, or something like that, but I also carry around the S230 for that stuff as well, and its just nice to have around when going out with friends or a date with my girlfriend.

Its shortfalls are few. It lacks a manual focus capability, the zoom range is limited, video record times are somewhat limited, and though its small size is abundantly convenient, it makes holding the camera steady for slow shutter and telephoto shots difficult.

Nevertheless, it is a lot of camera for the price. Go to Amazon and spend the $... to buy a 128MB or 256MB Compact Flash card. The extra storage will be appreciated. Enjoy!

WARNING: My camera survived being basshed about a lot, and being dropped from five feet onto rocks (twice). What it can NOT deal with is dust and sand.

Once anything goes into the little crevice around the zoom lens, or enters the camera through the gaps in the battery or flash card holders, it doesnt come out, and the camera eventually malfunctions.

1. Short battery life. At full charge, the bundled 840mAH battery last for around 30 pictures (with LCD screen on). Buy a 1000mAh battery ... it last much longer.

2. Autofocus works 90% of the time. The other 10% of the time, youll get fuzzy pictures, regardless whether it is inside or outside. I find this acceptable since the other cameras Ive tried only produced well focused pictures 80% or less of the time. (The DX4900 produced well focused pictures 99% of the time)

3. Red eye. I get many more red eye pictures with this camera than I do with others. This perhaps has something to do with the fact that the flash is very close to the lens. This is acceptable to me cuz I have software that can solve this easily.

4. 512MB card only gives 308 pictures at 3.2MP and the best quality mode. I was able to get 209 pictures with a 256MB CF card in the DX4900 when set at 4MP and best quality. The math just doesnt add up...I thought I would get at least 400 pictures with the S230.

5. Battery door easiy pops open. It lacks a battery door lock so you can open the door easily. There is however a lock to keep the battery from falling out.

6. Zoom is insufficient. 2x zooming is certainly not enough for times zooming is needed. Two cameras I own in the past had 4x zooming and I certainly love to have that in this camera.

7. Very very close-ups cannot focus at all. I tried taking a picuture of the serial number on my pen and it simply would not focus. I tried that with my DX4900 and it was able to focus on the serial number.

8. Casing scratches easily. I found a number of visible scratches two days after using it. I tried very hard to handle this well and even bought a case to hold it. But it still is vulnerable to scratching.

9. Controls and menu options are fairly complicated to use. You really have to read the manual to use this well.

All in all, this camera is an excellent camera. I love most of the features on this camera and finds it as a keeper. The other cameras Ive tried cannot match up to this camera. You simply cant go wrong buying this camera. I bought mine ...brand new just last week, so shop around for bargains.

The Canon S200 lacks in pixels and the S400 is just overkill and overpriced. Canon S230 sits right in between and everything is right.

POSITIVE
- its small, carry it in your pocket
- durable, I had no case, hit it around a couple of times, still no problem
- takes up to around 2 minutes of film.
- the price is awesome ...
- rechargable battery and charger - lasts a long time.

NEGATIVE
- if anything, I wish the video quality was a bit better.

After playing with the camera for a week, I am happy with my selection. Its packed with features and the included software package is more than enough for basic adjustments. Menu is easy to understand and finding/setting regular feature is only a few clicks away. The included 16 MB memory card is only good enough for a short day trip. It works well in low-lit areas and daylights pictures are vibrant with natural colors. Canon has kept up with its reputation with high quality products. Their new line of photo printers will please users who want immediate results. A bit of advice for new users, evaluate all your needs carefully. Dont go for the mega pixel only. Size, feature, build quality and price plays equally important role in choosing the right camera for your need. First time buyers will be very happy if they choose to go with Canon S230.

It can be connected to you computer and is easy to use to print pictures to your printer.

I like not having to buy film and always able to swap in a fresh memory card which I can then resue once I have downloaded my pictures to my computer.

This is a good camera worth the price.

Best Regards to all, MC - TheStickRules.Com

I only rated it 4 stars because I think the Optical Zoom [works too slowly]. Its only 2x and thats not too good when you are trying to take some pictures of something far away. Also it takes a long time for when you press the shutter until it actually takes the picture. My boyfriend, his family and I went to this spectacular fireworks show this past 4th of July holiday and the camera took to long to take the pictures of the fireworks. I mostly just have pictures of the black night sky. The only way I could get any thing of the fireworks was to just record it with the movie mode. I also wish I had a bigger card so I could have gotten more than just the Fireworks Finale.

Other than that this is a great camera and really easy to use. My three year old nephew can use this camera. He runs around taking pictures of everything using the crisp LCD screen as a viewfinder.

I recently bought the S230- its quite the camera, and now it has more features than I know how to use correctly, like manual ISO settings, manual shutter speed, etc. Considering the size of the camera, the image quality is excellent. However, considering the size, its easily lost or stolen.

On a side by side comparison with a sony camera, the canon tends toward a red shift, where the sony tends toward the blue. This makes skin tones look great on the canon, whereas the sony takes some great landscapes (the sony pictures of the sunset over San Francisco Bay blew the canon out of the water)

I have a 128mb CF card, and always run down the battery before the card fills. I havent tried turning off the LCD to see if it helps.

I held back 5 stars simply because 5 stars should be a flawless product. In my mind, 4 stars is still excellent.

If I have a complaint, the first few photos Ive taken have had issues with Red Eye. Its something I can easily fix, and I believe theres a red-eye reduction option in the camera, but I would figure that would be a default rather than an option.

Verdict: Highly Recommended.

what most dont mention is this camera comes with the built in ability to stitch together multiple images to great a panned image. you can stich as many photos as you wish. maybe a large scene wont fit in the cameras lens but you dont want to zoom out because it will include some unwated feature? zoom in and take 2 pictures rather than one and the computer software will stitch the photos together flawlessly. you can also do 180/360 degree pan of a scene.

gripes:
the zoom is tiny,but its to be expected for this cameras size.

the full res videos are a tease, they are only up to 30 seconds long. if the camera had the ability to record streaming video right to the compact flash i wouldnt even need my camcorder anymore!

get a compact flash card reader, the USB cable and software is a bit cumbersome for more advanced computer users.

**side note for the gentlemen who dislikes the lag between pressing the shutter button and the actual photo taking.**

read the manual,it will explain in detail this process. press the button half way,the camera adjusts all the settings automatically to the suroundings(lighting,focus,flash,shutter speed/aperature,ISO,etc),when its ready,it lets you know. then you may take the photo by fully depressing the button.

The biggest drawback is that in anything less than direct sunlight the CCD SUCKS. I have a horrible time getting good focus even just in the shade of a tree. Indoors I get a lot of digital artifacts. With my previous camera, a Canon Powershot A50, it was wonderful in low-light applications, very clear, very sharp, very good color.

There is the flash, but it isnt the best. I still end up with soft (fuzzy) photos with a flash indoors, and if Im close to the subject it often ends up being washed out. I consider myself a fairly advanced amateur photographer and have tried all sorts of automatic and manual settings to improve it indoors to no avail.

At this point I am beginning to review other cameras because I need to replace this. The "low-light" drawbacks (thats in quotes because its not so much a low-light problem as a less than extreme sunlight problem) make the image quality too embarassing to share photos from family functions. I used to be proud of the photos I took indoors at family functions and now I only share them reluctantly.

That said, the small size and the fast startup and shot speeds are great. And the video function is the one function that works great even indoors. I definitely like everything except whatever causes it to perform so poorly indoors and in low light.

Buyer beware!

The negatives: The LCD display has trouble if you are trying to take pictures without good lighting. The zoom is limited but this camera is intended more for taking pictures of close up things versus long distance vistas.

However, my biggest complaint is on the [poor]software shipped with the box. (Please Note: I use Windows 2000/SP3, so do many other users). Heres a list:

1) The USB connection [is weak]! Its connected, but it doesnt detect so unless you switch some buttons on the camera to "excite" it!

This is fustrating sometimes. I mean, without a good connection, what good is a digital camera? This problem is constant with all three of my machines at home. However, I admit this is a minor problem, and might be fixed by upgrading my system software.

The next problem is by far much worse:

2) The software is of very low quality.

Did canon save cost py outsourcing to some poor country to code it? Why would a device driver need to be 25MB and a simple program need 100MB? It is buggy as hell and runs very slowly.

Figure out how to download the avi video clips yet? The software doesnt let you do that. Even the so called "video editing" software doesnt let you do that!

3) The resulting photos are really high quality, however I noticed that they tend to be a lot darker when transfered to the computer. It looked a lot brighter (and nicer) on the LCD screen on the camera. The samething applies for the video clips. Theres nothing in the manual to fix this problem.. I mean, how come the downloaded images look dramatically different from the one you preview on the LCD screen?

This is what I ended up doing to get around these problems:

1) You get used to the USB thing :) Or spend an extra 30 bucks to get a CF card reader. Its not that big of a problem... really

Use other standard photo-editing software to mess with your images.

For video files, I recommend converting to DIVX format using the program "VirtualDub" right away (decrease the file size to 10% of the original), and then using other programs to make it into MPEG VCD format if you want (so you can make a VCD to see it on TV)

3) Use "gamma correction" in any software to correct the light/darkness problem with any good software (ie, not canons). For video files, theres a filter in the VirtualDub program that lets you correct the brightness/contrast of the video clip, so mess around with that. I got pleasant results afterwards. However, ordinary users (like granddad) dont need to do these things!!

I would definately give this camera 4-5 stars if they made the software more pleasant for me. But overall, it is a very good camera. They definately spent a lot of time on the camera itself. It is shameful that they did not do so to the software...

Picture quality is great. Physical size of the camera is awesome (that cant be beaten by anyone). Movie mode works like a charm...great picture and sound. Battery seems to last forever (and charging time is minimal).

Since no product is 100% perfect, Id have to say the only drawback with the camera is its responsiveness to a quick-photo. Sometimes it takes about a half-second to respond after you push the button. Other than that "problem", though, its tough for me to think of a second drawback.

I hope you buy this camera. You wont be disappointed.

Who would guess that a camera this tiny would win the prize in that department? Yet its true. I was considering going with this cameras 4 megapixel sibling, the s400. Yet ironically and weirdly, that camera, which is supposed to represent an upgrade to this one, has only a lower-quality video capability. [Who at] Canon...made that decision?

I dont want to give the impression that this cameras video can compete with that of a real video camera. Be prepared for these limitations:

1) In the highest resolution setting (recommended), each clip is limited to a maximum of 30 seconds. It is 3 minutes in the lower settings.

2) Settings like focusing, zoom, and exposure do not adjust during a video clip. This means that if your subject starts out in the shade and shifts to a bright setting, it may look overexposed.

3) The recorded sound of the video is not great, with some hiss always audible and pronounced wind noise in a breeze.

4) You dont get the 30fps of a real video camera, so the motion is not as smooth-looking.

5) No digital stabilization. Hold the camera very steady or use a tripod.

6) You need lots of memory to record videos, approximately 1MB per second. I purchased two 512 MB flash cards. Each can record over 8 minutes of video clips, or hold over 300 highest-resolution photos. A 512 costs a little over $100 right now.

Despite these limitations, the extreme portability of this camera has convinced me to use it for most of my video shooting. The 30-second time limit is not as bad as you might at first think. Even when using my dedicated video camera, I doubt I have taken many shots of greater length. The ones that are longer are boring anyway.

And I have found a solution to the terrible wind noise. By putting the smallest bandaid I could find over the tiny dot of a microphone (to serve as a wind screen), the wind noise was completely eliminated without, amazingly, cutting down the audibility of other sounds.

Being able to take photographs when appropriate, and videos when appropriate, with the flip of a switch from the same tiny camera that you can take anywhere, is wonderful. You can even combine both into great movies using tools like Microsofts PhotoStory (PLUS Digital Media edition software) and Windows Moviemaker version 2 (which is a free download for XP users).

This is an INCREDIBLE camera! Shure its compact, but its also very durrable, so taking it on a vacation is perfect. The image quality is very high. There is a cool panorama and auto-stich feature that lets you automatically combine multiple photos into 1. Also, a great feature is the video mode - it has very high-quality sound and a crisp picture.

This camera is much better than other 3 and 4 mp olympuses and minoltas!

Wondering whether or not to buy the s200 which is 2.1 MP instead of this camera (s2300 with 3.2 MegaPixels)?
I would deffinitely choose this 3.2 mp because at 2 mp many pictures are blury and small, making them hard to edit and print. Buying a 2mp nowadays is like purchasing a computer at 1ghz: not terrible but still bad.

Pros:

Great picture quality
Awesome video mode
Red-eye feature is good
Macro works perfectly
Zoom goes up to 10x digital!
VERY easy to use yet also great for manual use

Cons:

The auto-focus takes a little too long

----------
The auto-focus is still very powerfull and actually scans the image frame to select the sharpest spot.

This is deffinetely worth your money.

Very convenient to carry around, fits into a pant pocket easily.

Here are the only problems Ive encountered so far:

1) The worst problem is the delay from the time you push the button to the time the photo takes. It is NEVER immediate, and often takes half a second or more. This is fine for a posed shot, but good luck taking action shots or candid moments. You have to learn the art of predicting where people and objects will be in a half second. Do not buy this camera if you intend to take photos of people in action, i.e. playing sports. You will miss every key photo. I have not found any way around this--playing with the settings does not change the delay.

2) Dust collects in the viewfinder lens (on the outside). Not a major problem, but its very difficult to clean.

3) The 2x optical zoom is indeed small. You will have moments where it frustrates you.

4) The flash is weak and does create bad red eye.

5) The custom USB connection point seems very delicate. I am concerned that in the future this will wear out (however, that is just a guess--no problems have occurred yet).

6) The tripod mount is in an awkward position (on the left, but the trigger button is on the right, so the camera tends to wiggle while shooting on a tripod).

As for the battery life, I have no problems. Ive taken dozens of photos and movies (using the flash and the lcd screen) and it has lasted fine. No complaints there. The memory card is very small for taking hi-res pics, so you will have to get a bigger one.

This thing has changed my life. I slip it in my pocket everywhere I go, and it has not let me down. I would highly recommend getting one. Incredible quality + very few complaints.

It is incredibly small, feels very solid and tough. The model I bought is made in Japan. There are extensive manuals - with one major error: the manual doesnt make clear that to get the "continuous shooting" and "infinity shot" behaviors you have to switch from "automatic" to "manual" mode". These modes are mislabelled; they should be "simplified" and "standard" mode. In the default "automatic/simplified" mode a number of the controls dont work (white balance, infinity, continuous shot). In the "automatic/standard" mode all the controls work. It took me a while to figure this out, the documentation really fell short on this critical point.

It supports the EXIF Orientation Tag. A sensor in the camera is used to document camera position at the time of image acquisition.

Uses CompactFlash, same AV output and data cable as the G2, the same desktop software and very similar camera interface and operations and similar CF card format. So if you are familiar with a G2 (or G1, G3) this is almost your only logical choice.

Battery is very small, very nice charger that plus directly into a wall outlet (would not fit well on a surge suppressor). I think you really need two batteries with this camera. Note that even though the charger is reasonably elegant its almost as big as the camera! The charger can handle 110/220V and 50/60 Hz.

Since a camera-plug charger is an unnecessary optional add-on, you really want to use a CF Card reader with your PC and dont bother using the data cable. My favorite CF card reader is hardly larger than the USB data cable, and arguably easier to transport.

Canon made a very nice case for this camera, the PSC 300, that was sold on Amazon for $...! It had a small pouch for a flash card. Naturally, it was discontinued. Its been replaced by the PSC-50, which is even smaller. As of April 2003 neither of these cases is available, the PSC-50 cases are on back order and the PSC 300 have been discontinued.

The size is a great feature. I slip it into my pocket and always have it available. As a result I have captured some great candid moments with my kids that I would have missed had I run to get the camera each time.

3 min video is great! With the flick of a switch you can capture adequate video (up to 180 secs!) WITH SOUND!! See above about capturing moments that were previously lost.

Battery life is impressive - I keep waiting for the battery alert to go on but this little camera keeps chugging away through filming, video taking, and playback. I can take between 100 - 200 shots before having to switch batteries. And these charge fully, fast.

Image quality is stunning, the included software is extremely useful and intuitive enabling you to bulk prepare photos for email by saving them as smaller images - no need to launch a separate photo editor just to reduce the size of the image for email or web. I would lke a larger optical zoom (the s400 has 3x) but the digital zoom impressed me with its clarity. The AV out cable is great allowing you to view all images and videos (WITH SOUND) on a standard TV.

I also purchased a 256MB CF card which allows for loads of picture taking at all resolutions. And also get a spare battery to have ready to go.

I started to like the features on the Canon PowerShot S230. ... Put simply, this is some of the best money Ive EVER spent. I come from an industrial design background (sort of); and it is rare I ever say a product is nearly flawless in design, function, and value. Trust me.

If you can only spend $200 or $250 on a camera, save up your rainy day funds. Wait another month or two. Drop $400 and never worry about a camera again-period. Youll be happy for the 3.2 (true-not rated) MPs when you start shooting. Images are so good, youll want to have a good printer like the Canon i950 (4800x1200 dpi). Images enlarge to 8x10 perfectly. Never buy film again. Change between 50 and 400 ISO frame to frame. Black and White is fantastic. Sepia has that old world quality perfect for some pics of New Orleans. The long shutter speed allowed me to shoot some cool shots that are "instant Desktops" for my Mac. Downloadings a breeze.

Bottom line. The S230 is a feature rich camera. Its size allows me to take it everywhere with me. The Olympus D-5550 I assure you would not fit in my Triple5Soul cigarette belt-pouch. My flash covers AT LEAST 15 of throw. The only downsides? Sometimes I need to fiddle with settings for a minute or two to get them right for a shot. I mean: set ISO, white balance, light metering, color setting/b&w. Then theres always the movie setting. Took lots of video of my dog playing outdoors. But hey! I wanted more features and control over shots, right? For the first time, I have it. Oh, the "red eye reduction" feature doesnt work as well as I mightve hoped. Yes, its only a 2x optical zoom. Thats the limitation of such a compact camera. I do wish it was a 4x-6x (3x wouldnt make that much difference), then I remember I probably wouldnt be lugging that monstrous camera and couldnt be holding it right then. Im just glad I didnt buy a Nikon F1 or Canon AE-1 a few years ago. The 35mm camera would sit while my compact Canon travels. All these positive ratings arent wrong. It would be a mistake to buy anything else.

The pictures are of great quality and the video clip is a fun addition for less than $400. Its incredibly easy to use, even for a digital novice. With my Windows XP, interface with the card reader is easier than I could have imagined.

The panoramic stitch effect, while not perfect, captures the essence of the shot and, in some cases, is better than a traditional panoramic picture because you can decide the size.

I knew the red eye would be an issue when I bought it, but, then again, its rather easy to get rid of that using the software provided by Canon.

My only complaint is a user error--because of the location of the on/off switch, I sometimes turn it off when taking a picture. Like any digital camera, it will go through batteries quickly if you leave the camera on, review your pictures often, or take shots with the LCD on, but with generic batteries available, there is no reason not to have a spare.

I recently bought the camera for work, along with an extra battery and a 256MB CF card. In initial testing I was very impressed with the clarity of the pictures, though I changed the white balance for indoor pictures. I took 110 pictures of varying sizes and 3 movies of about a minute each (much more than I expected, based on reviews Ive read of battery life). This week my wife and I went to Disneyland. I brought the camera, the empty CF card and both charged batteries. I took 182 pix at max size/min compression without depleting the first battery! Ultimately, I got 328 pictures over a period of two weeks - about half taken with flash. I kept the LCD display off the whole time, except for the two-second review display in the LCD after you take a picture and the status icons which appear when you change something (like turning the flash off or forcing infinity focus).

The review display defaults to 10 seconds, but as I grew comfortable with the camera I changed it to 2 seconds -- partly to conserve battery life, but also because you cant do anything with the camera until the display clears. By the last day of our trip, I had turned if off entirely due to the discovery of an undocumented feature: if the LCD and review settings are both off, and you keep the shutter button pressed after taking your image, the image will be displayed for a few seconds. This has the potential to decrease the time between shots if youre busy taking several in a row in a short time.

I have an SLR 35mm camera and two point-and-shoots. Though I like looking through the lens to exactly frame a picture in the SLR, Ive learned with the point-and-shoots to see as the camera does and not worry about the viewfinder. I took this point-and-shoot approach with the S230 and it works fine. If you think "digital camera" means "looking at an LCD display to frame your picture," I urge you to rethink this. It will mean far less worry about the battery. It should be noted though, as it is elsewhere, that the "weak battery" icon doesnt come on until the battery is pretty much dead, which means you could end up in the lurch if you dont have a spare; but the battery life is less of a problem than I thought.

In different stores I took many macro mode close-ups with the flash off, which requires a slow shutter setting for the dim light. They werent as blurry as I thought theyd be, and a couple came out great. A pocket tripod would make the blurriness problem moot, of course. A curious feature of CCD digital cameras you need to understand is that longer exposures create grainier (more artifacts) pictures, exactly the opposite of what you can get with film. Flash pictures of 8-foot circular displays, taken from 4 or 5 feet back, came out quite well, and hand-held macro pictures under sufficient light were very nice.

I switched from auto mode to manual (mostly to access the white balance settings) early on. When turning on the camera in manual mode, you only have to think about a few things: Whether to set infinity focus (in situations where youre shooting something more than 10 feet away and dont want to wait for the auto-focus); whether to set macro mode for sharp close-ups up to 1.5 feet away (not commonly used, but handy); and whether to turn the flash on or off. To review several pictures youve taken, just flick the mode switch from photo to review.

Images will tend to have more contrast than you see with your eye, a bit more than with film. If youre within 8 to 10 feet, use a fill flash. Alternately you can work with images in the provided software (Photoshop Elements). For example, I shot some photos of the Small World exterior late in the afternoon. The sun shone brightly off the white building, and the shrubs and waiting area were in shadow. I aimed at the building and half-pressed the shutter to set the auto-exposure. In that image, the building looked fine, but the shadows were were almost black, even though they were easily visible to my eye. In a second photo, I aimed the camera at the shadows to set the auto-exposure, and then aimed at the building and took the picture. In this image, the building and surrounding area was completely washed out, but the shrubs and passing boats in the darker areas were much more distinct. I fixed the first image in Photoshop, but the second image couldnt be saved. I did this to test the cameras limits, but the best solution would have been to come back and shoot it in the morning. A common "bad photo" problem is not understanding when you need to recompose a shot, change the lighting (or wait for better lighting), or not accepting that you just cant get certain photos to come out.

For those special photos its still not time to replace my SLR, or even my point-and-shoot APS camera. But for the size, weight, and quality of images, even though I purchased the camera for work, Im very happy with it and will use it for personal uses as well.

I used it a lot during my last vacation and then stitched the movies together using the EO Video software (not included with camera) to make one long movie with different scenes. So many small 1 minute to 3 minute movie clips add up to a decent show.

The camera is very easy to use for movies since you dont have to keep the shutter pressed, just press it once to start recording and again to stop. You can easily hold it up over peoples heads in crowds, but the funniest is to film unsuspecting friends, since they would never imagine being filmed by this little thing. Make sure you get at least a 256 MB CF Card with a high 25x speed rating so that you dont have to wait long for the camera to write the data. I found such a 256MB 25x CF card manufactured by Transcend for only...

Now that I got the camera, I am even more amazed. It is a precision instrument. For the camera itself, probably its only limitation is the 2x zoom. However, with the digital zoom, you get 6.4x. Granted, with the digital zoom, the pictures can get grainy. However, with 3 megapixel, the digitally zoomed pictures are still better than with my old 1.2 megapixel camera which made decent 4x6 shots.

I had problems installing the software on my home PC which runs Windows XP (it is a three year old PC). The Installshield failed. I contacted Canon and they gave me a suggestion that didnt work. Upon contacting them again, they told me it was a Windows problem and told me to contact Microsoft. I was not happy about that.

Luckily, I already had a CF reader which I use to get the pictures onto the PC which is probably a good investment anyway. I also use Photoshop Elements 2.0 which is better than the software they give. The software did install on my laptop running Windows XP, but still Photoshop Elements is better than theirs and it is easier using a separate CF reader than using the Canon-supplied cable.

Even with my software problems, this camera still rates 5 stars. It is simply amazing how Canon fit so much camera into such a tiny package. Any software problems cant get worked around and my home PC is not new either.

I decided to look for a compact camera I would use even if I had that great camera. One for keeping with me at all times. It needed to be small compact and sturdy. I have a tendancy to drop things. Online I did my research and I took a friends Kodak on vacation. While the Kodak was easy to use it has an odd way of compressing memory and the display is not the best so I ruled those out. In the end the S230 fit the bill. Then I get on here only to read about red eye problems...back to do more research. I found a site with reviews and photos taken for comparison. Sonys DSC-P9 (4MP) was the best option I came up with but I couldnt get past the soft look to the photos. The Fuji cameras had alot of noise that was visible on screen. (It doesnt show up when you print the photos.) The Sony had its share share of noise also. The Canons photos were sharp and clear with little visible noise. I believe even better than some higher MP models. So I decided I could put up with fixing the red eye.

Best choice I could have made. This camera is wonderful. It is small, well made and has easy to use buttons. The features are set up in a logical manner that make them simple to remember. The screen is excellent. The camera does have some weight to it even though it is so small. I find this to be useful when Im trying to hold the camera steady to take low light photos. The camera is quick to turn on and is ready to shoot within seconds. There are not long delays while it waits to change modes either.

There is still the issue with red eye if you are not at the same level and angle with the subject. (And its alarming) But the software included is super easy to use and takes care of the problem better than the Adobe softwares Ive used in the past. The pictures download fast and are stored in folders by the date taken. Perfect for sequencing pictures of the kids.

The battery life is excellent but when the warning light comes on youve only got about 60 seconds to take that last picture. The battery takes 2 hours to charge from empty. The charger fits directly into the outlet and stores flat. (No cords!) The extras youll need (Including a reader so you wont waste battery life on downloads) will add a third or a forth to the cost of this camera. The movies are fun and easy to send to family. There are also some manual picture taking features that are useful to get good pictures in low light without the flash.

Ive had the camera for 2 weeks and I really cant say enough about the quality.

The movie mode is great for quick little movies. I do construction management and take short movies of remodel projects in progress.

The best small digital camera I think you can buy. Its small, takes great pics, has great features and is easy to use.. buy it!!

Cons: None in 3 months

I read every review of the two cameras that I could find, read a zillion newsgroup postings, and asked three people who work with cameras professionally what their opinions were. I had thought that I had made up my mind to go for the s330 and save myself $100 (the reviews of both cameras are excellent, and I had decided to use the saved $$ to buy accessories). But the 3 professional opinions that Id sought out all agreed with buying the s230. Their reasoning? If you buy the camera with more megapixels, then when you use the _digital_ zoom to go to 3x, the extra megapixels will help give you the same image that would be gotten from a 2MP + 3x optical zoom combo. T