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by Steve Becker
Company: Canon U.S.A. Canon's S45 is a standout product for many reasons, including: it's easy enough to use that even first-time camera users can easily take great pictures; it has enough advanced features and flexibility built into it that it meets the needs of experienced photographers; its optics and other components are of a very high quality; it's compact enough that it's easy to carry in a small belt case or small purse; it includes better-than-average manuals and a very good software bundle; and it has a very attractive street price! Novice photographers can take advantage of the S45's extensive automatic controls for things like focusing, exposure, flash, metering, etc. Essentially, these features turn the S45 into an easy to use point and shoot camera. Experienced photographers can take advantage of the S45's very extensive controls for settings that include multiple exposure methods (including full manual control), multiple metering options, multiple focusing options (including manual focus), light sensitivity, white balance (including the option of creating customized settings), special photographic effects, and much more! Both novice and experienced photographers will benefit from the S45's high quality 1.8" LCD, flexible slide show options, quick shutter response, fast auto-focus system, ability to create movies that are up to 3 minutes in length, audio-annotation capability, optical viewfinder, 3X optical zoom lens, and many additional features. You ask, "what is there that I don't like about the S45?" Well, there is no diopter adjustment for the optical viewfinder, there is not an anti-reflective coating on the LCD (though it does have a high pixel count and a bright display), and there's no way to continuously monitor the status of its proprietary rechargeable battery (there is a low-battery warning). Also, the auto white balance on some indoor photos isn't always accurate. However, these are relatively minor items, especially when taken in the context of all the wonderful and well-designed features that are built into the camera. In fact, the full feature set of the S45 is too extensive to list here. Additionally, the S45 is more than just the sum of its parts! While it's made of high quality components, Canon's excellent integration of these components is what really sets the S45 apart from the competition. For example, Canon's combination of a high quality lens with an excellent 4 MP CCD, excellent image processing components, and excellent algorithms results in a camera that produces pictures which stand out when compared to the competition in the increasingly crowded filed of 4-megapixel compact cameras. Another thing I like about the S45 is the way it feels. Other than for a multi-function switch that has only a fair feel to it, the controls on the camera have a very good feel to them and are well laid out. The camera's solid feel is partly due to its weighing more than many other compact cameras -- this is a good thing! The S45 is both light enough and small enough to be comfortable and easily transportable, but it weighs enough to prevent it from being difficult to hold still when taking a picture. Speaking of the S45's excellent design quality, this also extends to its menu system. The well-organized and logical layout of the menus on the S45 contribute significantly to its ease of use. If you are new to photography, you may be tempted to shop for a less expensive and less feature-loaded digital camera; however, this probably will cost you much more effort and money in the long run. Because the S45 is so well designed, you can ignore the features you don't want to explore and just use the S45's automatic settings. As you get more comfortable and familiar with digital photography, you can grow into using the S45's more advanced features rather than face the expense of needing to buy another camera. Most important of all, no matter whether you are a novice photographer or a seasoned photographer, the S45 includes both the flexibility and the quality that's necessary for taking great looking pictures! Pros: Easy enough to use for novice photographers yet powerful and flexible enough for advanced photographers; excellent quality components and build quality; takes sharp pictures and has excellent outdoor color balance; includes good software and manuals; bargain street price. Cons: Auto color balance on indoor flash pictures not always accurate; no anti-reflective coating on LCD; no way to continuously monitor status of the battery. 
4.5 out of a possible 5 © 2003 by Steve Becker. All rights reserved. |
