Canon PowerShot S50 Digital Camera (Canon-8445A001)

Canon PowerShot S50

PowerShot S50 Digital Camera (Canon-8445A001) Review, by Richard Baguley April 29, 2003

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• Reviewed by: hiDes

  Strengths: Good picture quality, easy to use, comfortable to handle.

  Weaknesses: Lens cover. Without it closing or opening properly the lens won't function.

  Overall: After 2 years of use, this wonderful camera ceased to function due to the lense cover getting stuck. Never had a problem til this happened. Fortunately I bought it at Best Buy with 4 year insurance and not sure if they lost the camera or if it couldn't be fixed but I was allowed to get another camera (chose the Canon SD800) in exchange.

• Reviewed by: tiberio_bulhoes

  Strengths: 15 sec exposure time for night shots. 5MP resolution. Several manual modes. Has video mode.

  Weaknesses: Slow (~1sec to take a picture). Not very good on low light (indoors). Noisy ISO 400 mode. Purple fringing. Light sensibility does not change after you start shooting a video.

  Overall: I would not buy this camera again because I have a toddler and this camera is slow and is not very good in low light. So, when I try to take a picture of him, by the time the camera focus/shoots (~1 sec), he is long gone.... The camera is not very good in low light and the flash always kick in when we try to take pictures indoors. This causes the subject to be too lit and the background to become dark. ISO 400 would help, but it is too noisy.The manual modes are very good. I use it to do some photography with my telescope and I was able to take some decent pictures. However, the purple fringing kicks in for high contrast targets, such as stars in long exposures...This camera has also noticeable vignetting on the wide field mode.It is also a bit bulky.I would not buy it again, newer cameras are faster and better.The manual modes and resolution are good. This camera is okay if you are going to take pictures of adults in sunlight.

• Reviewed by: kevinl67

  Strengths: High Quality Pictures. Good and numerous Auto and manual controls. Battery charges quickly(in about 1 hour)Compact (was more compact at time of purchase as lots of new small camera have come out)

  Weaknesses: Poor Red-eye reduction (I wouldnt good as far it doesnt work at all as some have said). Battery is proprietary, so you need a backup.

  Overall: I am very pleased with the camera. The camera is versatile with its manual and auto features. Taking the best picture does require the use of manual controls at times. Some users reported problems using the viewfinder(instead of LCD screen) and picture being off center --- this is true with most cameras and the manual reccomend the using the LCD screen as do I. Poor Red-eye redcution is valid complaint -- I was disappointed(since it reduces battery) however with todays software its not a problem fixing. Battery life might be less than expected depending on much you use the screen ---reviewing etc uses more battery. I found if I am taking a lot of pictures which doesnt happen all that often that shooting 100 pictures with flash and reviewing is barely achievable. There are lots of features of the camera even after a year I have not used all of. Those who are comforable with setting some or all of setting like from an SLR will be at home. The price has dropped over $150 since I bought it. Although a lot of new camera have come out in the past year I feel that the camera is still an excellent choice to be considered.

• Reviewed by: gambler

  Strengths: Great pictures, easy to use. Great batttery.

  Weaknesses: Needs more optical zoom and a brighter display. Should come with a bigger Compact Flash Memory, but the larger ones are not that exspensive.

  Overall: Best camera I have ever owned, even better then the S-30 I had before. Fits in your hand. Lots of manual and automatic features. Battery last a long time on one charge. Pictures look great.

• Reviewed by: handj

  Strengths: Great pictures and good features.

  Weaknesses: The product is flawed -- it requires absurdly cautious handling and babying. My Canon 35mm SLR is far more reliable and much better constructed.

  Overall: The camera takes good pictures and has good features, as many other articles illustrate. The problem is that the camera is extremely sensitive to its environment, and is prone to experiencing failure when used in conditions in which you would never expect to have problems. I purchased the s50 six months ago. Since then, it has been in for repairs to Canon's Factory service twice for a combined time of over a month and a half. The first time I sent the camera in for repair was after only a week of use. The lenses failed to operate and the lens assembly was replaced. The camera was returned in a reasonable amount of time (within 2.5 weeks). The second time I sent the camera in for repair was a month and a half ago. The lcd panel on the rear of the camera body stopped functioning. After the camera had been in the service center for over a month (dated from the date on the Canon Repair Acknowledgement letter -- which stated that I should expect the camera back inside of 10 days), and after placing 5 calls to the repair center -- leaving 2 voice mails which went unanswered; being disconnected twice; and speaking with a repair center person who took my number and said she would call back -- she never did, the status of my camera was finally updated on the Canon website (sorry for the run-on). The web site now stated that my repair had been re-estimated and that I needed to remit $164 for the repair. I called the Canon repair center to provide payment --> this time they managed to get a live person on the phone. While on the phone, she informed me that the camera had been evaluated and the repair cost estimate had been made a month earlier -- yet, nobody had contacted me, the website had never been updated, and even after calling on five prior occasions, this had not been communicated. I was also informed, while making payment, that the damage requiring repair was "water related." As a brief word on the "water related damage," I should note that this camera was never subjected to anything which one would associate with mishandling or water contact. At most, it has been used, in a protected fashion during misty conditions. You can find plenty of other articles that people have written describing their troubles with "water damage" resulting from use in high humidity climates. My conclusions on this camera are as follows: 1. The product itself is flawed -- it requires absurdly cautious handling and babying. My Canon 35mm SLR is far more reliable and much better constructed. 2. Canon customer service is abysmal. Although their CSRs are polite on the phone --> they are useless. My camera has been in repair for 1/3 of the time I have owned it. Their communication of the status of my camera has been non-existent. Even when I have attempted to actively contact them, it has been a fruitless exercise.