Customer Reviews

Canon PowerShot S20 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 2x Optical Zoom Value Package

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I "upgraded" from a Nikon 950 digital camera to the S20 for 2 reasons, longer battery life and smaller form factor. However I wish I would have stuck with the Nikon. This picture quality of the S20 is good, but not great. The Nikon 950 beats it easily as the jpeg compression seems to be much better.

Looking back I probably should have invested in some rechargable batteries for my Nikon as the S20 is better but not that much on battery life. I ended up having to buy the rechargable battery kit from Amazon as the replacements for the S20 are super expensive while the Nikon used standard AA batteries.

My other problem I have had is after 3-4 days of extensive use, the camera has become scratched and nicked very easily. I was carrying it in my pocket with keys (ouch), and I did set it on several different surfaces to take "timer" pictures with my wife, but is seems that is was way to easy to nick up. So be careful with it and always keep it in the case if possible. I wanted the smaller form factor so I could carry it around with ease!

So in summary: 1.) Picture quality is good, but not great 2.) I love the smaller form factor (major buying decision base on this fact) 3.) Semi nice deal from Amazon on this package 4.) Case is nice, but should be included for free standard 5.) 16MB card at high resolutiuon and high quality holds only 6-7 pictures! 6.) Get the Viking 128MB CF card from Amazon... because you will ned the space

If I had it to do over again, I would have kept the Nikon...happy with Amazon service and product none the less.

I have this Canon S20 and the Kodak DC4800, and I've also tried the Canon S300. I like the fact that S20 smaller and less bulkier than the Kodak, although not quite as small as the Canon S300. S20 doesn't take short mpeg like S300, but the megapixel and macro lens is far better than the S300. I usually use the S20 for close-up stilllife photos, and the quality came out much better than the Kodak DC4800. You can take photos with the S20 as close as 12cm (4.7 inches) from the object. The Kodak also boasted about its professional features such as the capability of changing f/stops and over- and under-exposure. I thought they were all unnecessary, and the Canon S20 is great as it is. It's simple, intuitive (I never looked at the manual.), and it takes clear, sharp photos. About uploading photos onto the computer: once you install the software and plug the S20 to the computer, you need to download your photos from the camera onto the computer first before working with them. That's unlike the Kodak DC4800, where the computer recognizes the Kodak as an additional driver and you can work with the photos straight from the camera. That's a minor drawback of the S20, but for the quality of the output, I'm willing to bear with it!

It is just more than a year I have bought this camera, it is great especially it is very handy for taking daily family pictures, the quality is good and I've also tried to make prints using printers and through print shop, both are good. Of course, it depends very much on your printer quality as well.

Besides, I have bought IBM 1GB microdrive, very good price performance on storage, I use this when my family went to vacation, such that all photos could be put on the microdrive without taking a notebook with me. With the highest resolution, 1GB microdrive can store more than 1000 pictures. Not bad for even a two-week trip.

I would suggest to buy one to two more rechargable batteries, since one battery would roughly take 50 pictures. Three batteries allow you to take 150 picture a day.

Though it is over a year, I may still very satisfy with it....

I just got this camera from Amazon yesterday. Already I am taking BEAUTIFUL pictures and downloading them easily to my computer with the USB cables. I am not the most technical person, but I am finding the camera and software easy to use and the instructions clear and easy to follow. The picture quality is fantastic! Much better than the scans I usually do at 300dpi.

I really researched this purchase and the features and image quality of this camera far surpasses everything else in the price range. For the features and the 3.3 megapixels most cameras cost twice what Amazon is charging for the S20. And with the camera bag and extra 32 meg compactflash card included Amazon has the best deal on this camera anywhere! Believe me, I checked!

I did follow the advice of previous reviewers and got the ac adapter kit and the rechargeable batteries. Most digital cameras eat batteries and I can easily believe that this one is no exception. Even including the extras, this camera is a terrific bargain. I am totally delighted with my purchase!!

Wow, with this sale price in Amazon. This is the best deal in the planet. Get it while you can people (I just wished I bought it here.)

Although this model had been discontinued by Canon, but with 3.3 megapixels, Sharp Images, and limited control of photo mode (i.e: slow shutter, fast shutter, macro, and more) it really give the plus touch and worth the money. Besides its an Elph model, it is tinny enough to be carry around and it looks cool.

Another plus side, it takes IBM Microdrive !!! I bought 1GB Microdrive which I shared with my Compaq Ipaq (another excellent product) and it lets me take hundreds of pictures. Oh, one more thing! You should also invest in Canon DK110 Power Supply Kit and another extra Canon NB-5H Battery, because if you take pictures with the LCD on, it will drain the power real fast.

This is a great camera. I did a large amount of research, as this was to be my first digital camera purchase. The Powershot S20's best feature is it's small size, which fits into a pocket or a small purse. I don't like to carry a bulky camera or a separate camera bag so this is the perfect camera for vacations. I like being able to delete bad photos so I can shoot scores of photos and not be worried about wasting film. Also it is easy to switch from color to b/w to sepia from one shot to the next. One feature that was not mentioned anywhere is "photo stitching", which allows for panoramic prints. The quality of the prints are great and both the camera and the software were easy to learn to use.
Why I did not rate this with 5 stars: Despite a good package price, by the time all the necessary accessories are purchased, the total is quite pricey. It is very important to purchase the Power Supply Kit (A/C adapter, rechargeable battery, battery charger) since the disposable battery included lasts only about an hour. It is also imperative to purchase another CompactFlash Card (at least 128MB) to store a decent number of shots. FOR MAC USERS: Purchase a USB Flash Memory Reader, as the camera's USB connection will not work with a USB Hub--it needs to plug directly into your Mac. (Without the Reader I had to unplug my printer in order to connect the camera directly to my Mac.) The Reader can plug into your USB Hub so no more unplugging of your USB devices in order to download shots from the camera. Plus, the downloads are much faster using the Reader. You just take the CompactFlash Card out of the camera and insert it into the Reader, which your Mac reads as any other removable drive (Zip Drive, Floppy) on the Desktop.
All-in-all, the Powershot S20 is a conveniently small, easy-to-use camera, but be aware that in order to purchase all of the necessary add-ons, this camera package can get quite expensive.

I would strongly recomend this camera, I bought it to supplement my SLR for trips where I don't have room to carry a big camera around. It is very small and fits nicely into my pocket which is great for travel to countries where you don't want people to know you have money. I would definitely recomend buying the rechargeable battery kit, a spare battery and at least 128MB of extra memory. The picture quality is very good especially in the manual mode where you can change the type of light metering, the white balance and many other adjustments.

No one who gets an S20 is going to be disappointed. It is sturdy, well balanced in the hand and has some really great features. Its 3+ megapixel resolution will yield perfect detail on 8" x 10" enlargements. I chose, however, not to keep the S20, but only because the 2x optical zoom was not adequate for my needs (sporting events). It does have a 4x digital zoom, but this particular technology is a poor substitute for an optical zoom (basically, using a digizoom to double the central image necessarily halves the resolution; using the full 4x digizoom on the S20 yields 1/4 the original resolution). However, if a 2x zoom is adequate for your needs most of the time, this is the best camera available at present. The fact that it can use an IBM microdrive instead of relying solely upon CompactFlash memory cards is a really nice bonus.

After a life of 35mm SLRs I was worried about switching to a digital point and shoot, but the transition has been great. The S20 has several high-end features that make it a step up from a box camera, including a macro effect, switched strobe for fill, and panorama feature.

I love the size most. It's tiny and light and easy to carry. It feels like it's machined from ingot it's so solid. It's a quality piece.

Some things I wish were better: 3.3 magapixels is still not quite enough pixels, I think, especially after you've cropped the shot. I'm never quite sure when the camera takes the picture, since it's not quite instant and the process is silent (I miss the instant shutter with the KABANG of SLR mirrors flopping and motorized film advance). And 2x zoom is not quite enough. I miss having more control over shutter and aperature.

But within the limits of what the camera is, this one works very well. And digital photography is a whole story unto itself: it changes so much to be able to shoot, erase, dump, manipulate without running to the photo store (or grocery store dropoff) with an entire roll of film.

I'm brand new at the use of digital cameras, but I am really excited about the performance of the S 20. Also high quality photos. I'm amazed at all the features. I'm still learning how to use them well.

The power kit is a must, since you can go thru a regular battery in one set of photos. Also the AC adapter is great for computer and television interface...