I've owned the S410 for a couple of months and I give it 4 Stars. This camera targets a particular kind of consumer and it does a great job of it. I've seem some hard-core enthusiasts portray a negative picture of the S410 as well as it predecessor the S400, and I believe it is unfair.
This camera was a gift for my wife. My wife will carry a camera only if,
1. It is relatively light in weight,
2. It is compact (fits in her pocket-book), and,
3. It will think for itself.
The Canon does these well, and is meant for consumers like my wife. Switch on and shoot!
My wife upgraded from the Canon Elph (APS) to the S410. If the SD110 had a 3x zoom, we'd probably have gone with it. The S410 is built in stainless steel and is built like a tank. You will feel this in the weight of the camera. It is not the smallest or lightest out there, but it's one of the best when it comes to balance between weight and size. It feels very comfortable in the hand.
The buttons are sized and laid out very well. I like the mode-select wheel, which is particularly advantageous to people with large fingers. People who have not used Canon P&S cameras will be pleasantly surprised by the zoom controls. The zoom encompasses the shutter-button and is extremely intuitive.
The menus are self-explanatory and relatively simple to use, though it does take a little getting used to the menu mechanics.
The most used controls, macro mode, flash modes, metering modes and timer functions have hot keys and are selectable without accessing menus - a big advantage to accommodating last second changes.
There is a short startup lag, so don't expect to just pick-up and shoot. The auto-focus is fast. There is a delay between depressing shutter and capture, but is about the same as other cameras in this class. There is also a slight lag between shots, but again, is the same as other cameras in this class. One glaring issue is that the red-eye reduction is not very effective. To speed up shot-capture, switch this mode-off. It really helps!!
The photos are AMAZING! Indoors and outdoors, the photos are crisp, the colors vibrant and life-like, and, this was very surprising to me...the camera could capture depth. The photos are truly a pleasure to look at.......you can experience Canon's over 50 years of optic and technology expertise at work here. (FYI, I'm a NIKON person...it is huge for me to say this!!)
Why only four-stars?!!
1. Strong, over-powering flash. The flash is SO strong that it hurts subjects 5 feet away. You can literally feel the heat. There is a high possibility of flash-spots or wash-outs in case your subject is in front of a reflective surface.
2. This might be related to the strong flash...the front of the camera body becomes "very warm" but not "hot" after taking a few photos (approx. 10), with the flash on, in succession. I guess the metallic body heats up.
3. Auto-Focus. The auto focus can get annoying at times, especially if two subjects are nearly the same distance from the camera. It'll keep shuttling between the two subjects. The multi-zone AF is one of the reasons I did not buy a Canon SLR a few years ago. I find it inconvenient.
Overall, I think this is a great camera. It balances mega-pixel resolution, optics, technology, size, weight, price, and features-functionality in a compact package.
If you're the kind of person who likes getting great photos without working for them, this is the camera to buy.