Canon PowerShot S500 5MP Digital Elph with 3x Optical Zoom

Other products by Canon

Product Details

Product Manual [13.30mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001G6U5W
• Item model number: 9342A001AA
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (112 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,555 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 9, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
Adding megapixel power to the popular S400 Digital Elph, Canon's PowerShot S500 bumps up the resolution to 5 megapixels--providing richer details and improved clarity. Elegantly designed and super compact, the S500 has a protective stainless steel shell with a celabrite finish, which mixes metals and ceramics to produce a tough cool-toned exterior that is visually stunning. It also features a 3x optical zoom, high-resolution video capture, and Canon's new Print/Share button, which helps you quickly connect directly to a printer or send an image via e-mail.

The S500's 5-megapixel sensor captures a wealth of detail.

Optics and Resolution
The 5-megapixel PowerShot S500 can capture 2592 x 1944 images for poster-size prints. It also has 1600 x 1200, 1024 x 768, and 640 x 480 resolution modes. The 3x optical zoom lens has a focal length of 7.4-22.2mm (35mm equivalent: 36-108mm). It also has a 4.1x digital zoom.

Movie Mode
The PowerShot S500 lets you capture high-resolution 30-second video clips with sound at 640 x 480 (10 frames per second). You can also capture 3-minute movies at lower resolution settings: 320 x 240 and 160 x 120 (both at 15 frames per second).

More Camera Features

• 9-point Artificial Intelligence autofocus (AiAF) for fast and sharp images, even with off-center subjects
• 1.5 inch low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD (118,000 pixels)
• Real-image optical zoom viewfinder
• Built-in flash with auto, red-eye reduction, and slow sync modes
• Record a voice memo of up to 60 seconds and attach to images
• Shutter speed: 15 - 1/2,000 seconds
• White balance control: Auto, pre-set (daylight, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent, fluorescent H), or custom white balance
• Continuous shooting: 2.2 frames (maximum 14 images)
• 2x to 10x zoom into captured images while reviewing via the LCD

Canon Technology Features

• Digic Imaging Processor: While much technical discussion of digital cameras centers around the optics and the CCD sensor, the complex task of image rendering is the job of the image processor--the "brains" of a digital camera. Canon's latest, exclusive DIGIC Imaging Processor significantly enhances digital camera performance in numerous areas. DIGIC's high-speed signal processing is combined with high-capacity buffering to give Canon digital cameras fast response and continuous shooting capability unmatched by other digital cameras. DIGIC delivers longer battery life and beautiful, rich color rendition with far fewer white saturation problems. And DIGIC's unequaled precision delivers clear, noise-free images that are demonstrably superior.

  Canon's 9-point AiAF makes it easier to focus even when your subject is off-center in the frame.

• iSAPS Technology: Canon iSAPS (Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) technology dramatically improves the performance of AF (Autofocus), AE (Auto Exposure), and AWB (Auto White Balance). By analyzing a huge volume of photography data, accumulated over 60 years and the manufacture of over 150 million cameras, Canon engineers arrived at statistical relationships among focal length, focus distance, scene brightness, and other factors. Equipped with this "fore knowledge" Canon PowerShot cameras can optimize AF/AE/AWB settings for any given scene more rapidly and more effectively.
• Multi-point AiAF: Canon's wide-area, multi-point AiAF (artificial intelligence autofocus) automatically selects one or more focusing points based on factors, such as subject position and motion. AiAF works in conjunction with iSAPS Technology to more quickly and accurately achieve autofocus under a wide variety of shooting conditions. You get fast, accurate AF whether you hold the camera horizontally or vertically, with stationary or moving subjects, with off-center subjects, and even in low-light/low-contrast lighting.

Direct Printing/Sharing
The PowerShot S500 introduces a new Print/Share button that speeds and simplifies printing to compatible Canon and PictBridge enabled printers and one-touch image transfer to Windows XP, Me, 2000, and 98 computers for use with image processing programs, uploading to the Internet, or placement in e-mail. When connected to a Canon Compact Photo printer, a Movie Print mode divides the selected clip into equal parts and prints thumbnails of a maximum 63 equally spaced frames onto a single sheet of Postcard Size Paper.

Storage and Transfer
Images and video are stored on CompactFlash memory cards (Type I only) and the included 32 MB card holds approximately 21 images at the Large/Fine setting. Images can be downloaded to either a Mac or PC via USB 1.1 connectivity, which means the camera can be connected to any USB-based Windows Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later computer without installing any software.

Power and Size
The camera is powered by rechargeable lithium-ion battery (NB-1LH). With the LCD on, you will get approximately 190 shots. It measures 3.43 x 2.24 x 1.09 inches and weighs 6.5 ounces (without batteries).

What's in the Box
This package contains the PowerShot S500 digital camera, 32 MB CompactFlash memory card, rechargeable lithium-ion battery (NB-1LH), battery charger (CB-2LS), USB and A/V cables, and wrist strap. The supplied software on the CD-ROM includes browsing and printing software ZoomBrowser EX (Windows) and ImageBrowser (Mac). Other software includes PhotoStitch, plus photo and movie manipulation software ArcSoft PhotoStudio and VideoImpression.

Product Description
The biggest breakthrough for the slim and trim ELPH line is the increased resolution of the PowerShot S500 Digital ELPH camera. Utilizing the same CCD sensor as is found on the top-rated PowerShot S50 and G5 model digital cameras, this five megapixel model captures JPEG images in SuperFine, Fine and Normal resolution modes and is also the first model in its class to offer 640 x 480 movie recording at ten frames per second for up to 30 seconds per clip. With the PowerShot S500 Digital ELPH, users also have the option of capturing 320 x 240 and 160 x 120 movies with sound at 15 frames per second for up to three minutes per clip.The PowerShot S500 Digital ELPH features an ultra-compact and fast (f/2.8-4.9) 3x (36-108mm equivalent) optical zoom lens. The lens - with its seven-element design - also offers a wide Autofocus range from as close as two inches (in macro mode) to infinity. Canon has also extended the power and range of this camera's digital zoom to 4.1x (from a previous high on Digital ELPH Cameras of 3.6x).For taking pictures on the fly, the S500 Digital ELPH camera offers a continuous burst mode that captures up to 2.2 frames per second at full resolution. The PowerShot S500 Digital ELPH model also has a shutter speed that extends to a fast 1/2000 of a second and features a built in flash with a range of up to 11 feet and automatic, red-eye reduction and slow synch settings. The camera's sharp, clear and easy to read 1.5-inch LCD monitor even allows users to check the smallest of details thanks to a 10x playback zoom.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

248 of 263 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one to get if you want 5MP, April 14, 2004

By	Gadgester "No Time, No Money" (Mother Earth) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

The new Canon PowerShot S500 is a 5MP upgrade to the immensely popular S400 model, which was a 4MP digital camera. The S500 produces excellent images, is easy to use, and is compact enough to carry in a pocket. 3X optical zoom is standard on these cameras. Besides shooting still photos, you can record low-res video clips as well as audio clips, but don't expect high quality on either.

For a hundred bux less, you can get the 4MP S410 model which is otherwise identical to the S500. Should you go for this or the S410? I think for most consumers 4MP is plenty enough, with room for cropping and enlargements. 5MP is only necessary if you really crop a lot *and* plan to blow up the cropped images. The S410 strikes a great balance between pixel count and price -- it's a better value.

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars E18 Error / problem with the lens, September 29, 2004

By	Johnathan Parker (Springdale, AR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is my second Canon digital elph camera. Both were great cameras. Recently upgraded to the S500. About 6 months later I get the dreaded E18 error. I searched the Internet and found numerous people having problems. When I determined the problem to be the lens not fully extending I decided to give it a tug. It clicked and the camera came on, ready to take pictures. Turning it off and on produced the E18 again. While turning it on I gave it a nice little bump on the side (where the USB connector is) and the lens popped out on its own. No problems since.
Its a nice compact and light camera and takes great photos and videos. Only complaint (other than E18) is the limit of 30-second videos on 640x480 mode. I've got a 512MB compact flash card, I should be able to take as much footage as I have memory in one take.

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars E18 Errors doom an otherwise excellent camera, September 28, 2004

By	Sven (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

The Good:
Great pictures. Nice size. Average battery life. Loved the panorama mode. This was the best camera I owned until "E18" appeared on its LCD screen.

The Bad:
The E18 Error. I treated this camera with great care. I knew of the E18 problem from other reviews. I avoided everything that might trigger it. It happened anyway. At first sporadically, now E18 happens evertime I turn the camera on. Within 4 months of purchase, my S500 has become un-usable. Many people encounter the E18 problem with Canon cameras (not just the Canon S500).

Comments:
I've owned five digital cameras since 1996. All continue to work with the exception of the Canon S500. I have shipped software that works with digital cameras. I know very well how reliable digital cameras are supposed to be. It would be ridiculous for me to claim that every Canon S500 will eventually get this problem. But, based on some very easy-to-find-via-google user experiences, that something is amiss in Canon's engineering process and that Canon has spotty quality control. I will not recommend any Canon camera until Canon acknowledges and addresses this problem.