Reviews for Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: 5 mps, extensive range of features, solid construction, quick operation, nice bright quality snapshot

Weakness: auto mode yields some odd results, a bit bulky compared to the competition so so metering, buttons fiddly to operate quickly, two tone quality Lack of helpful critique from reviews,

This is a nice cam but is hardly any different from the S45 and thats much cheaper. It has marginally better colour lacking the two tone quality of the s45 though it is still there...red yellow...blue green and so on. Flash picture are good and are about average and outdoor pictures vary, there seems be some odd results that I cannot explain when photographing normal scenes.

Many of sample images look great in the reviews however, but Steve Digicams pics look very different to DCR. I hope I did not buy this cam based on contrived imagery. Loads of options but they can wait while I sort the auto modes.
My advice is to try and give perfect reviews a pinch of salt or go for something cheaper if you don't need extensive control or go for the S45. Happy hunting.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

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

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

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.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

hiDes

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

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

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.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

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

Weakness: 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.

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.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Top quality pictures and features. Need weeks to learn all features.

Weakness: Lens cover is very poor design and can't be closed directly with a single move. Battry is poor quality, not even enough for the 32 MB card depending on what you do. Battry dies after 1 hour :(

If you buy a 256MB card, which is great for this camera, buy also a car charger for the battry. The lens cover is so poor quality that I don't think it will last more than a year. The first time I tried to close it I had to battle during minutes with he cover. I am a carefull and patient person ... I think Canon will have a class action on this or a recall. Those two things were very disappointing.

However the camera is great (5 stars) as long as it runs. I can't point out any useless features or missing features on the camera. I am still trying to understand all the features there are so many. The image quality is very good. Unless you are a professional you will not be able to notice the small defects.

96% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Excellent picture quality, great colors, lots of manual controls, size

Weakness: Some issues with low light focusing, the common 3x zoom

I'm just a beginner to digital photography.

I've had this camera for a couple of days now and I must say that I'm very impressed with it, so far. I have not tested all the features & scene modes but in Auto & Program AE mode, this camera takes some great pictures! I had also considered the Fuji FinePix 3000/3800, Olympus C740, Kodak 6440 & the Canon A75/A80.

Low light focusing is a little hard in dim lighting, but the AF illuminator is a plus. I'm also not a fan of prop. batteries, but sometimes you just can't worry about that. The four way switch takes a little bit of getting used to, but it's not bad.

At today's prices (generally around $400), I believe this camera is a great buy.

93% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Quality shots, size (it fit in my adidas pocket). manual control

Weakness: none. Seriously

I read all the reviews. Here and a couple digital camera review sites. My eyes were burning for days. I have to admit I wanted the G5, but with the price difference I figured I could live without add on lenses. I mean will you ever really need them? This camera takes perfect pictures in nearly all situations just leaving it in auto. A couple days with the manual and you can get any shot you want.

If you like the price and the size this camera is awsome. Take the 5mp camera cause you can always shoot at 4 or 3 megs later with it.

92% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: In outdoor ambient light camera produces vibrant, sharp photos.

Weakness: Useless red-eye reduction makes camera dicey at best for indoor flash photography...almost useless. Also, in low light focus does not perform well.

The combination of great build quality, good form factor and excellent ambient light performance make this camera a great product. The mpg1 movie functionality works well also. HOWEVER, the red-eye effect is not reduced by the built in red eye reduction function, it simply does not work. I think it is a defective feature. So beware, if you need to do indoor photography, ESPECIALLY with children, you are compelled to look elsewhere. Even though i love this camera, i would not buy it again due the the horrendous red eye problem that cannot be corrected with the cameras reduction feature. Software correction is not acceptable after the fact....

92% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

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)

Weakness: 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.

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.

91% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Great pictures, ease of use, small size, uses compact flash cards, durable, variety of different modes, including one you set up yourself.

Weakness: Delay between pictures - will not allow picture if it is not ready.

I bought this camera as the first of a two-part team of cameras. This one is used for casual picture taking because of its small size. It provides excellent pictures up to 8x10. I am now matching it with an 8 mpxl for the serious picture taking.

I have had none of the problems sometimes mentioned about this camera. The lettering on the mode wheel is still perfect; you just have to use it properly to avoid rubbing it off. The lens cover works perfectly; you have to be careful when you close it. I keep the camera in the optional leather case available from Cannon.

I see very little edge problems and when there is anything, it can be fixed with Photoshop. There is some vignetting with the flash, but it has been a minimal problem.

All in all, one of the nicest cameras I have owned.

90% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Excellent photo quality. Sharp, colorful.

Weakness: Rotated CCD.

I own a really nice digital SLR with all the assorted lenses, etc. What I needed was a good point and shoot that I could easly slip in to my pocket and take with me wherever I went. The S50 fit the bill because it took Microdrives(CF-II) cards, which is what I already owned. I really wanted to like this camera. I took it out and tested it and I must say that the picture quality was stunning.
But, and this is a big but....every picture I took was slightly tilted by about 1 degree. I had to go to Photoshop and do a 1 degree counterclockwise adjustment to straighten all my photos. I found this odd, so I went searching the web for answers. I found it at www.dpreview.com. They reviewed this camera and had the same problem.
You can test yours by putting it on a flat surface and taking a photo of the S50 into a mirror. You will see that the photo comes out tilted. Check out the www.dpreview.com review and see his example "tilt" photo.
Anyway, although most folks will never have a problem with this. It just bugged me too much.
I returned it and got the Olympus 5050 instead.

89% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Ease of Use, price.

Weakness: Low light conditions and night flash.

I like this camera alot and the durability of the cannon name. I like the zoom function and the quality of the images that come off it. I use it mainly for snapshot opportunities so it will not be my staple for high end photography.

89% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Great pictures, many options, auto/manual features

Weakness: PRICE, somewhat complicated operation, red eye

I am very pleased with this camera. It takes great pictures in tremendous detail. Took a close-up picture of me and my girlfriend (large, superfine), printed it out on my HP 2210 as an 8X10 and was amazed -- girlfriend made me throw it out b/c you could count my pores and see the peach fuzz on her jaw ... Auto settings are generally very good (especially for a quick pic), but they sometimes make the pic look a little strange. However, it isn't hard to re-adjust the settings and take a manual pic. I say it isn't hard, but only once you get used to it. There are MANY settings, but only full manual allows you to adjust everything -- your level of adjustment depends upon which setting you've chosen. This can be a bit of a problem when you want to combine effects. Also, I think I carried the manual around in my pocket for the first two weeks (which, by the way, is very well written), but now I only consult it when I want do do something different. 4-way toggle is also kind of awkward since I have big fingers; and red eye reduction only works when subject is looking directly at the light (not just the camera, directly at the light). Finally, it won't save raw images in auto mode (which hasn't been a problem yet -- we'll see if it becomes one in the future). All in all, it's an expensive camera, but as far as I'm concerned, it's the best pocket-sized camera out there.

89% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: High quality, sleek, versatile

This is a fabulous camera with lots of features including ability to change modes, shutter speed, etc. The viewing and editing capabilities are also top of the line. I would highly recommend this camera.

88% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: superb image quality, plenty of features, ease of use, small and powerful

Weakness: no (useful) battery indicator, off-centered pictures using viewfinder, terrible red-eye reduction, purple fringing, slightly rotated CCD

I took many pictures with my S50 and I am very pleased with it. The most important thing - picture quality and colors are excellent. The use is very straightforward and even the begginers can take very good photos in no time. As you learn more and your want more from your camera - S50 is powerful enough to deliver that. You can set everything you can think of manually. However, there are 2 serious problems. No, lack of battery indicator is not such a big problem - it goes more to ease of use, but rotated CCD and off-center photos when shooting using viewfinder are really noticeable problems. It is known that shooting close subjects using viewfinder is not recommended, but S50 has problems with centering distance objects. For example, when you shoot with viewfinder (LCD off) you'll later find out that the photos are noticeably off-centered. The effect is more obvious when you shoot at close objects, but its really big problem whatever you shoot at. Solution - shoot with LCD on. The other problem I am constantly facing is red-eye reduction. It is useless. It is so bad I am close to write it does not work at all. Other problems (purple fringing and rotated CCD) are not so noticeable in most photos. My final words are - very good camera, I don't regret buying it - but it could be better, not in feature list (it is impressive) but without these "bugs"

85% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Picture quality and ease of use.

Weakness: None

I have had 2 digital cameras and this is surely the best ever. Everything about this camera is easy. My friends cannot believe that my pictures didn't come from an expensive 35MM camera. This camera is great if you want to just aim and shoot, also great if you want to be an advanced photographer. "Try it you'll like it."

83% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Great pictures and good features.

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

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.

81% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Excellent Picture Quality. Incredible nightshot and low light performance. Tons of options and manual controls. Many quality/resolution choice settings. Vibrant colors. Nice video mode quality.

Weakness: Some redeye if subject not directly in front of camera. Autofocus feature is not always perfect, but then there is manual control to help you. Only 3 minute video recording regardless of memory card.

Since I bought this camera about a month ago, I must have taken over 300 pictures. All of them perfectly clear. I have had to learn some photography basics to fully enjoy all of its manual controls, specially for taking night shots.

All in all, I am very happy with my S50. It definitely exceeded my expectations. I Will probably hold on to it until 5 megapixel cameras become obsolete...

80% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: High picture and video quality, easy to use with various options

Weakness: Red eye and low light video recording

With the use of the S50, picture and video quality for a digital camera excels. I am very pleased with it. The colors and sharpness of the picture quality are excellent. The camera is easy to use for beginners but also excels for advance users with a vast amount of setting controls. The camera has some weakness. Red eye control is a problem and video recording in low light is close to almost impossible to see in a PC environment. Battery life for a camera with a LCD screen on is OK, but not to worry, there are several generic battery manufacturers out there to reduce the cost of buying original high priced battery. Add a Micro Drive media to the S50 and the camera’s speed and amount of space to take video and pictures truly out perform most cameras out on the market.

80% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Image quality, Size, Speed

Weakness: No battery indicator or status window, must access via main LCD.

This is an amazing camera. Picture quality is tops and the focus system is everything advertised. I have taken many multi-subject photos and all are in perfect focus. The camera has some heft and gives the impression of durability; I am hoping to not have to test this. Have not fully tested the battery life or all the manual features, but I am certain the ability to store a custom set of manual items will come in handy. The auto white balance is right on, but the flash is a little weak. Some red-eye noticable on subjects not center line of the photo. i.e. single subject shots have no red-eye and multi-subject shots the outer people usually have red-eye.
Love this camera and look forward to extended use.

80% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Beautiful resolution...as can be expected by a 5 MP camera

Weakness: No red-eye reduction capability Hard to use toggle/selection button. Propriotary battery...you can't just pop in some fresh AA batteries. Expensive

Selection/Toggle button is extremely hard to master and you often select the wrong setting due to that.

Everything you heard about the Red-eye is true. This camera is worthless for red-eye reduction. Unlike my old Olympus camera which pre-flashes several times before the final flash, the Canon S50 preflashes about 1/100th a sec before the final flash...which means your eyes only have a split second to adjust. That means that everytime you will have red-eyes...the built in red-eye reducer does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! Every single Christmas picture I took yesterday indoors had red-eyes! And sometimes the camera won't even preflash...not that it would matter. If you are buying a camera to take pictures of people indoors, look elsewhere. You would think that they would have gotten it right by now!

Furthermore, my included battery charger didn't even work when I got the camera...I had to take the whole thing back and exchange it.

70% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Black Color

Weakness: Red Eye function bad, Battery consuption is high

I used this camera for 2 days and return as it do't work form me @night as Red eye function.the Canon S50 preflashes about 1/100th a sec before the final flash...which means your eyes only have a split second to adjust. That means that everytime you will have red-eyes...the built in red-eye reducer does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!

60% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Canon PowerShot S50 5 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: resolution, wide range of options, quality of pictures.

Weakness: Complicated, no battery life gauge.

US1Camera said it would arrive in one week. It was exactly one week. Nothing was missing, everything worked. We got the lowest price available -- $100 off listed price at any local store. We would shop there again.

50% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

PowerShot S50

Canon PowerShot A70, PowerShot S400 Digital Elph, PowerShot S50; Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P8, DSC-P72; Olympus Stylus 300; Nikon Coolpix 3100; Minolta Dimage F300; Kyocera's Finecam S5

Read Full Review

Canon PowerShot S50

It was only a short while ago that I finished my review of the Canon PowerShot S45, a sleek 4-megapixel model with great style and even better picture quality. Now comes the PowerShot S50, a *5-megapixel* model that's a virtual clone of the S45. The most obvious difference between the two is that the S50 is housed in a jet-black metal case, certain to appeal to "guy" sensibilities, as well as to...

Read Full Review