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[ der Reisemensch ]
Camera information: I have been a faithful user of Canon's line of PowerShot Digital Elph models (Digital Ixus in Europe) for 3 years now. I first used a PowerShot S100 that I had borrowed from a friend for a 16-day trip to Australia. I fell in love with its robust design and the quality of the pictures taken, even though I had no clue about digital camera stuff at the time and did the point- and-shoot thing (everything automatic, only 1,024x768 pixels resolution, only medium/fine compression). I then purchased the next available model, the PowerShot S200, for a 3-week trip through Asia one year later. While I still shot everything point-and-shoot-style (automatic everything, maybe a first try to selectively use the flash or the nightshot mode), I already went to the maximum quality settings (1,536x1,280 pixels resolution, low/superfine compression). Through a friend I unexpectedly had the offer to upgrade to an almost-new PowerShot S230, which I did due to the higher maximum resolution of 2,048x1,536 pixels. I also did it because of the even better picture quality promised by Canon thanks to a new color processing chip. I have now taken over 12,000 photos with this camera and everything pretty much still seems to be fine... should I be concerned about potential wear and tear on the mechanics or the rechargeable battery and put money aside for a new one? Great things about the S230: Compact enough to carry in a small bag attached to your belt. Very sturdy design. Fast battery charger (about 1 hour). Intuitive menu structure, nice use of both hands. All the manual settings you want and need without any of the fuzz you don't. Generally speaking, the best bang for the buck on the market, to this day. Fantastic display screen with bright and crisp colors, most importantly very close to the final result. There are better cameras for much more money, and there are cameras at the same price that can't do half of what this puppy can do. Bad things about the S230: I insist on using the preview screen, so battery life sucks - I make it through one day of taking 30-50 pictures without flash (taking one picture meaning turning camera on and off each time, thus always using the motor). The lens system is small and flat with a very weak optical zoom (2x) - normally, not a problem, except when trying to get closer to things that won't let you, such as animals in the wild. The image processor has problems with high-contrast situations, such as bright cloudy skies with darker stuff below the horizon (your choice to over-expose the top or under-expose the bottom). Small and slow movie buffer only allows for up to 30 seconds at VGA resolution; no sound playback. How I take my photos: Technically speaking: Settings that I pretty much always leave untouched: Manual, vivid color effect, white balance program as needed, ISO 50 unless fast-moving or low light. Settings that I play with depending on the situation: Lowered white balance in bright daylight or as an effect for intentional counterlight exposures. Higher ISO settings for no-flash pictures in lower-light situations rather than using flash. Definitely use the fill-in flash in bright daylight with dark shadows, such as on the face of a person. Definitely stabilize camera (tripod or rest on fix object) for shake-indicated situations. Practically speaking: Good pictures have little to do with using fancy manual camera settings - that's just to squeeze out those last 2% of available quality or to use the camera successfully in those few situations where it just won't work at all automatically (hey, take a photo of the stars - flash! hehehe...). Rule number one: Take advantage of the fact that you have a digital camera - take many, many pictures and delete many, many pictures. Rule number two: Take pictures yourself that you have seen somewhere else - that's how you learn about the two most important things... picture composition and motive selection. |