Canon PowerShot S80 Review
Simon Joinson, November 2005
Review based on a production Canon PowerShot S80
Just over a year after the launch of the 7 megapixel PowerShot S70 Canon revealed its replacement, the new S80, which boasts a slight redesign, an extra million pixels and a few new features - including the latest DIGIC II processor. The S80 is smaller and lighter than the S70 yet it packs a much larger (2.5") wide viewing angle LCD monitor, a control wheel / 4-way controller, XGA video capture (15 fps), USB 2.0 High-speed and SD/MMC storage. Some may, however, be a little disappointed to hear that RAW capture has been dropped.
Wide-angle 28-100mm (35mm equivalent) 3.6x Optical Zoom Lens
8.0 Megapixel CCD and UA Lens Technology for Superior Image Quality
Full photographic control
21 shooting modes
2.5-inch Wide viewing angle LCD screen
DIGIC II Processor
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Newly-designed easy-to-use interface
High Resolution (1024 x 768 pixel) XGA Movie Mode
Canon PowerShot S70 vs PowerShot S80 (main differences)
Canon PowerShot S80
Canon PowerShot S70
Effective Pixels 8.0 million 7.1 million
Processor DIGIC II DIGIC I
Max image size 3264 x 2448 3072 x 2304
Storage SD /MMC CompactFlash
Raw mode No Yes
LCD screen 2.5-inch, 115,000 pixels 1.8-inch 118,000 pixels
Max movie size • 1024 x 768 at 15 fps
• 640 x 480 at 15 or 30 fps • 640 x 480 at 10 fps up to 30 secs
Shooting modes • Auto
• Program AE
• Shutter priority AE
• Aperture priority AE
• Manual
• Custom
• My Colors
• Portrait
• Landscape
• Night Scene
• Night Snapshot
• Kids & Pets
• Indoor
• Foliage
• Snow
• Beach
• Fireworks
• Underwater
• Digital Macro
• Stitch Assist
• Movie • Auto
• Program AE
• Shutter priority AE
• Aperture priority AE
• Manual
• Custom
• Portrait
• Landscape
• Night Scene
• Fast Shutter
• Slow Shutter
• Stitch Assist
• Movie
Continuous shooting Approx.1.8 fps Approx.2.0 fps
Connectivity USB 2.0 Hi-Speed USB 1.1
Dimensions 104 x 57 x 38.8 mm (4.1 x 2.2 x 1.5 in) 114 x 57 x 39mm (4.4 x 2.2 x 1.5in)
Weight (excl battery) 225 g (7.9 oz) 230 g (8.1 oz)
Key specifications
Street price • US: $514
• UK: £399
Body Material Metal
Sensor • 1/1.8 " CCD
• 8.0 million effective pixels
Image sizes • 3264 x 2448
• 2592 x 1944
• 2048 x 1536
• 1600 x 1200
• 640 x 480
Movie clips • 1024 x 768 at 15 fps
• 640 x 480 at 15 or 30 fps
• 320 x 240 at 15 or 30 fps
• 160 x 120 at 15 fps (3 mins max)
• Duration limited by card capacity (streaming), 1GB max file size
• AVI (Motion JPEG)
Lens • 28 - 100mm (35mm equiv)
• F2.8 - F5.3
• 3.6x zoom
Focus • TTL
• 9-point AiAF
• 1-point AF (any position or fixed center)
• Manual
• Macro: 4cm
Shooting mode • Auto
• Program AE
• Shutter priority AE
• Aperture priority AE
• Manual
• Custom
• Portrait
• Landscape
• Night Scene
• Night Snapshot
• Kids & Pets
• Indoor
• Foliage
• Snow
• Beach
• Fireworks
• Underwater
• Digital Macro
• Stitch Assist
• My Colors
• Movie with sound
• AE compensation -2.0EV to +2.0 EV in 1/3EV steps
Shutter speeds • 15 - 1/2000 sec
• Slow shutter speeds of 1.3 sec. or slower operate with noise reduction.
Apertures • Wide: F2.8 / 3.2 / 3.5 / 4.0 / 4.5 / 5.0 / 5.6 / 6.3 / 7.1 / 8.0
• Tele: F5.3 / 5.6 / 6.3 / 7.1 / 8.0
Metering • Evaluative
• Center-weighted average
• Spot (Center* or AF-point)
Sensitivity • Auto
• ISO 50
• ISO 100
• ISO 200
• ISO 400
White Balance • Auto
• 7 presets (Day Light, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash, Underwater)
• Custom (manual white balance)
Image parameters • Vivid
• Neutral
• Low Sharpening
• Sepia
• Black & White
• Custom (3 levels each of sharpness, contrast, saturation)
• My Colors (9 settings)]
Continuous • Approx.1.8 fps
• Large/Fine mode with LCD monitor off
Flash • Built-in flash
• Auto, manual, on/of, red-eye reduction
• Flash range (W): 55cm - 4.2m (1.8ft - 14ft) - auto ISO
• Flash range (T): 55cm - 2.0m (1.8ft - 6.6ft) - auto ISO
• Flash level control
• External High Power Flash HF-DC1 (optional)
Storage • SD /MMC
• 32 MB card supplied*
Viewfinder • Real Image Optical
• Approx 80% coverage
LCD monitor • 2.5 inch type, low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD
• 115,000 pixels
• picture coverage 100%
• Wide viewing angle
Connectivity • USB 2.0 Hi Speed
• AV out
Power • Rechargeable lithium ion battery (NB-2LH/NB-2L)
• Charger included
In the box*
• PowerShot S80 Body
• Battery Charger CB-2LWE
• Wrist Strap WS-DC1
• SD Memory Card SDC-32M
• Battery Pack NB-2LH
• Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM
• ArcSoft Camera Suite CD-ROM
• Interface Cable IFC-400PCU
• AV Cable AVC-DC300
Other features • PictBridge and DPOF compatible
• Playback & record histogram
• Autofocus Illuminator
• Voice Annotation: WAV (monaural) up to 60 seconds per image
• Optional Tele-converter 2.0x TC-DC10
• Optional Wide Converter 0.8x WC-DC10
• PC-controlled shooting via USB
• Optional underwater housing (up to 40m) WP-DC1
• AE Bracketing
Weight (inc batt) 268 g (9.4 oz.) approx
Dimensions 104 x 57 x 38.8 mm ((4.1 x 2.2 x 1.5 in)
* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area
If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).
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