Canon PowerShot S500 5MP 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 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.
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.
Helpful consumer’s review
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.
