My ListsMore
Search Assist: On | Off
Shopping > Electronics > Digital Cameras > All Digital Cameras > Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH Digital Camera > Reviews

Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH Digital Camera

User Reviews: Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH

Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH Digital Camera
Pricing Not Available
4.1 out of 5.0 stars 242 Ratings (38 Reviews)

  • Overall:

    Features:

    Quality:

    Support:

    Value:

    Great compact camera

    By Yahoo! Shopping User  May 1, 2004 | 204 out of 210 found this Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH review helpful

    Pros: Small size, solid construction, picture quality, good focus in dark situations. Really fast to power on and get ready for next shot. Good balance of features for a compact camera.

    Cons: Battery life could be better, does not use the same battery charger as other canon cameras, included memory card is small (but isn't that always the way)

    I bought this camera primarily for its portability. I have owned a Canon G3 for over a year and it is an incredible camera, but just too bulky to fit in a pocket. I wanted something that could be taken anywhere but would still take high quality shot...s. The S500 seemed to fit the bill.Image quality is excellent for a camera this small. It is NOT as good as the G3 (which is only 4MP), but that is hardly surprising given it's tiny lens. But you really have to put the two shot side by side to see that there is some room for improvement in the S500. The S500 is also really fast - much faster than the G3. You're ready to take the next shot in just a second which is really useful.The camera is the perfect size and weight. There are smaller cameras on the market, but anything smaller than the S500 is very hard to hold and keep steady. It is also a beautiful looking camera and feels really solid.For a camera this size it has some nice features like panorama mode and and AF assist light that allows it to focus in total darkness (more useful than I at first imagined it would be). The camera works with Mac computers right out of the box too. The first time I used the camera, the battery seemed to drain fast. I was using a lot of flash however. The battery indicator on the LCD only appears when the battery is almost dead which is not particularly useful. Probably a good idea to get a second battery. The battery charger is a sleve type device that you insert the battery into - you cannot charge the camera with the battery still in it like you can with other Canon cameras and video camcorders.One other disappointing thing was that my 1GB IBM Microdrive that I use in the G3 is too thick to fit in the S500 memory slot. The S500 is short on memory out of the box.Finally, I'm not sure whether it was worth paying the extra $100 for the S500 over the 4MB S400. Apart from the higher resolution, most other features are identical.All in all however, this is an excellent camera and probably one of the best in the compact class. Read more Less

    Was this review helpful? Yes - No

  • Overall:

    Features:

    Quality:

    Support:

    Value:

    Powershot S500

    By Yahoo! Shopping User  Mar 24, 2004 | 59 out of 72 found this Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH review helpful

    Pros: 5.0 Megapixels; all of the features;panoramic ability;B/W pictures

    Cons: Price; included CF memory card is too small

    I have only owned traditional cameras. This is my first digital camera and it has brought me over! I will never buy another traditional camera again. The picture capability, features, and size of the camera are all very appealing. It can do everythin...g a traditional camera can do and more! Read more Less

    Was this review helpful? Yes - No

  • Overall:

    Features:

    Quality:

    Support:

    Value:

    A Great Camera

    By Yahoo! Shopping User  Apr 15, 2004 | 26 out of 30 found this Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH review helpful

    Pros: almost everything

    Cons: the included battery

    This is a great camera. I bought it for my wedding trip and the image quality is really excellent. I quickly sold my old olympus optical camera after seeing the image quality taken by Canon S500.The only problem is I cannot get the Macro mode to take... clear pictures despite of several tries, I don't know if anybody else has the same problem. I do not really need the macro mode anyway.You will definitely need a backup battery cause the included battery seems to have short life and I missed some good moments to take pictures in my trip. Read more Less

    Was this review helpful? Yes - No

  • Overall:

    Features:

    Quality:

    Support:

    Value:

    Great compact digital camera

    By Yahoo! Shopping User  Oct 1, 2004 | 24 out of 26 found this Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH review helpful

    Pros: Small size, mpeg w/sound, 5 megapixels, ease of use

    Cons: Very grainy picture quality under low-light conditions

    Canon S410 is probably a better deal. The 5 MP over 4 MP is not worth it for the price difference, especially since they are both small cameras. If you're buying this for its compact size and look, save yourself some cash and buy the S410 instead.... Read more Less

    Was this review helpful? Yes - No

  • Overall:

    Features:

    Quality:

    Support:

    Value:

    Excellent combination of quality, size, & features

    By Yahoo! Shopping User  Oct 29, 2004 | 15 out of 16 found this Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH review helpful

    Pros: 5 MP, pocket-sized, video w/sound, manual controls, panaramic capabilities, and rapid-shoot features

    Cons: small LCD (yet very clear, w/fast and powerful zoom!)

    Okay, this is my first digital camera. I wanted to buy the new 6.1 MP Kodak cuz it was the same price but I played with one and the flash wasn't worth a flip so the pictures all came out dim. The Canon's flash is very powerful and lights up t...o 11 meters away. This Canon can fit in your pocket and comes with a wriststrap (which I ALWAYS use as a precaution when handling my new tiny toy). The panaramic mode allows you to take pictures and shows you an overlap screen to match up the next picture, and then on the computer the PhotoStitch software makes it a breeze to automatically 'stitch' all those side-by-side pictures together to make one incredible view. This makes up for the fact that it's not an SLR (single lens reflex) camera and doesn't have a wide-angle lens to attach. Nor does it have a external flash mount, but you don't need it with its powerful flash.The moview modes work wonderfully for up to 3 min. continous shooting with sound at 15 fps for the two smaller resolutions with are the only ones available in all other Canon models. This S500 features a higher resolution capability of 640 X 480 at 10 fps with full sound for up to 30 seconds. I took it on my honemoon recently and when we came back to the hotel we could hook the camera to the A/V jacks on the front of the TV and watch the pictures and videos from that day on the big screen--VERY COOL attachment feature that comes standard with it. But if you're wanting great video then you will buy a camcorder anyways. I bought a tripod for taking the panaramic shots although I've taken them without a tripod also. Definitely one of the best cameras out there. The ONLY drawsback is the 1.5" LCD which seems small compared to the new 2.5" Sony is putting out now. However, the Canon's LCD screen is VERY good quality and has a fast zoom so it's not bad at all--just a tad smaller than its best competition. Some complain about the battery but a full charge will take a ton of pictures/video so I can't complain. Its got a powerful flash so I'd expect a battery that doesn't last forever. I bought a 512 MB card for it and I can fill up my card with 190 5 mega-pixel pictures on the highest quality (Superfine) on a single charge. If you put it the lowest quality (Normal) and change the resolution down to 640 X 480 I could store something like 4000 pictures on my card. It's ridiculous. I definitely recommend the S500. For $400 its a good investment if you can take care of it (and it does has a very durable shell). Read more Less

    Was this review helpful? Yes - No

  • Overall:

    Features:

    Quality:

    Support:

    Value:

    Marvelous

    By Yahoo! Shopping User  Mar 27, 2004 | 15 out of 16 found this Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH review helpful

    Pros: Excellent price, excellent features, compact size

    Cons: Short battery life, short zoom

    This is a great camera to buy if you are looking for an ultra-compact but high-megapixel camera, and of course Canon is perennially a top-notch product.The battery life seems rather short, but you can always buy a replacement (around $50-70). Also, t...he software is a little snotty when paired with Windows XP. But the compact size and 5.0 megapixel resolution make up for this. Plus, its features include panoramic stitching, rapid-fire shooting and countless others.It is easy to use and fits in your pocket. What else can you ask for?The Powershot Elph S-500 is the best compact camera out there! Read more Less

    Was this review helpful? Yes - No

  • Overall:

    Features:

    Quality:

    Support:

    Value:

    First Cannon, no turning back

    By Yahoo! Shopping User  May 24, 2004 | 11 out of 12 found this Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH review helpful

    Pros: Top-notch product

    Cons: Pretty Pricey But Worth every Penney

    I read all the reviews on this site and compared products and brands as well as features. I was persuaded by Cannon's reputation and quality which is evident when you buy the product. This is a great camera for people with kids and the movie mode... is great not to mention the DEAL I got!!!! Read more Less

    Was this review helpful? Yes - No

  • Overall:

    Features:

    Quality:

    Support:

    Value:

    Canon Products

    By Yahoo! Shopping User  Dec 7, 2004 | 12 out of 18 found this Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH review helpful

    Pros: Looks good.

    Cons: Head ache when you need it to be repaired.

    Never be deceived by Canon products. Once it malfunctions and you bring it to their service center, you will find out that the repair labor and material cost is as expensive as the price you bought it.And I got to Canon products which serves as paper... weight in the house, a Scanner N64P and a Photo camera model Prima.So beware of canon products. Its your well saved money at stake. Read more Less

    Was this review helpful? Yes - No

  • Overall:

    Features:

    Quality:

    Support:

    Value:

    I LOVE MY DIGI CAM!

    By Yahoo! Shopping User  Dec 8, 2004 | 5 out of 5 found this Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH review helpful

    Pros: My pictures look like postcards! Fabulous quality & EASY TO USE!

    Cons: ? i have no complaints!

    This camera provides fabulous quality pictures. I went to Greece and came back with amazing photos that professional photographers have complimented me on! Even my pictures from a trip to a local zoo are professional quality! The Canon digi cam is so... EASY TO USE, so for people who like simplicity in their technology, this is a must. You dont need to read the directions to figure out how to work the various functions. It also comes handy software to edit pictures.I've had it for over a year now, and I have yet to see a camera that can top this one Read more Less

    Was this review helpful? Yes - No

  • Overall:

    Features:

    Quality:

    Support:

    Value:

    next camera will be canon

    By Yahoo! Shopping User  Mar 9, 2005 | 5 out of 6 found this Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH review helpful

    Pros: pocket sized, excellent images

    Cons: battery life, 3x optical zoom

    This is the first digi camera I've owned. The image quality is striking. Even the macro is decent- though often it takes 5 shots to get 1 decent shot, in macro. It's worth the patience. I'm very happy I bought this camera. My next camera ...will be a EOS 20D. Read more Less

    Was this review helpful? Yes - No

Rate & Write a Review: Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH

All fields marked with * are required
0 out of 5.0 stars
0 out of 5.0 stars
0 out of 5.0 stars
0 out of 5.0 stars
0 out of 5.0 stars
0 out of 5.0 stars
0 out of 5.0 stars
0 out of 5.0 stars
Maximum of 4,000 characters
Cancel

Rate & Write a Review: Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH

Thank You. Your review has been posted.
View your postClose
  

Please send us your feedback on our site.  •  Find, Compare, Read Reviews & Buy Canon PowerShot S500 DIGITAL ELPH Digital Camera Reviews - Online @ Yahoo! Shopping  •  Want to see your products in Yahoo! Shopping? Build your own online store or Advertise with us. Current Advertisers Sign in  •  Make money with Yahoo! Shopping APIs, now powering Yahoo! Tech.  •  Learn more about our paid syndication program.  •  Sitemap  •  Top Searches  •  All Brands

Information about prices, products, services and merchants is provided by third parties and is for informational purposes only. Yahoo! does not represent or warrant the accuracy or reliability of the information, and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use.