Canon PowerShot S30

Clear, bright and detailed images from this excellent device.

Choosing a digital camera can be a tricky business. Not only do you need to weigh up the technical specifications, there's the physical aspects to consider.

A big camera may be very easy to use but if it's too heavy you won't want to carry it around. But then if the device is too small a shaky hand is more likely to cause blurry photos.

Canon seems to be thinking along the right lines with the PowerShot S30. At about the same size and weight as a traditional compact camera, its rugged casing should fit snugly in most hands. A thumb groove on the back sits where many digital cameras put their zoom control, adding to the comfort factor.

The PowerShot places its own zoom slider just in front of the shutter button. It's awkward at first but only because it's not in the usual position. The lens offers a handy 3x optical zoom and a less useful 3.2x digital zoom, which simply crops into the picture.

The camera moves smoothly from optical to digital, and the latter can be switched off. Canon claims a total of 10x digital zoom when combining the two. The lens retracts into the case when not in use and a sliding cover acts as both protection and power switch.

The rear of the S30 has a standard viewfinder and an extremely clear 1.8in LCD display. The other controls are situated around the display and are surprisingly intuitive; we were happily snapping in different modes long before we needed a peek at the manual.

At 3.2 megapixels, the S30 can take images at resolutions reaching 2,048 x 1,536 pixels, which provides enough fine detail for photo prints up to about 8 x 6in. What's more, the camera can be plugged into the CP-10 card printer for instant snaps.

The supplied 16Mb Compact Flash card stores eight images in JPG format at the highest setting (or five in RAW format), but decreasing resolution and increasing compression boosts things considerably. At 2,048 x 1,536 with standard compression the figure doubles to 16, while 26 can be stored at 1,600 x 1,200 with medium compression. Either way, it's advisable to buy a larger card.

Along with the usual automatic settings there are a total of 13 shooting modes (accessed via a wheel on the top of the camera or onscreen menus) including Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Fast Shutter, Slow Shutter, Colour Effects, Stitch assist (to blend photos together) and Movie.

The latter can record a 320 x 240 pixel or 160 x 120 pixel video with audio at 15 frames per second. As the camera records audio, the zoom can't be used in movie mode due to motor noise.

Keen photographers can use full manual exposure control or three Creative Zones to suit different situations and light settings. The S30 emulates film speeds up to ISO 800.

The good news is that both indoor and outdoor shots on Auto were terrific with excellent colour balance and faultless overall detail. Even at medium resolution with compression applied, images were crystal clear.

Also impressive is the speed between shots, and it's easy to review and delete pictures. A histogram option can be called up to check for proper exposure.

The PowerShot S30 can send its pictures to a PAL or NTSC TV, or to a PC for viewing and editing via USB. Canon's supplied ArcSoft Camera Suite 1.1 software is simple and easy to use and provides basic editing and printing facilities.

The only negative points in operation were that subjects often complained about the rather blinding beam used by Canon's auto-focusing mechanism.

The other thing is that, during testing in temperatures slightly below zero, the LCD panel on our review model died. Whether the temperature does have an adverse effect is unclear but, if it does, this is a concern. Canon assures us it is a one-off but is going to investigate anyway.

Specifications:

• 3.2 megapixel CCD
• 1.8in LCD screen and optical viewfinder
• 3x optical zoom, 3.2x digital zoom
• Built-in flash
• Compact Flash II slot, 16Mb card supplied
• Rechargeable Lithium battery
• Shutter speeds 15-1/500 sec
• ISO 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800
• Dimensions: (W x H x D) 112 x 58 x 42mm; weight: 260g
• Charger and AV cable supplied.

Minimum requirements: PC - Windows 98 (inc. SE), Me, 2000, XP; Mac - OS 8.6 to 9.1.

Contact: Canon 0800 616417
www.canon.co.uk