Canon PowerShot S80 - Easy Camera Review

As the flagship of Canon’s hybrid digital cameras, the Canon PowerShot S80 houses 8 megapixels and includes an interesting XGA movie mode. This movie mode captures 2.5 times more data than standard movie modes with its 1024 x 768 pixel resolution. The S80 has a full range of manual, priority, and automatic still shooting modes and enough picture effects to keep low-end consumers busy and away from the computer. This PowerShot has a 3.6x zoom lens and a 2.5-inch LCD screen. It retails for $549, but can be found online for up to a hundred bucks less.

The Canon PowerShot S80 has a shiny black body that evokes a kitchen appliance aesthetic; it even has a sliding door that covers the front. The optical viewfinder is very inaccurate, as it only sees 80 percent of what is actually captured in a picture. Its use should be avoided if possible. The built-in flash is decent for a compact digital camera, reaching subjects up to 13.8 feet away. The S80 also has a 3.6x zoom lens that has a wide 28mm angle for taking pictures or video of large groups in tiny spaces.

But the back of the camera is enough to scare most novices away. It is cluttered with several buttons, which are each surrounded by two or three icons. With all the buttons, you can generally avoid the menu system. Do so when you can, because pieces of the menus are found in different places, which is even more confusing. The Canon PowerShot S80 isn’t a very easy to use camera and will require a hike up the learning curve. If you plan on purchasing this camera, set aside a few hours where you can curl up on your couch with the user manual and a bowl of popcorn.

The back of the Canon S80 also has a 2.5-inch LCD screen. It has a 100 percent view, so it is much better than the inaccurate viewfinder – but Canon skimped on its resolution. With only 115,000 pixels, the view isn’t completely smooth. It works for focusing and reviewing photos, but if you want to show off your slide show you should hook it up to a television with the included A/V cable.

The Canon PowerShot S80’s auto mode works well in good conditions, but once lighting dims the camera turns out pictures that are blurry or underexposed. The S80 does have 12 scene modes, including an Underwater mode. The S80 has a matching Underwater white balance mode and sells an underwater housing that encases the camera.

More interesting are the My Colors picture effects that work in still or video recording. Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Color Accent, Color Swap and Custom Color options are available. The Color Swap is quite cool because you can change the burnt orange shirt your dad is wearing into a nicer blue color – without ever having to enter a photo editing software program.

Because the Canon PowerShot S80 is marketed as a hybrid model, it has a lot of options in its movie mode. Its 1024 x 768 pixel mode is highlighted because it is the only compact digital camera to have it. Unfortunately, it records only 15 frames per second so it looks choppy. Movies can also be recorded at 640 x 480, 320 x 240, and 160 x 120 pixel sizes at 30 or 15 frames per second. The optical zoom cannot be used while shooting video, which is another sad aspect of this hybrid model.

Overall, the Canon PowerShot does have some cool features like the XGA movies, My Colors modes and loads of manual functionality. However, its features are difficult to access because of the crowded icons, buttons, and split menu system. $549 should be able to buy you some convenience. Keep looking.

Canon PowerShot S80 - THE BOTTOM LINE....

Likes

- Interesting My Colors effects - Great playback mode - Lots of live views - 22 menu languages offered

Dislikes

- Inaccurate viewfinder - Battery doesn't last long - No optical zoom in movie mode - Split menu system confusing - Poor LCD resolution

Canon PowerShot S70	Canon PowerShot S2 IS	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-M2	Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1	Olympus SP-500 UZ
Better	Better	Better	Better	Better
- Shot in JPEG and RAW formats - Faster 2 fps burst mode - Better LCD screen resolution with 118,000 pixels	- $499 price - Image stabilization system - LCD monitor flips out and rotates - Manually selectable stereo audio levels - Wind diffuser - Dual record buttons - Slightly better color reproduction - More powerful flash reach to 17 ft - 12x optical zoom lens - More organized buttons on back of camera - 15-1/3200 shutter speeds - f/2.7 maximum aperture	- Interesting Hybrid Record mode - 57 MB internal memory - Stereo audio recorded with videos - Optical zoom in movie and still recording - Slide shows with imported background music available - LCD monitor flips out and rotates - 123,000 pixels of resolution on LCD screen - Favorites playback function - Comes with camera dock	- 16:9 still and movie recording - Optical image stabilization system - 4x optical zoom lens - Good color reproduction - Faster 3 fps burst mode - 207,000 pixels on LCD screen - 8.4 megapixels - More compact 2.2 x 4.2 x 1-inch measurements - 14 scene modes - 2 custom white balance modes - 60-1/2000 shutter speed range - 240-shot battery life - Thorough software package included	- $379 price - 10x optical zoom lens - Shoots in JPEG and RAW formats - 15-1/1000 shutter speeds - Add frames and captions within camera - Optical zoom works in movie mode - 21 scene modes
Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal
- Same 28-100 mm 3.6x optical  zoom lens - Conversion lens compatible - Optical viewfinder included - Same metering and shutter speed options - Same ISO and white balance options - Stitch Assist mode	- Compatible with conversion lenses - Similar noise performance - 50-400 ISO range - Split menu structure	- Hybrid camera market offering - 640 x 480 movie mode at 30 fps	- 2.5-inch LCD screen - No optical zoom in movie mode - Aluminum body - Top ISO of 400 - Wide 28 mm lens - Flash reach to 13.5 ft	- Compatible with conversion lenses - 2.5 inch LCD screen - Top ISO of 400 - Designated Print button - 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 movie sizes at 30 fps - 1.75 fps burst mode - Lots of live views - f/2.8-8 aperture range
Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse
- 7.1 megapixels - Slightly different 4.5-inch long body - 0.2 oz heavier - 1.8-inch LCD screen	- No XGA movie mode - 1.8 inch LCD screen - 5 megapixels	- Weaker built-in flash - Confusing button placement - Strange cell-phone-like body - 3x optical zoom lens - Not many manual controls - No optical viewfinder - 5 megapixels	- $599 price tag - Noisy pictures - Poorly translated scene help menus - Rickety pop-up flash - Small controls	- 6 megapixels - Poor color reproduction - Plastic body