Canon PowerShot S100 Digital ELPHCanon packs 2 megapixels and a 2x optical zoom into the "smallest digicam on the planet!"<<Video, Power, Software :(Previous) | (Next): Reference: Datasheet>> Page 12:Test Results & ConclusionReview First Posted: 6/20/2000 |
Test Results
As always in our reviews, we strongly encourage you to
view the sample pictures we shot with the PowerShot
S100 Digital ELPH. If you're shopping for a camera, there's simply
no substitute for looking at and directly comparing images from various
cameras you may be considering. What makes a "good" picture
is almost entirely subjective, and it's ultimately up to each person
to decide what makes them happy. (Kinda like life, that way... ;-)
View the pictures on the S100 sample photo
page, and compare them with ones shot under similar conditions
by other cameras, in the Comparometer(tm).
Download them and print them out on your printer, since appearances
on-screen can be deceiving. Then make your decision,
based on what you see! Besides an index to the pictures
we shot with the S100 though, the pictures page also has much-expanded
analysis of each of our test shots.
As we said at the outset, the S100 Digital ELPH distinguishes itself
as the smallest digicam we've seen yet (June, 2000), as well as one
of the most ruggedly constructed. This is clearly a camera to drop
in a pocket and take anywhere, with little concern for things like
a scratched or smudged lens, dinged body, etc. In our testing, it
became apparent that you pay at least some price for the incredible
compactness relative to Canon's (excellent, and already pretty compact)
previous models, the S10 and S20. Still, the image-quality penalty
is fairly modest, mostly in the form of a somewhat softer image and
a slightly odd tone curve. Overall, if portability is a key concern,
there's literally nothing on the market that can touch the S100 Digital
ELPH!
As noted, we found the S100 had pretty accurate color overall, but
slightly uneven color saturation relative to other Canon digicams
we've tested: Some colors are slightly muted (yellows, some shades
of blue), while others (bright reds) tend to over-saturate slightly.
The S100's peak contrast point is also about where most (Caucasian)
skin tones are, causing it to emphasize skin blemishes somewhat. Overall
though, color on the S100 is quite good, probably about in the middle
of the range for current 2 megapixel cameras.
In our past tests of Canon's digicams, we've always been impressed
with the exceptional sharpness of their lenses. Perhaps due to its
much smaller size, the lens on the S100 doesn't appear to be quite
as sharp, turning in more average results for a 2 megapixel camera.
We don't want to make too big a deal of this though: The S100's images
are clearly those of a 2 megapixel camera, with noticeably better
resolution and detail than even the best 1.3 megapixel units. If you
want two megapixels and supreme portability, the S100 is the way to
go. If space in your pocket or purse is at less of a premium, Canon's
own PowerShot S10 will give sharper pictures.
Our laboratory resolution test revealed some interesting facts about
the S100's: It turned in a surprisingly good performance on our resolution
test. We say "surprising" because as just noted, we felt
that many of its other test images were a little soft compared to
the best performers in the 2 megapixel field (Canon's own S10 chief
among them). The laboratory results though, showed that the camera
captures a reasonable amount of detail, but loses out somewhat in
the sharpness category. (A good illustration of the difference between
"resolution" and "sharpness".) Horizontal resolution
was a solid 700-750 lines per picture height, while vertical resolution
was 600-650 lines. These numbers are quite competitive within the
2 megapixel market. As to the sharpness, we found that applying strong
unsharp masking with a small radius (130%, 0.3 pixels) in Photoshop(TM)
greatly improved the crispness of the image, without introducing any
unpleasant artifacts. Seeing this, we went back to some of our other
shots, and tried the same trick. We found that 130% unsharp masking
was a bit much for general subjects, but unsharp masking of 100% and
0.3 pixels radius made a significant difference in how the pictures
looked: Noise was increased somewhat, but the photos overall picked
up a much sharper, crisper appearance. This suggests that some routine
post-processing of the S100's images could significantly improve their
apparent image quality. (Just don't try this on portrait shots of
your significant other: You'll be able to count every pore, hair,
and wrinkle!)
The S100 also did pretty well in the macro category, capturing a minimum
area of 3.97 x 2.98 inches (100.88 x 75.66 mm). This isn't the smallest
minimum capture area, but is sufficient to get pretty detailed shots
of many small objects. (Jewelry, bugs, etc.)
We were pleasantly surprised by the S100's low-light capabilities,
as we obtained useable images as low as 1 foot-candle (11 lux). We
were still able to see a fair bit of detail as low as 1/16 EV (0.67
lux), but noticed a major jump in image brightness between 1/2 and
1 foot-candles (5.5 and 11 lux). Most likely, this is due to the camera's
lowest shutter speed being one second, which is probably not slow
enough for the 6 EV light level. For reference, 1 foot-candle is about
the light level of a reasonably well-lit city night scene under typical
streetlights.
The S100's optical viewfinder is a little tight, showing approximately
84 percent of the final image area at wide angle and about 85 percent
at telephoto. The LCD monitor was much more accurate, showing about
99 percent of the final image area at both wide angle and telephoto
settings (it actually seemed a little loose on the 640 x 480 image
size at wide angle, cutting off part of the heavy black outline that
we use as a guide). We generally like to see LCD monitors as close
to 100 percent accuracy as possible, so the S100 comes through with
flying colors in this category, and it's optical viewfinder accuracy
is very typical of other digicams, as most seem to be designed for
85% coverage. We also shot at the 2x and 4x digital telephoto settings,
which were very accurate, but resolution became worse with each setting.
(And we had significant difficulty in the studio, discerning where
the lines were on the LCD display in these modes, as the viewfinder
display became quite fuzzy in digital tele mode.)
Optical distortion on the S100 is fairly low at the wide angle end,
showing an approximate 0.4 percent barrel distortion. Oddly enough,
we found barrel distortion at the telephoto end as well, albeit an
almost imperceptible 0.1 percent. (Most lenses switch to pincushion
distortion in telephoto mode.) Chromatic aberration was very low,
maybe showing half a pixel of coloration on each side of the target
elements. (This distortion is visible as a very slight colored fringe
around the objects at the edges of the field of view on the resolution
target). Flash distribution looked very even at the telephoto setting,
but had some falloff at wide-angle.
In summary, the PowerShot S100 Digital ELPH offers good image quality
in an unbeatable compact package that's built to take the bumps and
bruises of everyday toss-it-in-your-pocket handling.
Conclusion
The PowerShot S100 Digital ELPH packs the most "wow" factor
than just about any other digicam we've tested this year. Its teeny,
tiny size immediately draws attention, and its unusually rugged all-metal
case invites you to treat it casually, just dropping it in a pocket
to take anywhere. We're big believers in the axiom that cameras that
sit at home don't take many pictures, a fate the Digital ELPH will
never face. It offers a nice array of exposure modes and features,
but is also clearly intended for the point & shoot user, rather
than the serious photo buff who wants complete exposure control. It's
image quality is a slight notch down from Canon's previous (and already
pretty compact) PowerShot S10, but the images are clearly those of
a 2 megapixel camera, in terms of resolution and overall quality.
If you're looking for the ultimate in digicam portability, the S100
wins the contest hands-down!
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