"Picky Details" for the Canon PowerShot S80 digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)
Timing
When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time or delay before the shutter actually fires. This corresponds to the time required for the autofocus and autoexposure mechanisms time to do their work, and can amount to a fairly long delay in some situations. Since this number is rarely reported on (and even more rarely reported accurately), and can significantly affect the picture taking experience, I routinely measure both shutter delay and shot to shot cycle times for all cameras I test, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the Canon PowerShot S80:
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(secs) |
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| Power On -> First shot |
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LCD turns on and lens extends forward.
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| Shutdown |
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First time is time to retract lens, second time is
worst-case buffer-clearing time.
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| Play to Record, first shot |
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Time until first shot is captured.
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| Record to play |
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First time is that required to display a large/fine
file immediately after capture, second time is that needed to display
a large/fine file that has already been processed and stored on the
memory card.
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| Shutter lag, full autofocus |
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First time is at full wide-angle, second is full telephoto. |
| Shutter lag, prefocus |
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Time to capture, after half-pressing shutter button.
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| Shutter lag, flash |
0.90
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Time from shutter button press to image capture. (Metering pre-flash usually slows shutter response slightly when the flash is enabled.) |
| Shutter lag, manual focus |
0.268
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Manual focus is usually faster than full autofocus, but slower than when the camera is "prefocused." |
| Cycle Time, max/min resolution |
1.43 / |
First number is for large/fine files, second number is time for "TV" mode (640x480) images. Times are averages. In both modes, shoots this fast continuously, clearing the buffer after each shot. |
| Cycle Time, Flash exposures | 7 | (Flash at maximum power output) |
| Cycle Time, continuous mode, max/min resolution | 0.61 / 0.45 (1.64 / 2.22 fps) |
First number is for large/fine files, second number is time for "TV" mode (640x480) images. Times are averages. In both modes, shoots this fast continuously, clearing the buffer after each shot. |
Power
The Canon PowerShot S80 uses a custom rechargeable LiIon battery for power. Because it doesn't have a standard external power connector, we weren't able to conduct our usual power consumption tests on it. Relying instead on Canon's published specs (based on the CIPA battery-life standard) the camera should be able to provide about 200 shots on a fully charged battery with its LCD on, or about 700 shots with its LCD off. Playback time on a fully charge battery is about 300 minutes.
Storage Capacity
The Canon PowerShot S80 stores its photos on SD / MMC memory cards, and a 32 MB card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying at least a 64 MB card, preferably a 128 MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored on the included 32 MB card at each size/quality setting.
| Resolution/Quality 32 MB Memory Card |
Fine | Normal | |
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| 3264 x 2448 | Images (Avg size) |
8 3.6 MB |
14 2.1 MB |
30 1.0 MB |
| Approx. Compression |
7:1 | 11:1 | 23:1 | |
| 2592 x 1944 | Images (Avg size) |
12 2.6 MB |
21 1.5 MB |
43 744 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
6:1 | 10:1 | 20:1 | |
| 2048 x 1536 | Images (Avg size) |
18 1.7 MB |
33 943 KB |
66 479 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
6:1 | 10:1 | 20:1 | |
| 1600 x 1200 | Images (Avg size) |
30 1.1 MB |
53 595 KB |
101 314 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
5:1 | 10:1 | 18:1 | |
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Images (Avg size) |
113 281 KB |
176 182 KB |
116 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
3:1 | 5:1 | |
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Download Speed
The Canon PowerShot S80 connects to a host computer via a USB interface. Downloading files to my Sony desktop running Windows XP (Pentium IV, 2.4 GHz), I clocked it at 2043 KBytes/second. (Cameras with slow USB interfaces run as low as 300 KB/s, cameras with fast v1.1 interfaces run as high as 600 KB/s. Cameras with USB v2.0 interfaces run as fast as several megabytes/second.)
S80 Test Images
S80 Specifications
S80 "Picky Details"
Up to Imaging Resource digital cameras area
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