Digital Camera Home > Digital Camera Reviews > Canon Digital Cameras > Canon PowerShot S300

Canon PowerShot S300 Canon makes a major update to their original S100 "Digital ELPH": More zoom, more controls, and better photos. Hard to beat! Select a topic Reference: Datasheet PowerShot S300 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on PowerShot S300 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Image Storage & Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Test Results & Conclusion>> Page 11:Video, Power, Software Review First Posted: 4/5/2001

Video Out
The S300 comes with an A/V cable that allows you to connect the camera to a television set for reviewing images and movies, or for composing shots (US and Japanese models come set up for NTSC and European models for PAL). The television can be used as a viewfinder in all modes except Stitch Assist.


Power
The S300 utilizes a Canon NB-1L rechargeable battery pack for power, meaning you don't have the option of popping in a set of AAs in a pinch. The good news is that the battery pack uses lithium ion cells, meaning you can recharge it at any time without worrying about permanently reducing its charge capacity. Lithium ion batteries also have the advantage that they don't "self discharge" (lose charge just sitting there) the way the more common NiMH batteries do. Canon estimates that a fully charged battery pack will provide approximately 120 shots with the LCD monitor on and about 270 shots with it off. In Playback mode, Canon estimates that a fully charged battery pack will provide about 85 minutes of playback time. (Due to the odd battery compartment shape and special battery, we weren't able to measure power consumption directly as we normally do. Instead, we timed how long the camera would operate in various modes with a fully charged battery.) An optional AC adapter is available and highly recommended for use during image playback or when downloading captured images to your computer. There's also an Auto Power Off function that can be turned on through the Setup menu and which shuts down the camera automatically after three minutes of inactivity. The table below details power consumption in various operating modes.

Operating Mode	Operating Time
Capture Mode, w/LCD	60 minutes
Capture Mode, no LCD	? minutes (not measured)
Playback Mode	85 minutes (Canon's number)

The worst-case power consumption for the camera is in Capture mode, with the LCD activated. The 60 minutes of continuous run time we measured in that mode is a bit lower than average among cameras we've tested, but not too bad. Still, our standard recommendation of always buying at least one additional battery for your camera stands.


Included Software

Learn what the manual left out - How to *use* your camera. Camera manuals are (sometimes) fine for knowing which button does what, but where do you go to learn how and when to use the various features? Dennis Curtin's "Shortcourses" books and CDs are the answer. (Cheap for what you get, too.) Order the Shortcourses manual for the camera reviewed in this article.

Packaged with the S300 are two software CDs containing Canon's Digital Camera Solution Disk (version 4.0) and ArcSoft's Camera Suite (VideoImpression and PhotoImpression), compatible with Windows 98/2000/Me and Macintosh OS 8.1 or higher. The Solution Disk software provides an image browser tool that handles image downloading, manages files (displays, moves, copies, etc.), sets up images for printing and allows you to set up images for e-mail. As part of the Solution Disk, the PhotoStitch software allows you to connect your panoramic sequence images by automatically arranging them into the correct order. The software also assists with cropping and alignment. A Remote Capture package (part of the Solution Disk) allows you to operate the camera from the computer, letting you control exposure features. Remote Capture also offers a time-lapse function, which takes a series of still images at specified intervals.

ArcSoft PhotoImpression provides additional downloading, organization, printing, and minor editing tools for managing your digital images. Images can be organized into "albums," or cropped, rotated, or flipped before being printed. VideoImpression offers a limited array of video editing tools, allowing you to edit your movie files,by deleting or adding frames. VideoImpression also allows you to link together still images and movie clips into longer movie files.

We don't normally go into much detail on the software packages accompanying the cameras we review, but the bundle that accompanies the S300 looks more complete than most. Canon's ZoomBrowser image organizer tool is quite functional and useful, and their PhotoStitch application is one of the better panorama-stitchers on the market. ArcSoft's digicam-oriented packages are also some of the more user-friendly on the market. Overall, a very nice bundle.


Included Hardware
Included in the box are the following items:

• Canon PowerShot S300 Digital ELPH
• Wrist strap
• A/V cable
• USB cable
• Battery charger
• NB-1L rechargeable battery with case
• 8MB CompactFlash card with case
• Two software CDs
• Instruction manuals and registration information