Canon PowerShot S1 IS Digital Camera Review

Model Design / Appearance (7.5)
With its sleek silver and gray body, the contoured curves of the Canon PowerShot S1 emphasize the large 10x optical zoom lens, as well as the large number of control features, dials, and other functional options attached to the S1’s frame. The flip LCD located on the back is oddly sized, almost being overwhelmed by the camera body surrounding it. The pop-up flash is neatly hidden atop of the Electronic Viewfinder, which is accessible only when the LCD screen faces into the recessed portion of the camera body.

Size / Portability (6.5)
The substantial size of the Canon PowerShot S1 complicates portability, as does its reliance on four AA batteries for power, ostensibly for convenience. Once the batteries and Compact Flash card are added, this camera has some weight, and definitely has a husky build. The heft of this camera is alleviated during shooting by the contoured right side of the camera body, which fits comfortably into the palm of the user’s hand, allowing their fingers to curl around and grip with ease.

Handling Ability (7.5)
During automatic shooting, it’s easy to support the Canon PowerShot S1 with just the right hand, although this one-handed grip may falter after long shooting sessions. Although the Viewfinder only works when the LCD screen is hidden, that’s actually an advantage; for once, a greasy nose won’t leave trailing smudges on the LCD screen below it. Otherwise, the only other major handling problem occurs with the left hand, due to the lens barrel being so close to the edge of the camera body. The proximity makes it so that the user can only apply their left hand to the lens barrel itself, which only really works when not using the zoom or altering the focal length.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (7.5)
Although it has a larger body, the controls for the Canon PowerShot S1 are large enough to locate with ease and built with enough stability so that the user will not accidentally engage them when manipulating or altering other parameters of the camera. Although I definitely appreciate external control options, the large number of them may be a bit overwhelming for a first-time digital camera user, or even the experienced consumer.

Menu (7.5)
The PowerShot S1 is stocked with an elaborate menu. The main menu is accessible by depressing the "menu" button located below the directional pad on the back of the camera. There are three sub-sections from which the viewer can toggle: Rec. Menu, Setup, and My camera. Under each of these general categories, there are extensive features listed vertically with multiple corresponding options. The Rec. Menu heading contains a Flash Sync option, Red-Eye reduction control, Flash Pop-up (on/off), Settings for the Self-Timer, Control of the Wireless Delay, AF Point placement and selection of mode, MF-Point zoom which will enable the user to zoom in and out of a manually focused point, General AF control (continuous, single), on/off control of the camera’s Digital zoom, automatic image Review settings, Reverse Display, as well as the option to create shortcuts to resolution, ISO, whit balance, and other shooting settings.

The Set-up category under the Menu selection screen contains a listing of camera settings that can be set or altered. Among these are Mute/sound options, LCD brightness control, a power saving setting, dateline setting, Card formant options, File No. reset ability, opportunity to turn on/off automatic image rotation, settings to customize language, measurement units, and video system format.

My camera settings under the Menu contain customizable settings to personalize the camera to the user. Among these categories are Theme, Start-up Image and Sound, Operation Sound, as well as Shutter and Self-timer sounds.

Ease of Use (7.0)
The physical layout for the Canon PowerShot S1 is surprisingly comfortable to navigate. There are no cramped controls or other aggravations. The LCD screen’s ability to be turned to face inward is great news for users engaging the Viewfinder during image capture, and the movie button alleviates many of the problems with finicky or sensitive dual control shutter buttons. The metering controls are a bit obtuse, and some of the menu features may be a bit overwhelming for the first-time user, though they became more intuitive as usage progressed.