Model Design / Appearance (8.0)
As with similar digital cameras at this price point, the Canon PowerShot S500 seems to have been designed with ease of use, overall functionality, and sex appeal in mind. Canon’s sleek, sexy, and shimmery design does wonders for attracting attention, and the cool metal look isn’t just a façade. Despite its small size, the Canon PowerShot S500 is a solid piece of consumer gadgetry, with enough heft to remind users they’re holding something of value. The rectangular design is pretty standard for this type of digital camera, yet the body’s silver matte finish and silver reflective design accents help the Canon PowerShot S500 stand out in a crowd.
Size / Portability (8.0)
Measuring just 3.4 x 2.2 x 1.1 inches, with a volume of 8.23 in³, and weighing approximately 6.5 oz., the Canon PowerShot S500 is appropriately named the Digital ELPH, which is surely an allusion to the beautiful, pointy-eared and nimble dwellers of Middle Earth. Perhaps just a bit wide for a tight pants pocket, the Canon PowerShot S500 is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but big enough (and heavy enough) to not get lost in a baggy pocket.
Handling Ability (8.0)
When it comes to handling something small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, the aphorism “I’m all thumbs” quickly comes to mind. However, when picking up the Canon PowerShot S500, both the thumb and the middle finger of the right hand fall naturally into voided spaces on the back and front of the camera. The buttons and other features on the back of the Canon PowerShot S500 are well-placed, as the thumb rests naturally in an area free of buttons while still being in “reach” of button central. The front of the Canon PowerShot S500 is also intelligently designed, with the lens barrel off-center and to the left, leaving plenty of room for the middle and ring fingers of the right hand to move and grip the camera without obstructing the view.
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (6.0)
The design of the Canon PowerShot S500 strikes a nice balance between attractiveness and overall functionality, and button placement falls within this design paradigm. The combined shutter button and zoom toggle is large, and has been conveniently placed within easy reach of the right hand index finger. The play/camera mode switch is out of reach of wandering digits. The mode dial on the left of the Canon PowerShot S500 is positioned well for access between shots, but it's still out of the way, so as not to be inadvertently accessed. Additionally, the tension on the mode dial, along with its relatively small size, prevents unintended mode shifting.
Menu (7.0)
With digital cameras, the menu is the control center for making more detailed adjustments to camera function, image quality, image size, and so on. The menu on the Canon PowerShot S500 can be accessed in either playback or shooting modes by pressing the menu button on the bottom left of the back of the camera. Once engaged in either mode, the menu page is split into three menus, which can be switched through either using the zoom toggle or the right and left buttons of the four-button keypad on the back. The first menu is either the Record or Play menu, depending on the mode. The selections differ for this page, depending on the mode, but the other two menus (Set-Up menu and My Camera) are the same, regardless of mode.
The individual options on the menus are highlighted with a darker background color and underlined in yellow, to indicate selection. Users can switch between menus by using either the four-button keypad or the zoom toggle. Once on the desired menu, one uses the up and down buttons of the navigation keypad to sift among the options. Once in a subsection of the menu, the left and right buttons of the keypad are again relevant, as additional adjustments will be available.
The Record menu (with the red SLR as an icon) lists the following as options for adjustment: Quick Shot, AiAF, Continuous shooting, Self-Timer, AF-assist Beam, Digital Zoom, Review, Long Shutter. These options are displayed as a list, and can be explored using the navigation keypad located on the back of the Canon PowerShot S500.
When the Canon PowerShot S500 is set to Play mode (with the blue rectangle and triangle icon), the following items are listed on the first menu page: Protect, Rotate, Sound Memo, Erase all, Slide Show, Print Order, Transfer Order. This list can be navigated by using the four-button navigation keypad.
In either Record or Play mode, the second menu option is the Set-Up Menu (with small orange tools as an icon). The Set-Up menu has the following options available for adjustment: Mute, Volume (Start-up Volume, Operational Volume, Self-timer Volume, Shutter Volume, and Playback Volume), LCD Brightness, Power Saving (Auto Power Down, Display Off), Date/Time, File Number Reset, Auto Rotate, Language, Video System.
The third menu, the My Camera menu (colored purple, with a person and a camera as an icon), has the following options: Theme, Start-up Image, Start-up Sound, Operation Sound, Self-timer Sound, Shutter Sound, My Camera Menu Contents.
The menus are pretty intuitive, but not as intuitive as the Sony digital camera menus. They do come in as a close second, with a menu system that does not leave the user claustrophobic, or wondering where they came from or where they are going.
Ease of Use (8.0)
The Canon PowerShot S500 has ease of use pretty much in the bag. The menus are intuitive and easily navigable, as are the control and feature buttons scattered around the camera’s body. Automatic mode takes some of the guesswork out of taking decent pictures, and there are enough manual controls to allow novice users room for growth. Handling is a big part of ease of use, and the features and overall layout of the Canon PowerShot S500 are both very convenient. Switching between modes is easy and intuitive… as simple as rotating the mode dial between the four modes.
The Canon PowerShot S500 is about as easy to use as they come. The design and overall button placement, as well as the internal menu and function layout, make the PowerShot S500 a camera among cameras to use.
