Canon PowerShot S80

Connectivity
Software (7.0)
The Canon PowerShot S80 comes with Canon’s Digital Camera Solution Disk version 26.0. The CD-ROM takes about ten minutes to load several software programs. The main viewing program is the Canon ZoomBrowser EX, which has good viewing capabilities and extremely simplified editing options. PhotoStitch software is included to merge photographs together from the camera’s Stitch Assist mode. PhotoRecord software lets users create and print scrapbook-type photo albums with templates.

The ZoomBrowser EX program lets users view photos and video from three different screens. There is a Zoom mode that displays small thumbnails and then displays larger images when thumbnails are rolled over with the mouse. The Scroll mode has larger thumbnails and does the same roll-over enlargement that the Zoom mode does. The Preview mode displays thumbnails along the bottom of the screen and a selected larger image on top. Its image file info sits to the right, where users can add keywords, captions, and three-star ratings. In all of the viewing modes, users can rotate, delete, search or play slide shows.

In any of these views, users can double-click on an image or press the View Image button on top and open a new window with just the selected picture or video. Movies can be played, but not really edited. Still images can be taken from video with the Export button on the left side of the screen. Pictures have few editing options: Red Eye Correction, Auto Adjustment, Color/Brightness Adjustment, Sharpness, Trim and Insert Text. Overall, Canon’s ZoomBrowser EX is very easy to use, but doesn’t let users do much. Oddly enough, there are actually more editing features within the camera itself!

The PhotoStitch software is very simple, though. It lays out a three-step process that makes it easy to understand and perform. Users simply select images, click a button that automatically merges them, and then save them. There is no way to manually tweak the panoramas, so users must rely on the accuracy of the program.

The included PhotoRecord software is yet another very simplified program, but it is for creating and printing albums. It has an easy step-by-step process. First, users "Fetch Photos." Then they select the printer and album type, followed by paper selection. Users can decorate the album with templates and backgrounds, then add titles and captions. The print button is the final stage of the process.

Overall, the included software doesn’t really match the capabilities of the S80. For a hybrid device, I’d expect at least simple movie editing software. Users can export stills from the video, but can’t even delete unwanted footage. Even the still image editing options aren’t very thorough. Users can rotate and do some automatic corrections, but can’t color balance.

Jacks, Ports, Plugs (6.5)
Most compact digital cameras merge the USB and A/V ports into a single jack, but the S80 has two separate jacks. This PowerShot has a door on its right side that opens to reveal both a USB and an A/V port. The S80 supports USB 2.0 cables and has options for NTSC and PAL video signals. There is no port for a power adaptor, which is unfortunate because the battery fades quickly; this could be a problem when viewing long slide shows on a television.

Direct Print Options (7.5)
Printing from the Canon S80 is not as difficult as engaging other processes of this camera. It can create print orders in the playback menu and choose how many of each picture to print. It can produce index prints as well. This PowerShot has a designated Print button in the top left corner of the back. It also has an LED that lights up when transferring images to a printer or computer. The S80 is compatible with any PictBridge printer, but Canon markets it with its CP, Selphy, and Pixma photo printers. The S80 comes with a 72-page Direct Print User Guide, which could give users the wrong impression that printing is difficult. The manual is quite unnecessary: users must merely create a print order from the playback menu, connect the camera to the printer with the USB cable, and push the Print button.

Battery (5.0)
The Canon PowerShot S80 has an NB-2LH rechargeable lithium-ion battery that gets about 700 still shots per charge with the LCD screen off. But since no one wants to use an optical viewfinder that has only 80 percent coverage, the LCD screen will definitely be powered up more often. It must be inefficient, because the battery only lasts 200 shots when the screen is powered up. Overall, the battery is horribly inefficient and will spend lots of time sitting in its included wall-mount charger.

Memory (3.0)
The old Canon S70 used a CompactFlash card to store its images and video, but the S80 uses the smaller SD/MMC cards. The camera comes with a 32MB SD card, which is enough to hold 8 still images. For a camera that touts hybrid functionality, 32 MB seems a bit stingy. The Canon S80 is designed to navigate through lots and lots of files, but its included memory won’t hold that much. Definitely factor in the cost of purchasing more memory when deciding on this model.