Canon PowerShot S80

Size / Portability (6.5)
This PowerShot is not slim by any measurement. At 4.1 x 2.2 x 1.5 inches, the S80 is a little smaller than the S70 but is still too thick for a pocket. The Canon S80 is bulky, but doesn’t have any major protrusions. The camera is just as heavy as it looks. It weighs 7.9 ounces without the card and battery; the hefty battery adds almost 2 ounces to the total. The Canon S80 is still a portable size and weight, but could cause some strain on the wrists with continuous shooting. There is an eyelet on the right side for the wrist strap, but the strap isn’t very comfortable because of the S80’s weight.

Handling Ability (6.0)
The Canon PowerShot S80 has an overall flat compact shape, but the body is contoured for better handling. There is no chunky right-hand grip, but the sliding lens cover protrudes ever so slightly and has a finger grip on it that works quite well. Also on the right side is a black rubbery band that surrounds the glossy shutter release button; this is also helpful. The zoom toggle is located on the crest of a sloped portion of the camera body and the bumps next to it make finding the toggle by feel simple. While the Canon S80 can be handled with one hand, two hands are definitely recommended – especially with its relatively hefty nature.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (6.5)
There are so many controls on the Canon S80 that they’ll probably scare any beginner away at first glance. The back of the camera is plagued by buttons of all colors, sizes, and shapes – all of which are surrounded by multiple icons. Most of the icons are intuitive, but there are a few that are quite puzzling. For example, the moon-shaped button to the top right of the navigational dial has an exposure compensation icon and an icon next to it that looks like a box with an arrow over it. This is the Jump button, but most users wouldn’t know that until breezing through the manual.

There are two unique features that relate to the S80’s control buttons and dials. First, the mode dial protrudes from the right side of the camera instead of sitting on top. This placement isn’t conducive to handling with the thumb, which has to cramp into an awkward position to turn the dial, but can be easily turned between thumb and pointer. The other unique feature is the navigational dial, which has a Func./Set button in the middle of a rotary wheel. The wheel can be pushed in the four directions like a traditional multi-selector or it can be turned iPod-style. The wheel is sensitive, so it doesn’t take much to rotate. This system took a little getting used to, but was actually quite fun. It definitely makes scrolling through pictures a quick process. Overall, there are more buttons than necessary and way more icons than the eye can handle, but most of the physical placement is decent.

Menu (7.0)
The Canon PowerShot S80 improved upon its predecessor with redesigned menus and a larger screen upon which to view them. With all of the control buttons on the body, however, there is no need for users to go digging in the menus often. Yet, on certain occasions, users may have trouble finding what they need. While there is a recording menu available when the Menu button is pushed, many of the shooting options are found with the push of the Func./Set button. The manual mode has the most shooting options in the recording menu; some options, like the flash sync and spot AE point, are not available in the auto mode. The following menu options are available in the manual recording menu. 

The menus are fairly easy to navigate. In every mode, there are three tabs at the top of the menu system. The rotary wheel rotates through the three tabs. The red tab with a camera icon brings up the previous menu. The middle yellow tab has a tool on it and represents the setup menu, which is available from every mode. The third tab is purple and has a person’s head for an icon; this represents the custom settings that make the camera unique to the user. Users can select a theme for their camera, from a Canon logo, sky scene, or yellow nature bird. These images are also the available start-up screen images. The theme can be carried over with the start-up sounds that range from electronic wind chimes to chirping birds. The S80’s operation sound can be chosen to be a little more traditional with the standard beep – or users can choose a bouncing sound or single bird chirp (perhaps this is the nature lover’s setting). The self-timer and shutter sounds can chirp, bark or beep like standard models. These sounds are the same that are found in the Canon A510 – sorry guys, no upgraded bark.

Pushing on the multi-selector directions on the rotary wheel scrolls through the menu options. The only problem is that users may tend to forget which control does what; I found myself using the rotary wheel when I should have used the multi-selector. While the menus are easy to navigate, the options aren’t necessarily easy to find. When the Func./Set button is pushed, menus appear along the left and bottom edges of the LCD screen.

The following options are included on the setup menu.