|
Canon made history and thousands of fans a few
years ago by introducing the Elph, a tiny APS film camera that
challenged the physical dimensions of the film cartridge.
Their Elphs got smaller as the company
introduced its digital models. Now, the new S200 (and S300)
Digital Elph cameras offer tremendous capability in a redesigned
package.
The 2mp S200 is about the size of a pack of
cigarettes but produces excellent images for its $449 price. For
$50 more, you can get the 3mp S300.
The pop-out f:2.8 35-70mm optical zoom is
extraordinarily sharp and shutter speeds from 15 seconds to
1/1500 make the Elph as versatile as many cameras twice its
price.
Three-point or single-point autofocus,
evaluative or spot metering, and +/- 2EV are selectable, as are
four flash modes. Macro focus is 3.9 inches at the wide zoom.
The Digital Elph sports five shooting modes:
Auto, Program, Manual, Stitch Assist and Movie. Unfortunately,
the Mode slider button has Movie between Record and Playback
settings so I made several inadvertent movies.
The Digital Elph will automatically detect and
rotate vertical pictures correctly in the Playback mode. The
navigation scheme for menus and playback is redesigned and much
more efficient than the earlier Digital Elphs I've used.
Although the Digital Elph ships with a small
wriststrap, its mounting lug is a large, very substantial eye
that will accommodate a lanyard or neckstrap.
While it is designed for the advanced amateur,
the Digital Elph has enough features to grow with the
photographer. |