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Canon PowerShot S100 Digital ELPH Canon packs 2 megapixels and a 2x optical zoom into the "smallest digicam on the planet!" Select a topic Reference: Datasheet PowerShot S100 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on PowerShot S100 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Image Storage & Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Test Results & Conclusion>> Page 11:Video, Power, Software Review First Posted: 6/20/2000

Video Out
The S100 comes with a video out jack that allows you to connect the camera to a television set for reviewing images or composing shots (US and Japanese models come set up for NTSC and European models for PAL). An accompanying VC-200 video cable features a USB adapter on the end that connects to the camera, meaning that the S100 uses the same output jack for video and digital connections. The television can be used as a viewfinder in all modes except Stitch Assist.


Power
The S100 utilizes a Canon NB-1L rechargeable battery pack for power, which is a little disconcerting as it's less convenient than the standard AA batteries (which are readily available in most grocery and drug stores). The good news is that the battery pack uses lithium ion cells, meaning you can recharge it at any time without worrying about permanently reducing its charge capacity. Lithium ion batteries also have the advantage that they don't "self discharge" (lose charge just sitting there) the way the more common NiMH batteries do. Canon estimates that a fully charged battery pack will provide approximately 85 shots with the LCD monitor on and about 270 shots with it off. In Playback mode, Canon estimates that a fully charged battery pack will provide about 50 minutes of playback time. These numbers are fairly consistent with our own measurements shown below. (Due to the odd battery compartment shape and special battery, we weren't able to measure power consumption directly as we normally do. Instead, we timed how long the camera would operate in various modes with a fully-charged battery. An optional AC adapter is available and highly recommended for use during image playback or when downloading captured images to your computer. There's also an Auto Power Off function that can be turned on through the Setup menu and which shuts down the camera automatically after three minutes of inactivity. The table below details power consumption in various operating modes.

Operating Mode	Operating Time
Capture Mode, w/LCD	57 minutes
Capture Mode, no LCD	5 hours(!)
Playback Mode	79 minutes

Included Software

Learn what the manual left out - How to *use* your camera. Camera manuals are (sometimes) fine for knowing which button does what, but where do you go to learn how and when to use the various features? Dennis Curtin's "Shortcourses" books and CDs are the answer. (Cheap for what you get, too.) Order the Shortcourses manual for the camera reviewed in this article.

Packaged with the S100 is a software CD containing Canon's Digital Camera Solution Disk (ver 1.0), compatible with Windows 95/98/NT 4.0 and Macintosh OS 7.5.3 or higher. The Solution Disk software provides an image browser tool that handles image downloading, manages files (displays, moves, copies, etc.), sets up images for printing and allows you to set up images for e-mail. As part of the Solution Disk, the PhotoStitch software allows you to connect your panoramic sequence images by automatically arranging them into the correct order. The software also assists with cropping and alignment. Another CD packaged with the camera contains Adobe PhotoDeluxe, which provides image correction and manipulation tools, as well as a variety of templates for creating greeting cards, calendars, flyers, etc.