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"Picky Details" for the Canon PowerShot S230 Digital ELPH digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)

Timing
I measure both cycle times and shutter delay times, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the Canon PowerShot S230:

 

Canon PowerShot S230 Digital ELPH Timings
Operation	Time (secs)	Notes
Power On -> First shot	2.99	Average to a bit faster than average among cameras with retractable lenses.
Shutdown	2.29	Lens retracts before shutdown. Average to a bit faster than average.
Play to Record, first shot	2.2	Time till first shot, when switching to record mode. On the slow side of average.
Record to play	1.6	Time to display a large/fine file after capture. About average.
Shutter lag, full autofocus	0.97/1.10	First number is for wide angle, second is for telephoto. A bit slower than average.
Shutter lag, prefocus	0.13	Time to capture, after half-pressing Shutter button. Very fast.
Cycle Time, max/min resolution	2.73/2.46	First numbers are for large/fine files, second number is time for small/basic images. Apparently no buffer memory, the 15th shot is as fast as the first. Slower than the first few shots, for cameras having buffer memory, but faster than average among cameras without buffers.
Cycle Time, continuous mode, max/min resolution	0.5/0.52 (2.0 / 1.9)	First numbers are for large/fine, second set for small/basic files. Numbers beneath are corresponding frames per second. Shoots up to 17 shots in large/fine mode before having to wait for the memory card to catch up.

 

I normally measure the actual power drain of cameras I test, in a variety of operating modes. I couldn't do this with the S230 though, because I didn't get the necessary power adapter with my eval unit. I was thus reduced to the simple expedient of operating the camera on a fully charged battery, and seeing when it finally ran out of juice. Using this rather simpleminded test method, I found that worst-case run time was well in excess of 90 minutes, a good level for a compact digicam. Even 90-100 minutes of total operating time isn't a very long time, when you're talking in terms of an all-day camera excursion. I'd thus strongly recommend that you purchase a spare battery along with the S230. Special LiIon cells that fit it are now made by both Maha Energy (sold under their PowerEx brand), and DigiPower, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding these in stores. (Check http://www.thomas-distributing.com/ for unusual digicam batteries, they sell packs for most digicams.)

 

Storage Capacity
The S230 stores its photos on CF (CompactFlash) memory cards, and a 16MB card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying at least a 32MB card, preferably a 64MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored on the included 16MB card at each size/quality setting.

 

Image Capacity vs Resolution/Quality 16MB Memory Card		Super Fine	Fine	Normal
Full Resolution 2,048 x 1,536	Images (Avg size)	8 1,602KB	16 893KB	32 445KB
	Approx. Compression	5:1	9:1	19:1
Moderate Resolution 1024x768	Images (Avg size)	14 1,002KB	26 558KB	52 278KB
	Approx. Compression	5:1	9:1	19:1
Low Resolution 1024x768	Images (Avg size)	25 570KB	46 320KB	84 170KB
	Approx. Compression	4:1	7:1	12:1
Lowest Resolution 640x480	Images (Avg size)	58 249KB	94 150KB	165 84KB
	Approx. Compression	3:1	5:1	10:1

 

S230 Review
S230 Test Images
S230 Specifications
S230 "Picky Details"
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