Canon PowerShot S30A new shape, sleek design, direct support for a Canon inkjet printer, and three megapixels of resolution!<<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & InterfaceReview First Posted: 10/1/2001 |
Image Storage and Interface
The
Canon S30 uses CompactFlash memory cards for image storage, accommodating both
Type I and II card sizes. This means that the camera should also be able to store
images to an IBM MicroDrive for increased storage capacity (though the User's
Manual cautions that MicroDrives are more susceptible to vibrations and shocks).
A 16MB CompactFlash Type I memory card is supplied with the camera. Entire CompactFlash
cards cannot be write-protected, however, the S30's Play menu allows you to write-protect
individual image files, protecting them from accidental erasure, unless the card
is formatted.
Still images can be saved at one of four resolutions (2,048 x 1,536; 1,600 x 1,200; 1,024 x 768; 640 x 480 pixels), while movie images are recorded at 320 x 240 or 160 x 120 pixels. Still images also have three JPEG compression levels available: Superfine, Fine, and Normal, plus a RAW setting that records the image straight from the CCD, with no further processing. RAW images require the Canon ZoomBrowser or ImageBrowser software for processing on a computer. The benefit of the RAW data file format is that it compresses the image file without any loss of image quality.
A full complement of interface software comes with the S30, as does a USB cable for speedy connection to a PC or Macintosh computer. We clocked the S30's transfer speed at 452 kilobytes/second on our G4 PowerMac computer. This pretty fast, not the highest transfer speed we've tested, but faster than average.
Following are the approximate resolution / quality and compression ratios for a 16MB card (compression numbers are based on our own computations):
|
Resolution/Quality 16MB Memory Card |
|
|
|
|
|
| Full Resolution 2048x1536 | Images (Avg size) |
6 2.6 MB |
9 1.6 MB |
0.9 MB |
.5 MB |
| Approx. Compression |
3.5:1 (Lossless) |
5:1 |
|
|
|
| UXGA Resolution 1600x1200 | Images (Avg size) |
|
1.05 MB |
0.59 MB |
0.30 MB |
| Approx. Compression |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Images (Avg size) |
|
0.60 MB |
0.34 MB |
0.18 MB |
| Approx. Compression |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Images (Avg size) |
|
0.27 MB |
0.16 MB |
0.95 MB |
| Approx. Compression |
|
|
|
|
|
One
of the first things any new digicam owner will need is a larger memory card
for their camera: The cards shipped with the units by the manufacturers should
really be considered only "starter" cards, you'll definitely want a higher
capacity card immediately. - Probably at least a 32 megabyte card for a 1.3
or 2 megapixel camera, 64 megabytes or more for a 3, 4, or 5 megapixel one.
(The nice thing about memory cards is you'll be able to use whatever you buy
now with your next camera too, whenever you upgrade.) To help you shop for
a good deal on memory cards that fit the PowerShot S30, we've put together
a little memory locater, with links to our price-comparison engine: Just click
on the "Memory Wizard" button above to go to the Canon memory finder, select
your camera model , and click the shopping cart icon next to the card size
you're interested in. You'll see a list of matching entries from the price-comparison
database. Pick a vendor & order away! (Pretty cool, huh?)
Lost Images? - Download this image-recovery program so you'll
have it when you need it...
Since we're talking about memory and image storage, this would be a good time
to mention the following: I get a ton of email from readers who've lost photos
due to a corrupted memory card. It's tragic when it happens, there are few
things more precious than photo memories. Corrupted memory cards can happen
with any card type and any camera manufacturer, nobody's immune. "Stuff
happens," as they say. A surprising number of "lost" images
can be recovered with an inexpensive, easy to use piece of software though.
Given the amount of email I've gotten on the topic, I now include this paragraph
in all my digicam reviews. The program you need is called PhotoRescue, by
DataRescue SA. Read our review of it if you'd like, but download the program now,
so you'll have it. It doesn't cost a penny until you need it, and even then
it's only $29, with a money back guarantee. So download PhotoRescue for
Windows or PhotoRescue for
Mac while you're thinking of it. (While you're at it, download the
PDF manual and quickstart
guide as well.) Stash the file in a safe place and it'll be there when you
need it. Trust me, needing this is not a matter of if, but when...
PhotoRescue is about the best and easiest tool for recovering digital
photos I've seen. (Disclosure: IR gets a small commission from sales of
the product, but I'd highly recommend the program even if we didn't.)
OK, now back to our regularly scheduled review...
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