Digital Camera Home > Digital Camera Reviews > Canon Digital Cameras > Canon PowerShot S45

Canon PowerShot S45 A sleek design, improved electronics and user interface, direct support for a Canon inkjet printer, and four megapixels of resolution! Select a topic Reference: Datasheet S45 Photo Gallery! S45 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 S45 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & Interface Review First Posted: 02/22/2003

Image Storage and Interface
The Canon S45 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 32MB CompactFlash Type I memory card is supplied with the camera. Entire CompactFlash cards cannot be write-protected, however, the S45'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 (2,272 x 1,704; 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 S45, as does a USB cable for speedy connection to a PC or Macintosh computer. I clocked the S45's transfer speed at 632 kilobytes/second on my Sony VAIO Windows XP computer (2.4 GHz P4). This pretty fast, close to the highest I've seen from a digicam.

Following are the approximate resolution / quality and compression ratios for a 32MB card (compression numbers are based on my own computations):

Image Capacity vs Resolution/Quality 32MB Memory Card		RAW	Fine	Normal	Basic
Full Resolution 2272x1704	Images (Avg size)	8 3.9 MB	15 2,073 KB	27 1,185 KB	54 593 KB
	Approx. Compression	2.9:1 (Lossless)	6:1	10:1	20:1
UXGA Resolution 1600x1200	Images (Avg size)	-	30 1,067 KB	54 593 KB	108 296 KB
	Approx. Compression	-	6:1	10:1	20:1
XGA Resolution 1024x768	Images (Avg size)	-	53 604 KB	94 340 KB	174 184 KB
	Approx. Compression	-	4:1	7:1	13:1
VGA Resolution 640x480	Images (Avg size)	-	118 270 KB	196 164 KB	325 98 KB
	Approx. Compression	-	4:1	6:1	10:1

 

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...