Canon PowerShot S50 5MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

Point and shoot camera's are a dime a dozen. Figuring out which one even comes close to being good is difficult at best. I came across this camera purely by accident when a friend of mine lent me his Canon Powershot S45. Image quality was stunning !!! and I have several 16x20 wall pictures to prove it. It has everything that a professional photographer could ask for in a "Point and Shoot" camera. Manual operation allows the operator to dial in the exact exposure that the light meter may miss ( by the way, the light meter is more accurate than on my Pro-Canon 5D, 20D and 10D !!!!). It also shoots in RAW giving me a two f/stop exposure advantage over JPEG. Although the Exposure Compensation option is somewhat pointless, you can use it. I don't see the need for exposure compensation since an under/over metered shot may be different every time you shoot. Shooting in manual makes exposure compensation unnecessary. More important is the flash compensation, I can dial in flash power from full to 2/3 to 1/3. nice for correct fill flash. Most important to me, in this camera, is Manual, RAW and image quality.

The only thing I don't like about this camera is that stupid door that you have to slide over to extend the lens. It looks and is flimsy and is prone to breakage. I have a Canon S45 and the door is coming off. Reliability is tops on the shutter. I have put 500,000 shots through it and it still works. I always shoot in ISO 50, as image quality drops dramatically in 100 and is lousey in 400. But ISO 50 is stunning, colors are right on.

Canon should stop fooling around with all these joke point and shoot cameras and just re-introduce the S45 or S50 ( basically the same) . It reminds me on the cell phone mania. I would suggest that they just re-introduce this one but eliminate the door problem.

Is this the best camera that Canon can give for more than $400? Like other Canon Powershot S50, mine broke after 3 years. It seems to be innevitible for this model. If you want something last longer than 3 years, go for other brands. No Canon anymore.

I love this camera. I've had it for 8 years and it takes the best shots. I get compliments all the time on my shots and I know nothing about photography, just that I like great shots of faces. I've gotten better shots of ym family with this camera then I get at professional photography places.

The camera does it all. We have tons of videos of our daughters first moments from this camera even though we have a camcorder because it's easier to snap quick pictures and movies with. And we post them on the internet really fast where our camcorder takes much more effort. I've dropped this thing a million times and it sat in water once or twice. The frame is scarred and wounded from my gross mistreatment yet the thing still takes the best pictures ever. The quality of my pictures has never gone down. This was by far the best investment I've ever made. I've never been disappointed by this camera. I love it! The only thing I did was get a huge memory card so I could take more shots while on vacation.

I see I am not the only one who had a problem with the lens cover. When you slide it one way, it turns the camera on and then you slide it back to turn it off. I bought this camera about 3 years ago and several months ago, when I closed the lens cover after snapping some pictures, I felt it go past the stop point it usually did. Then I noticed the lens cover had become loose. It is even looser now and the camera is still working but I have to be very careful with it. I am afraid it is only a matter of time before it stops working thanks to the loose lens cover. Local camera shops send out digital cameras to be repaired and Canon will not even look at it for less than $150 since it is out of warranty. I will eventually buy a new digital camera and then maybe I will take the chance of looking at this thing myself by taking it apart. It could be just some little thing that could be tightened up, but taking it apart could also ruin the camera for all I know.

the powershot s50 will not turn on anymore sinse the siding lens cover wonnt work right and canon wants 139.00 to fix !!! Im never buying a canon camera agine!!!