Canon Digital IXUS 500 review

Introduction: Announced on the 9th Feb 2004 - the Canon Digital IXUS 500, also known as Canon PowerShot S500 and the IXY Digital 500, is available for £239 / $329 - the Canon Digital IXUS 500 is a compact 5 megapixel digital camera, with a 3x optical zoom lens (equivalent to 36-105mm on a 35mm camera), and a 1.5" TFT screen. The camera is enclosed in a compact metal body. It records 640x480 / 10fps and 320x240 / 15fps videos with sound. The camera is compact with the following size: 87 x 57 x 28 mm (without protruding parts), powerful NB-1LH battery and only weighs 185g (without the battery and compact flash card).

Specifications
/ Features:

• 5.0 Megapixel
  sensor



• Designer style,
  ultra compact all metal body


• 3x optical zoom
  (approx. 12.3x combined)


• 7.4 – 22.2
  mm (35mm film equivalent: 36 – 108mm) - f/2.8 – f/4.9


• 4.1x digital zoom
  


• DIGIC and iSAPS
  technology



• 9-point AiAF


• VGA movies with
  sound (640x480/10fps limited to 30seconds, 320x240/15fps limited to
  3minutes)


• PictBridge/Canon
  Direct Print compatible - Print/Share button


• 5cm macro mode
  
  



• ISO: 50 –
  400


• TV out
  
  


• Powerful and rechargeable lithium NB-1LH battery

We consider the Canon Digital IXUS 500 functionally rather than fashionably attractive, though its matte-silver finish is handsome. The camera feels well built and solid, and its plastic-and-metal body just squeezes into the ultracompact class with shirt-pocket dimensions and an 8-ounce weight (with the battery and the media).

Getting a comfortable grip on the 500 is relatively easy. Your right thumb has plenty of space, and the depth enables your left hand to steadily clamp the camera's top and bottom. Many competitors have moved on to larger screens, but Canon stuck with its tiny 1.5-inch LCD to fit in full-size buttons.

Digital IXUS 500 Design

Canon outfitted the IXUS 500 with basic snapshot features. Its 3X zoom lens has a reasonably fast maximum aperture of f/2.8 to f/4.9 but provides a fairly narrow angle of view over a 36mm-to-108mm range (the 35mm-camera equivalent). Programmed automatic is the sole exposure mode, but applying exposure compensation to plus or minus 2EV is easy. Light sensitivity is either automatic or manual; the selectable ISO settings are 50, 100, 200, and 400. You can pick evaluative, center-weighted, or spot light metering. For white balance, you get an automatic option, five presets, and manual control. The 500 gives you everything you need, but if you want state-of-the-art snapshot features, such as contextual help menus, composition guidelines, and scene program modes, you'll have to look elsewhere.

Image capture

Images taken with the 5.0 Megapixel Digital IXUS 500 and 4.0 Megapixel Digital IXUS 430 can be printed up to A3 size without image quality degradation. Both the Digital IXUS 500 and Digital IXUS 430 include a 3.0x optical zoom, with the Digital IXUS IIs featuring 2.0 optical zoom. Optical zoom ensures the full sensor size is employed when closing in on a subject, so pictures taken with the zoom do not suffer from image degradation. All cameras feature 9-point Artificial Intelligence Auto Focus (AiAF) for fast and sharp images, even with off-centre subjects.

The Digital IXUS 500 is definitely more than just a point and click device. If that’s all you want from your camera, just leave it set to the auto mode and let the IXUS do everything for you. If you want to be a bit more adventurous, you’ll probably be surprised at how much control you can have over your images.

Accessories

• Camera


• Wrist strap


• Nimh battery (NB-1LH)


• Charger (CB-2LSE)


• USB cable (IFC-400PCU)



• AV Cable


• 32Mb Compact Flash
  Card


• Digital camera
  software


• 161 page manual
  
  

Battery usage: The camera uses a proprietry Canon NB-1LH lithium-ion battery, with a rating of 3.7v, and 840mah. Battery life seemed okay, although I would definitely recommend a backup battery is purchased.

Fits for : CANON DIGITAL IXUS 200A, DIGITAL IXUS 300, POWERSHOT S100 DIGITAL ELPHS, POWERSHOT S110 Digital camera battery

Compatible original canon battery code : Canon NB-1LH, Canon NB-1LH



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