Digital Boomerang Singapore 

In a nutshell: This camera will make waves. It’s easy to use, extraordinarily fast and the photographic effects you can create painlessly will impress any audience. 80% of the pictures came out brilliant with accurate colour reproduction and excellent contrast.

The Colour Effects mode will help you create those artistic shots worthy of being framed in Starbucks. For those who enjoy drinking in the scenery instead, the Landscape mode combined with the off-center focus and stitching features will allow you to take in the most panoramic of shots.

The only drawback is its inability to focus at slow shutter speeds which can cause a problem when taking night shots. The solution: A small portable tripod.

The Canon PowerShot series of digital cameras has always made an indelible mark on the digital photography world. The S30 carries on this enviable heritage. The camera combines many of the powerful, high-end features of the PowerShot G2 with point-and-shoot convenience. The result of this mixture is an easy to use camera that is able to produce high-end photography effects. If you are seriously thinking of purchasing the S30, consider its sibling the S40. It’s the 4 megapixel version with some timing improvements.

Design and Ergonomics
Encased completely in brush matte aluminum, the S30 is cool to hold and stylish to carry around. At 112 x 58 x 42 mm, the camera is a bit thick and lacks the compactness and portability found in the Canon Digital Ixus V. The rectangular shape and 260g of weight can give it a rather brick-like disposition. Fortunately the bulk and angularity of this camera is offset by the comfortable grip it provides. It’s just the right length to hold when snapping pictures.

Improvements in the layout of the buttons and controls are significant. A new multi-controller button for your right thumb combines scrolling with selection. There is no longer a need to scroll then lift your finger to find the “SET” button to make a selection. One controller can do it all. The advanced controls are all on the left and the shooting and playback modes are all on the knob dial. Another improvement is the combination of the battery and CompactFlash compartment which is not only space-saving but also convenient.

The Night Scene mode can be frustrating to use without a tripod. See “Drawbacks”.

Dial-a-mode
The rotary dial is the “Image Control Zone”. You can select any of the following exposure modes: Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Fast Shutter, Slow Shutter, Colour Effects, Stitch assist and Movie. In any of these preset modes, the camera will automatically adjust the exposure, aperture, etc. to the optimum setting for that mode.

Being in control
Four modes in the “Creative Zone” will give you full control of your S30: Program AE, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority and Manual. Autofocus can take a back seat! You are your own master. I used the Aperture-priority and full Manual modes to snap pictures at night because the “Night Scene” mode (above) just couldn’t quite cut it. By also adjusting the ISO, I could get some decent shots at night. The S30 has an impressive ISO range of 50 to 800 in manual mode.

My personal favourite is the Colour Effects: Vivid, Neutral, Sepia or B/W. The Sepia shots of old alleys (left) gave that authentic yellow tinge while the B/W created classic portraits with rich textures and shadows.

For those who are familiar with exposure compensation, a new “Fluorescent H” white balance will help with daylight fluorescent light sources.

Going off-center
The S30 offers a three-point autofocus for off-center shots. The three points are evenly spaced with one in the center. Stand on the right or left of your favourite landscape, with the 3-point autofocus, the image of you will be sharp and crisp even though you are off-center. Getting into more serious photography, you can combine the 3-point autofocus with the manual focus feature. The portion of the image you are focusing on will be digitally enlarged in this mode so you can focus on that part with more precision while maintaining the overall view.

Ferrari of its class
The speed of this camera is amazing. You won’t feel the shutter lag and the interval time between shots. In addition, the continuos high speed shooting mode can take up to 3 images per second and up to a maximum of 7 images at a time in large/fine mode. Take it to capture some fast-paced action like hockey games, soccer and roller blading. Who knows you might even be able to capture Michael Schumacher in his Ferrari!

The frills that tickle
This is the first camera I have ever toyed with that toys right back at me. When the camera is turned on, birds chirp while a bright and cheery cloud-filled sky rises to greet me. Great for travelling when those around you will turn their heads in search of a small birdie while you gleefully smile to yourself. But if you are using this for work, e.g. taking pictures at press conferences, I suggest you silence it. The S30 comes with bundled software to create your own start-up images and sounds.

With the stitching feature and off-center focus, the S30 can handle the most panoramic of shots.

Drawbacks - “I’m shaking”
The Slow Shutter and Night Scene modes were frustrating. Often, when half-pressing on the shutter button to autofocus, the “camera shake” indicator would appear pounding the words “I am unable to focus!” into your head. No matter how steady your hands, these two modes only work well with a tripod. Placing the camera at a slant also seems to invoke the “camera shake” indicator. With the indicator screaming at you, snapping the shutter button is inadvisable… unless you are into blurry photography.

- First published on IT AsiaOne

Share This