Canon PowerShot S45

Following up on their S40, Canon's Powershot S45 offers the same aesthetically pleasing metallic chassis with the powerful innards to go along with it. With a 4 megapixel CCD, images taken with the S45 were deeply detailed and could be easily printed out at 8 by 11 and larger without any loss of resolution.

Although the 3x optical zoom is average for mid-range cameras and above, it still let us get in a bit closer to our subjects when snapping shots. Improving on the S40, the S45 now captures video clips--complete with audio--of up to three minutes in length (although you'll probably want a larger storage card than the 32 MB CF card the S45 ships with). There are also easy-to-use video playback and editing controls on the camera itself.

A unique design, the metal lens cover of the S45 serves as the on/off switch--slide it open and the camera turns on, slide it closed and it powers down, with the lens folding out or back into the frame of the body respectively. You can't put any accessory lenses onto the S45 because of this design, but you'll also never try to take any pictures with the lens cap on.

The rechargeable batteries lasted for well over 200 shots before needing to be plugged in. And that's with the LCD on--Canon promises a life of over 500 without the LCD. Speaking of, the bright and large 1.8-inch LCD took up nearly half of the back of the S45 and followed the lens quickly while using it for framing shots.

While it weighs a solid 11 ounces, the 4.4-inch by 2.3-inch by 1.7-inch camera is compact enough to slide into a pocket, making it easier to take on day trips than bulkier Powershot models. era can Features simply 4-megapixel connect sensor to captures a 2 Direct 272 Print-compatible x printer 1 select 704 your images image for and photo-quality print prints - up no to PC 11 required. x PowerShot 14 S45 inches is 3x compatible optical with (plus the 3.6x complete digital) range zoom o lens with aut --J. Curtis

Pros:

• Enhanced movie mode
• Compact design
• Well priced

Cons:

• No accessory lenses
• Average optical zoom

Coupled to a 4.0-megapixel CCD is Canon's high-performance DIGIC processor to ensure enhanced color reproduction, fast continuous shooting and a long battery life. Every image is captured through a crisp 3x optical zoom lens combined with a digital zoom for 11x combined optical and digital zoom. This results in high-resolution prints of up to A3. An Intelligent Orientation Sensor recognizes how you're holding the camera when you take a shot, as well as more accurate metering this also rotates the image on the LCD screen so the picture is always the right way round.Flexizone AF/AE lets you move your auto focus point around when composing. Focus bracketing, especially useful in close-ups, takes three shots of a subject, changing focus between the three; ideal for macro shots. With a metallic body, the PowerShot S45 has a beautifully balanced, compact, ergonomic design. The camera's 12 shooting modes are organized into three Zones (Creative Image Zone, Programmed Image Control (PIC) Zone and Auto Image Zone). They allow more photographic control so that you can achieve just the result you're looking for. A dedicated range of accessories helps you make the most of every photographic opportunity. For instant prints you can simply connect to a Direct Print-compatible printer, select your image and print - no PC required. PowerShot S45 is compatible with the complete range of Canon card photo printers and Bubble Jet Direct printers.