Canon's
the PowerShot S330 Digital Elph(Digital IXUS 330) brings
back memories of the A50 by blending design elements of that earlier model
with some of those found on recent Digital Elph cameras. The solid and
impeccably finished metallic body's size is reminiscent of the A50, but
the trim is more along the lines of the S100 and S110.
Although slightly larger than some of the other models in the Elph series,
the S330 remains a very compact design easily slipped into a pocket.
The
top of the S330 supports 2 controls: the Shutter Release with AF
Lock at mid-course, and the Mode Dial which has the Power
Switch at its centre. The modes on the dial consist of:
Full
Auto Mode
Manual
Mode
Stitch
Assist Mode (Panorama)
Movie
Mode (with sound)
Playback
Mode
The
Zoom control, which doubles as a way to present thumbnails on the
screen in Playback or a way to magnify an image, sits astride the back
ridge and has a tactile reminder of the telephoto side (a small bead on
the surface of the right side button).
The
back of the S330 has all the remaining controls plus a speaker on the
left side of the optical viewfinder. In between, 2 small LEDs indicate
flash ready or charging (orange) and camera ready/AF (green).
With this model Canon has grouped all the controls beneath the LCD screen,
and added a large Multi-Function button to navigate the menus.
In addition, each of its buttons also serves as an easy access to commonly
used functions:
Light
Metering (evaluative or spot); AE Lock; FE Lock.
Flash
Modes: Auto, Red-eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Slow Synchro.
Continuous
Mode (approx. 2.5 fps); Self-timer (2, or 10 seconds).
Macro
Mode;
Infinity focus (Landscape).
Used
for Exposure Compensation; White Balance; and Photo Effects. Provides
single image delete in Playback.
Turns
on or off the LCD screen. In Playback can be used to display the
histogram of an image.
Calls
up the menus.
Confirms
a setting.
The
S330 offers the user a way to personalize the camera, as do the recently
released Canon S30 and S40. A special menu called "My Camera"
provides a means to alter some of the camera's sounds and displays to
taste.
Images
and sounds, either singly or in combinations called "themes"
can be selected from those already stored in the camera's memory to replace
the default settings. Five items can be set separately (start-up image,
start-up sound, shutter sound, operation sound and the self-timer sound);
or an overall theme applied to all five.
Should the user desire, even more selections of themes, pictures and sounds
can be transferred from the CD that accompanies the camera.
The
addition of a multi-function controller in the S330 is a marked improvement
in the ergonomics of this Digital Elph camera.
Menu
selections are easier to access, and so are the functions. Unlike some
other models, the S330's controls are accurate and responsive all the
time, although the menu itself seems a bit slow to appear. The addition
of a multifunction button probably impacts the overall size of the camera,
but the ease it adds to the manipulation of the S330 is, in our view,
well worth it.
