If the Canon PowerShot S60 bears
a family resemblance to its predecessors, it also has some important
improvements which make it worthy of closer scrutiny.
Just like the S50 reviewed
last year, the S60 is a 5 megapixel model. It is however, equipped with
a newly formulated lens and benefits from the re-design of some critical
controls.
The exterior of the S60 is mostly
made of metal, finished in different silver textures, and a large
sliding lens barrier doubles as an ON/OFF switch and protection
to the front element of the lens. This redesign of the S-series
body also sees the addition of a chrome name badge which supports
the infrared receiver for the optional remote control and the
microphone, hidden behind three small holes.
The top of the camera only supports
two controls: the 2-stage chromed shutter release button,
and the Mode dial. The Mode dial is positioned so it protrudes
slightly on the back edge of the camera, making it easy to turn
it with the thumb.
As with previous S-series cameras, the Mode dial provides 13 positions
separated into two distinct groups by the green Auto mode:
The Creative zone starts above
the Auto mode and encompasses all the modes that
allow user control:
Program: lets the S60 select the aperture and shutter
speed, but leaves the user in control of all the other parameters.
Shutter Priority: lets the user select the shutter
speed (from a range of 1/2000 second to 15 seconds) while
the S60 picks the aperture. Control over all other parameters
remains available to the user.
Aperture Priority: lets the user select the aperture
(f2.8, 3.2, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.3, 5.6, 6.3, 7.1 or 8.0)
while the camera matches it to a shutter speed. Control over
all other parameters remains available to the user.
Manual: gives the user complete control over the
aperture and shutter speed in addition to all other parameters.
Custom mode is to recall a specific group of settings
which have been selected and saved using a special menu option
while the camera is in P, Tv, Av or M modes.
As noted above, the Auto mode separates the two parts of
the dial:
Auto: leaves control over the flash and the self-timer
to the user while the S60 handles everything else.
The Image zone, designed to instantly provide appropriate settings
for specific types of images, starts below the Auto mode:
Portrait: uses a wide aperture to help blur the
background behind the subject — the effect is more
pronounced if the zoom is used — and sets the sensitivity
to Auto ISO.
Landscape: selects a small aperture to maximize
the depth of field, and uses Auto ISO.
Night Scene: is to photograph people in front of
some night time scenery. The camera sets the flash to Slow
Synch (1st curtain) and the sensitivity to Auto. The use
of a tripod is recommended to avoid camera shake.
Fast Shutter: serves to capture fast moving action.
The mode gives preference to fast shutter speeds and the
sensitivity is set to Auto ISO, allowing the sensitivity
to increase so as to maintain a shutter speed fast enough
to freeze the action.
Slow Shutter: is to capture an impression of movement,
such as moving water, by allowing the movement to appear
slightly blurred. The mode gives preference to a low shutter
speed and the use of a tripod is recommended.
Stitch Assist: is designed to capture a series of
images that will be assembled later into a panoramic image.
The camera settings from the first image are applied to all
subsequent images in the series, and the camera shows a small
portion of the previous image on the monitor so the next
one can be overlapped precisely. The mode allows images to
be captured from right to left, left to right, top to bottom,
or bottom to top.
Movie: records video clips with sound (mono) at
any one of three image sizes:
640 x 480 at 10 frames per second for up to
30 seconds,
320 x 240 at 15 frames per second for up to
3 minutes,
160 x 120 at 15 frames per second for up to
3 minutes.
All the other external controls of the S60 are organized around the 1.8
inch, 118,000 pixel, LCD monitor.
In the upper right, the zoom control's wide angle side, ,
doubles as a means to see up to 9 thumbnails per
screen in playback; while the telephoto side, ,
can be used to magnify an image on screen up
to 10X.
Directly below the zoom control
the S60 provides a raised area that groups 6 other controls with,
at the centre of the group, the 4-direction Omni selector with
the SET button in the middle. The Omni selector serves
to navigate the S60's menus, and select apertures and shutter
speeds in some modes, or control the display of images in playback.
An LED in the upper left quadrant lights up in different colours depending
on the current mode of the camera: orange when the S60 is in a capture
mode; green during playback; and yellow when connected via USB.
The four buttons encircling the
Omni selector offer the following functions:
Positioned at the top left, this button
serves to start the camera in playback mode without having
to open the lens barrier, and pressing it a second time
turns the camera off.
On the top right, the Print/Share button
controls printing when the S60 is connected directly
to a printer — the S60 is compatible with Canon
Direct Print, Bubble Jet Direct, and PictBridge — or
it can be used to start the automatic transfer of images
when the camera is connected via USB to a computer that
has Canon's software installed. In use, the centre of
the button lights up in blue.
On the lower right, the Menu button displays
the menu that corresponds to the camera's current mode. (See
the Characteristics section of the review for
detailed information about the options of the menus.)
The Display button controls the information
shown on the monitor:
In the capture modes it cycles from the default
display, which indicates the settings for metering,
flash, shooting mode, shutter speed, aperture, focus,
and image size and format, to a display that only
shows the focus area, and then to turning off the
monitor altogether in order to conserve power when
the optical viewfinder is in use.
In the playback mode, the Display button switches
from the default view, which indicates the image number,
time, date and resolution, to a display that adds shooting
mode, shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation,
metering, white balance, and which also provides a
histogram for the image.
The button located at the centre of the Omni selector serves to confirm
certain selections made in the menus. In addition:
When using the Auto, Portrait, Landscape,
Night Scene, Fast and Slow Shutter modes the SET button
can be used to switch from AiAF (Artificial intelligence
Auto Focus) — the default which lets the camera select
the focus point and indicates it on the monitor from 9 points
in the frame — to a standard Centre-AF point.
And, with the P, Tv, Av and M modes, pressing the button serves to
switch from the wide area AiAF to a centre AF point that can then
be moved to any point in the frame using the directional arrows of
the Omni selector.
The Powershot S60 is equipped with a very simple optical viewfinder that
has no diopter correction, and only a cross mark to indicate the centre
of the frame. To its left two buttons provide different functions in capture
and playback, the playback functions identified by blue icons:
Macro allows the camera to focus
on a subject that is from 4 to 44 cm (1.6 inch to 1.4 ft)
from the front of the lens when the zoom is at the wide
angle end; and from 30 to 44 cm (1 to 1.4 ft) when the
lens is at the maximum telephoto end. Macro focus cannot
be engaged when the camera is set to the Landscape mode.
In Playback, the same button serves to Jump from
one screen of 9 thumbnails to another screen of 9 thumbnails.
The Flash mode button cycles through the
available settings, starting with Auto, Auto with red-eye
reduction, Fill-in flash, Fill-in flash with red-eye
reduction, and forced off; while Slow synchro, either
first or second curtain, is enabled in the menu.
In playback, the same button also serves
as yet another way to display thumbnails (9 per screen).
The last three external controls of the S60 are aligned along the left
edge of the LCD screen. Two of these provide secondary functions which
are indicated in blue:
The Function button is the access to
the Function menu which is overlaid on the left side of the
screen. It serves as a quick way to select some of the most
commonly need photographic settings (see the Characteristics section
of the review for more details on the Function menu).
The Manual Focus button allows switching
from autofocus to a manual focus system where the focus
distance is set using a scale displayed on the left side
of the LCD monitor. In addition, the button can be used
as an AF-Lock, allowing the shot to be recomposed without
loosing the focus point.
In playback the MF button can be
used to erase unwanted images.
This button serves to select the metering pattern.
By default the S60 uses an Evaluative pattern, but
it is also equipped with alternative systems: Centre-weighted
and Spot, which can be set to be at the centre of the frame
or which can be associated to the focus point and follow
it throughout the frame. In addition, while the shutter
release is held at mid-course the button can be pressed
to lock the metering (AE-Lock).
In the Playback mode, the button serves
to add a voice annotation, lasting up to 60 seconds, to
an image that is currently displayed on the monitor.
The PowerShot S60 continues
the S-series' well-established reputation for quality construction
and elegant design. Moreover, although the S60 offers the same
resolution as its predecessor, it improves on the already good
ergonomic design of the S50 by the addition of a better placed
and more practical zoom control, and of an even better layout
for the back controls.
Compare Prices for Canon PowerShot S60 Duracell Battery
Introduction
,
doubles as a means to see up to 9 thumbnails 
per
screen in playback; while the telephoto side, 
,
can be used to magnify an image on screen 
up
to 10X.
