The Canon S500 (Digital Elph)

[The Chairman]

The Digital Elph, 5.0 Mega Pixel camara.

Any pros?

Any cons?

I am buying new, and the best feature for me is the small size.

I also have a Sea Life (dead) camera and external strobe... Do you think I could use the strobe with this unit?

 

[H2Andy]

i did some research on it, and it looks like a great camera. probably the best
in its class.

if you want to save a little, you can buy the s400. it's essentially the same camera,
but at 4 mp.

both use the same underwater case.

no idea about the strobe.

 

[MSP Rescue Diver]

Pete the Elph is a good camera. I went back and forth between the Elph and the A series cameras when I was looking. The Elph at the time was available as a 4.0 megapix model, and the A70 was only 3.2.

But I choose the A series for 2 reasons after borrowing an Elph to try. The body is basically the same size but the battery compartment gives you a better grip and gives you less shake when taking pictures. Also the A series took AA batteries. I bought a bunch of NiMH rechargables and always have power. The Elph needs to be plugged in to recharge, or if you get an extra proprietary battery it costs more and you can't recharge it separately.

As with everything - YMMV.

As for the strobe - I've got a SL960 strobe that I've only had in the water once and I'm still trying to figure out the best settings to use it. It fires properly as a slave.

Marc

The Digital Elph, 5.0 Mega Pixel camara.

Any pros?

Any cons?

I am buying new, and the best feature for me is the small size.

I also have a Sea Life (dead) camera and external strobe... Do you think I could use the strobe with this unit?

 

[Cabo]

NetDoc...

I have the setup you are talking about. I originally had the S400 and added the S500 in April of this year just to have 1 more megapixel.

There are good & bad things about this setup. I'll start with the bad first since I think the good outweigh them for what I was looking for.

Bad...
No control over most settings. Even in manual mode, we can only control ISO/White Balance/exposure&focus area.
We can't control Shutter speed or F-Stops and we don't have a manual focus. You'll see some of the shots the Olympus people take and they are outstanding. We may not get the same thing since they can control most aspects of their camera.
The LCD is a bit small to verify good focus after the shot is taken.
Proprietary battery.. (I'd rather have AA) --- I get 2 dives out of a charge if I have it set to turn off the LCD after 1 minute of no use..(usually 60 shots or so between the 2 dives)

Good
Not many settings. We can set it and point-n-shoot. I don't think much about my shots, I just take them.
Small size. This was my main thing. I wanted a camera my wife could carry when she wanted one and then I could take diving. This is the smallest setup you can really get.
Ease of use. Point, half-press to get a focus lock and then press the rest of the way. Too easy. No thought involved.
Zoom..Some of the other digitals in this price range don't have a zoom. This is great for both creatures that didn't come close(whale shark in my case) or for small creatures(blennies)

My setup is usually the smallest on any trip I've taken. I actually worry about it getting smashed in the camera tank after dives, but that hasn't happened yet. It's so easy to setup and use that I can just enjoy my dive and take a shot or two when I see something. It also packs into a small Pelican case that is easy to carry-on as your 2nd bag.

I also have the Sea&Sea YS25-DX and if I was doing it again, I'd get the YS90-DX instead for a bit more light.

All-in-all I'm very happy with this setup, even though I get envious of some of the shots I see from the Oly people. But, most of then also know what the heck a f-stop means and I'm basically clueless. I'd have to learn a lot before I could match their shots, even if I had their camera setup.

Good luck with your choice, but I don't regret getting the S500/WP-DC800.

Here's some samples...
Flower Gardens - 2004
http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=411109
Guanaja - 2004
http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=400065
Cozumel - 2003
http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=356678
Isla Mujeres
http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=317259
Flower Gardens - 2003
http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=321273

 

[H2Andy]

wow... what an excellent post :35:

the only thing i would add is that the S500 is bigger than my set-up
(the SD-110). mine fits in a utility pocket only 2.5 inches deep, whereas
the S500 won't.

but, then again, the SD110 is only 3.2 mp.

what i want from it is quick, snap-shot pictures taken with
a minimum of fuss. i will settle for lower quality, so long
as i can share them with friends and they can figure out
what the fish is!

here are some of the pics i've taken with the SD100 (same
as the SD110). even in auto mode and in the hands of a newbie, this system can take some ok pics:

 

[MSP Rescue Diver]

You can compare Canon models side by side by feature at Canon's website.

Marc

 

[The Chairman]

You guys are great... I picked up the camera from Best Buy today and the UW housing will be in on Friday through the internet. Cavern class is this weekend, though I may not get a chance to use it much.

 

[Cabo]

H2Andy is correct of course, his camera+housing is much slimer. 3.2 mp is still great for most shots and having something you could just leave in your pocket is nice. I think you have about the same amount of control over settings that we do. I had considered Minolta's small/slim camera but once I decided to get an external strobe, the S400 just seemed like a better fit. If I hadn't wanted a strobe, I would have gone the same way you did.

Ours could "almost" fit into a pocket without an external strobe. -big pocket though-

By the way H2Andy, those are excellent shots. I really like the turtle!

 

[stu_in_fl]

You will love it
- I have the same setup and took some nice underwater shots (+videoclips) with it - also with the size, when you're not diving just slots in you pocket and can be taken anywhere [no excuse for leaving it behind when you go out, no bulky camera making you conspicuous when you're on vacation!]

 

[d56nut]

Hi,

I, too, have S500 Digital Elph. LOVE IT! I used to have the S400 but lost it on a dive...with the insurance money, rebates, price matching, etc. I was able to get the S500 for only 25.00 over what insurance paid on the 400!!! The camera is easy to use...point and shoot! Easy to take care of. The housing for this model is the WP-DC800...great housing...also easy to take care of. I found the cheapest price for the housing to be at walmart.com for about 180.00. Hope you enjoy the camera!