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Canon S200 or Canon S230? [Decided on S200- Thanks!]

post #1 of 16
1/26/03 at 6:21pm
Thread Starter 
After my debacle with Amazon.com over their unscrupulous shipping date practices, I have some money left over for what I would have spent on JBL Creatures. So the question comes up: 1) spend it on something that would extend the functionality of something I already have (built in computer speakers) or 2) spend it on something that would extend the functionality of my computer. Hmm. Well those speakers are damn cool, but I think the latter is a better choice.

So I was searching online and found that I love the style and size of the Canon "ELPH" cameras. Specifically, the S200 and the S230 caught my eye. But I can't seem to decide! The two big differences between these cameras are megapixels and price. The S200 at 2 MP can go as low as $274 from Amazon.com and is pretty much available everywhere. The S230 at 3 MP can be found for about $400 and is not quite in stock everywhere.

So for about $126 more and some time for it to get back in stock, I could have a 3 MP digital camera. It's basically a question between 2 and 3 MPs.

Is it worth it?

EDIT: Keep in mind, I could buy a bigger memory card and extend the functionality of the S200 even MORE, all while keeping it under the S230's price.

[ 01-26-2003: Message edited by: ShawnPatrickJoyce ]

[ 01-26-2003: Message edited by: ShawnPatrickJoyce ]

[ 01-30-2003: Message edited by: ShawnPatrickJoyce ]</p>
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post #2 of 16
1/26/03 at 9:12pm
It depends what you plan on using the pictures for.
I have an s100 (2MP) and 4x6 prints come out well well, and according iphoto 5x7 should be fine as well and 8x10 will be almost as good (but will lose some quality apparrently)

If you consider yourself a prosumer then the 230 is the way to go, but if you don't intend to print anything bigger than 5x7 anytime soon the 200+ memory card, extra battery, etc is the better deal

personally if i could afford it i would go for the 3MP version because i often find myself cropping smaller portions of my pictures and the more pixels available the better the chance of the cropped images looking good
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post #3 of 16
1/26/03 at 9:30pm
Mainly because of pixels, I bought the S230, but it's been updated with some features found in the Canon G3:

<a href="http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_s230-review/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_s230-review/index.html</a>

I use it as a second camera (my main is a Canon Pro90 IS), but I carry it everywhere. Very happy with it.
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post #4 of 16
1/26/03 at 9:38pm
<a href="http://www.mysimon.com/isrch/index.jhtml?c=digitalcamera&InputModel=S200&pgid=s hop&InputManufacturer=&InputKeyword=&InputPriceMin =10&InputPriceMax=&_ttag=isrch&key=UC_20030126_213 414_0156376969&InputMegapixel=&v=2&sort=Price&dir= i&pg=1&imgshow=" target="_blank">S200</a>

<a href="http://www.mysimon.com/isrch/index.jhtml?c=digitalcamera&pid=C1005199&InputMode l=S230&pgid=shop&InputPriceMin=10&_ttag=top3&key=U C_20030126_213318_0530013566&v=2&sort=Price&dir=i& pg=1&imgshow=" target="_blank">S230</a>

fück Amazon

[ 01-27-2003: Message edited by: Paul ]</p>
125/51041 (top .2449%)-Amie Street - awesome independent DRM-free music
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post #5 of 16
1/28/03 at 8:30am
I agree that it depends on what you want to do with the photos. One thing to remember is that with more pixels you not only get to print bigger pictures you get to crop pictures. With the S230 you can crop your pictures about 20% and still have as many pixels as the S200. Think of it as a post hoc digital zoom.
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post #6 of 16
1/28/03 at 9:02am
  • Escher
  • Sub-PowerBook Lobbyist
[quote]Originally posted by JBL:
<strong>Think of it as a post hoc digital zoom.</strong><hr></blockquote>

That's an excellent point, JBL. My 2MP PowerShot A20 suits me just fine. But I have never cropped pictures before printing them. If I were more creative with my pictures, the additional 1MP would come in handy, even if I never printed larger than 5x7. Larger memory cards are getting cheaper by the day as well.

I'm still waiting for a $1000 DSLR with interchangeable lenses!

Escher
"The only laptop computer that's useful is the one you have with you."
Until we get a 3 lbs sub-PowerBook, the 12-inch PowerBook will do.
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"The only laptop computer that's useful is the one you have with you."
Until we get a 3 lbs sub-PowerBook, the 12-inch PowerBook will do.
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post #7 of 16
1/28/03 at 11:17am
[quote]I'm still waiting for a $1000 DSLR with interchangeable lenses!<hr></blockquote>

You and I, both. I bet something similar to the D-60 (which has been discontinued) will be available a year from now for that price.
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post #8 of 16
1/29/03 at 5:56am
I have the S230, and it is a nice camera if you are looking for a really compact 3MP. I like small camera's for one because I need to sneak in to DMB concerts for pics. I print the 4X6 out at home (Canon S900) and they come out great, but no where near the quality of the one's I take with my Nikon 4300 (4MP).

The only negatives are red eye, and the zoom feature. If I am not mistaken the s200 has a better zoom. If I were you I would go for the higher MP, because I can see a big difference in my pictures when taken with a 4 vs. a 3 MP.
Brad
P E R K E D
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Brad
P E R K E D
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post #9 of 16
1/29/03 at 11:06am
Right now Dell Home has 10% off digital cameras.
That S230 would be $360.
I bought a Powershot S40 from them last year and it's been a great camera.

[ 01-29-2003: Message edited by: ryukyu ]</p>
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post #10 of 16
1/29/03 at 12:53pm
Thread Starter 
[quote]Originally posted by ryukyu:
<strong>Right now Dell Home has 10% off digital cameras.
That S230 would be $360.
I bought a Powershot S40 from them last year and it's been a great camera.

[ 01-29-2003: Message edited by: ryukyu ]</strong><hr></blockquote>

BUT you have to wait 3+ weeks for it to ship! Granted, the shipping is FREE as well so Dell.com has by far the best deal. Is waiting 3+ weeks worth it???
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post #11 of 16
1/29/03 at 1:20pm
[quote]Originally posted by ShawnPatrickJoyce:
<strong>

BUT you have to wait 3+ weeks for it to ship! Granted, the shipping is FREE as well so Dell.com has by far the best deal. Is waiting 3+ weeks worth it???</strong><hr></blockquote>

Well, only you can answer that question.
One thing to be aware of though. A lot of online dealers sell gray market cameras. That is, they don't include a USA warranty. If it's not stated, be sure to ask if it's a retail package with the USA warranty. Usually, if they have a really low price, chances are good that it's a gray market camera.
That's not a concern with Dell, but some of the New York places do this.
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post #12 of 16
1/29/03 at 1:23pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah! I was very suspicious of some of those "Big Apple Camera" places with ultra low prices. Anyway, I can get a Canon S230 with a 128mb card for $400 total. Although that Nikon 4300 is looking really good right now!
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post #13 of 16
1/29/03 at 1:37pm
SPJ,

Right now, you can get the S200 (plus 128mb memory) for $250 shipped from Officemax. Go to <a href="http://www.spoofee.com" target="_blank">www.spoofee.com</a> and scroll down until you see the deals for 1/27/03.

That's the best price I've ever seen for this camera.

I have the S200 and love it - I don't think I'd need great resolution.

Jason
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post #14 of 16
1/29/03 at 2:04pm
Thread Starter 
Oh man... jmclark, thank you. I think we have a winner. I don't think $150 extra and 3+ weeks is worth it for the s230. $250 for the s200 is something too sweet to pass up!

EDIT: JUST bought the Canon Powershot s200 at Office Max for only 250 bucks (including a 128mb memory card)! WOW! I can't wait until Friday when it will arrive. Thanks for all your contributions, especially jmclarke for his tide-turning post.

[ 01-29-2003: Message edited by: ShawnPatrickJoyce ]</p>
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post #15 of 16
1/29/03 at 8:05pm
Thread Starter 
This is unbelievable. The estimated delivery date is this Friday but when I checked again, I saw that the item was on backorder without affecting the shipping date! How unscrupulous are these online retailers!
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post #16 of 16
1/31/03 at 4:40am
[quote]Originally posted by ShawnPatrickJoyce:
<strong>Oh man... jmclark, thank you. I think we have a winner. I don't think $150 extra and 3+ weeks is worth it for the s230. $250 for the s200 is something too sweet to pass up!

EDIT: JUST bought the Canon Powershot s200 at Office Max for only 250 bucks (including a 128mb memory card)! WOW! I can't wait until Friday when it will arrive. Thanks for all your contributions, especially jmclarke for his tide-turning post.

[ 01-29-2003: Message edited by: ShawnPatrickJoyce ]</strong><hr></blockquote>

Wow - never knew I could elicit such praise! Anyway, no problem. I love that little camera, and I, too, couldn't spend an extra 150 just for another megapixel resolution.

Sorry to hear about the delay. That really is lame. I hope you stick with the s200, though.

Jason
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