Performance
The Canon S200 performed well in our tests. Autofocus was fast and precise even under low light. Images were sharp out of the box. All metering modes performed as expected. The lens produced slight barrel distortion up to 100mm equivalent focal length.
Auto White Balance performed very well with the camera reproducing cast-free images under most lighting conditions. The slight casts produced under a few artificial light sources could be removed easily in postprocessing. The camera produced images of native size 9.12 x 12.16 inches at 300 ppi. At 25 percent of the screen size, images were noise-free up to ISO 1600. ISO 3200 appeared soft due to noisereduction, while ISO 6400 was noisy. But all images were usable in a crunch. At 50 percent enlargement, images remained usable up to ISO 3200, though we observed mild noise at ISO 1600. Viewed at 100 percent, we found slight noise at ISO 800, but not so much to be of concern. In fact, the images were still usable up to ISO 1600. The S200 produced prominent flare along with purple fringing in strong against-the-light images at the wide-angle end, with wideopen aperture. We also observed prominent darkening at the corners of a uniformly illuminated surface at the above setting.
Value for Money
The Canon PowerShot S200 retails at an MRP of Rs.19,995. We wish the price was a couple of thousands less considering that the premium S110 retails at Rs.17,995.
SPECIFICATIONS
Eff ective Pixels : Approx 10.1 Million pixels
Imaging Processor : DIGIC 5
Sensor size : 1/1.7 inch (7.60 x 5.70mm)
Lens Focal Length : 24 – 120 mm (35mm fi lm equivalent)
Focusing Range : Normal: 3cm – infi nity (W),
30cm – infi nity (T)
Macro: 3 – 50cm (1.2in. – 1.6ft . (W)
30- 50cm (12in. – 1.6ft . (T)
Image Stabilization : Lens-shift type System (IS)
Display : 3.0-inch type, Approx.
461,000-dot TFT
Aspect Ratio : 4:3
Focus Control system : Continuous AF, Servo AF, Manual
AF frame : Face AiAF, Tracking AF, Centre,
FlexiZone
Metering System : Evaluative, Centre-weighted
average, Spot
ISO Sensitivity : Auto, ISO 80 – 6400
Shutt er Speed : 15 – 1/2000sec.
Aperture Type : Iris
Maximum Aperture : f/1.8 (W) to f/5.7 (T)
Flash Modes : Auto, On, Slow Synchro, Off
Flash Range : 50cm – 7.0m (W), 50cm – 2.3m (T)
Shooting Modes : M, Av, Tv, P, AUTO, Live View
Control, SCN, Creative Filters
Scene Modes : Portrait, Smooth Skin, Smart Shutt er,
High-speed Burst, Snow, Fireworks,
Stitch Assist
Creative Filters : Fish-eye Eff ect, Miniature Eff ect, Toy
Camera Eff ect, Soft : Focus, Monochrome, Super Vivid,
Poster Eff ect, Colour Accent, Colour
Swap
Smart Shutt er : Smile, Wink Self-timer, Face Self-timer
Continuous shooting : Approx. 1.9 shots/sec. (In P mode)
Approx 4.5 shots/sec. (in High-Speed
Burst mode)
Max. Recording Pixels : Still Images: 3648 x 2736
Movies: 1280 x 720 (24fps)
Max. Movie Recoding Time
Approx. 50mins
Other Functions : WiFi, Eco Mode
Power Source : Batt ery Pack NB-6LH
Dimensions : 99.8 x 59.0 x 26.3mm
Weight : Approx. 181g including batt ery
and memory card
VERDICT
The Canon S200 is a toned down version of its premium compact camera, S110, without Raw format and lower ISO range. This camera off ers a good focal length for general purpose photography and occasional family trips and portraits.
Sujith Gopinath
