Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras Shop All Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras Online Canon PowerShot High-End Digital Cameras Feature Comparison Chart Click on model number in the chart below to see photo and detailed features. Click on any underlined feature on this chart for a more detailed explanation. Video Direct also sells Canon EOS Professional Digital SLRs and Canon Point-and-Shoot PowerShot Digital Cameras.

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Canon PowerShot Digital Camera Feature Explanations:

1 - MegaPixel CCD

Resolution in a digital camera determines how much detail will be in your pictures and how large a file they produce. Resolution is the number of pixels in a digital camera imaging sensor -- the more pixels, the finer the detail and the larger the file size. These PowerShots have a total of 7, 8, 10 or 12 million pixels and allow a selection of image quality modes. The best quality prints are obtained in the large superfine mode, but images that are going to be shown on a television or computer screen or emailed to someone can be created in a lower mode.

2 -SD Card Media

These Canon PowerShot digital cameras use the incredibly tiny SD memory cards. Get expanded capacity and high-speed writing from a memory card the size of a postage stamp.

3 - High-Speed USB 2.0 Connection

Part of being digital is about communication. Specifically, it's about the ability of your PowerShot camera to communicate with your computer. PowerShot cameras bring your communications into the digital universe with their cross-platform USB connection. By connecting your PowerShot to your computer (PC or Macintosh) via the included USB cable you can download your photographs at 20 times the rate of the older serial connections. With today's high-capacity storage devices, a quicker download is essential, and with the USB connection, you can now communicate at digital speed.

4 - Zoom Lens

With the all-glass aspherical Canon lenses in every PowerShot camera, you get the image quality you need. Look at the world through your mind's eye, but photograph it through a Canon lens. PowerShots come equipped with a high-quality Canon optical zoom lens, capable of shooting a wide range of images from scenery to snapshots. Built-in digital teleconverters extend the zoom range of the lens when used in conjunction with the camera's optical zoom capabilities.

With a Canon 6x optical zoom lens (7.4-44.4mm f/2.8-4.8) with a 35mm film equivalent of 35-210mm, and Optical Image Stabilizer Technology, the PowerShot G9 is suitable for almost anything including landscape, action, portrait and macro photography. It can focus from 0.39 inch (Macro mode) to infinity, and utilizes Canon's superlative TTL AF system. It sports Canon's exclusive Optical Image Stabilizer that detects and effectively cancels camera shake, perfect for shooting in dim lighting situations, indoors without a flash and at the end of the zoom range. In addition to Canon's Optical Image Stabilizer, the G9's zoom lens incorporates many of Canon's most sophisticated optical technologies to achieve nothing short of Canon clarity: consistent brightness and sharpness throughout the zoom range. Precision-engineered elements reduce and correct aberrations, while Canon's SR coating technology virtually eliminates ghosting. Simply put, this lens, paired with the G9's 12.1-megapixel CCD sensor is a perfect match.

The PowerShot S5 IS's exceptionally long 12x Optical Zoom (35mm film equivalent: 36-432mm) is driven by an ultrasonic motor (Micro USM) for fast, virtually silent performance. The 4x Digital Zoom brings combined zooming power to 48x -- more than enough to get you onto the field at sporting events and up on the stage at dance recitals. This ultra-compact 12x zoom lens that features 11 elements in nine groups, including one aspherical surface and one ultra-low dispersion glass (UD) element. The UD element is particularly effective at reducing chromatic aberration when the lens is zoomed out to its maximum telephoto range for enhanced sharpness and color fidelity. Despite its extensive optical range, the lens is ultra-compact and retracts securely into the camera when it is powered down.

5 - LCD Monitor

These PowerShots incorporate big 2.5-inch or 3-inch LCD screens for a truly eye-opening view. The high-resolution screens offer a crisp, clear picture and wider viewing angle to make shooting, playback and using the camera's menu functions especially convenient.

6 - DIGIC III Image Processor

Canon's proprietary image processor, called DIGIC, was developed specifically for use with its line of digital cameras and combines the jobs of image processing and camera function control into one chip. Canon's DIGIC (short for Digital Imaging Integrated Circuit) is much faster at image processing than a general purpose CPU because it employs parallel processing rather than the sequential, one pixel at a time processing methods used by conventional digital cameras. The extra speed of DIGIC makes it possible to incorporate higher quality signal processing algorithms than conventional digital cameras, while at the same time improving buffer performance and consuming less battery power because signal processing is completed more quickly on a per-image basis.

However, DIGIC does much more than image processing. Because it was specifically designed for use in a digital camera, it is also capable of handling nearly every digital camera function including JPEG compression/expansion; memory card control; LCD/Video control and processing; gain control (control of CCD signal amplification); Auto Exposure; Auto Focus; Auto White Balance control and most other functions of the camera. The result is a camera that offers faster and more powerful AF than ever before, faster image processing, longer battery life, and the ability to record 3-minute movie clips with sound.

Canon's exclusive DIGIC III Image Processor builds on the technological superiority of DIGIC and DIGIC II, taking image quality, performance and speed to new levels. DIGIC III provides a speedier interface for the PowerShot G9's SD memory card, reduces noise at high ISO settings, extends battery life with lower power consumption, offers higher definition for the LCD monitor, and empowers exciting new technologies like Face Detection AF/AE.

7 - iSAPS Technology

Over the past 68 years, Canon has accumulated a vast amount of photographic data and know-how and used it to create some of the most innovative camera products in the marketplace. Now, using that same data and know-how, Canon has developed an exclusive technology called iSAPS (Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) that can predict certain camera settings such as focusing distance, exposure and optimum white balance based on zoom focal length, overall light level and tonal distribution data. Canon refers to this collective data as "Photographic Space." By incorporating iSAPS technology into its PowerShot line, the cameras can analyze a scene just before the image is made and in doing so, increase the speed and precision of the camera's autofocus, auto exposure and auto white balance.

8 - Built-In Flash

Each day and every situation has different lighting conditions. That's why Canon PowerShots are fitted with built-in Flash Functions. You can set the PowerShot to Autoflash, manually select your own exposure, or use the Fill Flash setting to open deep shadows on bright sunny days. And to achieve natural backgrounds with well-illuminated foreground subjects, thees camera alsos feature slow-sync speed flash mode. This makes for dramatic sunset images or sparkling nighttime cityscapes. PowerShots provide you with the potential to be more creative.

9 - E-TTL Flash Compatability

The PowerShot G9 includes a dedicated hot shoe, enabling total compatibility and control of Canon's full line of EX-series Speedlite external flashes, and is totally compatible with Canon's unique E-TTL Wireless flash system.

10 - Canon Optical Image Stabilizer Technology

The Canon Image Stabilizer uses gyroscopic sensors to detect motion and generate a corrective signal to reduce blur caused by camera movement. An image-stabilizing lens group along the optical axis is shifted in response to the detected motion, providing effective cancellation of unwanted lens movement and vibration. Result -- photos taken while zoomed in and at slower shutter speeds are not blurry, even without a tripod.

11 - Direct Print

Equipped with a Direct Print function, these PowerShots allow you to create high-quality prints without a computer. To print, you simply plug the camera directly into one of Canon's compact digital printers -- like the Canon Card Photo Printer CP-330 -- or Exif 2.2-compatible Bubble Jet Direct Photo Printers like the S830D and S530D. During Direct Printing, cropping capability also allows you to expand and print a selected area of an image.

12 - Selectable Light Metering

Selectable Light Metering offers 3 settings. In the Evaluative setting, linked to the focusing point, the camera reads multiple points across the frame for optimal overall exposure. The Spot Metering setting concentrates on a single area of the image for greater precision in high contrast situations. Centerweighted Averaging Metering, with emphasis on the center of the viewfinder, averages metering out over the entire picture area.

13 - Autofocus System

In fully automatic modes, the camera defaults to a 9-point AiAF system that evaluates a much larger percentage of the picture area than the 3-point system used in earlier models. This makes it easier and quicker for the camera to detect the main subject, even when it is considerably off-center. In semi-automatic and manual modes, all these PowerShots offer Flexizone AF/AE, which enables the photographer to place a single focusing point almost anywhere in the picture area for maximum creative control.

14 - XGA / DV-Quality / HD Movies

The PowerShot S5 IS digital camera keeps data compression rates low, so movies record at DV-Quality with VGA resolution at 30 frames per second (fps). Individual movie clips can last as long as 60 minutes or produce file sizes up to 1GB on an SD media card. What's more, powerful features such as optical and digital zooming, manual focus, Photo Effects and My Colors are available for greater freedom and flexibility while shooting movies.

The PowerShot S5 IS cameras' stereo sound capabilities include 16-bit audio recording at sampling rates adjustable up to 44 kHz. Microphone recording levels are adjustable in 5 steps, as well as built-in wind filter to minimize extraneous sound. Now Mom will not miss baby's first words while she is at work or running an errand. Additionally, the camera can be used for recording lectures, dictation.

The PowerShots G9 and SD900 allow you to record extremely smooth, high-resolution XGA movie clips at 15 fps (1024 x 768 pixels) for up to 31 minutes.

15 - MovieSnap Simultaneous Movie and Still Image Capture

Have you ever missed a defining moment in your child's life because you had to switch from video to still or vice versa? Not anymore! Now with the PowerShot S3 IS' MovieSnap feature it is possible to capture still images at resolutions up to five megapixels while recording movies. For instance, a father can record his daughter's dance recital and take quality still photos while in movie mode, or record movies of his son's first steps while capturing a still image of his first fall. Regardless of mode dial position or whether the camera is in shooting or playback mode, the PowerShot S3 IS automatically starts or stops recording movies simply by pushing a button on the back of the camera.

16 - ISO 1600 Sensitivity

The PowertShot S3 IS' Image Stabilizer technology and ISO 800 sensitivity keep images rock steady, even in low light and when zooming with the 12x optical zoom lens. Thanks to the DIGIC III chip's more aggressive noise reduction, the newest PowerShot digital cameras are able to shoot at ISO equivalent speed ratings from 80 to as high as 1600. This increased sensitivity at the top-end allows users to select faster shutter speeds, significantly reducing camera shake and subject blur during hand held low-light photography.

17 - Face Detection AF/AE/FE Technology

With Canon's Face Detection AF/AE technology (working in concert with Canon's 9-point Autofocus system), the PowerShot G9 can detect, lock on and track up to nine human faces in a scene simply by pressing the shutter button halfway. The face detection algorithm automatically prioritizes and selects the optimum subject and not simply the closest face (based on Canon's Intelligent Scene Analysis/iSAPS technology). It will then optimize the focus and exposure to ensure the best possible results for even easier picture taking moments.

With Canon's new Face Detection AF/AE/FE function, the PowerShot can detect, lock on, and track multiple human faces in a scene. The face detection algorithm automatically prioritizes and selects faces (based on Canon's Intelligent Scene Analysis/iSAPS technology). It will then optimize the focus, exposure and flash to help ensure the best possible results for even easier picture taking moments. The result is flattering portraits and group shots where all of the subjects are in clearer focus and accurately exposed. Compared to previous Canon cameras with Face Detection technology, these PowerShot digital cameras add several improvements, including the ability to use the function for movies as well as still images, the ability to detect faces that are further away or not aimed directly at the camera, and better control of flash exposure.

Working with the camera's Face Detection technology, Canon's new Red-eye Correction feature helps detect and corrects, during playback mode, that bothersome by-product of flash photography. Images can be corrected manually while viewing photos on the LCD screen to help vanquish red-eye, once and for all. Because most images will no longer require laborious post-processing with a computer, the new in-camera Red-eye Correction feature is ideal for direct printing.