Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS Pro Reviews

I really liked the color, tone and sharpness of photos taken with the Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS. Although it doesn't have all of the options of an enthusiast-grade digicam (it's missing full Manual) or even an entry-level DSLR, it has decent options for aperture and shutter speed. I doubt many buyers of this ELPH will even go there, but at least it offers something for those who want to go beyond Smart Auto. It has a nice selection of filters, and handles low light well, thanks to Canon's HS system. Touchscreen operation was quite good. Some may not like it, but don't count me as one of them. The Canon 500 HS does have one very serious shortfall -- a short battery life, likely due to the touchscreen. A spare battery is an absolute must if you purchase this camera. The only major operational flaw is the hard edge on the tiny zoom toggle. The Canon 500 HS is essentially a combination of last year's SD3500 IS and SD4000 IS with some improvements including better low-light shooting and higher video resolution. Call me crazy, but I'd like to see Canon incorporate this touchscreen on a mega-zoom and a true enthusiast camera. If purists can begrudgingly accept electronic viewfinders in "DSLRs", a touchscreen shouldn't be such a big leap of faith. For all its minor foibles, the Canon PowerShot 500 HS is a winning ELPH worthy of a Dave's Pick.

Canon's compact PowerShot Elph 310 HS packs an 8x zoom lens into a body that can slide into your shirt pocket with ease. When you consider its high-res LCD, excellent image quality, and 1080p HD video capture capability you have a camera that earns our Editors' Choice.

The PowerShot ELPH 500 HS is a good choice. Images are reliably good and details are sharp. A fast lens coupled with some flexible shooting modes will give a beginning user plenty of room to experiment, grow, and - most importantly - have a little fun.

For those who just want to point-and-shoot, the Auto mode with scene detection and Face AiAF, not to mention the smart shutter mode keep it simple, while a wide range of scene modes provide the opportunity for creative fun without a lot of hassle. All of which goes to make the IXUS 310 HS / ELPH 500 HS an all-round great performer deserving of our Highly Recommended award.

The Canon PowerShot Elph 500 HS is essentially a touchscreen-operated version of another very good Canon camera, the PowerShot SD4000 IS, with a few extras added. Thanks to its standout image quality, versatile shooting features, well-done UI, and bright F2.0 lens, it's an excellent choice for anyone seeking a touch-controlled compact camera. Because the touchscreen interface is such an integral part of this camera, it's a good idea to try the camera out before you buy it; it may be the perfect fit for your needs, but it may also leave you thirsting for physical controls. And if battery life is important to you, keep in mind that the PowerShot Elph 500 HS poops out pretty quickly.

Although the Canon IXUS 310 HS has very good image-capturing capabilities, it has some glaring negative points such as low battery life and average shooting speeds. I would suggest the Canon IXUS 220 HS instead, because of its slim form factor and superior night-time photography, and the fact that it is available at a lower price.

The touch-screen controls keep the Canon PowerShot Elph 500 HS from being a lower-cost PowerShot S95 alternative for enthusiasts, but its otherwise a very good ultracompact.

Full HD movie capability with HDMI output, excellent build quality and a very impressive low-light performance are the 310 HS' main highlights. Some touch screen controls prove to a be a little fiddly to operate, and - for the same price or less - you could pick up one of the 310 HS' bigger-zoom rivals.

Thanks to its wealth of creative modes the IXUS 310 HS is an ideal camera for those who like the compact size but are keen to explore some of the advantages of a DSLR, with its shutter and aperture priority modes. The f/2.0 lens makes shooting in low light easy and delivers sharp images even without the use of flash in many lighting situations. The touch screen is both stylish and easy to use. The only downsides are the relatively short battery life and slightly restrictive 4.4x optical zoom.

Strip away the IXUS 310 HS' touch screen control and by and large you have the cheaper IXUS 220 HS model lurking underneath, which boasts a slightly better battery life. In terms of handling we prefer the broader build and more solid feel of the IXUS 310 HS over its svelte sibling however, but there will be those who take the opposite view. As there is currently around £80 between them going by street prices at the time of writing, that may well be the decider for those seeking the best deal.

The Canon IXUS 310 HS’ wow factor is delivered by the implementation of the monolith-like back screen, but we did find ourselves missing those physical controls on occasion when in a hurry to find particular settings. If you’re not sold on the idea of a touchscreen, a coolly minimalist appearance as a result, or the idea of manually tweaking aperture or shutter speed, then the cheaper IXUS 220 HS and 115 HS point and shoot models offer much the same functionality for less than £200. We were very impressed with the camera’s image quality however, particularly with regard to the lack of noise visible in shots as we moved up through the ISO 100-3200 range. In that respect it betters what we expect of a snapshot camera.

This attention grabbing facet of the camera's design aside, the IXUS 310 HS is fairly future proofed by virtue of shoehorning in most of the latest must haves, even if, probably because Canon doesn't have a vested interest in flogging televisions, we don't get a 3D shooting mode option. Ultimately, by incorporating both fun and creative features alongside its basic point and shoot functionality, and delivering impressive results in both daylight and low light at the press of a button, this IXUS is a no brainer choice for those wanting point and shoot simplicity yet results that are a cut above the norm.