Got wife a Canon PowerShot S80

[kingsells]

Hi. I just ordered my wife a Canon PowerShot S80 from Santa.Boy will she be shocked! She had been using a digital rebel for 2 yrs however wanted something a little smaller.She will still use the Rebel but wanted something smaller for the road and such. This will be a total surprise for her( I was going to go with a cheaper cam but found this one with pay out option) anyways. She wants a cam that can take black and white pics of the kids. A cam where the pics dont come out "fuzzy". Her passion is taking pics ,after research i went with the S80. I dont know much about cams but it did say it took black and white. Is this correct? I have been unable to find any pics in black and white on the net. I am starting to worry I misread. Does anyone have any advice,review on this cam? I guess I am worried about picking out a cam with out her help LOL
thanks for any advice!

[cjsleaf]

Lucky wife!

Don't worry..it does take black and white, and sepia. I'm the one who posted the earlier post...S70 vs S80. I've read review after review for both of these camera's and just can't make my mind up as to which one to go for.

Having not used it personally I can't comment on things I've read that other users have experienced. If you want an in-depth review, go to dpreview.com - you can also check out the great pics it takes.

Personally I think you've made a good choice.

Hope she likes it! Merry Christmas.

[G M Fude]

Yeah I've been researching a replacement for my Nikon Coolpix 3700 for a month or two (it just doens't allow me the creative control I want), and the S80 came up as the winner to augment my Pentax Z1 SLR, which spends most of its life in semi-retirement now.

WIth a simple freebie download for your PC like IrfanView (http://www.irfanview.com/), you can very quickly convert your stunning colour JPEGs from the S80 into (perhaps even more) stunning monochrome shots. Or indeed even change the colours in the camera, although I think I'd recommend post-processing for colour manipulation. It's all a bit more relaxed in front of a PC!

[kingsells]

thank you both! I was unsure on the buy as the price is a little pricy! But no where near what we paid for the Rebel with the kits we got. so its not to bad I guess. I am so nervous as I usualy let her pick out her big gift! this year will be a surprise

[kingsells]

can i buy a lense for this? one that makes it where she can get really close up pics? she loves to take pics from far away :)

[G M Fude]

can i buy a lense for this? one that makes it where she can get really close up pics? she loves to take pics from far away :) Wup, hang on... does she want to get really close up or really far away?

For the former, the S80 does pretty respectable macro shots out of the box, when you set it up correctly (the user manual will tell you exactly how).

For the latter, the S80 can have a telephoto (perhaps more correctly a 'tele-extender') fitted in front of the standard lens as an accessory. It doubles the focal length. There's a photo of it on the Steve's digi-cams website (http://www.steves-digicams.com/) but I can't post the exact link as the site is down temporarily. Go to the site in that link and search for the S80 review; then I think the telephoto accessory was the second page of the review(?). You have to buy two bits, the telephoto and an adapter to hold it to the front of the lens. Effectively gives your S80 a 200 mm lens!

[kingsells]

Wup, hang on... does she want to get really close up or really far away?

For the former, the S80 does pretty respectable macro shots out of the box, when you set it up correctly (the user manual will tell you exactly how).

For the latter, the S80 can have a telephoto (perhaps more correctly a 'tele-extender') fitted in front of the standard lens as an accessory. It doubles the focal length. There's a photo of it on the Steve's digi-cams website (http://www.steves-digicams.com/) but I can't post the exact link as the site is down temporarily. Go to the site in that link and search for the S80 review; then I think the telephoto accessory was the second page of the review(?). You have to buy two bits, the telephoto and an adapter to hold it to the front of the lens. Effectively gives your S80 a 200 mm lens!
she wants to beable to take close up pics without being on top of the object. with her digital rebel thats her fav lens. so I guess it is the telephote lens she wants. ty so much for your help!

[G M Fude]

Ah, I see. I'm not sure that the telephoto adapter will help with macro photography; it might. It will mean a tripod is essential to avoid camera movement during close up photography. Anyway, half the fun is experimenting!

[kingsells]

Ah, I see. I'm not sure that the telephoto adapter will help with macro photography; it might. It will mean a tripod is essential to avoid camera movement during close up photography. Anyway, half the fun is experimenting! i thaught that is what a telephoto lens is lol can u tell i am clueless! ha ha ha! I dont expect this cam to take as close up as her rebel she has. but was hoping could by a lens she could use to zoom with :)

[G M Fude]

Heh... well, I'm sure your wife will know her way around the camera pretty well! The important thing is that you did choose a great piece of equipment for her, and the S80 really is.

[CRE@TE]

She wants a cam that can take black and white pics of the kids.


It is better to take pictures in full colour and convert to B&W in your photo editing program.

[kingsells]

Heh... well, I'm sure your wife will know her way around the camera pretty well! The important thing is that you did choose a great piece of equipment for her, and the S80 really is. ty ty! i do think she will know her way around it. a lot better then I do!

[kingsells]

It is better to take pictures in full colour and convert to B&W in your photo editing program. ahh maybe that is what she wanted LOL! what a good editing program?

[G M Fude]

Well, I probably sound like I keep bashing the same can, but a good, simple and free start would be Irfan Skiljan's software, IrfanView (http://www.irfanview.com/).

I would say that the S80 will come with its own imaging software, which will allow you to convert colour images to monochrome. But, before you give the camera as a Christmas gift, you can download IrfanView right now and start practising. Open an image in the programme, click on the Image dropdown menu, and click Convert to Greyscale. Hey presto, black and white!

[davidfig]

I agree with Fude, Irfanview is a good program to cut your teeth on. It can do what most people need.

[kingsells]

thanks!! I am sure wife would already know all this and would get a good laugh at me lol.