Can anyone with an s230 confirm if there is a rattling noise when you shake the camera? I need to know if this is normal.

Despite this the camera appears to function normally for the most part. As a previous poster posted I am having difficult taking good pictures. Most pics i take come out blurry. Even pics in a moderately lit space. It is only when i force the flash that pics come out clear. Problem is you don't always want to use the flash.
I use auto mode for the most part and just can't believe it is this difficult to take good pics with this camera especially when i see the numerous sample hi-quality pics from other owners. The majority of the pics i take are out of focus. I'm beginning to wonder
if there is a problem with my camera.

I have the same problem with the blurry/out-of-focus pictures indoors w/o flash. Sometimes even with the flash - especially in the edges of the pictures. I.e. if I take a group picture (4-5 people side-by-side), with the camera on a tripod, the people on the outside are a little blurry/out-of-focus and the people in the middle are in-focus.
Is this a common problem with the S230/IxusV3?

About the rattling noise I got it, too, and I think it is the sensor for rotated photos. I am not sure, though.

/Thomas

I have the S230, and have taken several hundred pictures with it. I didnt notice any rattle until you mentioned it, but now that you have I can detect a slight metallic rattle when I shake the camera. I think the camera orientation sensor may be a good guess on that. I don't think its a defect.

I don't see any unsual problem with blurry photos. I have 3 other digital cameras and I don't have any higher incidence of blurry photos with the 230 than with any other. Certainly indoors without a flash is the most challenging. But I have taken many indoor photos with and without a flash and they look sharp throughout to me. So I don't think there is anything inherent in the camera that leads to blurry photos.

I will say, after having become used to several fine Canon SLR's with 800 speed Gold Max film, that it's harder to take a sharp indoor picture with digital, but it seems like that is just because of the slower shutter speeds you get with the lower "ASA speed" digital cameras. So I'm extra-careful to try to hold the camera steadier when I shoot digital. There is a thread here somwehere that suggests a good technique for holding the S230 solidly.

So I don't know if your specific camera has a defect, but I'm definitely happy with the overall image sharpness of the 230. Even at high zoom the photos look clear to me.

Just got the 230 as a Xmas gift and about 1/2 of my shots (all indoors with ample light) are blurry. On the plus side, this is one fast camera. Perhaps I need to adjust the settings. I did turn off the assist lamp and did notice some improvement. I play around with this some more before returning this camera.

Because the camera is so small and light, it is much more sensitive to your body's movement when taking pictures. Also, most people unconciously hold the camera further away when using the LCD to compose the shot. So be sure to brace your elbows against your body when shooting to minimize shake.

Try to brace the camera on something stationary if possible (a wall or doorframe for instance). When I shoot with a tripod or braced properly, the pictures turn out very sharp. I even managed some good shots of the Christmas pagent in church without a flash, bracing myself against one of the colomns.

Finally, be sure to half-press before taking a shot to allow the camera that half-second to get a propper focus and exposure.

I hear the same rattle. I don't know and don't care. It's all good.:lol:

I had a S200, S330 and now the S230 -- they all had a little rattle.

I was having similar difficulty, but the manual settings can help. Two things to consider: first, you can kick up the iso setting (experiment with how much) but doing so will certainly get rid of the blur. Second, having changed the iso setting or forced a flash, I've found that playing with the preset white balance settings can give the picture a warmer or cooler feeling to counter the brighter image. For any experts, is this a good way to think about it? Thanks!

Hi all,

I read this in another Canon forum. Hope it's helpful:

The S230 has some ball bearings inside which are used to determine the orientation of the camera so the LCD can rotate the picture if needed when the camera is held sideways. My S230 has had this small rattle from day 1 but it is nothing to worry about unless it gets excessive.

Beckie

If your WHOLE picture is blurred, not just the subject if in motion, then you need to know the shutter speed the camera used. It is available in the EXIF data stored with each shot on your memory card. The slowest speed used should be approximately 6 times the focal length used. For example, if you took a wide angle shot at 6mm, then your shutter speed should be at least 1/36 sec. If you took it at 36mm, the it should be at least 1/216 sec.
Determining "adequate" light in artificial lighting or outdoor at dawn, dusk, or in shade is quite difficult, even for experienced photographers without using a light metering device. I've taken outdoor pictures on a sunny day, in shade at ISO 100 where I learned later the shutter speed was 1/6 sec: definitely a tripod situation and I hadn't brought one, so my pictures were all blurred.