Features
Playback, Editing and Print
Functions
Battery Information
Inputs and Outputs Notes
Supplied Software
Recording Features
LCD Monitor: The Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS has a
3.2" TFT LCD monitor, featuring 461,000 dots with approximately 100% picture coverage, a 5-level brightness adjustment,
and Touch Panel technology. You can simply touch the screen to choose and track
an AF point, change camera settings, record and play videos, and much more. The Night Display feature automatically brightens the LCD monitor to suit the
brightness of the subject, making it easier to frame the subject in dark
conditions.
Image Sensor/Processor: The camera is equipped with a 1/2.3" CMOS image sensor
with 12.8-million total pixels, and 12.1-million effective pixels. Together, the
12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor and the DIGIC 4 processor make up the Canon HS
System, which delivers clear, blur-free shots indoors or in low light.
Optics: The ELPH 500 HS has a
4.4x optical
zoom lens with a 4.3-18.8mm focal length (35mm equivalent is 24-105mm).
Zoom: In addition to the 4.4x optical zoom, the camera
features a 4x digital zoom. When used in combination, the total zoom is
approximately 18x. The focal length when using the optical zoom and digital zoom
together is approximately 24-420mm.
Digital Teleconverter: The focal length of the lens can be
increased by an equivalent of 1.5x or 2.0x through the use of the Digital Teleconverter. The equivalent focal lengths of the lens (35mm equivalent) are
36-157.5mm when using the 1.5x digital teleconverter, and 48-210mm with the 2.0x teleconverter. The digital zoom and digital teleconverter cannot be used
simultaneously.
Recording Media:
The camera records still images or moving images with stereo audio on SD Memory
Cards (2GB or less), SDHC Memory Cards (4GB to 32GB), SDXC Memory Cards (32GB
and higher), MultiMediaCards, MMCplus Cards, and HC MMCplus Cards. Still images are recorded in JPEG
format, and the
movies are recorded in MOV format (Image data: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, Audio data:
Linear PCM
(mono). No memory card is included with the camera, nor is there any internal
memory in the camera.
Still Image Resolution/Compression:
The ELPH 500 HS can record still images in 4 different sizes (Large, Medium 1,
Medium 2, and Small) and 4 aspect ratios (4:3, 16:9, 3:2, and 1:1). For
each resolution, you can set the compression to Fine or Normal. The estimated number of
4:3 still images that can be recorded on SDHC Memory Cards is as follows:
Still Image
Resolution and Aspect Ratio |
Compression |
SDHC Memory Card Size |
| 4 GB |
16 GB |
Large
4000 x 3000 |
Fine |
1231 |
5042 |
|
Normal |
2514 |
10295 |
Medium 1
2816 x 2112 |
Fine |
2320 |
9503 |
|
Normal |
4641 |
19007 |
Medium 2
1600 x 1200 |
Fine |
6352 |
26010 |
|
Normal |
12069 |
49420 |
Small
640 x 480 |
Fine |
20116 |
82367 |
|
Normal |
30174 |
123550 |
Movies: Movies can be shot in High Definition at 1920 x 1080
(24 fps) and 1280 x 720 (30 fps). You can also shoot in Standard Definition at 640 x 480 pixels or 320 x 240
pixels, with a frame rate of 30 fps. Recording will automatically stop when either
the clip file size reaches 4 GB or the recording time reaches approximately 10
min for High Definition, and 1 hour for Standard Definition. SD Speed Class 6 or higher memory cards are recommended. The estimated length of
movies that can be recorded on SDHC Memory Cards is as follows:
| Movie Quality |
4 GB |
16 GB |
1920 x 1080
24 fps |
14 min 34 sec |
59 min 40 sec |
1280 x 720
30 fps |
20 min 43 sec |
1 hr 24 min 54 sec |
640 x 480
30 fps |
43 min 43 sec |
2 hrs 59 min 3 sec |
320 x 240
30 fps |
1 hrs 58 min 19 sec |
8 hrs 4 min 30 sec |
Continuous Shooting
Mode: You can use the continuous shooting mode to shoot successive
frames while the shutter button is fully pressed. You can shoot continuously at
approximately 3.4 image per second. The speed increases slightly in the low
light mode.
Image Stabilization: The ELPH 500 HS is equipped with
lens-shift type image stabilization. To correct the effects of camera shake, you
can choose from the following Image Stabilization settings:
- Continuous: Image Stabilization is always on. For movies, Dynamic
mode also reduces strong camera shake, as when walking.
- Shoot Only: Image Stabilization is only active at the moment of
shooting.
- Panning: Image Stabilization only counters up and down
motion--recommended for shooting objects moving horizontally.
Face Detection Technology: The camera's Face Detection
Technology finds and tracks the faces of moving subjects until you're ready to
shoot, then delivers perfect focus. In addition, exposure, flash, and white
balance are compensated, so that faces exhibit natural skin tones and
backgrounds are properly exposed.
AutoFocus Frame Modes: The camera utilizes TTL (through-the-lens)
automatic focusing with two focusing methods:
- Face AiAF: The camera automatically detects the position of a face and uses the data to set the focus, exposure (evaluative metering only) and white balance (auto). When the
camera is pointed at subjects, a white frame appears on the face the camera judges to be the main subject, and up to 2 gray frames will appear on other faces.
- Fixed Frame: A single AF frame is
used for focusing on a specific point.
AF-Point Zoom: You can magnify the AF frame and check the focus. In Face Detect mode, the face selected as the main subject will appear magnified in the monitor. In
Fixed Frame mode,
the contents of the AF frame will appear magnified.
Auto Focus Lock: If it becomes difficult to focus on the
subject due to low contrast to the surroundings, close up and far away subjects
in the same shot, or quickly moving subjects, you can choose to lock the focus
or auto focus on an object at a similar distance, then shoot the picture after
recomposing the shot.
Focusing Range: The camera features the following focus
ranges (from the end of the lens):
- Normal: 1.2" to infinity (W),
1.3' to infinity (T)
- Macro: 1.2" to 1.6' (wide)
Shooting Modes: You can switch between the following
shooting modes:
- Smart Auto: The camera will automatically select the
best settings for the scene, detect and focus on faces, and set the color
and brightness to optimal levels.
- Program AE: The camera sets both the aperture value and
shutter speed, and you can choose the settings for various functions to suit
your preferences. The focusing range in this mode is 2"-infinity (W), and
1.3'-infinity (T).
- Aperture Priority: You can set the aperture value, and
the camera will set the appropriate shutter speed for the aperture you set.
You can select from aperture values from F2.0 to F8.0.
- Shutter Priority: You can set the shutter speed, and
the camera will set the appropriate aperture value for the speed you set.
You can select from shutter speeds from 15 seconds to 1/1000 second.
- Movie Digest: You can make a short movie of a day just by
taking still images. Each time you take a picture, the scene just before your
shot will be recorded as a movie. All the movies recorded that day will be saved
as a single file, and can be played back as one continuous movie clip.
- Portrait: produces a soft effect when photographing
people
- Kids & Pets: captures subjects that move around, such
as children and pets, without missing photo opportunities
- Smart Shutter: The camera will
record an image of a person, even without pressing the shutter button, when it
detects a smile.
- Hi-speed Burst: You can shoot continuously at a rate of
approximately 8.2 images per second with a fixed image size of 1984 x 1488.
- Best Image Selection: The camera takes 5 continuous shots,
detects various aspects of the shot, such as facial expressions, and saves
only one picture detected as the best.
- Handheld NightScene: take beautiful snapshots of city
night scenes by combining several continuous shots to reduce camera shake
and noise.
- Low Light: take pictures in dark places with reduced
camera shake and subject blur
- Fish-Eye Lens: Lets you shoot with the distorting effect of a
fish-eye lens.
- Miniature Effect: Blurring at the top and bottom of the frame
simulate a miniature model.
- Toy Camera: By blurring and darkening the corners of the image,
the picture looks as if it had been taken by a toy camera.
- Creative Light Effect: Light displays and other points
of light in night backgrounds behind the subject can be changed into 6
different shapes: stars, hearts, double hearts, Xs, musical notes, and
leaves.
- Monochrome: Shoot images in black-and-white, sepia, or
blue-and-white
- Super Vivid: Lets you take shots with vivid, intense
colors.
- Poster Effect: Lets you take shots that look like an
old poster or illustration.
- Color Accent: Change the picture to black-and-white with the
exception of one selected color.
- Color Swap: You can change one color for another when recording.
- Beach: take pictures of brightly lit people on sandy
beaches where reflected sunlight is strong
- Foliage: shoot trees, blossoms and leaves in vivid
colors
- Snow: take bright, natural-colored shots of people
against snowy backgrounds
- Fireworks: take shots of fireworks in vivid
colors
- Movies: Record movies in High or Standard Definition.
Just as with still images, you can let the camera select the best settings
for the scene or add various effects while shooting movies. Available
settings include: Portrait, Miniature Effect, Monochrome, Super Vivid,
Poster Effect, Color Accent, Color Swap, Beach, Foliage, Snow, and
Fireworks.
- iFrame: Shoots movies that can be edited with iFrame-compatible
software or devices (for Macintosh only)
- Super Slow Motion Movie: You can shoot fast moving subjects
and play them back in slow motion. Clips of up to 30 seconds can be recorded.
Thirty-second movie clips shot at 240 frames per second play back in
approximately 4 minutes, while 30-second clips shot at 120 fps play back in 2
minutes. The image size is fixed at 320 x 240 when shooting at 240 fps, and 640
x 480 when shooting at 120 fps.
Metering Modes: You can select from the following metering modes:
-
Evaluative
Light Metering: used for standard
conditions. The area within the frame is divided into several zones and
light is measured based on subject position, brightness, direct light and
backlighting.
-
Center-Weighted
Averaging: averages the exposure from the entire image, but places more
weight on the subject at the center
-
Spot: meters the area within the spot AE point at the
center of the LCD monitor or viewfinder
Exposure Compensation:
If you are shooting against a bright background or strong backlight, you may
need to correct the exposure so that the subject doesn't come out too dark. You
can set the adjustments from -2 to +2 in 1/3-step increments.
Locking the
Exposure Setting (AE Lock): You can set the focus and exposure
separately to shoot. When the exposure is set, you can lock the setting, then
compose the scene and shoot. This is effective when the contrast is too
strong between the subject and background, or when a subject is backlit. Flash
Exposure Lock (FE Lock), just as with the AE lock, lets you lock the exposure
for shooting with the flash.
White Balance: You
can choose from the following white balance settings:
-
Auto: the camera sets the white balance automatically according to shooting
conditions
-
Daylight: for
recording outdoors on a bright day
-
Cloudy: for
recording under overcast, shady or twilight skies
-
Tungsten:
for recording under tungsten and bulb-type 3-wavelength fluorescent lighting
-
Fluorescent: for recording under warm-white, cool-white or warm-white (3-wavelength)
fluorescent lighting
-
Fluorescent
H: for recording under daylight
fluorescent, or daylight fluorescent-type (3-wavelength) fluorescent
lighting
- Custom: allows
you to manually set the white balance and store the settings
Flash Modes: The PowerShot ELPH 500 HS has a built-in
flash with a range of 1.6' to 16' in Wide Angle and 1.6' to 6.6' in Telephoto.
You can select Auto (flash fires in low light), On (flash always fires), Slow
Synchro (illuminates subject in foreground while the slow shutter speed
brightens the background not reached by the flash), or Off
(flash doesn't fire). In the menu, you can turn on the Red-Eye Reduction lamp
for the flash, and apply Red-Eye Correction to the images that have been taken.
ISO Speed: The ISO speed can be set
Automatically (ISO Auto), or manually to ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 or 3200. Lowering the ISO speed results in sharper images but there's a
greater chance of subject or image blurring in certain shooting conditions.
Raising the ISO speed results in a faster shutter speed, reducing blurred
images. The images, however, will appear more coarse.
My Colors: You
can choose the look and feel of the photos you take by using My Colors to add
the following effects to the image you are currently recording or have already
recorded:
- Vivid:
Emphasizes the contrast and color saturation to record in bold colors
- Neutral:
Tones down the contrast and color saturation to record neutral hues
- Sepia:
Records images in sepia tones
- B/W: Records images in black and white
- Positive Film: makes blue, green or red colors more intense
- Lighter Skin: makes skin tones lighter
- Darker Skin: makes skin tones darker
- Vivid Blue: emphasizes blue tint
- Vivid Green: emphasizes green tint
- Vivid Red: emphasizes red tint
- Custom Color: Lets you adjust the contrast, sharpness, or saturation settings or the color
balance between red, green, blue, and skin tones
- My Colors Off: Records with no effect
Self-Timer: The ELPH 500 HS utilizes a 10-second, 2-second, and
a custom self-timer to allow
the photographer to be included in the shot, or to avoid camera shake when using
a tripod. The custom self-timer allows you to set the time delay to 1-15, 20, 25, or 30 seconds for up to 10 shots.
Wink Self Timer: In addition to the standard and custom
self-timers, the ELPH 500 HS can be set to record an image of a person
approximately two seconds after detecting a wink.
Face Self-Timer: The Face Self-Timer automatically
detects an increase in the number of faces, and makes the appropriate
adjustments. When the Face Detection Self-Timer is set, the camera waits for
the photographer's face to get on-camera before it takes the shot. The
camera will shoot, two seconds after the new face is detected.
Playback,
Editing and Print Functions
Slide Show: Images stored on a memory card can automatically
be displayed one-by-one using the Slide Show function. You can set the playback
time for each image, and the transition effects when switching between images.
If desired, you can repeat the slide show automatically.
Index Display:
This feature allows you to view 6, 12, 48, or 130 images at once on the
LCD monitor so that you can search for an image quickly. Movies cannot be played
in the index playback mode.
Magnifying Images: Using the zoom button, you can magnify a
photo up to 10x. Once zoomed in, you can use the "arrow" buttons to move around
the displayed area.
Playback Displays: You can choose from three types of displays:
- Simple Information: screen includes basic information about the
image
- Detailed Information: screen include a histogram display as well
as detailed information about the settings used when the image was captured.
- Focus Check: magnifies the area of a recorded image
that was inside the AF frame so you can check the focus.
Red-Eye Correction:
You can correct red eyes in already recorded images. However, red eyes may not
be automatically detected in some images such as faces near the screen edge,
faces that appear extremely small, larger dark or bright in relation to the
overall image and faces turned to the side or at a diagonal and faces with a
portion hidden which prevents the Red-Eye Correction from working. You can
choose to overwrite the file with the corrected image, or store the image as a
new file, retaining the original image.
Resizing Images: You can save images a lower
recording pixel setting than the original image, saving the resized image as a
separate file.
Trimming: You can cut out a portion of a recorded image and
save it as a new image file.
Protecting
Images: The protect feature allows you to protect important images from
accidental erasure. You can protect images by the image itself or select All
Images.
PictBridge: Using
the supplied USB cable, you can connect this camera directly to a PictBridge-compatible
printer of any brand. You can also connect the camera directly to certain Canon
SELPHY compact photo printers and PIXMA inkjet photo printers. In this way, you can make prints directly
from the camera without having to connect to a computer.
Exif Print (Exif 2.3):
The Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS conforms to "Exif Print", a worldwide
standard. Vital camera settings (such as: exposure mode, white balance, exposure
time) and scene data are recorded to the image file when it is captured.
Printers compatible with "Exif Print" are able to use this information
to produce high quality photographs, exactly the way they were intended at the
time of capture. This intelligent communication process also allows the printer
to correct for poor lighting or mistakes, resulting in photos that can be even
better than the originals.
DPOF Print Settings:
On your memory card, you can select which image or images you want to
print and how many copies you want. This is convenient for printing images all
at once on optional photo printers or at
participating photo labs.
DPOF Transfer Order: You can use the camera to specify settings for images that you wish to download
to a computer. The settings used on the camera comply with the Digital Print Order
Format (DPOF) standards. A maximum of 998 images can be selected per memory card,
and are transferred in order from oldest to newest by shooting date.
Battery Information
Power Requirements: The Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS is powered by
the supplied NB-6L Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery pack (3.7 Volts / 1000 mAh).
A fully charged battery pack can provide power for up to approximately 180 shots
or 4 hours of playback time. The NB-6L is charged in approximately 115 minutes in
the supplied CB-2LY battery charger.
Date/Time Battery: The camera uses a backup battery for
maintaining the date and time data for approximately 3 weeks. The backup battery
charges in approximately 4 hours while a charged main battery (NB-6L) is
inserted, or the camera is connected to an external AC adapter.
Power Saving Functions: The camera is equipped with the
following power saving functions:
- Auto Power Down During Shooting: The screen will turn
off approximately 1 minute after the camera is last operated. You can "wake"
the camera at this point by pressing the shutter button halfway to turn on
the screen and continue shooting. After about 2 more minutes, if no buttons
are pressed, the lens will retract and the power will turn off.
- Auto Power Down During Playback:
The camera power down approximately 5 minutes after the last control is
accessed on the camera.
Note: The Power Saving Function will not activate during
a Slide-Show or while the camera is connected to a computer.
Inputs
and Outputs Notes
A/V Out / Digital Terminal: The camera has a
Mini-B Version 2.0 USB terminal to allow you to connect the camera to a
compatible computer or compatible Canon printer via the supplied USB cable. This
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed-compatible terminal allows you to rapidly download images to
your computer or printer. You can also connect the camera to a TV (via composite
video and stereo audio) using the supplied A/V cable in the same terminal. The
A/V output can be set to NTSC or PAL as needed.
HDMI: The camera has a mini-HDMI output for connecting it to
an HDTV. A mini-HDMI-to-HDMI cable, such as the optional Canon HTC-100 (item #
280HTC100) is required. When the camera is connected to an HDMI-CEC-compatible
TV, you can control the camera's functions with the TV remote.
Supplied
Software
Included Software: The PowerShot
ELPH 500 HS comes supplied with the Canon Digital Camera Solution Disk Ver.85.0
JE CD-ROM. It contains the following programs:
- Canon Utilities:
- Windows:
- ZoomBrowser EX 6.7.1: manage images transferred to a
computer (view, edit, and print)
- CameraWindow DC 8.5: transfer images to and from camera, organize
images on the camera, and upload movies on the camera to web services
- PhotoStitch 3.1: use to merge still images to make
panoramas
- Macintosh:
-
ImageBrowser 6.7.1: manage images transferred to a
computer (view, edit, and print)
-
CameraWindow DC 8.5: transfer images to and from camera, organize
images on the camera, and upload movies on the camera to web services
- PhotoStitch 3.2: use to merge still images to make
panoramas
- User Guides: Camera User Guide, Software Guide
Minimum System Requirements:
| |
Windows |
Macintosh |
Operating System
(OS) |
Windows 7
Windows Vista (SP 1 and 2)
Windows XP (SP 3) |
Mac OS X (v10.5-v10.6) |
| Computer Model |
OS should be pre-installed on computers with built-in
USB ports |
OS should be pre-installed on computers with built-in
USB ports |
| CPU |
Still Images: Pentium 1.3 GHz or higher
Movies: Core2 Duo 2.6 GHz or higher |
Still Images: Intel Processor
Movies: Core2 Duo 2.6 GHz or higher |
| RAM |
Windows 7 (64-bit): 2 GB or more
Windows 7 (32-bit)/Windows Vista 64-bit/32-bit): 1 GB or more (Still
Images), 2 GB or more (Movies)
Windows XP: 512 MB or
more (Still Images), 2 GB or more (Movies) |
Mac OS X v10.6: 1 GB or more (Still
Images), 2 GB or more (Movies)
Mac OS X v10.5: 512 MB (Still Images) or more, 2 GB or more (Movies) |
| Interface |
USB |
USB |
| Free Hard Disk Space |
ZoomBrowser EX: 200 MB or more
CameraWindow: 150 MB or more
Movie Uploader for YouTube: 30 MB or more
PhotoStitch: 40 MB or more |
ImageBrowser: 250 MB or more
CameraWindow: 150 MB or more
Movie Uploader for YouTube: 30 MB or more
PhotoStitch: 50 MB or more |
| Display |
1,024 x 768 pixels or higher |
1,024 x 768 pixels or higher |
