Choosing a digital still camera is an increasingly tough decision these days. As pixel counts rise and prices drop, the market is in constant flux. I'm often asked to recommend the perfect camera, but with so many good units out there it's nearly impossible. Besides, everyone's needs are different, so one man's point-n-shoot is another's pro tool. But there is one constant feature always desired in this sea of digi-cams, and that is quality.

And so, when we decided to test out one of Canon's mid-range "pro-sumer" models recently, we knew that regardless of features and price, we'd be capturing some quality images. We tested out their PowerShot S30 while covering the recent Eco-Challenge in Fiji, and were delighted with the camera's features, performance and reliability. Believe us, nothing's worse than having your camera take a powder in the middle of a jungle.

With a suggested retail price of $599 (street price $499), the Canon PowerShot S30 serves up 3.2 megapixels of image quality, and is little brother to the 4.0 megapixel S40 model. People get all caught up in megapixel counts, which describe how large a photo you can potentially shoot. Our opinion? Unless you're planning on printing out an 8x10 hardcopy version of your photos, you're fine with 2 or 3 megapixels. For all my work on MountainZone.com, I never shoot above medium quality anyway, since websites only use the bare minimum number of pixels (72 dpi) and I can fit exponentially more images on each memory card.

And so it comes down to the basics; optics, features and - not surprisingly - battery life. The Canon scores big on all fronts, offering a near-perfect blend of brainless preset shooting modes while allowing the user to go fully manual if he or she chooses. We shot mostly in the Program mode, but also used the high-speed shutter Sports mode, the short depth-of-field Portrait mode and even shot short motion clips with the video mode for fun.

For the S30, Canon turned their years of photo experience into a camera that's aimed at photographers who will use all these features. Introduced a year ago into their Powershot line, the S30/40 are just below the new G3 in quality - and have some very cool pro features such as histogram profiles of your photos to show if you're taking well balanced pictures. Another cool feature is the video mode, which shoots QT clips with sound - up to a minute in length. The camera only comes with one 16mb card though, so you'll likely need to buy extra memory.

The camera shoots through a 3X optical zoom lens, equivalent of a 35-105mm lens. And, as in their high-end cameras, you can choose your focusing and exposure zones - giving you a high level of creative control. Everything is monitored by a simple on-screen menu, but we did have some difficulty pressing the center of the new multi-controller to delete files. To copy images to your computer, simply plug in the included USB cable or save the camera's battery and plug the CompactFlash memory card directly into your computer using an adapter. You can then use Canon's - or your own - imaging software to edit your images, including plug-ins for Mac OSX or Windows XP. We just dragged an dropped right into PhotoShop on our Apple PowerBook.

With the LCD screen turned off to save batteries, we probably didn't even come close to running down the lithium-ion battery, which only took 80 min. to recharge. But this does raise our one complaint; no battery meter. The camera will warn you when the battery's nearly dead, but by then it's too late. We'd prefer an ongoing meter, especially since the camera uses a proprietary battery that can't be swapped out as easily as AA batteries.

But that's our only real criticism of the S30. Otherwise it was as easy as opening the sliding lens cover and waiting a few seconds for the unit to power up. Shutter lag was short once you set the auto exposure and focus with a half press of the shutter, and recycling time (even with the flash) was fast. Speaking of the flash, we were amazed at how much light the tiny unit kicked off, and were pleased with the color temperature (color) of the flash in both nighttime and daytime (fill) situations.

The S30 isn't light or particularly small, but we didn't really notice while we were on the go. Canon makes smaller and lighter units than the S30/40 such as the digital elph, but they won't have all the features that this camera provides. So it becomes a trade-off of size for features, and the S30 is a solid combination of both.

Included with the camera is 1 16mb CompactFlash card, 1 Lion battery & charger, a USB & AV cable - plus software CDs. Optional accessories include a 100-foot depth waterproof case or a bubble jet printer, to which the camera can print directly.

Overall we were delighted with the performance of the S30, and consider it perfect for advanced photographers who don't mind spending a bit more money for the advanced features that some amateurs might never miss. Solid and ergonomic, the S30/40 demonstrate that even with myriad cameras in the marketplace, some choices don't have to be that hard.

Msrp: $599
www.powershot.com // (800) OK CANON

— Reviewed & Written by Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Gear Editor