Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital Camera Review

Well times change quickly in electronics, and I'm pleased to announced that sacrificing features with the Canon SD line is now at a bare minimum. The gap between good quality and small form is closing, and the Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS is a standout. So unless you're trying to be the next Frans Lanting (http://www.franslanting.com/gallery/index.php), this camera, for point-and-shoot, is really all you need.

Form

The SD1100 IS is only a fraction of an inch bigger than the previous Canon SD line, so it's still incredibly small. It's dimensions are:

Width x Hight x Depth: 3.42in. x 2.16in x 0.87 in./86.8mm x 54.8mm x 22.0mm

Weight: 5.1oz (with battery).

It also comes in a number of different colors including silver, blue, pink, brown, and yellow.

Included in the box with the camera is everything you need to use it. These items are:

-PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital ELPH Body
-Lithium-ion Battery Pack NB-4L
-Battery Charger CB-2LV
-SD Memory Card SDC-32M
-Wrist Strap WS-DC2
-Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM
-USB Interface Cable IFC-400PCU
-AV Cable AVC-DC300

Buttons and Body

The physical buttons and switches on the camera are easily located and logically placed. The on/off button is directly on top of the camera and is recessed, but easily identifiable and depressible. The shutter button is in the normal place right next to it. Directly in front of the shutter button is a trigger-style zoom toggle to increase or decrease the zoom. I find this particular arrangement to be a great location as it allows for easy one-handed operation.

Screen and Viewer

The screen of the camera is larger (2.5in) than our previous generation camera by probably 10-20%. This added area makes the pictures easier to see and the soft menu items easier to read. Additionally Canon has retained a traditional optical view sight just above the screen. While I have mixed feelings about the view sight necessity these days, I suppose if you want to conserve battery life it allows you to turn off the view screen and conserve power.

Other Notable Physical Features

The mode select slider was moved from a horizontal position on the old SD200 to a vertical position, and made larger and colored black. The color makes it slightly harder to see which mode it's in compared to the old selector, but it's in a more thumb friendly position now.

The control buttons on the back are now slightly bigger are now flat/flush against the camera body. The enlargement is good, and the flatness makes the overall body more sleek (the entire camera is more sleek because the screen is now flush as well and not inset). But it's also slightly easier to accidentally push multiple functions on the button wheel by accident.

The battery cover/SD slot is in the same location, and the battery clip is the same. The SD card again needs a small finger of fingernail to easily depress the SD card that's relatively hidden, but not impossible to access.

The camera also comes with a standard tripod mount screw hole on the bottom, built-in flash, retractable lens, and solid hand strap.

Features

The features of this little wonder are what really impresses. They've added what are included on most bigger camera's now; options which are sorely needed in any CCD image digital camera these days.

Here's a list of the main features of the camera:

-8 Megapixel image size
-Optical image stabilization and Motion Detection Technology
-3x Optical zoom plus 4x digital zoom
-Enhanced Canon Face Detection Technology
-Digic III image processing
-Enhanced Automatic Modes (flash function, exposure, ISO, shooting modes).
-Multiple review modes
-Video mode with up to 640MP resolution at 30fps.
-On camera picture editing (red eye reduction, picture modification)
-High Capacity Secure Digital compatible

Most Notable Features

The most notable features are the ones that are new to the SD PowerShot line, and in my opinion were sorely needed over previous models.

The first notable feature is actually a combination of two, the optical image stabilization and motion detection technology. One of the biggest complaints I had about the SD200 is that in less than perfect light conditions, it was very easy to blur a picture if your hand wasn't rock-solid steady and you manually set the ISO and speed correctly. This camera seems to have solved a lot of this problem. It better stabilizes the movement of the camera, and to quote Canon it "...automatically reduces blur by calculating subject movement and selecting ideal exposure and ISO settings."

The next new feature is the facial image detection feature which seems to make pictures of human subjects clearer. Again from Canon this feature "...automatically sets focus, exposure, flash and white balance for greater shooting freedom."

The final new feature that I really am impressed with is the enhanced digital zoom. Previously, digital zoom features on cameras seemed to me like a marketing concept only; and practically useless. With a number of older camera's I've tried, digital zoom just crops the picture down to the focus point, and the resulting picture is grainy, dark, and full of defects and is very pixelated. Somehow Canon has fixed that almost completely. When zoomed full in on a subject with the SD1100 IS, although the initial screen image prior to taking the picture looks grainy as before, once you take the shot, the camera does something to magically clean it up! It's actually very impressive. While the picture is still not perfectly 100% as clean as an optical zoom only, I'd say that it's over 80% perfect. This digital remedy may actually make digital zoom a relevant function now, and one I may find myself using.

OK there's one more I must comment on as well: the new zoom review feature for quickly checking your shot quality. What this feature does when you set it, is immediately after a shot is taken, the review picture shows up on the screen, and then a small super-zoom picture pops out of it. The super-zoom shows you a section of the full non-compressed 1:1 pixel image. It does this just long enough to let you see the clarity and focus. Although you can freeze it, and move the zoom window around as well. Once your satisfied, you can tap the shutter button again and you're back to shooting. At first I didn't think that this feature was a big deal, but with use I've found it to be very handy for instant quality checks of the actual image.

Function and Usage

Pros

Our older SD200 camera is very easy to use, but the SD1100 IS is even easier to use. For one, the slight thickness increase actually makes it easier to hold in one hand. Also the increased digital screen size allows for larger and easier to read soft-menu items.

There are both more and less menu items. There are less in that the camera has more automated functions, requiring less user input to get a perfect picture than with the older model. However if more fine-tuning is desired, there are more detailed options, such as a larger ISO tuning range, and a wider variety of color options, ranging from B&W and sepia, to multiple skin tone shades.

The reaction time of the camera is quicker with approximately 1 second delay between pictures with a fast card. The auto pop-out lens seems to deploy and retract slightly quicker, and the time between pictures (without flash) seems slightly quicker.

Also, the clarity of the view screen partly from the bigger size, and partly from a better display makes the review pictures clearer and very sharp.

Con's

Knowing that this camera is not intended to be a professional, high quality digital SLR camera, you can't reasonably expect absolute image perfection or telephoto zoom capability in a package this small and inexpensive. That said however, still the main drawback of this camera to me is the limited 3x optical zoom. While I recognize that optical zoom is a function of aperture size and lens focal length, and realizing that you can only fit a lens that's so wide and long in a camera this small, I don't think it's a major negative. But one additional zoom level would put this camera ahead of it's peers in this range.

Another thing they could possibly improve is providing a slightly bigger battery with the camera. While the battery life from the included NB-4L style battery is adequate for a few hundred pictures, it's a 750mAh rating. For a few bucks more, they could include a 900mAh to give about 15% longer life. (You can buy a 900mAh after-market battery from a reputable company that works fine for about $25 if you look around. It's well worth it in my opinion.)

Finally, the display screen seems potentially fragile. With our old SD200, we developed a crack in the screen in the first month we owned it. Canon replaced the screen, but they claimed it was from excessive force. The force it was subjected to was being put into a pocket on a warm day, and that was it. A very minor exposure. But they did replace it free of charge, and I think the screen was just defective because in the past two years since it was replaced the camera has been subjected to *much* more serious shocks, heat, moisture and vibrations (we've taken it jet-skiing and boating), and it still works great. But, my concern for SD1100 screen is the same, because as with the other SD models, there doesn't appear to be a protective cover layer, so be careful of the screen when you do put it in a purse or pocket.

Final Summary

For all intensive (and practical) purposes, this camera is nearly perfect. It's small enough to carry anywhere, and the image quality is good enough for almost any application. The color is true, and the new digital features make up for almost all of the shortcomings of previous point and shoot digital CCD camera's I've used. And with a price around the $200 mark, it's not very expensive for the quality you get.

With the exception of the small optical zoom and potential fragility of the display (I recommend looking for a hard shell case and not putting it against sharp objects in pockets or purses), it's nearly the perfect option for anyone. A camera is only good if it's quick, easy, and available. So for those times when you're just out with friends, at a park, or on a little getaway, this camera fits in perfectly.

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