Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS Review:
The Canon SD1100 IS Digital ELPH includes an 8-Megapixel 1/2.5″ CCD imager and a 3x optical zoom lens with image stabilization, which covers a range of 38-114mm equivalent. Exposure is fully automatic with 2.0EV of manual exposure compensation and four metering modes to handle difficult lighting along with a ties metering to the camera’s Face Detection system. 13 scene modes keep the camera approachable for beginners. A long-exposure mode in the Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS ELPH lets you set exposure times as long as 15 seconds manually, and a 2.5″ LCD display for framing images. The Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS sports a fairly wide ISO sensitivity range, from 80 to 1600.

Thirteen scene modes keep the camera approachable for beginners. A long-exposure mode in the Canon SD1100 IS ELPH lets you set exposure times as long as 15 seconds manually, and a 2.5″ LCD display plus an real-image optical zoom viewfinder — rather rare on digicams these days. The Canon SD1100 IS sports a fairly wide ISO sensitivity range, from 80 to 1600. The PowerShot SD1100 IS is PictBridge compliant, and so is able to print to any printer that supports PictBridge directly, without the need for a computer in the middle. Images are stored on SD/SDHC/MMC memory cards with a not-so-generous 32MB card in the product bundle, and power comes from a proprietary NB-4L lithium-ion rechargeable battery.

The Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS is very similar to its sibling camera, the PowerShot SD750, with one large exception - the Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS shrinks the size of the LCD by half an inch to include a rarity on modern point-and-shoots: an optical viewfinder. It’s super tiny, though, and provides a much less accurate view of the framed shot. Unless you’re trying to squeeze a last few shots out of a dying battery by turning off the LCD, don’t bother with the viewfinder, as the LCD has a 100-percent accurate view, and its smooth 230,000-pixel resolution is great.

The Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS features optical image stabilization, which shifts part of the lens to compensate for hand shake. This is considered the best way to lower blur in images due to camera shake, and not a lot of inexpensive point-and-shoots carry the feature – many employ less effective mechanical or digital image stabilization. Optical image stabilization is definitely a plus on the Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS, and it proved to be very effective in our tests.

The PowerShot SD1100 IS has an impressive autofocus system with face detection Canon claims can detect up to 35 faces at a time. An Image Inspection tool in the Playback mode allows users to automatically zoom in on captured faces to check for focus, red eye, or blinks. While it doesn’t have the dozens of Scene modes offered on some Casio point-and-shoots, the Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS does offer all the basics, including Foliage, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Fireworks, Aquarium, Underwater, Indoor, and Kids and Pets.

The Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS captures movies with sound at 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 at 30 frames per second (fps). It won’t be known for its speed – the Burst mode captures a slow 1.3 fps, but the Continuous Shooting mode is steady and reliable. The ISO ranges from ISO 80 to 1600, and the rechargeable lithium-ion battery gets a reported 240 shots per charge.

The Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS provides four shooting modes:

• Auto: The camera automatically manages all exposure parameters.
• Manual: Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS provides a “Manual” option, this is an auto exposure only digicam with no conventional manual exposure capability. The camera makes all exposure decisions, but users can subtly alter the look of their photos by lightening or darkening images via exposure compensation, adjust white balance to better match ambient lighting, fine-tune sensitivity, and tweak color saturation.
  
• Scene: Scene mode options include: Portrait, Snow/Beach, Indoor, Foliage, Aquarium, Fireworks, Underwater, Kids & Pets, Sunset, and Night Snapshot, plus Color Swap, Color Accent, Digital Macro, and Stitch Assist.
• Movie: Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS users can record video clips (up to 4GB in duration) at 640×480 at 30 fps. The camera can also record up to 60 seconds of fast frame rate (320X240 at 60 fps) video clips and several lower-resolution video settings. Movies can be edited in-camera (in Playback mode) and then previewed – users can then opt to save the edited video clip, the original video clip, or both. The PowerShot SD1100 IS also provides a voice-notation mode that allows users to add audio notes (up to 60 seconds) to their still images.

Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS Highlights

8.0-megapixel Digital Elph with 3x optical zoom and optical image stabilizer With 8.0-megapixel technology at its heart, the PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital Elph brings you high-resolution images that maintain their sharpness and vivid impact even when they’re enlarged and cropped. The 3x optical zoom is a clear winner when it comes to getting up close and personal. And Canon’s invaluable Optical Image Stabilizer reduces the blur of camera movement, even in tricky, low-light situations.

Enhanced Canon Face Detection Technology Canon’s powerful Face Detection Technology delivers even better results with the new Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital Elph. The Face Detection Technology continues to recognize faces in a scene, and concentrate exposure (daylight or flash) and focus upon them. But the Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital Elph adds more: Face Detection WB means the camera concentrates upon faces when calculating white balance for the best possible skin tones. Face Select and Track lets the Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital Elph user highlight one face among several in a scene, and the camera concentrates on that person, even as they move around the scene. Face Detection Technology is a powerful contributing factor in Canon’s new Motion Detection Technology.

Motion Detection Technology automatically reduces blur Life doesn’t stand still for picture-taking. That’s why Canon included its advanced Motion Detection Technology in the PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital Elph. This sophisticated feature works in the background to instantly evaluate how fast your subject is moving. Then it automatically selects and sets the optimal exposure and ISO settings to keep everything looking sharp and clear.

Selectable Shooting modes With 18 Shooting Modes including 9 Special Scene Modes, you’re ready for whatever shot comes your way.

Red-eye correction Red-eye Correction provides three options for removing red-eye from subjects in flash pictures.

• The new Red-eye Correction during shooting actually identifies and corrects red-eye in human subjects as pictures are taken.
• The Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital Elph can be set to automatically detect and correct red-eye during image playback.
• The user can manually locate any red eyes in a scene during image playback on the LCD screen, and command the camera to remove them.

High ISO The PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital Elph features ISO 1600 and High ISO Auto settings that reduce the effects of camera shake and sharpen subjects in low-light situations, giving you greater shooting flexibility.

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