Review Digital Camera

Canon D20

2013-01-11T00:46:00.000-08:00

If you want to buy a rugged, waterproof camera, the Canon D20 is the one to go for. It's easy to use and comes in a choice of three colours. Build quality can't be faulted and the buttons are responsive, with a satisfying action, unlike those on some rivals.

The Canon D20 12.1MP Outdoor Camera can handle it all. This camera is waterproof to 33 feet, temperature-resistant from 14°F to 104°F, shockproof up to 5.0 feet, and equipped with a GPS tracker. Slim and sturdy with a highly visible color layout, its buttons are operable even with gloved hands. Spectacular image quality is ensured with the 12.1 Megapixel High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor and DIGIC 4 Image Processor for excellent low-light performance, and a 5x Optical Zoom with 28mm. Wide-Angle Lens that brings excitement to your imaging. A single touch and you will be shooting incredibly vivid 1080p Full HD Video with full zooming capability. Lots of optional accessories take you deeper underwater and more.

>> Click Here To Get The Best Price <<

The Canon D20 is one of a growing choice of rugged, waterproof cameras designed for extreme travel and activity photography.

It can sustain a drop of 1.5m, freezing to -10C, and can be submerged in up to 10m of water. If you need to take it deeper than that, there's an optional housing that will let you go down as far as 40m.

Look and feel

The Canon D20 design is unconventional to say that least. From the teal faceplate and buttons to its curvy chassis, this thing doesn’t look like your average tough cam – or point and shoot for that matter. We’re fairly torn about its looks: On one hand, Canon gets points for originality, and it’s far sleeker-looking than most rugged cams. The moniker seems to make manufacturers think their cameras have to somehow look “tough,” and they come out bulky and ugly for the most part. But that’s setting the bar pretty low. Most of Canon’s point and shoots have a really nice minimalism, especially its Elph HS lineup, and the Canon D20 definitely isn’t going to fit in there.

Of course rugged cams are bulky by nature. The nontraditional build to the Canon D20 highlights this, as does the wristband accessory. It attaches at the corner of the camera, which does make it easier to take the wristband on and off, but is still an odd choice.

Despite its heft, the Canon D20 feels good in your hand, and is pretty comfortable to hold with one hand thanks to a small but useable grip on its back. The power, shutter, and playback buttons are all on top of the camera, although only the shutter slightly protrudes from the surface.

The button setup is pretty standout for a point and shoot: You will mostly rely on the “function set,” auto and camera buttons for determining settings. There’s a dedicated video-recording button as well.

One of the strangest design choices is the zoom. Instead of a toggle of some sort, you have a button for zooming in and a separate one for zooming out. It’s yet another unconventional approach in the Canon D20.

Overall, it’s a fairly good-looking, if odd camera. It’s probably a pretty polarizing choice that some people would love and others hate, but compared most rugged cams, this thing is a beauty.

Performance and use

There isn’t much to say about shooting with the Canon D20 that we don’t say about shooting with nearly every Canon point and shoot: The build is (generally) nice, the in-camera navigation is incredibly easy to master, and new users can rely on auto and presets, or easily warm up to the manual settings. So instead of a thorough analysis of every feature, we’ll highlight the best and worst parts of the Canon D20 experience.

Starting with the good, we were impressed by how far you could push ISO with the Canon D20. It’s not like Canon’s busting out new sensor tech with this model, but it can actually sustain the max 3,200 Canon says it does. Now, you won’t want to blow those photos up very large at all – a 5 x 7 is probably as far as you can go without things getting overly grainy – but for a tough cam, this is pretty impressive. For best results, we’d suggest shooting around ISO 800, where we saw little to no noise, and details stayed crisp.

Shooting underwater is one of the main reasons anyone buys a tough cam in the first place, and the Canon D20 delivers fantastic submerged shots. Many first-gen rugged point and shoots were victim to the dreaded fuzzy halo around underwater pictures, and this is far from the case with the Canon D20. Underwater images are clear, and underwater macro mode also stood up to the test admirably. It would be great if there were some manual settings included for underwater photography, since this is a tough cam’s big selling point, but for the price, you wouldn’t expect it in the Canon D20. Long story short, Canon really did a good job selecting a lens for this application, and coupling it with a 12.1-megapixel sensor that performs pretty admirably in low light.

On to the underwhelming, starting with the Canon D20’s speed. The new Digic 5 processor makes a big difference in what Canon cams are capable of, and only after using a camera with the newer chip do you notice the Digic 4’s shortcomings. Now, the Canon D20 isn’t exactly slow, it’s just not fast – and some people buying rugged cams also want to use them as action cameras and camcorders. The Canon D20 will work, but it’s settling: You can only shoot full 1080p HD at 24 fps, and startup time, recycle time, and shutter lag will hold you back when it comes to taking quick stills. For all other uses, this is such a minimal amount of time that general still shooting won’t suffer.

The other problem we had with the Canon D20 was GPS. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Until camera manufacturers can figure out something interesting to do with this feature, make it work consistently, and not have it suck battery like it currently does, we’re just not on board. Canon does a better job than most by including software that plots your photos along Google Maps, but that’s still sort of underwhelming. And too many times, the feature didn’t even work. We would often turn on GPS and the GPS logger (which sucks your battery even when the camera isn’t on), and get an icon telling us it couldn’t find our location. None of the photos we took in this state were tagged with GPS data, and we took them all outdoors in downtown Portland with a clear view of the sky. GPS is part of what makes these cameras more expensive, but if it only works part of the time, you’re not going to be making good use of it.

Like we mentioned, the Canon D20 won’t be able to do much in the way of action shooting, which also applies to video. You can only shoot full HD at 24 fps, so anything very action-oriented is out of the question. That said, the zoom is operable during video recording and it performs decently underwater.

Design

Canon's PowerShot D20 is neat-looking, curvy, rounded and asymmetrical. Because of its control arrangement, especially the sloping telephoto and zoom buttons, we found the Canon D20 a comfortable camera to hold and shoot two-handed, but a bit more difficult one-handed. Oddly, the Playback button is on top, next to the shutter button, which makes it hard to find. The other buttons on the back are large, nicely placed and labeled, and because they're made of no-slip material, easy to press underwater. Of course, the Canon D20's battery/memory card and port doors are waterproof, but there's no safety lock to keep you from accidently opening them underwater. A bayonet mount on the right side of the camera mounts a unique hand-strap; this, unfortunately, prevents the Canon D20 from standing upright on a flat surface.

Features

Obviously, the Canon D20 boasts some everything-proof features: It’s waterproof up to 33 feet, shockproof up to 5 feet, and freezeproof up to 14 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s all fairly comparable with other tough cams in this price range.

So what else does Canon throw in to make the Canon D20 a convincing purchase? For starters, it’s GPS capable. This is a function more and more manufacturers are experimenting with, and there have been mixed results. Location metadata isn’t very interesting when you just throw it up on a grid, so camera-makers are trying to make that more interesting. The Canon D20 captures latitude, longitude, and elevation, and you can create a log of this data in addition to just saving it with every photo. Canon also has software that couples with this data to plot pictures on a map, which is more than most GPS-capable camera do. Of course, it’s a battery killer. Worth noting: GPS doesn’t work underwater.

Canon also packs a punch with built-in filters and presets, including all the usual fare like toy camera, fisheye, and miniature, all well as settings for snow, fireworks, and low light. The provided presets probably aren’t as comprehensive as some (settings like “pets,” “food,” and “baby” are becoming increasingly common – and to a certain degree, increasingly ridiculous) but you’ll easily be able to exercise some creativity here. There are, of course, auto and manual settings as well, and you can manipulate exposure, ISO, and color hue incredibly easily.

As far as specs go, the Canon D20 sports a 12.1-megapixel CMOS high sensitivity sensor — which helps out with low-light settings — and uses the Digic 4 processor. This is a downgrade from the Digic 5, which newer Canon point and shoots are sporting – and you can tell (we’ll get to that later). The Canon D20 also boasts an impressively sharp 28mm wide-angle lens, making it great for outdoor, landscape shooting. The 5x optical zoom is pretty standard for this type of camera, and it’s operable during video recording, which is nice.

Conclusion

Tough cams are an experimental breed by nature, and Canon pulled out the stops with the Canon D20. From the unconventional design to its remarkable lens, this rugged cam easily sits among the best in the bunch. The fact that it shoots superbly underwater will be enough to sell many interested buyers, as should its incredibly easy-to-master UI. Though the Canon D20 won’t woo action shooters and the price might make you a little standoffish, it’s an incredibly competitive camera.

The Canon D20 is the best rugged, waterproof camera I've tested. Canon has made very few compromises and paired good -- although not perfect -- performance with a striking design.

With the Canon D20, you don't need to think too much about how you'll be treating it, so long as you live within Canon's fairly generous parameters. If you need a go-anywhere snapper and you live an extreme lifestyle, this is the one to buy.

Best buy for: Travelers, vacation camera buyers, underwater photography

Canon D20 Custumer's Review

Here is one of the honest Canon D20 by AdventureJosh that already purchase and use this Camera.

I did a lot of research prior to purchasing this camera. I was looking for an underwater camera that was affordable, took amazing pictures and was durable. I was asking for a lot and there are several on the market that boast these claims. I ended up going with the Canon Powershot D20. The price was high, but more than worth it. It does indeed take stunning underwater photos and standard photos as well as great video. (for home movies, I wouldn't buy this to film your wedding) The build and design of the camera is very user friendly, a little bulky, but it easily fits into pockets or a backpack.

It is not without some issues. The latch to the battery release tends to stick, it just requires a little jiggling and it latches fine, but it is something to definitely be aware of if you are purchasing.

I highly recommend this camera to anyone on the market looking for a great affordable camera with underwater photo capabilities. Read more reviews..

We already done the research and spend a lot of time for you. Click here to find out where to get the best deal on Canon D20.

Canon A3400

2013-01-10T00:49:00.000-08:00

The Canon A3400 16MP Compact Digital Camera, features touch control. You will love the ease and familiarity of controlling Canon A3400 digital camera with its big 3.0-inch Touch Panel LCD. Touch to shoot, choose shooting modes and select settings. It's easy and intuitive. The camera makes it easy to get the best possible quality from every shot, too, with Smart AUTO that selects proper camera settings based on 32 predefined shooting situations. Simply push the dedicated Movie Button, and you will be shooting gorgeous 720p HD video. With the 16.0 Megapixel Image Sensor and the power of the DIGIC 4 Image Processor, resolution is spectacular and performance is ultra-fast. Beautiful image quality with touch-panel interface makes Canon A3400 digital camera an easy choice.

>> Click Here To Get The Best Price <<

The Canon A3400 is an image stabilised digital compact camera with a 16 megapixel CCD image sensor, 5x optical zoom starting at a wide 28mm, 3-inch touch screen LCD display with Touch Shutter and Touch AF functionality, 720p HD movies, live view control and a help button. Available in black, gold, red or silver, at first glance the Canon A3400 looks like it could be one of the most user friendly cameras on the market today.

Canon A3400 Handling

The Canon A3400 has a slim body with a metal front and plastic rear, but there isn't anything which makes it easier to grip. The buttons are easy to press and fairly typical for a compact camera with dedicated movie and help placed on the rear. The camera also has an easy to use menu system which is cycled through using the d-pad and func set button. When it is switched off, the playback button can be pressed to view your pictures and videos. The screen is well sized at 3 inches, which can also be used to set the focus and release the shutter, although the screen was difficult to see when outdoors.

The battery has a CIPA rating of 180 shots, we managed over 200 during testing before the battery showed any sign of draining. We tested the camera's performance at focusing, shutter response, shot-to-shot time, continuous shooting etc. and have posted the results below. To test this we took 6 or more shots and calculated the average, so that consistent results were produced.

Shutter Response 0.125 secs
Wide - Focus / Shutter Response 0.4 secs
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response 0.7 secs
Switch on Time to Taking a Photo 2.4 secs
Shot to Shot (without flash) 2.8 secs
Shot to Shot with Flash 5.2 secs
Continuous Shooting 0.7 fps
Continuous Shooting (with flash) 0.4 fps

Continuous shooting records at full 16 megapixel resolution.

Canon A3400 Ease of Use

Like competing touch screen cameras, it takes a while to get used to the responsiveness of the Canon A3400touch screen when it comes to making function selections. Sometimes we found it rather easy to scroll past the setting we actually wanted in our haste to implement particular settings before a photo opportunity vanishes. By contrast at times we had to repeatedly stroke the screen to prompt it to respond a little faster.

There is the ability to tap an on-screen subject for the A3400 IS to bias focus toward, which Canon fittingly refers to as Touch AF. If subsequently altering framing, the AF point will perform its little dance across the screen as it attempts to keep tabs on the subject originally selected. Cute. Otherwise you can just point and shoot as normal, AF points appearing on screen in the form of green squares to signal which aspect of the subject the camera has itself picked out.

At the top is the dedicated video button. This will start video recording regardless of the mode you're in. Another way the internet has changed photography. After all, before the YouTube explosion, you had to choose the video mode in a menu system. Below this is a rather handy Help button. Pressing this button will give a quick explanation of the mode you've most recently chosen.

The navigation pad is used for moving around the menu system but also doubles up with access to macro, flash, display options and mode switch. Pressing up switches between Auto and whichever Scene mode you've selected from the menu such as Program, Portrait, Landscape or Live View Control, to name a few. Pressing the Function menu button in the centre brings up a quick access menu that has all the main features that you're likely to use while shooting such as ISO, white-balance and resolution. Access to these features will vary depending on the mode you're in. If you want full access to all features, you need to be in Program mode. Otherwise the Canon A3400 will blank out areas it thinks you don't need and it will handle those itself.

If you've ever seen Live View on a DSLR, then you'll be pleased to know that the A3400 comes with its own version of it. It works the same way as normal shooting by allowing you to use the screen on the back to view the shot. However it also has three sliders for exposure, saturation and tone. They're labelled Dark/Light (exposure), Neutral/Vivid (saturation) and Cool/Warm (tone) to make them easier to understand what the end shot will look like. But the idea of Live View Control is that it shows you on screen what the changes will look like as you make them. It's much more versatile and will shorten the time you're sat there fiddling with the exposure compensation, colour filters and white-balance.

The main menu has its own separate button below the navigation pad and it's easy enough to use. The background is a carbon black with a dark grey menu and orange highlight. Interestingly, this normally changes depending on the tab you're in such as shooting, playback or set-up. On the Canon A3400 it stays the same. Canon include their modes in the function menu unlike other manufacturers that give them a dedicated button. This reduces the amount of buttons which means - in the case of the A3400 especially - that the buttons can be made a bit bigger.

The outside of the Canon A3400 is made of metal while the interior is plastic to save weight. We always say that the tripod bush is generally the bench mark for camera quality. Low end cameras tend to have plastic tripods but the Canon A3400 has a metal one which is great. The Canon takes it's own lithium-ion battery which is located on the bottom of the camera next to the tripod bush. The SD slot sits next to the battery and is covered by a flimsy plastic door. The snap shut locking system is difficult to open and there's no metal on the inside of the door for additional sturdiness. The hinge also looks to be made of plastic. The video runs in Full HD which is nice but the sound is only mono which lets it down somewhat.

The lens is a Canon manufactured zoom lens. It's nothing special but will get the job done. For a 5x optical zoom, the body is nice and slim although they've had to widen it a bit where the screen is. Most likely to accommodate both the screen and zoom lens. When the lens is out there's a little amount of play. This reduces as the lens is zoomed out, but not by much.

Start-up time from shut down to taking a picture is around 2.6 seconds. Shutter lag sits at around 0.08 seconds. Both results are fairly standard in digital compact cameras on the market today. Continuous shooting is pretty slow but it doesn't have a buffer option for hi-speed bursts. It simply keeps taking pictures while you keep your finger on the button. We managed to get eight pictures in a 10 second period which gives an average of around 0.8 frames per second (fps). It took up until the 14 second mark to finish downloading. This shows that there is a small buffer that will hold any extra information but it's minor.

Playback mode can be entered whether the Canon A3400 is powered on or not. If it's off, the lens isn't poking out. If it's on, the lens will retract after a minute or so anyway. Pressing the help button in playback brings up some cool options. It teaches you what different buttons can do for you and how to perform simple tasks such as erasing pictures, returning to the shooting mode and what the touch screen can do in this mode. The playback menu is vast with options for searching your pictures, protecting them, editing them with features such as iContrast (a type of HDR), red-eye correction and setting up a photobook. Interestingly, the Erase option doesn't have a Select and Erase. It has Erase All or when you're looking at the pictures you can erase individual pictures by pressing up on the navigation pad.

In the box, you get a sealed pack that contains a Getting Started manual, a CD ROM with the installation drivers for your computer. There will also be a full manual and a basic photo editing suite. A USB cable, wrist strap, lithium ion battery and pen for the touch-screen accompany the camera.

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 4Mb.

Canon A3400 Noise

Image quality from the Canon A3400 is very good. We managed to get goods results consistently throughout the test regardless of the situation we put the camera into. At low ISO, the pictures are crisp and clear with lovely colours and - more importantly - no colour noise showing through at all. OK, so if we were to be harsh, there's some JPEG artefacts that can be seen at full magnification but it is only a point and shooter which is easy to forget when faced with such quality pictures. The good news is that you can push the sensitivity settings up to the next level and at ISO 200 the quality doesn't change.

There's a slight nosedive at ISO 400 but it has to start somewhere and the mid-levels isn't a bad place. However, edge definition is still good at ISO 400. That doesn't start to suffer until ISO 800 where colour noise is becoming more prevalent. Interestingly, Canon have taken the decision to cap the ISO settings at ISO 1600. Judging by the results of our test, it's a good idea. Colour noise is still being controlled by the camera but we think that pushing to ISO 3200 would simply exacerbate the problem and the struggling noise reduction software would be overwhelmed.

Canon A3400 Design and controls

The styling of the 2012 PowerShot A series has grown closer to that of Canon's up-market ELPH / IXUS range and along with its counterparts the A3400 IS looks more sophisticated and grown-up than earlier models. It's a couple of millimetres taller and 1.2 millimetres wider than the slimmest PowerShot, the A2300 and weighs 16g more, but is still very pocketable. It's available gold, red and silver.

Unlike the Canon A3400, which has a coloured front panel with a black plastic rear, the Canon A3400 is finished in an attractive two-tone scheme with a slightly darker back panel. My gold review model had a bronze coloured back. It's interesting how much of difference this makes in terms of your perception of the camera, the Canon A3400 looks unquestionably like a pricier camera and the slightly increased weight only adds to that feeling.

Despite the fact that it has a touch-screen, the control layout on the A3400 IS is exactly the same as on the Canon A3400. There’s a four-way controller, Menu and Playback buttons, a dedicated movie recording button and a dedicated Help button that launches the on-screen help pages.

The Canon A3400 3 inch LCD touch-screen is clear and bright and suffers none of the viewing problems of the A2300's which has a narrow viewing angle both horizontally and vertically. You can still see the Canon A3400 screen with the camera held at 45 degrees arms length above your head.

Of course, the big difference between this screen and that of other PowerShots is that it's touch-sensitive. I'll talk more about how this affects handling and what additional features in more detail in the handling section. For now though, I'll just point out that although the physical controls allow you to pretty much ignore the touch screen, if you're going to do that you may as well save a little money and buy the cheaper Canon A3400. But even if you ignore the multitude of other functions it provides, the ability to focus and shoot by touching the screen, on its own makes the touch-screen worth having.

The Canon A3400 has a built in flash unit situated on the top left of the front panel which unfortunately makes it easy to inadvertently cover with your index finger. It has a maximum range of 3 metres at the wide angle zoom setting and takes about four seconds to recycle between shots. Unusually for a point-and-shoot compact, Canon provides not one, but two optional flash attachments, the HF-DC1 and HF-DC2.

A door on the right of the bottom panel houses the slim NB-11L battery which provides enough power for 180 shots under CIPA (Camera Imaging Products Association) standard conditions. That's on the low side, but it's the price you pay for having a very small lightweight battery and and a power-hungry touch-screen. The SD card slot sits just behind the battery, the A3400 IS takes SD, SDHC and SDXC cards.

On the right of the camera body a small plastic door covers the combined USB and A/V out port. This takes a USB cable for transferring photos and video to your PC and can be used with the optional AVC-DC400 cable to connect the A3400 IS to a TV with a composite video port.

Canon A3400 Features

The Canon A3400 has a 16 megapixel sensor and 5x optical zoom lens, which is a 35mm equivalent of 28-140mm. It has Intelligent Image Stabilisation (IS) in order to combat camera shake to ensure photos and videos are as sharp as possible.

For the novice photographer there is Smart Auto which chooses the correct scene from 32 variables and adjusts the camera settings automatically. If you get stuck at any time there is a help button which gives guidance on using your camera and its different functions.

There are a number of creative modes such as Fish-eye effect, Super Vivid, Poster, Toy Camera, Miniature and Monochrome. Live View Control allows you to experiment with picture settings like brightness and colour intensity, then preview the results while framing. Face Detection Technology detects up to 35 faces in a single frame making sure they remain in focus with optimum brightness. Face Detection White Balance ensures natural skin tones even in unusual lighting conditions with Auto Red-Eye Correction eliminating red-eye.

The Canon A3400 records videos at 720p HD which also has Image Stabilisation.

Conclusion

We enjoyed using the Canon A3400. Its diminutive size meant we could just slip it in a pocket when we weren't using it and not worry about it getting in the way. The screen is nice and bright but we think it makes pictures look a bit nicer than they are on a computer screen so keep an eye out for that. We had no trouble with the buttons because of their larger size so photographers with big hands should maybe take a look at this camera, with the touch-screen LCD providing a genuinely useful alternative. We think there's room for a slightly larger zoom but looking at the specification for the Canon A3400 there's little difference between the two cameras except the zoom so it looks like that's the deciding factor Canon have opted for instead of the zoom.

That's pretty refreshing and certainly a welcome sign that the pixel race is over. What we like about the Canon A3400 though - and call us nerdy - is the metal tripod bush. It's so nice to see one on a low end camera because cameras with this are like chicken's teeth. It's a shame that the battery compartment door is so flimsy because it really brings the camera down.

Image quality from the Canon A3400 is great. Colours are punchy and bold. Primary colours aren't too saturated and don't overwhelm the rest of the picture. Softer colours and subtle hues are recorded sympathetically and skin tones are natural. Noise is handled well at lower settings and thanks to a decent noise reduction system, it doesn't get too out of control. We like the wisdom that Canon have not included an ISO 3200 setting because it would have ruined the images at that setting.

the Canon A3400 is a great little camera. There are areas that could be better such as the battery door and small zoom but there are reasons for it and to keep the price low, there has to be some sacrifices somewhere. This is a nice little compact to hide away in a pocket while you go for a day out or on holiday. It goes unnoticed until it's needed and takes cracking pictures when it's needed. We weren't blessed with the best weather during the test, but when the sun did shine and we got outside, the pictures the camera produced are lovely. Even on the dullest of days, we got pictures we're happy with. If you're looking for an attractive little compact at a reasonable price with good picture quality and build then take a closer look at the Canon A3400.

Canon A3400 Custumer's Review

Here is one of the honest Canon A3400 by Gdegroot that already purchase and use this Camera.

I use this camera for my every day job, i work in a hotel and i have to get pictures all day about the construction, maintenance and everything happening, this camera wont let you down, it feels solid, the screen is not really touch screen cause it Works only for zoom and change the picture with your fingers, but it is not something to stop you, i use to have a Sony Cybershot and this canon is by far better than that, and cheaper than sony. If you are looking for a nice, inexpensive, day to day camera, nothing artistic, this camera will be your right choice. Read more reviews..

We already done the research and spend a lot of time for you. Click here to find out where to get the best deal on Canon A3400.

Canon PowerShot 110

2013-01-09T00:49:00.000-08:00

The Canon PowerShot 110 16.1MP Compact Digital Camera, is slim and curvy and a natural fit for your hand. Easy operation and reliable high-quality performance are reason enough to carry it everywhere, but you will also love the quality of the camera's sophisticated modern design. The matte finish projects your taste and style like a fashion accessory, but the Canon PowerShot 110 has its serious side too. A 16.1 Megapixel high-sensitivity sensor plus Canon's DIGIC 5 Image Processor deliver impeccable image quality and high-performance features never before possible. Experience the Face ID feature that recognizes and optimizes images of your friends and family, Intelligent IS that creates sharp, steady shots in a wide variety of situations, and stunning Full HD Video. Smart AUTO lives up to its name, letting you shoot anywhere, anytime as the mood strikes, confident that the camera will automatically make your images the best they can be. Memory Card Type: SD, SDHC and SDXC.

>> Click Here To Get The Best Price <<

Canon has been the top selling P&S digicam manufacturer in the U. S. market for more than a decade and also sells more entry-level DSLRs than any of their competition. Photojournalists, sports shooters, wedding photographers, and others who make their living with a camera often carry one of Canon’s Pro DSLRs. There are some very compelling reasons for this amazing marketing success, but primary among them is that Canon gives consumers what they want. The new Canon PowerShot 110 is a prime example of this winning corporate philosophy.

I like compact point-and-shoots because they are small enough to drop in a shirt pocket, tough enough to go just about anywhere, dependably produce first rate images with almost no effort on the part of the shooter and they are un-intimidating to subjects. Consumers have favored Canon’s brand of point-and-shoots because they are not only first rate general-use cameras, but they have the additional benefit of nicely meeting the needs of anyone who wants to take good pictures and isn’t interested in learning anything about photography.

The Canon PowerShot 110 doesn't look all that different from its predecessor, the Elph 100 HS, and that's because it's not. At least on the outside. On the inside are a new 16-megapixel backside-illuminated CMOS sensor and Digic 5 image processor. The latter is likely to thank for the camera's improved photo quality--both outside and indoors--over the earlier model.

It also has a faster, wider, and longer lens and low shutter lag, which is good news if you're fed up with your smartphone camera's limitations, but still want something that's very pocketable and lightweight.

Overall photo quality is very good to excellent for this class of camera. Yes, its 16-megapixel resolution is more about marketing than better photos, but unless you're a pixel peeper, you should be satisfied with the Elph 110 HS' results. Its photos are best suited for Web use and prints up to 8x10, though under the right conditions prints as large as 13x19 are possible. As with most point-and-shoots, the more light you give the Elph 110 HS, the better off your photos will be. However, it does well indoors, too, up to about ISO 800. Its high-ISO photos are OK, certainly better than you'd get from even a really good smartphone camera, but they're very soft, and ISO 3200 is pretty much unusable.

As with its photos, video quality is noticeably improved from the 100 HS. Panning the camera will create some judder and there is slight trailing on moving subjects, but the video is watchable on larger HDTVs and certainly at smaller sizes on a computer screen or mobile device. The optical zoom is now available while recording (the 100 HS had only digital zoom for movies), though you will hear it moving. If you like to share clips with your friends and family online, the 110 HS will outperform a smartphone. Along with full HD movies, the camera also records high-speed clips for slow-motion playback as well as iFrame-format video for easier editing and uploading.

Colors are vivid and bright without looking unnatural. Exposure is generally good, but highlights do occasionally blow out. And unlike other BSI CMOS cameras, Canon does not include an HDR (high dynamic range) option on this model to help with challenging lighting.

The 110 HS has a fairly large assortment of shooting options, but almost all of them are automatic modes, meaning there's no full control over shutter speed and aperture. The shooting-mode switch on the camera's top has two options: one for Auto and one for all of its other modes. Canon pumped up its Smart Auto, which now recognizes 58 predefined shooting situations. This includes Canon's new Face ID feature, which allows you to program the camera to recognize up to 12 faces that it will then prioritize for focus and exposure. In my anecdotal testing it worked OK, but it's one of those features that most people probably won't bother to set up.

The Canon PowerShot 110 shooting performance is mixed. It has low shutter lag at 0.3 second in good lighting and 0.6 second in dimmer conditions. However, its shot-to-shot times are a little slow at 2.2 seconds without flash and 3.6 seconds with flash. If you switch to continuous shooting, it can fire off 2.1 frames per second at full resolution with focus and exposure set with the first shot. That might not be as fast as some of the competition, but this Elph also doesn't make you wait while it stores photos till you can shoot again, you can just keep shooting. If you need something faster, it does have a high-speed burst mode that can capture at up to 5.8fps at a 4-megapixel resolution. The results are good enough for Web use or small prints.

Taking the camera off Smart Auto gives you access to a Program Auto mode as well as all the scene modes, creative-effects modes, and miniature effect and slow-motion video recording. However, they're laid out in one long list, so if you're the type to change modes frequently, this can be a pain. Canon's Smart Shutter option is there, too; it includes a smile-activated shutter release and Wink and Face Detection self-timers. Wink allows you to set off the shutter simply by winking at the camera, and the Face Detection option will wait till the camera detects a new face in front of the camera before it fires off a shot. Both work well.

For connecting to a computer, monitor, or HDTV there are Mini-USB/AV and Mini-HDMI outputs underneath a small door on the right side of the body. The battery and memory card compartment is on the bottom under a nonlocking door. The battery does not charge in camera, and the shot life is rated for only 170 shots, so you'll probably find yourself opening the compartment quite a bit if you shoot regularly. Keep in mind, too, that using the zoom or burst shooting a lot, shooting full HD movies, and keeping the screen brightness high will all cut into your battery life.

Design

Canon PowerShot 110 replaces last year’s very popular Canon 300 HS. On the surface, the two cameras don’t appear to be much different, but Canon has made a few interesting and useful changes under the hood. The most significant difference between the two cameras is the dramatic leap in resolution – from 12 megapixels (300 HS) to 16 megapixels (110 HS) aside from that 35% increase in resolution the 110 HS is a relatively straightforward and mostly cosmetic update of one of Canon’s most popular shirt pocket digicams. The 110 HS has a decent assortment of the latest bells and whistles and features a full complement of consumer tested hardware.

The overall design of the Elph 110 HS hasn't changed that much from the previous generation. Instead of rounded corners, the body is more squared off and the one-touch record button for movies is shifted closer to the bright, high-res 3-inch LCD, but it's otherwise the same. All of the controls are flat and flush with the body. It gives the camera a very smooth appearance, but using the four-way directional pad and center Func/Set button can be a little difficult. Also, while I had no problems using them, the buttons, shooting-mode switch, and zoom rocker are tiny, which might be a problem for some; it would be an excellent idea to lay hands on one before you buy it.

Regardless of their shape and size, the controls are easy to master. The menu system can take some getting used to depending on how quickly you can remember to hit the Func/Set button for shooting-mode specific settings and the Menu button for everything else. You also have the option to turn on a help system with hints and tips for choosing the appropriate settings or simply telling you what the shooting mode you're in is going to do.

Conclusion

I encouraged a friend who knows absolutely nothing about photography (and has no interest in correcting that glaring deficiency) to take pictures outdoors with the 110 HS (in auto mode) for about an hour with no interference, advice, or suggestions from me. Each shot was properly exposed and sharply focused, and all of them displayed accurate colors. The bottom line here is that absolutely anybody can take decent pictures with the Canon Powershot ELPH 110 HS.

Features an almost identical design, very similar features, and an 8x zoom – for those who want a little extra reach. Either camera will very nicely meet the needs of casual shooters, family photographers and travelers.

It's a shame that cameras like the Canon PowerShot Elph 110 HS are losing to smartphones. It's understandable, but disappointing nonetheless because a camera like this is faster and takes better photos and full HD video. Even its creative effects are better quality than much of what you'd get from various mobile apps. If you're tired of your smartphone camera's lens and performance limitations or are just looking for a better-than-basic snapshot camera, definitely check it out.

The bad: The 110 HS has a relatively short battery life and mixed shooting performance, and low-light/high-ISO photos can look very soft.

The good: Canon's PowerShot Elph 110 HS is small and lightweight with a bright, ultrawide-angle lens and lots of fun shooting options, and can produce some very nice photos and movie clips.

The bottom line: Filled with some of Canon's latest technology and shooting modes, the PowerShot Elph 110 HS is a solid ultracompact camera.

Canon PowerShot 110 Custumer's Review

Here is one of the honest Canon PowerShot 110 by Lisa Gergets that already purchase and use this Camera.

This camera is incredibly lightweight, will absolutely fit in a pocket when we're out and about, hiking, traveling, etc. and that's really what I need. It also has HD video capability which is AWESOME and with my 16GB memory card, I have around 10,000 pics I can take without filling it up. I plan on getting a spare battery too, so I don't have to worry about that when we're on vacation etc.

All in all, love the Canon brand, and I'd recommend this camera to anyone wanting a simple to use, point-and-shoot camera for their everyday pics. Read more reviews..

We already done the research and spend a lot of time for you. Click here to find out where to get the best deal on Canon PowerShot 110.

Canon SX160

2013-01-08T09:25:00.000-08:00

The Canon SX160 16MP Compact Digital Camera, offers a powerful 16x optical zoom lens enabling you to shoot photos and videos that cover the full spectrum of focal lengths. From wide-angle 28mm shots of friends gathered 'round the dinner table to standard length shots of landscapes and even telephoto shots of animals, sporting events and close-up portraits, the Canon SX160 has you covered. The Intelligent Optical Image Stabilization system recognizes the different conditions that can cause a shaky, blurry image and corrects them so your long zoom, fast action and low light shots are delivered sharp and stunning. It houses a 16MP CCD sensor and DIGIC 4 Image Processor. The Canon SX160 also captures video in 720p HD and with the HDMI output, you can connect your camera to your HDTV and screen your videos in gorgeous HD moments after you shoot them. If you don't carry your HDTV around with you, use the camera's large 3.0-inch LCD screen to compose and display your images.

>> Click Here To Get The Best Price <<

Canon SX160 Picture quality

Though you probably won't want to use its photos at full size, the Canon SX160 overall produces very nice photos, especially for its price and features. Pixel peepers will see noise even at ISO 100, but it's not noticeable at reduced sizes. Up at ISO 400 is where it starts to be more visible.

Going above that you'll start to see more color noise, artifacts, and loss of detail. The camera stops at ISO 1600, which is really fine since I can't imagine a higher sensitivity getting usable results. The camera definitely favors dropping shutter speed over raising ISO when left in auto. That's good in general, but if you're not paying attention it could result in blurry photos.

Video quality is very good, too, but as with its photos, you'll see more noise the less light you have. The lens does zoom while recording and when it's zooming in you will hear some motor sound picked up by the stereo mics in front in quieter scenes. Overall, though, if you just need to capture the occasional clip for Web sharing, it does a fine job.

Ease of Use

It's easy to dismiss the Canon SX160 without closer inspection but doing so is definitely worth it. The large lens on the front and raised central area of the top plate give it a bridge camera look. The lens is a 16x optical zoom with image stabiliser built in. The price will dictate a standard lens with no special elements for low dispersion or chromatic aberration correction. Hardly a pocketable camera, the lens sticks out by a good centimetre from the main body. It makes the Canon SX160 difficult to carry around discreetly. The most comfortable way is by hanging it round your neck with an additional neck strap that isn't included in the box.

On the top plate, the Canon SX160 houses a pop-up flash in the raised area towards the middle. It's activated by pressing the black button just above the screen. A large command dial sits just to the right of the flash and it might not be the first time that a command dial has been included on a camera of this price but we still think it's pretty swell of Canon to include it. There are 10 options ranging from full manual mode to fully automated where the camera stops shy of taking the picture for you.

As well as Manual (M) mode, there's also Aperture-priority (Av – Aperture Value), Shutter-priority (Tv – Time Value) and Program (P) modes. These allow you to take more control over your photography. It's a “Kodak” philosophy about bringing photography within reach of everyone which is great. It means you don't have to spend a fortune on a camera to learn more about photography. The aperture range is limited from f/3.5 – f/8 while the shutter speed range is 15sec to 1/3200sec.

There are a few cool features on the Command dial that will do everything for you too. The Live button is an easier way of controlling the exposure features of the Canon SX160. Pressing the Set button brings up three sliders that have different values: Light/Dark, Vivid/Neutral and Warm/Cool. By adjusting the sliders, you can alter the look of the picture. This is great for if you know what you want to do but you're not quite sure how to achieve it yet. The icon that looks like the Death Star orbiting Yavin to find the Rebel base gives access to the digital filters. These filters include Miniature, Toy camera, Monochrome, Super vivid, Poster effect and Fish-eye. There's nothing new in these effects, which is a shame but Canon aren't going to use a low spec camera to test new tech.

The large 3 inch screen dominates the rear of the Canon PowerShot SX160 with a quarter of the back left for buttons and dials. Still, Canon have managed to make the buttons bigger and easier to find. The navigation pad acts as a wheel for speedier navigation through the menus. There's a direct video button and surprisingly, a direct ISO button.

The outside of the Canon SX160 feels a bit plasticky and despite its size, it's very light suggesting plastic insides too. For those of you with larger hands, the camera is an ideal size to hold and shoot with. Because of the larger area of space available, there's more room to put bigger buttons on without making it all look cramped. In fact, there's still space for a decent sized thumb rest.

The cover for the HDMI and USB ports is made of plastic instead of rubber – which is great. It only clips in though with no locking system. The battery door does have a lock on it which is good for two reasons: First, the Canon SX160 takes AA batteries and they operate by being forced in against springs to keep them in place; Secondly, because of this pressure the door can and will pop open at the slightest knock. A lock on it prevents this from happening so is a wise decision.

There are two main menus to use when taking pictures. Arguably, the one you'll use most is the Function menu. It's accessed by pressing the button in the middle of the wheel on the back of the camera. Interestingly, it changes depending on the mode it's in. In manual modes such as P, Av, Tv or M the menu is wider with features such as white-balance, colours, flash compensation, metering and compression. Auto is more simple with only three options for aspect ratio, file size and video quality. Live mode also only has three modes which we mentioned earlier.

The main menu is more extensive and holds modes that, once changed, will generally stay that way for a while. There are two tabs for shooting options and general set-up options. There are various autofocus modes, flash settings, playback options as well as in-camera help for shooting successfully. For example, the camera can have grid lines switched on which show a noughts and crosses (Tic Tac Toe) board on the screen. Placing horizons, gate posts, sign posts etc on the lines or subjects of interest on the intersections creates more appealing photographs as this obeys a photographic law called the Rule of Thirds. Along with the grid lines, there's also a feature called i-Contrast. This feature increases the dynamic range of the picture to create a more balanced exposure. This is generally named HDR (High Dynamic Range) but it's not as strong as that.

Start up time of the Canon SX160 is a fraction slower than we've seen in cameras around the same price range. It's such a tiny amount that it wouldn't even be noticed in the real world. We usually get an average tine of around 2.5 seconds from switching the camera on, to focusing and taking a picture. The opening sequence of having to look at the Canon logo is what takes time. The opening logo can be removed and it does shave the time down by a little but not enough to be on par with other cameras.

The Canon SX160 has two burst drive modes; one continuous shooting mode and one that also tracks a moving subject and stays focused on it. Both run at the same rate but we used the former so that it didn't slow down to realign focusing. We only managed to get five images in a 10 second period which is slow. It works out at around half an image a second, or one every two seconds. Buffering is fast after that. The pictures were all stored on the card after 13 seconds had elapsed.

There are several playback options; that is, how you want to view them. Pressing the Disp. Button will cycle through them. There are two for normal photographers who simply want to point and shoot. One shows no information while the other shows some basic shooting info such as the date, resolution and file number. For more advanced users, you can bring up more detailed information such as the ISO, aperture, shutter speed, file size and even a histogram. Pressing the button again is for pixel peepers that want to make sure the picture is sharp.

The Playback menu has been changed into a sharing platform on digital compact cameras these days and the SX160 is no exception. There's a slide-show option, Favourites and Photobook set-up. If you want to edit after, you can add i-Contrast or My Colours. More traditional options include Red-eye correction, cropping and resizing. There are also various print options in a separate tab as well as the set-up menu seen in the shooting main menu.

Because of the AA battery usage, there's little in the box of the Canon SX160. Aside from the camera, there's two AA batteries to get you started, a wrist strap and the software CD with associated booklets such as the Quick Start Guide. On the CD is a full camera operating manual as well as Solutions v.119.0, Canon's basic editing and tagging program.

Canon SX160 Shooting performance

One of the big drawbacks of the Canon SX160 predecessors was shooting performance; all of them have been pretty slow on all accounts. This model gets a much-needed new autofocus (AF) system. Canon says algorithm improvements, lighter lens elements, a stronger lens motor, and reductions in processing and AF scan times all result in faster focusing and less shutter lag. Being faster doesn't necessarily mean it's fast, but it is improved from the Canon SX160 in some ways.

From off to first shot still takes about 2 seconds, which given the bigger lens is good. The shot-to-shot times averaged 1.4 seconds without the flash, though using the flash drove that wait time up to 7 seconds. Shutter lag -- the time from when the shutter release is pressed to when the image is captured without prefocusing -- was a minimum of 0.3 second in good lighting, and jumped to 0.7 second in low light.

There are two main continuous shooting options: one with autofocus on every shot and one that sets focus and exposure with the first shot. The latter is faster, capturing at about 0.8 frame per second. The continuous option with AF slows down to about 0.6fps. Add in the shutter lag for the first shot and you'll have to be pretty good at anticipating action to get the shot you want. Basically, don't buy this if you're regularly going to be shooting fast-moving subjects unless you're a good judge of timing.

Design and features

The downsides to having a long zoom lens and AA batteries for power are size and weight. A camera needs room to hold a bigger lens and batteries (bigger than a lithium ion pack at least), and they make it heavier. That said, its bigger size does make it easier to handle despite the slight grip on the front, and the weight helps keep the camera a little steadier when shooting.

Plus, the bigger body also means room for larger, easier-to-press buttons. You get a one-touch movie record button in addition to display, menu, and exposure compensation buttons above and below the navigational scroll wheel to the right of the 3-inch LCD. The screen gets adequately bright, though some may still find it difficult to see in direct sunlight and it inverts when it's above eyeline.

The navigational wheel surrounds a Func./Set button and has top, bottom, left, and right pressure points for ISO sensitivity, focus (manual, normal, and macro), flash, and timer. The wheel is responsive with tactile stops to it, so you will not easily overshoot what you're trying to select. Its operation is overall easy to pick up, but even seasoned Canon users will want to examine the full manual included on the software disc bundled with the camera.

The batteries and memory card slot are in a compartment accessed through the bottom of the camera, secured by a locking door. That's good considering there's nothing holding the batteries in place. On the right side of the body under a small door are a USB/AV port for connecting to a computer or external display and a Mini-HDMI port.

Battery life is very short if you use alkaline batteries at a CIPA-rated 140 shots. Using rechargeable NiMH batteries doubles that shot count, but keep in mind that using the zoom lens a lot, increasing screen brightness, recording movies, or continuous shooting all cut into that rated battery life. If you're going out shooting for the day, you'll want to bring spares or prepare to buy some along the way.

Most point-and-shoots at this camera's price don't come with a large variety of shooting options or controls; they're mainly made for fully automatic shooting. Among the many modes on the Canon SX160, however, are shutter-priority, aperture-priority, and manual. Available apertures at the wide end are f3.5, f4.0, f4.5, f5.0, f5.6, f6.3, f7.1, and f8.0; at telephoto you get f5.9, f7.1, and f8.0. Shutter speeds go from 15 seconds down to 1/3,200 second. If that's too much control for you, you can switch to Program and control everything but shutter speed and aperture.

Of course, you'll also find Canon's reliable Smart Auto, which analyzes your subject and automatically selects an appropriate scene setting from 32 defined settings; some standard scene modes like Portrait, Landscape, and Fireworks; a Discreet mode that shuts off all noise and lights while shooting; and a Movie mode for capturing clips at resolutions up to 720p HD in MOV or iFrame formats.

For those who are addicted to the photo filters from a favorite smartphone app, Canon includes several of its high-quality Creative Filters: Fish-eye Effect, Miniature Effect, Toy Camera Effect, Monochrome, Super Vivid, and Poster Effect. Another mode, Live View Control, lets you easily experiment with exposure and color while seeing your results onscreen before you shoot (the same goes for the filters). While some may consider these gimmicks that can be done with software, they can be fun to play with if you're looking to do something different and can actually help you set up your shot appropriately for the effect you're after.

Conclusion

If you're used to pocket-sized cameras that you can slip away when not in use then the Canon SX160 IS is going to be a big surprise to you. It has to be held all the time, hung around your neck or put in a bag. To that end, the SX160 is uncomfortable but if you're ok with that then it's not. The grip is big enough to hold the camera steadily with one hand without being obtrusive.

The batteries we received for the test were unopened when we started but they ran out halfway through the test. On a day of testing, we use a camera more than what an average day of use would be so we expect premature battery dumping, but we were surprised when they ran out quite this quickly. Therein lies the problem with AA batteries in digital cameras and it's likely that this could start up a debate about the uses of AA batteries. So here it is: they're more readily available in a shop on holiday or in a remote village when out hiking etc. We would still advise to get a pack of four Eneloops or similar.

Given the Canon SX160 IS's low cost, the corners have to be cut somewhere and we think it's in the build quality. The camera doesn't feel as solid as it could although there are some nuggets in there such as the lockable battery door and better port cover. The buttons feel firm and the dials aren't too slack or flimsy.

Image quality is great on the Canon SX160. We really enjoyed using it and - naturally - got some excellent photographs with it. Pictures are sharp, colourful and (at low ISO) noise free. The 1cm macro mode is great although the image drop-off isn't so hot.

The Canon SX160 is a low cost, big zoom point and shooter that will have an option or mode for pretty much anything that a photographer can throw at it. We say photographer because with the manual controls, that's exactly what you become. If you've ever thought about getting into photography but don't have the money or are unsure if you'll enjoy it, a camera like this is perfect because it offers the possibility to advance your knowledge without a massive outlay. If you do become passionate about it, welcome to the club.

The bad: The Canon SX160 will eat through alkaline batteries; shooting performance is good, but not fast; and picture quality drops off above ISO 400, so it's not a great choice for handheld low-light shots.

The good: The Canon SX160 has a large selection of shooting options from full manual to full auto; big, easy-to-press controls; and the convenience of AA batteries.

The bottom line: The Canon SX160 is a good, inexpensive travel-zoom option for those wanting more control over results or who are just getting into photography and don't want to empty their wallets.

Canon SX160 Custumer's Review

Here is one of the honest Canon SX160 by Jesse Hansen that already purchase and use this Camera.

I found this camera extremely amazing! The amount of mega pixels really give the photo a crisp feel. Also the screen is very large which makes it more easier to see what you've just shot. I have never been so happy with a camera than this one. One thing I do have an issue with is how fast it uses up batteries but that is why i just ordered rechargeable ones. Great camera and I 100% recommend this. Read more reviews..

We already done the research and spend a lot of time for you. Click here to find out where to get the best deal on Canon SX160.