Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Canon PowerShot SX100IS 8MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black + Silver)






Canon PowerShot SX100IS 8MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black + Silver)

Technical Details
8-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 16 x 22-inch prints
10x image-stabilized optical zoom; 2.5-inch LCD display
Face Detection technology and in-camera red-eye fix
18 shooting modes, including 7 special scene modes; Print/Share button
Powered by 2 AA-size batteries (2 alkaline batteries included); stores images on SD memory cards (16MB memory card included)


Product Description

Manufacturer Description

The PowerShot SX100IS will inspire you with its with phenomenal 10x optical zoom... and so much more. There's the 8.0-megapixel CCD and Optical Image Stabilizer for shake-free shooting. Plus, the DIGIC III Image Processor with advanced Face Detection, Face Selector Button, and red-eye correction assure superb results every time. Auto ISO Shift and ISO 1600 make low-light shooting easy. The large Mode Dial lets you select Scene Modes or full manual control effortlessly.

PowerShot SX100IS Highlights

Packed with Brilliant Features in a Compact Body A new concept, the PowerShot SX100IS is compact and portable with streamlined controls. Take it everywhere, because inside is a level of photographic power that's truly impressive; 8.0 megapixels ensure deeply detailed images, giving you complete freedom to enlarge an image or any section of an image and crop it to your exact specifications.

With DIGIC III, your images boast superior quality, the camera operates at top efficiency, and battery life is enhanced. What's more, DIGIC III enables Canon's Face Detection Technology and red-eye correction to give you better, more true-to-life people shots. Simply press the Shutter Button halfway down, and the camera automatically pinpoints the faces in the scene and chooses the ideal focus point. The camera controls exposure settings and flash to keep every face looking bright and natural. Red eyes can be corrected during playback.

iSAPS Technology is an entirely original scene-recognition technology developed for digital cameras by Canon. Using an internal database of thousands of different photos, iSAPS works with the fast DIGIC III Image Processor to improve focus speed and accuracy, as well as exposure and white balance.

Powerful Zoom, True-to-Life Imaging The PowerShot SX100IS has a 10x optical zoom lens that makes it easy to get the inspiring, emotive close-ups that will make your images lasting keepsakes. This magnificent lens gives you the power to shoot distant subjects with razor-sharp precision and stunning lifelike color. So you can brilliantly capture a bird high atop a tree, a child's winning goal from across the stadium, or a school play from the last row. Plus, thanks to Canon's highly sophisticated Optical Image Stabilizer technology, even at maximum zoom every image is rock steady.

The PowerShot SX100IS is equipped with Canon's acclaimed Optical Image Stabilizer Technology that automatically detects and corrects camera shake--one of the leading causes of fuzzy or blurred shots. Even when zoomed in, you can get the steady, crisp, brilliant images you'll be proud to shoot and share. And Canon's Optical Image Stabilizer Technology is so convenient to use. It functions perfectly with or without a flash.

See the Image Beautifully with Wide Viewing Angle The camera's 2.5-inch LCD screen gives you the big picture, whether you're shooting, reviewing, or showing off your images. This high-resolution screen offers a crisp, clear picture and wide viewing angle to make shooting, playback, and using the camera's menu functions especially convenient. Clear and bright, it also features Night Display for easy viewing in low light. And the convenience of using AA-size batteries means that no special power adapters or chargers are needed wherever you go.

Canon Technology Maximizes Quality and Performance

Genuine Canon Face Detection Technology sets the focus, exposure, and flash automatically, leaving you free to compose a group, capture an unguarded moment, or coax the perfect smile. Plus the new Face Selector Button lets you select the primary face.

DIGIC III features Face Detection technologies, giving the you best possible results in any shooting situation. Face Detection AF/AE sets the focus point and exposure for the faces of your subjects. Face Detection FE adjusts the flash to correctly illuminate your subject to provide the best balance between your subject and the overall scene, eliminating the common problems of over- and underexposed faces.

Red-eye correction detects and corrects red-eye during playback. In unusual cases where red-eye is not automatically detected, it can easily be corrected manually during playback mode.

And new Face Selector AF enables you to lock on and follow a specific face. The selected subject is tracked wherever the face moves in the frame. Simply press the Face Selector Button; then the selected face is double-framed and tracked when the face moves in the frame.

Life doesn't give you second chances to capture special times. That's why the PowerShot SX100IS 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.

Instant Creative Control

Easy-to-use Mode Dial with a wide range of shooting modes from fully manual to fully automatic, including Kids and Pets mode to capture fast moving objects.

Now you're free to concentrate on what really counts--your subject. With the large simple-to-operate Mode Dial, all you have to do is turn to the setting that best matches the scene you're viewing through the lens. The PowerShot SX100IS does the rest. It chooses the perfect exposure, aperture, and flash. Or if you want to flex your creative muscles, choose Manual Control and do it all yourself. You've got special Scenes Modes to handle a wide range of common shooting situations--effortlessly.

The Complete Print Solution

Print/Share Button for easy direct printing and downloading, plus ID Photo Print and Movie Print with select PIXMA Photo Printers, CP, and SELPHY Compact Photo Printers.

The PowerShot SX100IS's Print/Share button makes direct printing easier than ever. Simply connect the SX100IS to a Canon CP, SELPHY, or PIXMA Photo Printer or any PictBridge compatible photo printer, press the lighted Print/Share button and print! Also use the Print/Share button to transfer images to a computer (Windows and Macintosh).

Print your own ID photos in 28 different sizes or use the Movie Print function to output multiple stills from a recorded movie on a single sheet with a Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printer.

What's in the box:

PowerShot SX100IS digital camera, AA-size alkaline battery (x 2), 16MB SD memory card SDC-16M, wrist strap WS-200, Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM, USB interface cable IFC-400PCU, AV cable AVC-DC300



Product Description
8-megapixel effective recording * 2-1/2" LCD screen * 10X optical zoom (4X digital/40X total zoom) * optical image stabilizer * top JPEG resolution: 3264 X 2448 *

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

After using this camera for a longer period of time, I have a bit more to say about it than my initial review. While I originally touted the manual controls, I found that they were not as useful in real world situations as they were while simply getting to know the camera. This camera performs well in daylight, but shots requiring a flash will drive you nuts because of the long recycle time.

The Good:

* Compact size with great zoom (best feature)
* Great color (in good lighting)
* Flash is easy to control (doesn't fire when you don't want it to, a problem I've had with many other cameras)
* Nice LCD
* Comfortable grip, better than a mid-size pocket camera
* Easy to use
* Manual controls are easier than other compact cameras

The Bad:

* Flash can take up to 10 seconds to recycle, not good for people photos (for example, if you shoot a photo of a friend and find that it needs more light, you pop up the flash and have to wait 10 seconds before you can take another photo. most people find this wait time annoying.)
* Dead batteries leave the lens halfway retracted (making it risky to transport the camera until fresh batteries are installed)
* High ISO is too noisy (common with compact cameras, but I've seen other compacts that do better than this one when it comes to noise)

Overall opinion:

At this price point, the good mostly outweighs the bad here. If you are looking for a camera for travel, this gives you a long zoom, and thus a lot more freedom in what you can shoot, than a standard 3x zoom, without the bulk and weight of larger cameras and DSLRs. If your photography consists of mainly people, at all hours of the day and indoors, you might want to avoid this camera as it will feel too slow to get the shots you want. If your photography does NOT consist of mostly people, then this camera should work great.

Shah said...

bought this camera last week and I've take over 200 photos and a couple of movies. This camera is great for some one like me who wants the point and shoot options and settings but still likes to dabble in the manual world and play with doing it myself. I've used this camera to shoot pictures of my niece at the park, at the aquarium and on a carousal. The face recognition/ picture centering feature and the image stablization is great and allows you to capture images with out blurring. The aquarium pictures were amazing, with very clear detail and perfect lighting. The movies were clear with out shaking and the sound was pretty good. I also like that this camera allows me to use 2 AA batteries of any brand in case I get stuck somewhere with out any power.

Anonymous said...

You can ignore any review of a point and shoot camera based entirely on the presence or lack of a viewfinder. There are plenty of cameras with viewfinders and plenty of them without. If you really want a high end Canon with a viewfinder, stop reading and go look at the G9, the S5IS, or the A650. Most people who shoot with this type of camera don't even use them, and for people with strong glasses prescription, like myself, they are so small they are absolutely useless. With a P&S viewfinder, you don't even get the true picture. What's actually going on the sensor is what's on the LCD. The new models are so bright you can see them in almost any light. Most even have way to boost the display if needed. Viewfinders are a nice feature but only one of many.

I have tried out this camera in stores and plan to buy one. The scroll wheel makes it very easy to adjust settings, like to change ISO for example. Ergonomically, it's large and curvy, like a mango, very comfortable to hold, even if you have big hands. The buttons are big and in the right places. It isn't small enough for a shirt pocket, but it is still quite portable. It has a large sensor, which means those pixels are bigger and hold more color information, giving you better pictures. My only gripe is that it doesn't start at 28mm (wide angle); that's not a deal killer, but for indoor, family shooting, I'd prefer Wide to 8x over Normal to 10x. Most people would take 10x over Wide. Teens and Twens looking something sleek & sexy to take clubbing, this isn't it; the SX100 is sensible shoes in a stylish world.

I highly recommend this camera to anyone who wants a easy to use point & shoot that takes great pictures; to anyone who wants a P&S than can do manual/aperture/shutter priority but can live without RAW; to anyone with a touch of arthritis/carpal tunnel or anything else than makes gripping and manual dexterity a challenge; and to those who really want a G9 but can't justify the extra $200.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the review, I'm surprised you think the F2.8 bokeh is anything to be excited about, except for really close macro shooting. As for AA batteries, I think that's an asset. You can always get small chargers because AA is a standard, not like most rechargeable li-ion batteries that are proprietary and you have to pay extra because only one manufacturer makes them. Plus if a charger is misplaced on a trip, there's always the closest convenience store for AA cells.

Shah said...

Yes, AA batteries do have their advantages, but the quick-charger we have with our batteries is still bigger and heavier than most camera chargers. (My D70 charger is smaller and lighter, and the F20 used a direct charger, no need to remove the battery. I would have liked to see that feature used in this camera.)

Heh, I'm mostly excited about the bokeh because it is actually possible to control on this camera. The quality of bokeh and the degree to which you can blur the background is far below my own kit, of course, but it is enough to give more creative control than a standard digi-compact.

Thanks for your comments.

Anonymous said...

Can you tell me how long a set of AA's last in the camera? Also does it only require two at a time? We are looking at buying this camera and we felt that using alkaline would be a bit of a disadvantage as well, but maybe it will be best to just carry extra batteries. Our charger is not working well anyway!

Anonymous said...

Use of AA batteries is beneficial in ALL respects. Invest in quality rechargeables (like MAHA) and savings and convenience of AAs will eventually take over. Quality chargers are NOT any bigger. Remember that because it uses AAs, you always have the option of buying batteries anywhere you go, which is NOT the case with a proprietary ones.

Shah said...

I agree, mostly, but with this specific camera, AAs are not really a plus. We have tried both regular AAs and rechargeables, and this camera sucks them dry really fast. These rechargeable batteries have performed outstandingly in my SB-800 (even with heavy use, I have yet to run through an entire set. I usually wind up recharging them before a long trip before they actually run out of juice.) but the Canon eats them up every 150 photos, on average, and 150 photos is not what I consider to be good battery life for any camera.

As for the chargers, I have had several different digital cameras, and each one was different. I've had some chargers that were a pain in the neck (Casio, for example) and other that were small and ideal (Fuji). The charger for my D70 battery is smaller than the 30-minute AA charger my batteries use (the charger itself is about the same size, but the AA charger has a large transformer that plugs into the wall, almost doubling the space it takes up in a bag.) so a smaller, Li-ion battery with a compact charger (something like the Fuji, which plugged directly into the camera without needing to remove the battery) would be ideal. With the space taken up by two AA batteries, a decently large rechargeable could be used that would last much longer (based on my experience).

Another point I should add to my review above, when the camera runs out of battery, it often has trouble shutting down properly. On two separate occassions so far, it has fired one last shot, continued to light up the display, then fail to fully retract the lens when the power button was pushed. I have not seen this happen on any other camera, and the lack of a battery meter (I still cannot find one, even in the menus) makes this a real problem. Even on a one-day outing, my wife has to carry at least one set of extra batteries with her, since running out of power doesn't just mean no more shots. It could mean damage to the camera if it had to be transported with the lens halfway out.

Anonymous said...

Hi, Thanks for the good review. A question regarding lens adapters and tube adapters--Can this camera take a lens adapter? I have a Canon S1 which is able to take lens adapters/tube adapters (used for filters) and I was thinking of upgrading. I was considering the Canon S5 but would love a smaller camera body that can still take lens adapters.
TJ Hock

Shah said...

It looks like this camera does not work with lens adapters. I didn't see anything in the manual about them, and a quick look on Canon's website gives me reason to believe they do not work. Under supplies and accessories, there were no lens adapters listed for this camera, while the S5 did have a few listed. I don't know if any of their other small cameras use these lens adapters, but I would suggest heading to your local store with some of the adapters you already have, as this would be the easiest way to find out what current models they might fit on.