Looking for a decent point-and-shoot with a reasonable price tag that ships in three different pastel colors? Check out our Canon PowerShot A1100 IS review here.
Review summary of the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS:
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 For a pair of Benjamins, the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS offers a well-rounded arsenal of image control features while serving up a large helping of basic shooting options and functionality. There are two separate Auto modes and a gaggle of Scene modes available on the PowerShot A1100 IS. Program AE was as far as we could go in terms of advanced control, so seasoned photographers and intermediate shooters will want to climb up a few rungs to Canon's more power-packed models. In most shooting environments, the PowerShot A1100 IS performed very well, though we did run into a few issues in low light and the narrow aperture made it difficult to focus landscapes. Canon’s menu system was highly intuitive, and the interface was anything but complex. The PowerShot A1100 IS ships in three different pastel colors, which will certainly win over the female crowd, and its Face Select feature worked without a hitch. If you're looking for a good point-and-shoot on the cheap that runs on AA batteries, the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS is definitely worth a look. Release: March 2009. Price: $200.
Pros: Decent overall image quality. Great menu system.
Cons: Inconsistent low light performance. Limited manual controls.
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Full Canon PowerShot A1100 IS Review:
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Design - Good
Don't be fooled by the particular color scheme of the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS. Aside from the subdued two-tone grey paint job we see in the product images, the camera ships in three girl-friendly pastels, including pink. So, it's safe to say that we're dealing with the official soccer mom cam from Canon, and it's not only apparent from the exterior. Take the stocked mode dial for example. We don't see any Manual or Priority modes, but rather a slew of Scene modes, which are geared toward beginners and cameraphobes. There's even a dedicated Face Select button.
The Canon PowerShot A1100 IS feels light, but it's bulkier than most Ultra Compacts. We like the pronounced gripping area and the shutter button zoom toggle is a nice touch, rather than a clunky zoom panel mounted in back. We're also glad Canon tacked an optical viewfinder on this camera, because one of the biggest complaints from consumers is a camera that is devoid of one. There were times when we had to use the viewfinder due to the glaring Vegas sun, so it definitely came in handy. Overall, the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS does not offer any groundbreaking architectural enhancements.
Interface - Good
The Canon PowerShot A1100 IS has a typical run of the mill navigation system, consisting of a four-way directional pad embedded next to its 2.5-inch LCD. We weren't expecting to be blown away by the interface, but Canon's menu system made up for any mediocrities inherent in the standard button configuration. When we needed to make an adjustment, the Function menu was our instant go-to. The camera was kind of compact we were able to simply pick up, fiddle around with the menus for a few minutes, and go to town.
With a resolution of 115,000 pixels, the 2.5-inch LCD didn't offer the sharpest picture, but Canon's top budget model, the Canon PowerShot A1200 IS, offers a 3-inch screen with double the resolution. The camera's LCD also polarized at around 45 degrees, which prevented us from being able to hold the camera at certain awkward angles. For $30 more, Nikon offers a fully touch-screen LCD on its Coolpix S230. The PowerShot A1100 IS's viewfinder was a bit misleading as well, only displaying a cropped square of what we saw in Playback. However, the whittled viewfinder perspective is most likely a safety net for novices that don't have a grasp on framing an image.
Features - Good
What we have here is a basic arsenal of shooting features that will suit most subdued shooting environments. We spent most of our time in Program AE mode, which gave us the most control. There's no dedicated Manual mode on the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS, so we had to rely on the camera's auto exposure to get the job done. In most shooting conditions, the PowerShot A1100 IS performed wonderfully, and the only times we struggled were when we attempted to balance a highly contrasted scene. Dynamic range is a sore subject for most point-and-shoots, so we simply locked in the auto exposure while aiming at shadows in order to provide a more even contrast. Canon's Intelligent Contrast feature essentially produced the same results, only it took away the need to manually find that exposure sweet spot.
The Auto White Balance did the trick in most situations, and we rarely needed to dip into the presets. ISO can drop to 80, and we shot all of our images at that level without a hitch. Low light gave us a little guff, and since the PowerShot A1100 IS's auto Shutter Speed only reached 1 second, we had to deploy the flash in most dimly lit shooting environments. However, the camera has a Long Shutter Scene mode, which allowed us to achieve up to a 15 second shutter speed. The results were impressive, and the PowerShot A1100 IS proved itself as a compact that can handle a starry sky with a little help from a tripod.
The camera's Face Select feature worked very well, as it was able to recognize each member of Led Zeppelin from a picture on the Internet. In reality, we experienced the same results, and Face Select was able to prioritize certain faces based on their individual exposure levels. As if Auto mode wasn't enough, the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS has an Easy mode that simplifies the shooting experience even further. All menus are on lockdown and the shutter button is the only functioning control, thus more hard evidence that the PowerShot A1100 IS was designed to be a consumer machine. Most of the Scene modes performed adequately, though we found it was important to use them in the correct environments or else the White Balance would be off.
Hardware - Good
Like most compacts in its class, the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS has a 1/2.3-inch CCD, though Canon pumped the max resolution up to 12-megapixels to match other new models like the PowerShot 970 IS and PowerShot SD880 IS. 12-megapixels has become the standard for 2009, and it's only a matter of time before we begin to see compacts that are capable of capturing billboard-sized images. The PowerShot A1100 IS sports Canon's Digic 4 processing, which supports the face tracking technology used to support the Face Select feature.
Despite its modest price tag, the camera features Optical Image Stabilization, which we found to work very well, even at full zoom. The 4x optical zoom was not bad for a highly portable compact, and the time from powering on to first shot was approximately 2.7 seconds, which is fairly quick. The PowerShot A1100 IS runs on two AA batteries and records solely to SD and SDHC cards.
Image Quality - Good
The Canon PowerShot A1100 IS was a pleasant surprise in the realm of image quality. One can never tell just by simply looking at an LCD screen while shooting, but when we analyzed the images at full resolution on our big monitor, the results were highly impressive. The PowerShot A1100 IS handled most bright light environments extremely well, and color was beautiful. Detail and sharpness were not a problem, and noise levels were significantly low for a point-and-shoot. We only had a few gripes, and they were based on typical entry-level hang-ups, such as limited dynamic range and inconsistent low light shooting. However, we found that the camera will suit nearly every shooting environment it was designed for, and we give it an official infoSync seal of approval after our long journey through neon and excess.
Scene Test - Wynn Twins
Scene Test - The Strip
What's remarkable about the first image is that it was captured from within a moving monorail train and we were still able to achieve a great level of sharp detail, even in the trees. There's also no fringing, and noise is present only in miniscule doses in the unfocused portions of the image. At full luminance, the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS kicks some point-and-shoot ass.
The second image depicts less opportune weather, but fine detail and sharpness is still raging on. Exposure looks great, and this is a very decent performance considering it the image was captured through the glass pane of our hotel window. In order to focus the entire image, we would have liked to have shot in Aperture Priority mode, but the PowerShot A1100 IS doesn't offer any control past Program AE mode.
Color Test - Bellagio Lobby Ceiling
This image pretty much speaks for itself. It's a study on how color should look from a compact, and Canon never fails to please the palette-hungry. There's absolutely no bleeding, colors look accurate and life-like and sharpness and detail abounds.
Zoom Test - Diablo's Wide Angle
Zoom Test - Diablo's Telephoto
We tested the effectiveness of the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS's Optical Image Stabilization by closing in on the feisty devil girl at full telephoto. Remarkably, we were able to retain the sharpness and detail present in the wide-angle image. We begin to see a slight crop dusting of noise in this image, but the focus is highly impressive for a manually-braced grip.
Contrast Test - Oyster Fountain
Dynamic range was difficult for the PowerShot A1100 IS, but not to the extent of other cameras we've seen in its class. We locked in the exposure while the camera was pointed at the shadows and then panned up in order to achieve this overall exposure. Otherwise, the PowerShot A1100 IS had a tendency to overexpose the sky to a preposterous extent in order to boost the exposure of the oyster shell. There's a good deal of fringing along the ridge of the oyster shell too, so you'll have to watch your light while shooting with the PowerShot A1100 IS.
Sharpness Test – The Other Brooklyn Bridge
As evidenced throughout the previous image samples, the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS excels when it comes to sharpness and detail, and this image is no different. There's only some fringing present along the unfocused cables of Vegas's rendition of the Brooklyn Bridge, but each strand is accounted for in the focused portion. We would have liked a much narrower aperture for this shot, and the fringing along the ridges of the arches is a little excessive.
Macro Test – Dump Fan
Up close, the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS excelled. We were able to bury the lens into the disease-ridden bars of the fan, and the detail is substantial, almost to a disturbing level.
Low Light Test – Bellagio Slots
Night Test - Paris
We found low light to be a hit or miss situation with the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS. In the Casio, we just couldn't steady the camera due to the 1-second shutter speed in Program AE mode. We used the flash for a few images, but they lacked the seedy Vegas charm we see in this image, due to the artificial light. The first image was captured while steadying the camera on the backrest of a chair, so there should be no excuses. In nearly every low light environment, it was exceedingly difficult to obtain a proper focus, so the flash looks light the only way to go.
However, when there is enough provided light in a low light shooting environment, the A1100 IS will deliver, as we can see in the second image. The light trails expose the slow shutter speed, but the image is sharp, especially around the neon hot air balloon. Focus is not uniform across the image, which is due to the low aperture, and we had to steady the A1100 IS on a sign pole in order to achieve this level of detail. Not too shabby for a point-and-shoot, but it took a little work to snag this image.
Price and availability
The Canon PowerShot A1100 IS is available for preorder at certain online retailers for $200, and should be available in late March 2009.
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