Canon's top entry-level compact is here! Does it deliver the goods? Read the full Canon PowerShot A2100 IS review here.
Review summary of the Canon PowerShot A2100 IS:
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 If you’re on a budget, but looking for a compact that will allow you to grow as a shooter, the Canon PowerShot A2100 IS is the answer. Right off the bat, we experienced another great image performance from Canon’s chief of the entry-level heap, even in low light. The PowerShot A2100 IS is stuffed with useful features like Long Shutter mode, which allowed us to shoot at night without the flash, and multiple Scene modes for an eclectic array of shooting environments. We weren’t too jazzed about the added bulk the PowerShot A2100 IS brings to the table, but its stealthy all-black color scheme lured us in. With a great interface, easy to use menus and an Auto mode that takes the cake, Canon delivers yet again, and the PowerShot A2100 IS is another solid addition to the PowerShot fleet for 2009. Release: April 2009. Price: $250.
Pros: Great overall image quality. Impressive interface and menus. Plenty of useful features.
Cons: Oversized and bulky. Mode Dial paint wore off in a flash. No viewfinder.
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Full Canon PowerShot A2100 IS Review:
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Design - Good
Out of all the new compact PowerShots we've seen this year, the Canon PowerShot A2100 IS is by far the heaviest and bulkiest. So, it was no surprise to find the word "Sleek" plastered all over the PowerShot A2100 IS's description page on Canon's website. To the Jolly Green Giant, this camera is sleek, but compared to the new SD-series and lower-tier A-series models, the PowerShot A2100 IS is a lumbering beast. We certainly could not pocket this thing without a bit of a struggle, and the weight difference between the PowerShot A2100 IS and the Canon PowerShot SD970 IS was significant. Three or four years ago, the PowerShot A2100 IS would be considered wafer thin and light as a dream catcher, but in 2009 it's more like a miniature brick.
Aesthetically, we loved the matte black chassis and wedge-shaped architecture. The plus side to the Canon PowerShot A2100 IS's added heft was our ability to easily grip the camera and access the interface without having to use a magnifying glass to locate the buttons. For those who think bigger is better, the PowerShot A2100 IS will be a rock star. One issue we had was with the Mode dial. Half of its painted icons rubbed off, not only shorting us in the functionality department, but creating a shoddy look up top. That wasn't the end of the world though, for the smooth shutter button zoom toggle and large LCD screen made us all better.
Interface - Good
Basic is the name of the game with the Canon PowerShot A2100 IS. In back, the standard 4-way directional pad and button configuration did the job, but lacked the eccentricity and minimalist approach brought on the SD-series interfaces. For an old standby, the PowerShot A2100 IS does just fine, and the generous 3-inch LCD gave us plenty of viewing real estate. Unfortunately, the screen's 230,000-pixel resolution was did not offer a display that matched the SD-series models. It was also solarized at the slightest angle, and without a viewfinder, we had quite a time with clear vision in the sun.
The Canon PowerShot A2100 IS also runs the older menu system, but it's still one of the best out there. No flashy graphics or revamped structure, the PowerShot A2100 IS employs Canon's classic x-axis/y-axis menu setup. We like it for its conduciveness to rapid option selection and easy-to-follow layout. Playback was great as well, thanks to Auto Rotate and a multitude of Display options. However, the SD-series models allowed us to view micro icons, over 100 per screen at a time. The PowerShot A2100 IS could only reach 9, but it still offered a plethora of image information and the ability to jump a certain number of images as part of its numerous Display settings.
Features - Good
Like all new PowerShots this year, features abound on the Canon PowerShot A2100 IS. Canon simply doesn't discriminate between class levels with their compacts. The low light performance we were able to attain with the PowerShot A2100 IS was right in line with the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS's, only the PowerShot SX200 IS got us there with more tools. Long Shutter is the name of the game, and any new Canon that has this feature will allow shooters to reach exposure levels they never knew they could dream of on a compact. We did miss tinkering with our favorite Scene modes, Color Accent and Color Replace, which allowed us to highlight one specific color or exchange colors using an eyedropper tool. That's one of the losses we had to swallow when dealing with the A-series compacts.
Auto controls functioned very smoothly and accurately. We almost never ran into a White Balance issue, and only had to manually adjust in certain low light environments. The Auto Focus was spot on and Face Detection kicked right in. For a quick brightness solution, Exposure Compensation was a nice addition to the slew of Scene modes offered by the PowerShot A2100 IS. Standard definition video recording was available on the PowerShot A2100 IS, but its quality was not as impressive as the HD quality of the SD-series models we've seen this year. Even Auto mode made the right decision in most shooting environments. For a budget compact, the Canon PowerShot A2100 IS is a little powerhouse.
Hardware - Good
Inside the Canon PowerShot A2100 IS lies a 12-megapixel 1/2.3-inch sensor with Digic 4 processing, the same setup on the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS, PowerShot SD780 IS, PowerShot SD960 IS, PowerShot SD970 IS and PowerShot SX200 IS. So, image quality did not vary greatly between those models. Canon focused on hardware and interface as the primary upgrades on each camera, and the PowerShot A2100 IS gets a 6x optical zoom lens and Optical Image Stabilization, which functioned on an average level.
The time from power up to first shot was a mediocre three seconds, which is slower than what we're used to seeing. The Canon PowerShot A2100 IS runs on two AA batteries and records JPEG images to SD/SDHC cards.
Image Quality - Good
Since the Canon PowerShot A2100 IS possesses the same innards as the pricier Canon PowerShot SD970 IS, we decided to test them side-by-side. Well, at the end of the day it was difficult to tell both cameras apart, and after reviewing most of Canon's 2009 compacts, we can safely say that image quality will be the same from the PowerShot A1100 IS all the way up to the PowerShot SX200 IS, save the PowerShot SD1200 IS. That's a lot of solid image quality covering a great deal of ground, which is an admirable feat by Canon. The Canon PowerShot A480 was the only model devoid of the new Digic 4 processing and we experienced a few limitations in its overall performance, but it still proved that it could run with the big boys. The PowerShot A2100 IS gave us lively colors, great detail and an excellent low light performance, thanks to the Low Shutter mode. Whatever your budget happens to be, image quality is not one of the prime concerns when it comes to Canon's 2009 PowerShot lineup.
Outdoor Test – Motley Crue
Contrast Test – New Cooper Union
Looking at both of these images next to the Canon PowerShot SD970 IS's renditions, it's hard to tell them apart. The Canon PowerShot A2100 IS exhibits the same fringing festival along the chrome and white parts of the bikes, yet detail is sharp and colors look great. The second image is a study in sharpness, which the PowerShot A2100 IS displays with gusto. The image is also not too highly contrasted, but there were times when we had to dial down the overall exposure to compensate for a blown-out sky due to the average dynamic range. In bright light, fringing was the big cheese virus in all our images.
Color Test – Twisty Treats
Colors popped with vibrancy, as usual. We haven't seen a Canon all year that didn't excel in the arena of color. The extensive Color Filters and White Balance settings came to our rescue at times, but we knew we could rely on the Canon PowerShot A2100 IS's natural color reproduction right out of the gates. Detail is very sharp here as well, uncovering the feeble, pixilated print quality of the ice cream ad.
Macro Test – Mr. Spider
The Canon PowerShot A2100 IS had a stellar Macro mode that really kicked ass at close range. We were able to hover right above this poor, gunk-ridden fellow and capture detail right down to his fine leg hairs and grease-covered body. Ah, the life of a shop spider.
Night Test – Streets of Bay Ridge
Low Light Test – Magic Shelf
Thanks to Long Shutter mode, we attained fabulous results in low lighting conditions. The first image is almost identical to the Canon PowerShot SD970 IS's. What a killer performance from a AA-powered compact. Even in super low light, we attained excellent detail, as displayed in the second image. We could have used a little more exposure, but the detail and sharpness is awesome. Cameras of this caliber are not supposed to be cranking out low light performances like this, but the PowerShot A2100 IS sets the bar for all contending models in its class.
Price and availability
The Canon PowerShot A2100 IS is currently available for $250.
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