Canon PowerShot SD100, stylish 3MP camera, but..

Overall Rating3.673.673.673.673.67

stylish 3MP camera, but only 2x zoom, few manual controls

the sd100 delivers a stylish, ultracompact camera but with only 2x optical zoom and very limited manual controls.pros:- very good resolution, especially for a 3MP ultra-compact.- good color response. - good reliable metering. - no color cast when using flash.- low noise at ISO 50 (keep in mind that ISO 50 for this camera is actually ISO 100 for everyone else; likewise, ISO 100 is in reality closer to ISO 200, etc)- 9-point AiAF.- the LCD monitor (1.5″) is bright and has an anti-reflective coating - gives good live preview and review even in well lit situations.- shooting priority play mode (a half-press of the shutter release always returns to shooting).- fast shot-to-shot times.- fairly good startup time, especially for an extending lens camera.- as with most canon digicams, the sd100 feels solid.- USB connectivity.- good battery life, although i would recommend carrying a spare since canon’s batteries are proprietary.- ultracompact: 3.3 x 2.2 x 0.9 in, weighing only 6.5 oz. - has continuous shooting function, which you don’t normally find in ultra-compacts. - 15 second night exposure ability. - long movie clips possible at VGA mode (up to 3 minutes including audio).cons:- limited 2x optical zoom.- very few manual controls - no aperture priority, no shutter priority, no manual focus (this is okay if all you want is a point and shoot).- average macro performance.- you’ll need to remove from tripod to open the battery compartment or replace the SD card.- very small mode dial.- the supplied 16MB SD card is inadequate - be prepared to shell out a few more bucks for at least a 256MB card.- proprietary battery - again, a few more bucks for a spare.- case tends to show fingerprints.the sd100’s mission in life is to take nice pics with as small and light a footprint as possible. on the nice picture category, it delivers. however, there are at least two other cameras that are smaller, have better optical zoom (3x vs the canon’s 2x) and have a wider feature set: the pentax optio s and casio ex-z3. as much as i like canon digicams, i would recommend these two over the sd100.i hope this helps you with your buying decision. peace.

Update (5/19/2012): This item is currently on sale here for the lowest price I’ve seen.

The featured review for this product, Canon PowerShot SD100 3.2MP Digital ELPH Camera w/ 2x Optical Zoom Electronics Aug 15, 2003, was written by jemaerca.

The average rating for this item is 3.7 out of 5 stars, according to 3 reviews.

Related posts:

  1. Panasonic Lumix, A good camera, but….
  2. Olympus FE-270 - Digital, Don’t buy this camera
  3. Polaroid PDC-3070 3.2, cheap-o camera
  4. Sanyo Xacti VPC-C40 4MP, Great little camera/video..
  5. Panasonic Lumix, Oustanding quality for the..

Reviews (3)

J. Carvajal

January 21st, 2010 at 1:41 pm    


Overall Rating44444

Great Camera for the non-professional
If you are looking for a camera to replace a traditional film camera, the SD-100 is it. I’m an avarage user and this is what I’ve found:PRO:1. Small size. Easy to carry in a pocket or purse.2. Decent Zoom3. Burst mode for taking a series of quick pictures.3. Movie mode…WITH SOUND!4. Intuitive controls5. Supplied Cannon software makes transferring photo’s a breeze.CON:1. Expect to buy a memory card. The 16MB supplied with the camera is useless.2. Red-eye. Even with the red eye reduction turned on, you still get some red eye. It’s mildly annoying, but you can fix it on the computer easily.3. Mysterious small halo. Must be a function of the lens. occasionaly you will get this small halo in a picture. Doesn’t happen often.4. A second battery is highly reccomended.The only people who will complain about this camera are high-end photographers. They’ll whine about everything. “Zoom is tiny” “Aperature control” “Lack of filter”. Crybabies the whole lot of them.If you are a normal person, you’ll love this camera. Point, shoot, done.


Rheumor

January 21st, 2010 at 6:05 pm    


Overall Rating44444

Not a bad camera in any respect.
The SD100 is the newest itineration of the digital Elph series, but certainly it is not the most up-to-date digicam around. The original digital Elph was the S100 (I still have that one), and quite a few Sxxx models have been issued between the time that one came out and now.This one gets the SD designation to denote its use of a Secure Data memory card, which is a very small card with a tiny lever that prevents the card’s data from being accidently erased or overwritten. Frankly, I think it’s much ado about nothing; I’ve never had a problem erasing my files by accident and I resent the fact that I needed a new card reader to accommodate this slight alteration. Of note, however, almost all SD cams will accept MultiMediaCards (MMCs) happily.Anyway, in true Canon style, the optics here are good and the body is well constructed and attractive. The controls are fairly intuitive and (proprietary) battery use is above average.The resolution is a more than adequate 3.2 megapixels. The Achilles Heel of the SD100 however is the far too short (2X) optical zoom, the same power found on the original S100 nearly 5 years ago. You are much less likely to find a use for 3.2 megapixels (versus 2 megapixels) than you would be to find many photo opps where you’d wish you had a more competent zoom. All things considered, in this price range and assuming compactness appeals to the Elph buyer, I’d say the Pentax Optio and the Minolta Dimage are both better cameras than the Canon SD100.


jemaerca

February 28th, 2010 at 9:52 am    


Overall Rating33333

stylish 3MP camera, but only 2x zoom, few manual controls
Rated 3 stars.


Leave a reply

Overall Rating

Name *

Mail *

Website