Canon PowerShot SX110 IS Reviews
The Canon PowerShot SX110 IS is the long over due replacement for the SX100 IS. While it is a good camera with some plus points, what is disappointing is that Canon has not addressed the issue of the predecessor’s weak spots. Still, it is a compact mega-zoom camera at a reasonable price that will appeal to both the occasional user and the seasoned one who does not want to get involved with the complexities of the Digital SLR.
A big plus point for this camera is its compact size. It weighs 10.4 ounces and has a width of 4.4 inches, depth of1.8 inches sand a height of 2.8 inches. Pretty good for a camera that packs in a 9 megapixel resolution, a10x optical zoom and a 3 inch LCD display. The f2.8-4.3 360-360 mm zoom lens is optically stabilized and accounts for the greater part of the SX110 IS’s weight. Although slightly smaller than its predecessor, the SX110 IS is large enough to hold comfortably. Many new generation cameras focus so much on reducing size that the need for an adequate area to hold the camera properly is often forgotten. The body, although of plastic, feels quite strong and sturdy, but is a bit slippery to grip.
The SDHC card slot and the battery chamber are accessed through a flap at the base of the camera. While most cameras of this type use 4 batteries, the SX110 IS uses only 2, which means the battery life is a bit short. You will need to use rechargeable batteries and also keep a spare set with you in case you run out of power half way through a day out with the family.
Most mega-zoom cameras now offer a wide range of manual and automatic settings and the SX110 IS is no exception with various flash, metering and exposure compensation modes. And the standard scene selection options are available. The face selection has an interesting feature. You can scroll through the faces until you locate the one you want to focus on.
The SX110 IS does not offer options like an electronic view finder, hot shoe and add on lens support, but these are not features and accessories that the users of this type of camera will want to burden themselves with. The essence of the mega-zoom camera is to get the best pictures with the minimum effort and complications.
The video capture however, is very disappointing and offers only 30 fps with no optical zoom and only mono sound which is surprising in a camera of this type.
As far as the camera’s performance goes, the SX110 IS is average on just abut all counts. The wake and snap time is 2.3 seconds and shutter lag for high contrast images is 0.5 seconds. Both are average for cameras of this class. Burst shooting as also average at 1.3 fps. Where the camera disappoints is in the time it needs between shots – 5.1 seconds with the flash on and 2.1 seconds otherwise. Other cameras of this class are faster.
However, the photo quality more than makes up for the shortcomings in speed. Users of this camera will not want to go into technicalities so let’s just say that while it has some barrel distortion that comes with the mega-zoom feature, the pictures are best in class.