Canon IXUS 1100 HS - A Sturdy Snap Shooter
Looking for a premium point-and-shoot camera? The 12.1-megapixel Canon IXUS 1100HS with 12x optical zoom and wide-angle 28mm lens seems to fit the bill from our assessment. It even comes with a 3.2-inch touchscreen interface, but does it interfere with usability? Find out the details after the jump.
A High-end Compact Point and Shoot
The landscape of photography is an ever-changing one; in fact, smartphones are now seen as the definitive gadgets as they are well-suited for capturing casual moments without much hassle. To add on, these devices often come with ample app support for quick sharing over social networks or blogs and even offer camera effects. With the advent of camera-equipped phones, and pretty decent ones these days, basically everyone has become a shutterbug. Does that spell trouble to the average point and shoot cameras? In actual fact, that's far from the truth. With an increase in photography interest, it is still very high in demand with sales volumes ever-increasing. While it's true that the average smartphone is far more accessible for candid shots, dedicated compact cameras will prevail because they offer far better performance, controls, battery life and are almost as pocketable as smartphones.
Canon has generally fared well in its compact segment and the Canon IXUS 1100 HS is the subject of our review today. The IXUS range is well-known for its style-driven and solidly built cameras and the 1100 HS takes over the 1000 HS as the flagship model. In a nutshell, the 12.1-megapixel 1100 HS is an all-new touch-screen compact with 12x zoom capabilities, an additional Smart Auto mode (auto detects the best scene mode), a 3.2-inch 461k pixels touchscreen, a DIGIC 4 processor and high sensitivity CMOS sensor. To add on, it is pretty minute at 99 x 58.9 x 21.9mm. In short, these are the improved features on the 1100 HS compared to its predecessor. Let's take a closer look at the snap-shooter.
The Canon IXUS 1100 HS comes in a compact body with high-end specs. The camera has a sturdy and stylish exterior that is sadly marred by a glossy and non-dustproof surface.
Being a touchscreen compact, the 1100 HS comes with minimal physical controls, most of which are nested along the top face of the camera. Here, you will have a program/auto switch, power button, shutter button and a zoom rocker, Canon cameras are usually well-constructed and it's no surprise that all buttons were within reach and easy to toggle.
Turn the camera to its back and you will notice that it is completely devoid of controls save for a tiny matte playback button - not to worry, we found no difficulty in accessing it. As explained earlier, the main bulk of the action takes place on the camera's 3.2-inch, 461k-dot PureColor II LCD touch screen and top profile. While it isn't an AMOLED screen, the screen performs admirably, showcasing good color reproduction and viewing angles under bright sunlight.
The touchscreen is pretty receptive by touchscreen camera standards. However, do keep in mind that it is nowhere near as fluid as the capacitive touchscreens on your smartphones. At times, we found ourselves constantly tapping on icons before an action got registered.
The user interface is simple to use and straightforward. There's nothing too fanciful about it, but we aren't complaining.
The bottom is reserved for the rechargeable battery (right) and SD card slot (left).
Image Performance
By and large, the Canon IXUS 1100 HS is meant to be a simple and fuss-free point and shoot, i.e., users will often find themselves shooting on the available Auto mode. Thankfully, the camera is outfitted with specs that make this a pleasant and problem-free experience. There are features that clearly pander to a snapshot crowd like new filters (such as toy camera, miniature), a Smart Shutter mode (useful for group portraits) and an all-new Movie Digest mode (similar to the Motion Snapshot function found in Nikon J1 and V1 cameras) that allows users to record a 3-second movie clip per still shot taken. Accompanied with an all-encompassing 12x zoom functionality and an extensive battery life (7-8 hours of frequent shooting), the 1100 HS appears to be a good all-purpose camera to put your cash on.
The camera managed a decent resolution score of 1,600 LPH for both horizontal and vertical on our charts. Its ISO performance is typical of point and shoot camera; images are clean till ISO200 with noise and smudging of details making an appearance from ISO400 onwards. Nonetheless, photos are still very much usable till about ISO800. Otherwise, color production is brilliant and auto-focusing is speedy and accurate.
The camera resolved 1,600 LPH (lines per picture height) vertically according to our resolution chart.
And it also managed 1,600 LPH horizontally on the resolution chart.
ISO100.
ISO200.
ISO400.
ISO800.
ISO1600.
ISO3200.
Sample Photos
These are sample photographs shot with Canon IXUS 1100 HS. The photos have not been post-processed and are copyright to SPH Magazines. They are provided for your reference only and we ask that you do not reproduce them elsewhere. Click for the full-resolution images.
f3.5 at 5.5mm (35mm equivalent), 1/8 sec shutter speed, ISO 1600.
f3.4 at 5 mm (35mm equivalent), 1/20 sec shutter speed, ISO 1000.
f3.4 at 5 mm (35mm equivalent), 1/13 sec shutter speed, ISO 1600.
f4.5 at 8.8mm (35mm equivalent), 1/13 sec shutter speed, ISO 1600.
f3.5 at 5.3mm (35mm equivalent), 1/30 sec shutter speed, ISO 500.
f3.4 at 5mm (35mm equivalent), 1/50 sec shutter speed, ISO 200.
f3.4 at 5mm (35mm equivalent), 1/25 sec shutter speed, ISO 800.
f3.4 at 5mm (35mm equivalent), 1/20 sec shutter speed, ISO 1000.
f3.4 at 5mm (35mm equivalent), 1/50 sec shutter speed, ISO 1200.
Conclusion
The Canon IXUS 1100 HS is a delightful all-round point and shoot, right from its sturdy and well-constructed exterior to its innards. We wouldn't quite call it affordable (suggested retail price of S$529) but its 12x optical zoom, good color production, decent noise and resolution performance, extensive battery life and bright 3.2-inch 460K touchscreen are factors that contribute towards an overall positive shooting experience (and less buyer's remorse). Some might find the touchscreen experience slightly disarming but the simple and intuitive user interface makes up for it. In fact, you can just put the camera on its Auto mode and shoot without changing any parameters.
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