advertisement

Ask CNET Asia

Find Products

  • Brand
  • Price
  • Camera type
  • Resolution
  • Zoom range
  • Storage type(s)
  • Unique features
  • Filter »

Buying Advice

Editors' Top 5s

CNET Features

 

Canon PowerShot SX100 IS

 Print    Email     Bookmark     Share

By Lori Grunin, CNET.com
Oct 29, 2007

The magic number for megazoom cameras seems to be 500--dollars, that is. Canon's last-generation PowerShot S3 IS remains quite popular despite the release of a new model, the S5 IS, while similarly priced competitors, such as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 and Kodak EasyShare Z712 IS garner lots of attention from CNET readers. So it should be unsurprising that both Canon and Sony decided to release models specifically targeting that magic price. Canon's PowerShot SX100 IS slips into the market a tad later than Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-H3, but like that model inspires more thoughts about its tradeoffs than its attractions.

Design

We have to admit, one of the SX100's biggest lures is its relatively compact size. Though still relatively large compared with the smaller megazooms like the H3 and the TZ3--it weighs 265g and will fit into a jacket pocket, at best--it's still considerably smaller than the 400g-plus S5 and S3. Part of the size savings likely stems from the shorter, though still optically stabilized, 10x f/2.8-4.3, 36mm-360mm zoom lens (compared with 12x for its bigger brothers). However, it uses the same 8-megapixel sensor and 2.5-inch LCD as the S5 IS.

The camera remains large enough to hold comfortably, though the grip itself could be a smidgen bigger and a lot less slippery. Encased in plastic, the SX100 nevertheless feels quite solid and sturdy. It also has a far more efficient layout than its siblings, with little sacrifice of shooting controls. And a big "yay!" for the electronic lens cover--there's no reason we should still have to suffer with those dangling plastic annoyances that pop off when you don't want them to and don't pop off when you do. A mode dial and zoom switch sit on top of the camera, with PictBridge, face detection, and display and menu buttons beneath the LCD.

To the right of the display, a navigational scroll wheel has top, bottom, left, and right pressure points for ISO, focus (manual and macro), flash, and drive mode. Dedicated exposure compensation and review buttons plus a Func button to pull up shooting settings, round out the controls. We are usually a big fan of scroll wheels, but we find the SX100's maddening: A mistaken twitch of the finger and we frequently end up clicking on one of the four options instead of scrolling through shutter speeds.

 
Features and Performance »