Digital Cameras: The Top 10 Things You Need to Know

1) Resolution is less important than you think

 There is a popular misconception that more megapixels lead to better pictures. This is not the case.

 Sure, higher resolution gives you the ability to crop more aggressively or print large pictures, but only a fraction of digital photographers will benefit from this ability. If you're a casual shooter who won't be printing pictures larger than 8x10" or doing extensive computer editing, then a camera with 5- or 6-megapixel resolution will be sufficient.

 More advanced photographers will likely appreciate the flexibility of higher resolution, but a 10+ megapixel camera is by no means necessary to create stunning pictures. Choose a camera you can understand and afford, and don't be fooled by glitzy high-resolution specs.

2) Zoom is more important than you think

Whether you're shooting distant wildlife or close-up portraits, you can never have too much zoom. The majority of digital cameras have 3-, or 4x optical zoom, but you will never regret choosing a model with more telephoto power.

Fortunately the extended zoom camera category is growing rapidly, and there is a great selection of models with 8-, 10-, or even 12x optical zoom. For the ultimate in zoom control and quality, look for an extended-zoom camera with image stabilization, which will ensure that shots taken at full telephoto will be tack-sharp, even without a tripod.

3) Travelers should use cameras with AA Batteries

Digital cameras come in two varieties: those that use AA-size batteries and those that are powered by proprietary lithium-ion batteries. If you are a traveler, particularly someone who enjoys remote or rustic locations, choose a camera with AA batteries.

When a camera that uses proprietary batteries runs out of power, you have no choice but to plug the battery into a power outlet to recharge it. This requires an available outlet, a battery charger, and, if you're in a foreign country, a power converter. If access to an outlet is ever in doubt, or if you don't want the hassle of carrying cords and chargers, then the limitations of this system are obvious.

When a camera that uses AA-size batteries runs out of power on a trip, you can simply throw out the old batteries and drop in a new set of high-performance AAs like the Energizer E2 Lithium line. Two or three sets of such batteries can usually take you through a 10-day trip. If you're out of high-performance batteries, you also have the option of using standard alkaline batteries, which are available anywhere in the world, and make a cheap and convenient source of backup power (though they only offer a fraction of the life of high performance batteries).

Recent trips to Asia and Africa have borne this theory out—after my companions' cameras had been sidelined by dead batteries, I was still happily shooting away with my AA-powered Canon PowerShot.

4) Small cameras get shots that big cameras don't

Sure, that big, black SLR with the long lens may look fancy, but it won't do you any good if you're not carrying it. Never underestimate the importance of having a camera that is small enough to fit into your pocket—you'll be amazed at the spontaneous pictures you'll have the opportunity to take. While the photo quality produced by an ultra-compact does not equal that of a large SLR, the ability to whip it out and snap a shot while others are fumbling for their bulky cameras more than outweighs this drawback.

5) Canon makes great cameras

Canon digital cameras receive consistently great reviews, and for good reason: Over the last 2+ years, Canon has time and again proven itself capable of producing well-designed cameras that produce impressive results. From the EOS line of digital SLRs to the diminutive PowerShot ELPHs, Canon invests substantial time in the design process, and the results pay off—photographers of all abilities rave about their Canon cameras.

There have been some mistakes along the way—the Canon A70 was built with a design flaw that produces crippling error messages and black lines on the LCD, but newer models seem to be free of this problem. If you're looking for a great combination of features, price, and performance, Canon will almost always deliver. (NOTE: Digital Camera HQ is in no way affiliated with Canon, nor do we derive any benefit from recommending one brand over another).

6) Kodak makes great, easy-to-use cameras

When I bought my mother her first digital camera, I chose a Kodak, having read countless reviews that raved about their user-friendly controls. The reviews were right—Kodak's EasyShare digital cameras are remarkably easy to use: the menus are simple, the LCD text large and clear, and the controls largely self-explanatory. The results are just as impressive, with attractive, saturated colors and crisp definition. Don't be fooled into thinking that Kodak digital cameras are just for beginners, however—their simplicity aside, many of the high-end EasyShare models offer a full suite of manual controls for ambitious photographers.

7) Digital cameras can and will break

Whether it's due to accidental damage or simple wear and tear, digital cameras are not as durable as their film counterparts. Many photographers have film cameras that are ten or twenty years old—don't expect this kind of longevity from your new digital toy. Some cameras suffer from design flaws (like black lines on the LCD screen of the Canon A70), while others fall victim to the kind of mechanical breakdowns that effect every kind of electronic gear.

Does this mean that you shouldn't buy a digital camera? Absolutely not. A digital camera will so fundamentally change the way you think about photography that you will wonder how you ever got along without one. You must, however, be comfortable with the fact that one day your camera will cease to work.

For some, this knowledge may keep them from spending top dollar on a fancy camera; others simply accept it as the sole downside of working with digital. The most important thing is to do your homework before you buy—any fundamental design flaws will be quickly apparent in user reviews.

8) Don't put all your pictures on one card

After returning from a trip to Asia, I eagerly inserted one of my memory cards into a card reader to download my new pictures. For still unexplained reasons (likely a static electricity discharge), a card that should have held over 200 pictures was suddenly rendered blank. Two weeks and $250 later (thanks to www.drivesavers.com), I had recovered about 90% of my pictures, but the rest were lost permanently.

The moral of the story? Like any other technology, flash memory is not flawless. It is very rare to lose images, but it does happen, and the fact that I had spread my pictures between 5 memory cards protected me from the possibility of losing two weeks' worth of irreplaceable vacation memories. Given the choice between choosing a single 1GB memory card, or four 256MB cards, I will always choose multiple cards.

9) Find & use a simple photo editing program

Most digital photographers will never take the time to master expensive and powerful photo editing programs like Adobe Photoshop or Jasc Paint Shop Pro—these programs are too complex and time-consuming for all but the most dedicated photographers. Fortunately there are a variety of easy-to-use editing programs that even novice photographers can use to edit, improve, and organize their digital photos.

My favorite program is Picasa, and it is absolutely free at www.picasa.com. With Picasa you can perform all the basic editing tasks like sharpening, contrast correction, cropping, and straightening—most with just the touch of a button. Spend a few minutes on your best photographs and you will be amazed at the results. Picasa also make it incredibly easy to organize your best shots so you don't have to sift through hundreds of unwanted pictures to find your prizewinners.

10) Print and display your pictures

Far too many people take great digital images, only to have them languish in obscurity on their hard drive, never to be enjoyed by others. Don't let this happen to you.

Online image hosting and printing companies like Snapfish or Kodak Gallery can turn your digital images into high-quality prints of any size. You can simply upload your pictures onto the website. From there you can order prints of every size as well as photo mouse pads, calendars, t-shirts and other gifts. You can also send a link to friends so that they can view your pictures online and order their own copies.

If you want to see more of your own pictures, nothing beats using them as a screen saver on your computer. Simply right-click on your desktop, choose Properties/Screen Saver/Settings, and you can direct your computer to the pictures you wish to use. Set the screensaver to change images every 10 seconds and you'll have an instant slide show every time your computer is idle.

Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS:

Hands On Review

Last year's Canon SD4000 IS was the first ELPH to approach high-end compact territory, a realm previously reserved for Canon's S and G series models. The SD4000 combined a bright lens, reliable image processor, and a new sensor that was designed for quick performance and extra sensitivity to light. It worked out well, and the SD4000 nabbed some strong reviews and favorable comparisons to the Canon S90 advanced compact. It set the stage for a wave of lower-cost Canons with the same processor/sensor combination -- now branded as the High Sensitivity (HS) system -- and changed the point-and-shoot landscape for the better.

As it tends to go in the camera world, Canon has already replaced the SD4000 with the ELPH 500 HS. The familiar lens/processor/sensor combo remains, but the interface has been overhauled, now sporting an enormous touchscreen and very few physical buttons. Can this trendy new design can make a great thing even better? Read on to find out.

Body & Design

The ELPH 500 is a small camera, but a bit too bulky to be considered an ultra-compact model. Its body is roughly the same size as this year’s S95, though the design is most similar to last year’s SD4000, with rounded corners, soft lines and a vaguely bulbous profile. It falls somewhere between the homely SD4500 and sharp-dressed ELPH 300, but of course, true beauty is in the eye of the photographer.

A 3.2-inch, wide-format, touchscreen LCD gobbles up most of the rear panel. Most of the controls flow through that monolithic monitor, so there are just a few physical buttons. A lonely playback key sits to the right of the screen on the rear. Up top, from left to right, there’s a slider to switch between Auto mode and, well, "not Auto" modes; a power switch; and the shutter release, encircled by a zoom tilter.

There isn't much of a button layout to speak of, so ergonomics are a secondary concern here (though I’ll get to the touchscreen’s implications in the User Experience section below). There is just one notable design issue: Like the other Canons we’ve tested this year, the shutter release is flush with the body. It looks cool, but it’s difficult to find by touch; a shaped or textured shutter release would improve usability.

A bright-and-wide 24-108mm (4.4x zoom) f/2.0-5.6 lens -- arguably the ELPH 500’s centerpiece, and one of the nicest lenses on any compact camera at this price -- sits up front, joined by the flash and LED focus-assist lamp. A big plastic panel covers the mini-USB, A/V out, and mini-HDMI ports on the right side of the camera. On the bottom, there’s a sliding door for the battery and SD/SDHC/SDXC card compartment, as well as a metal tripod threading.

 Performance & User Experience

Whether they’re ELPHs or EOS dSLRs, Canon cameras are almost always a pleasure to use. Grandma and grandpa can figure out how to use them, and more importantly, actually like it.

Canon tries to port that user experience to a predominantly touch-based interface on the ELPH 500. The results are lukewarm. Touchscreens work wonders for smartphones and tablet computers, but not cameras. The best implementations keep the tried-and-true tactile controls, and use touchscreens to complement the user experience with functions like tap-to-focus. One can shoot an entire session with a camera like the Panasonic ZS10 and never use its touchscreen, but the touchscreen does open up some extra possibilities when they're appropriate.

With the ELPH 500, on the other hand, it’s almost impossible to work around the touchscreen. Basic functions like the shutter release and zoom are still tied to physical controls, but aside from a dedicated playback toggle, all the navigation and setting adjustments are touch-based. If it was as responsive as the iPhone, it might’ve worked, but it lags, and it’s a major drag on the user experience. Missed shots abound. Clumsy navigation awaits. The “buttons” are often too small. Scrolling is particularly frustrating. The battery life suffers as well, managing a middling 180 shots per charge. Aside from tap-to-focus, there is not a single function that a button-based interface could not have done better.

When the touchscreen can stay out of the way, the ELPH 500 is a nimble performer. From power-on, it’s ready to shoot in under a second. Autofocus is quite fast and accurate in good lighting, though there’s a noticeable drop-off when light starts to fade. Even so, shot-to-shot times are less two seconds under dimmer artificial lights. At its best, it can churn out a respectable 3.4 frames per second in continuous drive mode, matching the speed of entry-level dSLRs and significantly out-performing most run-of-the-mill point-and-shoots. It can maintain that pace indefinitely, so there’s no need to worry about filling up the buffer and missing any shots while the camera writes to the card. Slow(er) and steady wins the race, sometimes.

Straight-up Auto mode is easy to use and grabs a good exposure most of the time. A small handful of specific scene pre-sets are available under the “not Auto” tab, including Portraits, Foliage, and Kids & Pets, but Auto mode usually detects when it should use those presets anyway, so some users may never need to manually select them. Canon’s typical fun effects and filters are present, too, including Color Swap, Color Accent, Black & White, Sepia, so on and so forth.

Then there are the more "serious" modes. Like most of Canon’s recent compacts, the ELPH 500 has an in-camera high-dynamic range (HDR) mode, known here as Handheld NightScene. It snaps three or more rapid-fire shots at slightly different exposures, and combines them into one evenly exposed, almost surreal-looking image. Bright areas are controlled, dark areas are visible, and colors really pop. There’s also a dedicated Low Light mode, which boosts the ISO sensitivity and drops the resolution down to three megapixels. It’s only really useful in super-dark situations if you just want some semblance of a photo to (kind of) capture a moment.

And of course, the enthusiast's bread and butter: Program, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Priority (no full Manual exposure control, though). They offer the hands-on exposure control that experienced users want and that casual users can use to explore and experiment. But the touchscreen cripples them. “Scrolling” through apertures and shutter speeds is slow, inaccurate, and horribly painful. It’s there if you need it, but be ready to wait.

So the user experience is a big mixed bag with the ELPH 500. It does offer the best of what the Powershot line has to offer: A dead-on auto mode, useful (or at least fun) scene modes, some hands-on control, and nimble performance. It’s just all trapped in an irritating touchscreen interface.

Image & Video Quality

Canon’s ballyhooed High Sensitivity system is at the heart of the ELPH 500 HS (hence the “HS” tag at the end there). It’s a combination of the vaunted Digic 4 image processor -- found in any Canon camera worth its salt, from the pro-level 5D Mk. II down through this year’s A Series shooters -- and a 1/2.3-inch backside-illuminated CMOS sensor, which keeps shots looking clear at high ISO settings. It also has a wide-open f/2.0 maximum aperture, which lets in about as much light as any point-and-shoot out there.

In layman’s terms, that means that the ELPH 500 HS can take great pictures in pretty much any setting. Low-light image quality is a big selling point in particular. My photos from some nights out at a bar and a local rock concert are clearer and more evenly lit than I’d usually get from a compact camera. Details are a bit soft by the highest standards of low-light photography, but it’s easier on the eyes than the rough, splotchy noise and sloppy noise reduction that so many cameras pepper their pictures with at high ISO settings. I also took fewer blurry shots than usual; since the aperture is so wide, the shutter speed remains pretty quick even in the dark, reducing the chance that hand-shake will ruin the photo.

Bear in mind that the laws of physics still apply to the ELPH 500. The lens and sensor scoop a lot of light compared to plenty of point-and-shoots, but it’s still a small camera with a tiny sensor; it can’t keep up with a big-sensor mirrorless compact or dSLR. Even so, it’s a great low-light shooter by point-and-shoot standards. Shots up to ISO 1600 are still detailed and color-saturated -- totally usable for medium-sized prints, in other words. Up at ISO 3200, things get a bit fuzzier, but they’ll work for viewing on a screen.

It's a great shooter in bright situations and low ISO settings, too. My initial reaction was that details are a bit soft at the low end of the ISO range, but after comparing it to some of last year’s CCD-based Powershots, the difference is barely visible. (I generally find that CCD sensors produce sharper results than CMOS sensor at the lower-end of the ISO range, but quality degrades faster at higher ISO settings.) It's adept at capturing nuances in lighting, both in the dark and the daylight, and the wide-open lens can sometimes achieve the eye-pleasing shallow depth-of-field look (sharp subject, soft background).

Viewed at full resolution, the ELPH 500’s shots do have a bit of a dabbed-on texture, smooth rather than sharp, but I’d call it an aesthetic quality rather than a problem. Most compact-cam shooters rarely view their shots at full resolution anyhow. I'd bet my lunch money that if we lined up medium-resolution shots from the ELPH 500 and critically acclaimed Canon S95 side-by-side, most people would not be able to determine which camera took which photos, and some folks would even prefer the shots from the cheaper ELPH.

The ELPH 500 does run into a few issues, though, most of which S95 manages to avoid. At the widest, brightest lens settings, shots show some noticeable barrel distortion, though this is somewhat expected coming from a lens like this. There's also a slight tendency to blow out highlights (very bright areas of a shot), also likely due to the light-greedy lens. Some occasional green and purple fringing popped up in high-contrast areas, but again, this is expected to a degree, and far, far from the worst case I've seen. As usual with Canon compacts, automatic white balance tends to cast a yellow tint on pictures taken under artificial lights, so either find a better preset, or take twenty seconds to customize the white balance.

The most puzzling quirk, to me at least, was the random tendency to slightly underexpose shots taken in comfortable outdoor conditions. It happened to a couple shots in each of my test batches. It may have just been my particular camera, as I haven't heard of anyone else running into this problem. Weird. Anyhow, none of these issues should be deal-breakers, as they almost never ruin shots (nothing that 30 seconds of post-processing can't take care of), and the great overall image quality outweighs these minor inconveniences.

Video mode, as we've come to expect from Canon, is very good. The ELPH 500 shoots 1080p video at 24 frames per second for that classy cinematic look. Optical zoom is available while recording without much of an audible motor zoom. Low-light video quality holds up nearly as well as the still image quality. It's a perfectly suitable substitute for a standalone pocket camcorder -- it has a better zoom range, for sure -- and can capture some better-than-average clips for YouTube, though it's still just a compact camera video mode.

Conclusion

Canon's goal was clearly to make an ELPH that was high-end in every sense, but they got too ambitious. With the SD4000, they nailed down the formula for great performance and picture quality, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that they should use that formula in another camera. They didn't need rocket scientists to design a touch interface either, but they should've at least found somebody who's used an iPhone for five minutes. The interface isn't frustrating just because it's a touchscreen. It's frustrating because it's just a bad touchscreen.

Ultimately, the ELPH 500 is still a solid camera. We recommend it, since it's almost impossible to find this kind of picture quality for $300. We're giving a low A minus rating, but it could've been a solid A or even a rare A plus if Canon had played it safe and paired the HS system with a tried-and-true button-based interface (for the same price, of course). There will be plenty of users who learn to live with the ELPH 500's control scheme. Those folks will probably have small fingers and shoot almost exclusively in Auto mode.

But any prospective buyers would do well to look at cameras like the Canon S95, a true advanced compact with an oversized sensor and a robust control scheme, or perhaps the Nikon P300, a high-end point-and-shoot with similar specs as the ELPH 500 but a traditional interface and higher price tag.

Panasonic Lumix FP3 digital camera

 Panasonic's new Lumix camera costs AED 999 in the United Arab Emirates

There's not much you can do to a camera these days that hasn't been done before, so I admire Panasonic Lumix FP3's nuances.

For example, aside from the boring on/off button you can slide down the front lens cover to switch the camera on. It has a generous 3" touchscreen panel that can automatically detect the light around you and change the LCD brightness accordingly. Perfect for when you're outdoors. 

 Perhaps the most useful FP3 feature is the dedicated Intelligent Auto (IA) mode button. Panasonic's IA tech automatically selects settings that match the environment you're trying to capture. It's an all-in-one mode that combines image stabilisation, light sensitivity, face and scene detection and auto focus...and it really works. Even the most novice user will have no problem taking above average shots with IA on the FP3.

But it's the camera's twenty five ‘scene' modes that had me clicking away for hours. There's one for pretty much every situation imaginable - party, food, candlelight, beach, sports... including one specifically for when you want to take aerial shots and one that best suits taking photos of your pet.

Film grain and transform are my favourites scene modes though. Once set on film grain, the camera captures a black and white image but with a traditional grainy twist. It really is quite gorgeous when taking portraits. The transform mode is fun, with you choosing to either ‘stretch' or ‘slim' photo subjects. The results aren't perfect since you have no control over just how much the image is stretched, but the transformation is more than evident.

The FP3 is also capable of HD movie recording, which I found to be good. I tried fast action shots, noticing the same sharp results when I kept the camera steady as well as when I moved the unit around quickly.

What I am not too thrilled about is the colour pickup - I've seen more intensity on cameras from competing brands. And the user interface is great if you're pushing 50 and need the clunky fonts and icons. I expect a classier UI on a camera like this.

Canon PowerShot ELPH 100 HS: Hands On Review

 For about a decade now, Canon ELPHs have been the standard-bearers for point-and-shoot quality. They’re small, they’re affordable, they’re easy to use, and they take great pictures. What they lack in exciting, headline-grabbing features, they make up for with consistent quality.

Yep, consistency has been the name of the game thus far, but this year’s lineup got a big redesign -- at least internally. The 2011 ELPHs are all built around backside-illuminated CMOS sensors, a trend we’ve seen deployed with mixed results over the past year, but one that has the potential to lend a huge performance boost to the ELPH lineup.

 At this moment, the entry-level ELPH 100 HS is the most affordable CMOS-based compact on the market. On specs alone, it has the potential to out-class every other compact in its price range in terms of low-light image quality (which seems to be increasingly important to camera buyers), video resolution, and performance speed. But we’ve also seen promising cameras fall victim to their CMOS sensors, with fine details smeared into mush. Read on to see if the new ELPH lives up to its potential and maintains its standing as one of the finest affordable point-and-shoots for another year.

Body & Design

No surprise here: This year’s entry-level ELPH looks almost identical to last year’s entry-level ELPH, the SD1300 IS. It’s a bit smaller than a deck of cards in every dimension, small enough to easily fit in any pocket. (It’s a bit larger than the step-up ELPH 300 HS by comparison, which is one of the smallest cameras available, period.) The body is sturdy enough to almost feel like it’s made entirely out of metal, but alas, it’s mostly just well-disguised plastic.

Also like its predecessor, the ELPH 100 has a comfy 2.7-inch, 230,000-pixel widescreen LCD plastered on the backside and a 4x zoom, 28mm wide-angle, f/2.8-5.9 lens slapped on the front. Both are fairly standard for point-and-shoots -- nothing to get excited about nor to scoff at either.

The layout is simple, sparse, and logical. It'll look familiar to anyone who’s used a Canon compact in the past few years -- with a few minor modifications. The mode switch on top toggles between just two photo modes: Auto, and everything else. Next to the mode switch sit a small, slightly recessed power switch and the shutter release, which is encircled by a zoom tilter. Both the shutter and tilter are flush with the camera body, which looks cool, I guess, but makes it tougher to find the release quickly without looking, and also to accurately half-press it for autofocusing. What was wrong with the slightly raised shutter, I do not know, but it was a more comfortable design, for sure.

It’s a similar issue with the buttons on the rear: The menu access, playback toggle, and four-way selector take their rightful places on the back, but they’re also flat against the body and also awkward to find by touch. A selection wheel would really tie the interface together, too, but that’s a feature usually reserved for more expensive cameras. In a nod to its impressive 1080p video mode, the ELPH 100 sports a dedicated video-record button as well.

On the right side, a well-anchored rubber cover protects the A/V, USB, and HDMI ports, while a flimsy plastic door conceals the battery and memory card slots on the bottom. There’s a metal tripod thread down there, too.

Performance & User Experience

The ELPH 100 user experience is like old meeting new in the best way possible. It’s as streamlined and easy to use as any ELPH/SD-series camera has ever been, but it’s much faster and more responsive than any previous iteration.

Aside from a few gripes with the button design and placement that I mentioned above, the layout and interface are intuitive and user-friendly. It’s clearly geared toward automatic operation since most of functions are buried in the menu system, rather than assigned to a mode dial (non-existent here) or hotkeys (though the four-way selector does allow direct access to focusing range, exposure compensation, and flash settings).

ISO, white balance, intelligent contrast, drive mode, and autofocus mode are all adjustable for a bit more hands-on control. But for the most part, it’s almost like it’s expected that users should trust the ELPH 100 to choose its own settings. And thankfully, the ELPH 100 is a smart camera, and chooses its settings well. About eight times out of ten, you’ll get a nice shot in Auto mode.

Canon’s fun filters make their expected appearance here, including some color adjustments (Sepia, Vivid, Neutral, and so on), Color Swap, and effects like Miniature, Poster, Fish Eye, and the like. Extraneous, yes, but cool, even just for a goof. There are also some noteworthy non-filter scene modes, Handheld Nightscene being the most useful. It’s a high-dynamic range (HDR) mode: It takes three shots at different exposures, and mashes them together to create a rich, clear, smooth, and almost surreal-looking shot. Its made possible thanks to the sensor, and is pretty common in CMOS-backed cameras these days.

Also thanks to the BSI CMOS sensor, the ELPH 100 is an all-around speedy performer. I’ll go out an a limb and call it the fastest cheap camera I’ve ever used. Startup isn’t notably fast -- it's about two seconds until it's ready to shoot -- but just about every other aspect of its performance is more fleet-footed than average. Autofocus is accurate and quick to lock. Shutter lag is minimal. Shot-to-shot times are not an issue. Burst mode is a deceptively fast 3.8 frames per second, which matches most entry-level dSLRs that cost at least three times as much as it does.

Battery life is impressive. It's rated for 230 shots, and that's just about what I got from it -- enough to get me through the review period without a recharge. Mileage may vary, depending on LCD brightness, time spent reviewing shots, and the like, but it's an ample battery for this camera.

Image & Video Quality

Image quality is very good for a point-and-shoot, with rich colors, mostly accurate focus and exposure, and capable processing. It can handle a wide variety of shooting situations quite well, and it’s particularly adept at low-light shots compared to other low-cost point-and-shoots.

My first reaction was that shots at base ISO are a bit on the soft side, but I went back to compare them with some shots I took last year with the SD1300 -- the camera that we thought had the best image quality in its price-point last year -- and the results are very similar. Both cameras are 12.1 megapixel shooters, though the SD1300 uses a CCD-type sensor, which I’ve found generally offers better clarity at the low end of the ISO range. But side-by-side, the difference between the two cameras is barely noticeable. (Check out some SD1300 samples here.)

Unlike the SD1300 (and most CCD point-and-shoots), the ELPH 100's image quality stays pretty consistent throughout the ISO range. The sensor seems to handle noise well enough that the processor doesn't have to do all that much work to make shots presentable -- though the processor is the celebrated Digic 4, so it could just be effective enough that it's tough to tell where the sensor ends and the processing begins.

In the upper reaches of the ISO range, details get smoothed out rather than mushed up. Edges remain defined and colors stay saturated. Very close inspection reveals a dotty, painting-like texture, but it could be much, much worse. I did notice some splotchiness in areas of uniform coloring in dark scenes -- a dusky sky, for instance -- but it was an inconsistent problem, and results varied shot-to-shot. At least one shot of every night-scene batch should come out well. Medium or large prints of ISO 1600 shots will certainly look a little bit messy, but they’re surprisingly usable. ISO 3200 shots are pretty hairy as expected, but the results are still smoother than what's typical from this class -- they're fine for sharing online, in other words.

It might sound silly to readers that don’t spend a lot of time reading reviews (that’s most of of you, I’m guessing, given the price-point and target audience for this camera) that it’s worth celebrating a camera that actually works well within its manufacturer-given abilities. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen often enough. It might be for the sake of marketing and keeping up with the competition, but point-and-shoots usually don’t work very well at their top ISO settings. (Check out our recent review of the Fujifilm XP30 to see the results of a camera operating outside of its abilities -- woof.)

A few minor image quality issues pop up here and there, though that’s to be expected. Typical for Canon, the colors are on the vibrant side, particularly blues; market research apparently shows that buyers prefer this look, but it’s not for everyone. High-contrast areas (objects against the sky, most often tree branches and edges of buildings) suffer from some green and purple fringes, particularly toward the edges and corners of the frame. This is a pretty typical phenomenon, though it seems to be slightly exacerbated in CMOS cameras like this one.

The ugliest flaw continues to be the yellow cast over indoor shots. Automatic White Balance hit-or-miss in Canon compacts under artificial lighting, and that can be a real deal-breaker for folks. Thankfully there’s a simple and effective solution: Manual white balance. Really, it takes about ten seconds and a white piece of paper (think business card, receipt, whatever), and coloring improves dramatically. It's worth it, and easy to do.

Video recording is another headline feature on the ELPH 100. It shoots full 1080p HD video, which is as high-res as it gets. It's a nice video mode for what it is, certainly good enough to replace a standalone pocket camcorder like a Flip or Kodak, though not a replacement for a more serious camcorder. Optical zoom is not available on this model, which is unfortunate -- that requires a step-up to the ELPH 300 HS model.

Conclusion

 The ELPH 100 HS is an excellent, affordable point-and-shoot. It’s everything that we look for in a camera like this, and everything we’ve come to expect from this camera line: pocket-sized, good-looking, dead simple, and effective. Canon’s gamble on the new sensor-type paid off handsomely, boosting performance speeds and low-light image quality to a level not typically seen at this price point. It’s not quite perfect: The design, particularly the button layout, is a bit too slick for its own good, and some typical point-and-shoot IQ problems still pop up. But overall, there’s a lot to love about this camera, and it should appeal to just about any kind of photographer looking for a cheap compact.

There are a few other point-and-shoot options worth considering. The Panasonic FH25 is a sure bet, packing an 8x optical zoom. Performance is a bit slower and images a bit less consistent (low-light shooting is not a strong point, but not a weak one either), but based on the success of last year’s FH20, plenty of buyers will take a little extra zoom where they can get it. Nikon’s touch-oriented, 7x-zooming S6100 is sure to get some attention for its striking build. And for an extra chunk of change, the Canon ELPH 500 HS adds a 3.2-inch touchscreen and most importantly, an f/2.0 max aperture lens, which should really boost low-light performance (we’re set to review this camera next, so we’ll have an update soon).