Phil Hanson enjoys the simple pleasure of taking photos with one of the easiest to use cameras on the market today.
Despite what the pundits have been saying, the megapixel race seems far from over — little shirt-pocket compacts that may never be called upon to make anything bigger than an A5-sized print are showing up with 12 to 15 megapixel sensors.
So it is with the Canon IXUS 110 IS, a 12.1 megapixel wonder that has a Smart Auto mode that uses scene detection technology to analyse the shooting scene in detail and select one of 18 modes.
Improved motion detection technology makes blur-free capture of moving subjects easier, while i-Contrast brightens the dark parts of a photo without blowing out correctly exposed areas.
The now common face detection incorporates blink detection, which, as Canon puts it, “helps avoid the disappointment of a mistimed portrait shot”. Face self-timer technology, already seen on other cameras, simplifies group shots or self-portraits by waiting until the user enters the frame before shooting; it’s really clever.
A graphical user interface even includes a hints and tips option with nuggets of advice on using the camera’s features.
Too Simple
I got a bit of a shock on picking up the IXUS 110 — it’s too darned simple! After the normal digest of dSLRs and advanced compacts, there aren’t enough buttons; where are the apparently endless menus?
Many readers will feel the same way, but it’s all part of Canon’s plan to provide foolproof shooting for people who don’t know the first thing about cameras. A heap of thoughtful development has gone into the ‘works’ behind the simple interface to ensure a high success rate from just pointing and shooting and the results were really good.
in the Field
It’s a stylish, attractive camera with a 145g heft that suggests it’s likely to be a strong and durable product. Fortunately, Canon hasn’t gone silly with the styling and the relatively few controls are well laid out and, despite their small size, are easy to use.
The 5mm-20mm, f2.8-f5.8 lens zooms from a full-frame equivalent of 28mm to 112mm, an extremely useful range for a camera of this type. The 4x zoom range can be extended to 16x via the digital zoom feature (a wicked 448mm in full-frame terms), along with the inevitable drop in quality. There’s also a digital 1.4 or 2.0 tele-converter function, also with a loss of quality.
Without these digital enhancements and using the highest quality JPEG setting, the IXUS 110 delivers cracking good photos.
Moving Experience
The IXUS 110 does a nice job of movie capture; it has certainly developed well beyond the gimmick stage. The movies can be played on the 2.8-inch TFT LCD screen, downloaded to a computer or played via an HDMI mini connector on a suitable television panel.
Conclusion
It’s possibly a little too basic for advanced amateurs or pros to carry as a shirt pocket or purse ‘take it with you’ camera, but for most people it will tick all the boxes.
CANON IXUS 110 IS – Specifications
- Manufacturer: Canon
- Model: IXUS 110 IS
- Effective Pixels: 12.1 million
- Lens: Canon 5.0-20mm (28mm- 112mm full-frame equivalent)
- Monitor: 2.8-inch TFT colour LCD, approx 230,000 dots
- Shutter: 1 sec-1/1600 sec
- Aperture: f2.8-f5.8
- ISO: auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200 via function menu
- Shooting Modes: Auto, program AE, movie
- Exposure Metering: Evaluative, centre-weighted, average, spot
- Focus Modes: Face detection, centre, AiAF
- Media: SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus
- File Format: JPEG Exif 2.2, MOV
- Flash: Auto, red-eye reduction and correction, slow-synch
- Interface: USB, miniHDMI
- Battery: MB4L Lithium-ion rechargeable
- Dimensions: 98 x 54 x 22mm (W/H/D)
- Weight: 145g body only
CONTACT
PROS
- Good image quality
- Very easy to use
- Nice and simple
CONS
- Lacks optical viewfinder found on some IXUS models
Design 18
Performance 17
Features 16
Image Quality 17
Value for money 17
TOTAL 85/100
This article if from D-Photo issue 30.
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