Customer Reviews

Canon PowerShot A1100 IS Digital Camera - Silver (12.1 MP, 4x Optical Zoom) 2.5 inch LCD

5 star:		(116)
4 star:		(59)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Easy to use. Automatic exposure adjustment for many different lighting conditions was excellent - much better than my older Nikon Coolpix camera.
Clarity and sharpness of the pictures is very good and the color is strong and realistic (I have had cameras where the color always looks a little faded or washed out - the Canon A1100 had no such problems).

I especially chose a camera to take AA batteries as these are available everywhere and easy to carry a spare set - my old camera had its own special battery and this was good but I needed a power supply to re-charge it and could not take pictures whilst it was charging. I would recommend getting some re-chargeable Lithium AA batteries as regular Alkaline batteries do not last long (only about 30-40 shots).

This camera has a viewfinder. This was another reason for choosing this camera. Having the viewfinder is important as in very bright conditions (like hot sunny holidays) it can sometimes be difficult to see the display.

Unless you are an avid photographer looking for lots of photographic capabilities or you are looking for some specific features not on this camera I would not spend any more money on more expensive models.
It may not be as stylish as some other cameras but when it spends most of it's life in your bag who cares.

Unless having a super slim camera is important I do not think the slightly larger size should put you off (Note - the online images do make the darker grey left hand side look very bulky but in reality it is not at all. It actually makes the camera easier to hold steady - esp if your hands are on the large side or perhaps you have difficulty holding small things#.

The supplied SD card is a little mean in my view - just 128Mb. Not much capacity for pictures and if you want to do any videos you will certainly need a bigger card - 4GB will be plenty for most users and these are only about £5-6 now.

The lack of a case is also a little dissapointing but on the plus side I was able to choose something that I wanted rather than what was given - cases vary in price from about £5 upwards - a reasonable one can be had for under £10.

The software that comes with it is easy to use and install. This included a neat tool that allows you to join #stitch# together multiple shots #eg 5 shots across a panorama or 4 shots rising up a tall building (no way could you get the Eiffel Tower otherwise :-) )

I refer to pocket sized cameras with view finders. Hoorah there is still one out there! No more squint and guess photo's in strong sunlight! One that takes decent photos too, though not so impressive when pushed in low light, but frankly I can live with that as that doesn't currently figure a lot in my photographic demands and I have another camera that will do that just fine. There are other draw backs too, the continuous frame rate is low at 1.1 frames per second, again not debilitating, but comes under the heading "Could do better". What it does do better is sit in the hand easily, fit in the pocket without fuss, take photographs under most lighting conditions that will stand some serious blowing up. It has a pleasing colour balance to my eyes and now has come down in price to a more sensible level - I do not think it justified its launch price, though that probably had more to do with the relative strengths of the Yen and the Pound as a lot of other Japanese products suddenly took on an all too expensive air. If I were to mitigate that statement it would be to point out that the camera includes a lot of technology, some of it, like image stabilisation motion and face detection, actually useful.

For a general purpose, point and shoot camera this now represents a great bargain. The fact that it has a view finder too is icing on the cake, under 90% of conditions I do not think that this would be found in any way wanting. For the other 10% you would probably be needing a different sort of camera anyway - and its a Canon!

The 12 megapixels is a good upgrade to my previous Sureshot of 5.4 mp. I have made some good quality stills and movies which still look good when viewed on my 28" plasma TV. Its easy to use small enough to fit in the pocket comfortably. it has a wide setting which is great for landscapes,seascapes or large groups of people. It has a viewfinder which I find essential because I can use it to take pictures without needing to put on reading glasses. I am pleased with it.

In my opinion; in terms of quality this camera took superb crisp pictures. Navigation of the camera's menus was easy. Unlike some more expensive cameras you do not have to dig too deep to find the function you are after. This is still a photographers camera rather than a fashion accessory. The camera is a nice size - not too big to be bulky and not too small to be fiddly to operate.

If I had one niggle it is that the camera was a bit slow between shots to use zoom or take another photograph.

I have just returned from a Geology field trip. The camera took excellent micro shots and huge panoramas. As well as fun social shots and sunsets in between, Overall I have very pleased with this camera. I think it is excellent value and would recommend this camera to anyone looking for a good functional camera.

My sisters's early model Canon A70 packed up recently and she asked me to suss out a replacement. This little charmer ticked the two main boxes she insisted upon: light & pocketable - a big improvement on the A70 - and with an optical viewfinder - now becoming the first feature manufacturers 'forget' to include.

The flash works better, optical antishake does what it supposed to and the 4x zoom is more than adequate (the A70 was 3x). Even the LCD screen is bigger, and although not up to the standard of that on my Pansonic TZ7, it's perfectly fine.

The controls layout is a welcome improvement (I especially like the 'easy mode') and two MN1500 batteries (rather than the 4 required by the A70) plus the old CF card replaced by SD, makes for a sleeker body with just enough right-hand bulge to afford a decent grip.

BTW: using replaceable, easy-to-buy MN1500's makes a lot of sense and you can also use rechargeable Nickel Metal Halide types if you want. Just keep a couple of alkalines handy for when they run out or fail to hold their charge.

My sister's old Canon managed a modest, if perfectly adequate, 3.2 megapixels - so the almost 4x 'improvement' on the A1100 is overkill to say the least. The sensor performs fine - razor sharp, and colour perfect straight off the memory card - and in low light is not much noisier than earlier, lower resolution types from Canon. Canon's Digic 4 processing seems to deliver the goods.

Noise-wise, my own Panasonic Lumix TZ7 is not all that much better and resolution-wise the tiny Canon is not a million miles from that of my Nikon D300 (although maybe we're pushing comparisons a bit there!)

In other words I'd be more than happy to use the dammed thing myself, and in fact, I've now bought another and given it to my partner - who can't take photos for toffee - as a Christmas pressie. I might even finish up 'borrowing' it myself now and then - just to make sure it's still working of course!

So . . sister is over the moon and partner is stickled pink and snapping everything in sight.

The Canon A1100 is a real steal, is a delight to use and performs far better than it needs to.

Get one. You won't regret it!

When my previous canon powershot camera failed to operate( due to the shutter getting stuck) I had no hesitation in buying another.This camera was not only 12 pixels but was cheaper than the one I had had for 2 years.It is easy to use, download and neat for the pocket.You do have to momentarily wait for it to focus on an image but it is worth the wait. Images on my PC are clear and colourful.I recommend it to anyone who just wants a no fuss pocket camera.

An excellent product in every way: easy to handle; optical viewfinder; I can carry a number of inexpensive AA batteries; very simple to use; software excellent; results are first class.
Everything so far is a plus.

I purchased this camera because it has an optical veiwfinder. The camera which this one replaces had an LCD display only, and I simply could not see the image on bright sunny days. The ability to switch off the LCD panel on the Powershot also means a greatly extended battery life compared to my old camera. Needless to say, it also takes excellent photos and has proved very easy to use. A great little camera!.

this is the perfect camera for the amateur, who does not want to spend a fortune on features that are meaningless and most important (and usual)that he/she will never use. Simultaneously, with this camera you make little or no compromise on picture quality, as 12.1 mpixels are more than enough for the everyday photo activities. There are also a lot of additional features, all these from a well-known brand name at a very reasonable price. What else to expect?

A first class carry in your pocket digital camera for a very reasonable price. I have a couple of full size digital SLR cameras but there are times when i just need something small with me. This camera fits the bill perfect, The photo's i have taken are equally as good as with the SLR and in low light it is outstanding. Two reasons i went for the A1100 are that it uses ordinary AA batteries and not a special type so you can always have power and not have to buy overpriced spares. The other reason is it has a viewfinder as well as an LCD display so in bright sunshine or at a concert you have a choice.