Product Description

Get in on the action with a 10x zoom lens. PowerShot SX100 IS keeps your subject in focus with Face Detection and optical Image Stabilizer. Clear, simple controls are easy and flexible for the whole family.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24086 in Camera & Photo
• Color: SIlver
• Brand: Canon
• Model: SX100IS
• Released on: 2007-10-12
• Dimensions: 1.60" h x 2.80" w x 4.30" l, .50 pounds
• Display size: 2.5

Features

• 8-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 16 x 22-inch prints
• 10x image-stabilized optical zoom; 2.5-inch LCD display
• Face Detection technology and in-camera red-eye fix
• 18 shooting modes, including 7 special scene modes; Print/Share button
• Powered by 2 AA-size batteries (2 alkaline batteries included); stores images on SD memory cards (16MB memory card included)

From the Manufacturer

PowerShot SX100IS will inspire you with its with phenomenal 10x optical zoom... and so much more. There's the 8.0-megapixel CCD and Optical Image Stabilizer for shake-free shooting. Plus, the DIGIC III Image Processor with advanced Face Detection, Face Selector Button, and red-eye correction assure superb results every time. Auto ISO Shift and ISO 1600 make low-light shooting easy. The large Mode Dial lets you select Scene Modes or full manual control effortlessly.

A new concept, the PowerShot SX100IS is compact and portable with streamlined controls. Take it everywhere, because inside is a level of photographic power that's truly impressive; 8.0 megapixels ensure deeply detailed images, giving you complete freedom to enlarge an image or any section of an image and crop it to your exact specifications.

With DIGIC III, your images boast superior quality, the camera operates at top efficiency, and battery life is enhanced. What's more, DIGIC III enables Canon's Face Detection Technology and red-eye correction to give you better, more true-to-life people shots. Simply press the Shutter Button halfway down, and the camera automatically pinpoints the faces in the scene and chooses the ideal focus point. The camera controls exposure settings and flash to keep every face looking bright and natural. Red eyes can be corrected during playback.

iSAPS Technology is an entirely original scene-recognition technology developed for digital cameras by Canon. Using an internal database of thousands of different photos, iSAPS works with the fast DIGIC III Image Processor to improve focus speed and accuracy, as well as exposure and white balance.

Powerful Zoom, True-to-Life Imaging
Zoom in for sharp, steady close-ups with Canon's 10x optical zoom lens with Optical Image Stabilizer.

The PowerShot SX100IS has a 10x optical zoom lens that makes it easy to get the inspiring, emotive close-ups that will make your images lasting keepsakes. This magnificent lens gives you the power to shoot distant subjects with razor-sharp precision and stunning lifelike color. So you can brilliantly capture a bird high atop a tree, a child's winning goal from across the stadium, or a school play from the last row. Plus, thanks to Canon's highly sophisticated Optical Image Stabilizer technology, even at maximum zoom every image is rock steady.

The PowerShot SX100IS is equipped with Canon's acclaimed Optical Image Stabilizer Technology that automatically detects and corrects camera shake--one of the leading causes of fuzzy or blurred shots. Even when zoomed in, you can get the steady, crisp, brilliant images you'll be proud to shoot and share. And Canon's Optical Image Stabilizer Technology is so convenient to use. It functions perfectly with or without a flash.

See the Image Beautifully with Wide Viewing Angle
High-quality 2.5-inch LCD screen for easy viewing, AA batteries for the family on the go.

The camera's 2.5-inch LCD screen gives you the big picture, whether you're shooting, reviewing, or showing off your images. This high-resolution screen offers a crisp, clear picture and wide viewing angle to make shooting, playback, and using the camera's menu functions especially convenient. Clear and bright, it also features Night Display for easy viewing in low light. And the convenience of using AA-size batteries means that no special power adapters or chargers are needed wherever you go.

2.5-Inch LCD Screen
Canon technology maximizes quality and performance.

Genuine Canon Face Detection Technology sets the focus, exposure, and flash automatically, leaving you free to compose a group, capture an unguarded moment, or coax the perfect smile. Plus the new Face Selector Button lets you select the primary face.

DIGIC III features Face Detection technologies, giving the you best possible results in any shooting situation. Face Detection AF/AE sets the focus point and exposure for the faces of your subjects. Face Detection FE adjusts the flash to correctly illuminate your subject to provide the best balance between your subject and the overall scene, eliminating the common problems of over- and underexposed faces.

Red-eye correction detects and corrects red-eye during playback. In unusual cases where red-eye is not automatically detected, it can easily be corrected manually during playback mode.

And new Face Selector AF enables you to lock on and follow a specific face. The selected subject is tracked wherever the face moves in the frame. Simply press the Face Selector Button; then the selected face is double-framed and tracked when the face moves in the frame.

Life doesn't give you second chances to capture special times. That's why the PowerShot SX100IS features ISO 1600 and High ISO Auto settings that reduce the effects of camera shake and sharpen subjects in low-light situations, giving you greater shooting flexibility.

Instant Creative Control
Easy-to-use Mode Dial with a wide range of shooting modes from fully manual to fully automatic, including Kids and Pets mode to capture fast moving objects.

Now you're free to concentrate on what really counts--your subject. With the large simple-to-operate Mode Dial, all you have to do is turn to the setting that best matches the scene you're viewing through the lens. The PowerShot SX100IS does the rest. It chooses the perfect exposure, aperture, and flash. Or if you want to flex your creative muscles, choose Manual Control and do it all yourself. You've got special Scenes Modes to handle a wide range of common shooting situations--effortlessly.

18 Shooting Modes, Including 7 Special Scene Modes

Shooting Modes
Advanced presets for the best possible photos under certain conditions.

Auto
The camera chooses all the settings so you can concentrate on your subject.

P Program
Access advanced exposure compensation features while shooting mostly automatically.

Av Aperture-priority
You define the aperture to either isolate your subject or have clarity throughout the entire picture, and the camera will choose the corresponding shutter speed.

Tv Shutter-priority
You select the shutter speed to stop or blur action, and the camera finds the appropriate aperture. With slow exposure times, Canon's noise reduction system activates to ensure low image noise.

Manual
The ultimate in creative control, you set selecting both aperture and shutter speed manually.

Portrait
The camera sets a large aperture, focusing the subject and artistically blurring the background to make your subject "pop."

Landscape
For front to back sharpness, the camera sets a small aperture.

Night Snapshot
Get natural-looking pictures with brighter backgrounds and subjects lit by flash.

Kids and Pets
Reduced focusing time freezes fast-moving subjects, so you won't miss those special shots.

Stitch Assist
Build awe-inspiring panoramas by neatly aligning sequential images.

Movie
Shoot in VGA (640 x 480 at 30 frames per second [fps]/30 fps LP) and QVGA (320 x 240 at 30 fps) for up to 1 hour or 4GB, or QQVGA (160 x 120 at 15 fps) for up to 3 minutes.

Special Scene Mode

Night Scene
For impressive sunset or nightlife shots, the camera properly exposes the background and uses slow-sync flash for the subject.

Foliage
Capture brilliant shots of autumn foliage, greenery and blossoms.

Snow
Shoot clear snow scenes without darkened subjects or an unnatural bluish tint.

Beach
Get clear shots of people at a sunny beach without darkened faces.

Fireworks
Grab brilliant images of skyrocketing fireworks.

Aquarium
Achieve proper flash-free exposure and natural hues at indoor aquariums.

Indoor
Reduce blur and improve color accuracy when shooting handheld indoors.

The Complete Print Solution
Print/Share Button for easy direct printing and downloading, plus ID Photo Print and Movie Print with select PIXMA Photo Printers, CP, and SELPHY Compact Photo Printers.

The PowerShot SX100IS's Print/Share button makes direct printing easier than ever. Simply connect the SX100IS to a Canon CP, SELPHY, or PIXMA Photo Printer or any PictBridge compatible photo printer, press the lighted Print/Share button and print! Also use the Print/Share button to transfer images to a computer (Windows and Macintosh).

Print your own ID photos in 28 different sizes or use the Movie Print function to output multiple stills from a recorded movie on a single sheet with a Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printer.

What's in the box:

PowerShot SX100IS digital camera, AA-size alkaline battery (x 2), 16MB SD memory card SDC-16M, wrist strap WS-200, Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM, USB interface cable IFC-400PCU, AV cable AVC-DC300

Customer Reviews

Great zoom, good color, not great for low-light or flash
After using this camera for a longer period of time, I have a bit more to say about it than my initial review. While I originally touted the manual controls, I found that they were not as useful in real world situations as they were while simply getting to know the camera. This camera performs well in daylight, but shots requiring a flash will drive you nuts because of the long recycle time.

The Good:

* Compact size with great zoom (best feature)
* Great color (in good lighting)
* Flash is easy to control (doesn't fire when you don't want it to, a problem I've had with many other cameras)
* Nice LCD
* Comfortable grip, better than a mid-size pocket camera
* Easy to use
* Manual controls are easier than other compact cameras

The Bad:

* Flash can take up to 10 seconds to recycle, not good for people photos (for example, if you shoot a photo of a friend and find that it needs more light, you pop up the flash and have to wait 10 seconds before you can take another photo. most people find this wait time annoying.)
* Dead batteries leave the lens halfway retracted (making it risky to transport the camera until fresh batteries are installed)
* High ISO is too noisy (common with compact cameras, but I've seen other compacts that do better than this one when it comes to noise)

Overall opinion:

At this price point, the good mostly outweighs the bad here. If you are looking for a camera for travel, this gives you a long zoom, and thus a lot more freedom in what you can shoot, than a standard 3x zoom, without the bulk and weight of larger cameras and DSLRs. If your photography consists of mainly people, at all hours of the day and indoors, you might want to avoid this camera as it will feel too slow to get the shots you want. If your photography does NOT consist of mostly people, then this camera should work great.

Light, pretty and useful
I already have a SLR digital Rebel, but it is too big to carry to some places. So I was looking for something small, light and with enough features to keep me, a SLR buff, interested.

My wife wanted a sleeker, colorful and tiny camera. I felt that we needed a more jack of all trades model. So I looked for a good optical zoom (10x), and as much manual features as possible. I ended up with three cameras: a Sony, a Canon and a Panasonic. It didn't take much testing to see that Canon was superior in every aspect.

The menus are simpler than Sony's. The physical buttons are better placed and bigger than Panasonic's. The only thing that I will miss is to have wider lens. Both Sony and Panasonic have wider angles, good for that classic auto-photo with your friends in a club.

Other than that... My god. This camera is amazing. I didn't need the manual to figure the commands out. Everything is where it is supposed to be. You just navigate and the commands just appear in context of what you are selecting. So, if you are in full auto, you won't find controls for Manual Focus and flash. But if you change to other programs, these options are there.

The manual commands are great. The manual focus is almost perfect and the ISO options work perfectly. I prefer the way they built the flash: it does not open automatically when the camera needs it. It asks you to open. I hate when the flashes keep popping and opening without my consent. And also it is one more feature to break somewhere down the line. I like the idea of just opening the flash myself.

In the end. It is a little bigger than the models my wife wanted, but being an amateur photographer herself she didn't need much time to see that, for a few fractions of inches more, we had a better deal.

Oh. I almost forgot. The biggest problem, really, is the downtime between shots. These cameras need to be faster. It makes me crazy when I need to take a shot and I just have to wait while the microprocessor is working. Come on, guys. You can make it better.

Other than the speed issues... Great package. Amazing colors and lens. Almost perfect camera.

Great pocket-sized alternative to other Canon cameras
Whether you are an experienced DSLR owner (as I am) looking for a compact second camera or you are someone looking to upgrade from your old point-and-shoot digital camera, the Canon PowerShot SX100IS is a well designed compact camera that has a lot of rich features at a very reasonable price.

I've been using my Canon Digital Rebel (DSLR) for several years and am very pleased with it. However, I have become increasingly aware of how bulky it is, particularly when I want to go places where it's inconvenient to lug around - like going hiking. So I set out looking for a smaller pocket-sized camera that had as many features as I could find comparable to my DSLR.

Being a fan of Canon cameras I limited the field to the PowerShot G9, the PowerShot Pro Series S5 IS, and the PowerShot SX100IS, all Canon products. The G9 is promoted and priced as the best of Canon's non-DSLR cameras, although from the reviews I've read it is more appreciated for its look and feel than for its performance. It is an 12.1MP 6x optical image stabilized zoom camera that can shoot RAW images. In comparison, the SX100IS is an 8MP 10x image stabilized zoom camera that doesn't shoot RAW. (I've shot RAW using my DSLR and don't find it necessary to get great photos.) The SX100IS has almost all of the other features of the G9, is about the same size, but weighs a lot less.

The S5 IS is an 8.0MP 12x optical image stabilized zoom camera. It looks a lot like a DSLR but doesn't allow for swapping lenses, and it can't shoot in RAW. It has very similar features to the SX100IS but is considerably bulkier and weighs more.

Even though all 3 cameras live up to Canon's reputation for taking great shots, I chose the SX100IS over the G9 because it had a higher optical zoom capability, weighed a lot less and was about $200 cheaper. I chose SX100IS over the S5 IS because it is more compact and lighter, and is about $80 cheaper. (Also, the SX100IS' 10x optical zoom is pretty amazing in its own right.)

The SX100IS has almost as many features as the other 2 cameras at a considerably lower price. I particularly like the Macro setting (which allows me to take really close-ups shots of ferns and the like on my hikes), and I like the manual focus capability for when the situation is such that the auto focus won't work properly. Also, I find that the lack of a viewfinder isn't bothersome. In fact, in some instances like when I'm playing around with white balance, I can get a preview of how the exposure changes on the 2.5" LCD screen, which isn't available on my DSLR.

Since purchasing the SX100IS about a month ago, I find myself reaching for it more often than I do my DSLR. For my money and for most of my needs, this camera is superb.