Review on Canon PowerShot SD1100IS 8MP Digital Camera With 3X Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Pink) by Tim Burns

I've always had an aversion to digital cameras, but in the end I couldn't resist and bought this, my first, (!) during "Cyberweek" at a fantastic low price. " at Best Buy. I chose the SD1100IS Elph after doing research, reading many reviews, and spending time comparing similar points and shots from Sony Cybershot, Panasonic Lumix, Nikon Coolpix, and more. I kept coming back Coming back to it from - for the style, the compact design, the many positive reviews, all the functionality and the fact that it had a viewfinder which I thought would come in handy when shooting in bright sunlight, I think it would help to know my level of photographic skill (none) and technical skill (fairly good with everything but digital cameras) So if you are a techie and want to know how this camera compares to other digital cameras from a purely technical point of view, you should check this one out Probably skip review and after After learning the basics, I started experimenting with close-up photos of my cat in. Luckily my knowledge and skills have improved significantly within 24 hours (see my photo posts of December 14, 2008 - three photos taken in foliage mode in the late afternoon make me look like I didn't start work yesterday, and I did). said, but I still think you shouldn't be fooled by the point-and-shoot designation. If you've never used digital point-and-shoot, there's a lot to learn beyond point-and-shoot. It's actually quite difficult to take great pictures, but this camera makes it as easy as possible. I found the biggest improvement I could make was learning how to choose scene modes for different scenarios (indoors, outdoors, etc.). There are so many cool features packed into this little marvel that it will likely take months to learn everything, but you can start taking photos like a pro in a surprisingly short amount of time if you just experiment and then refer to the manual when needed to know how. a specific shot or figuring out where you went wrong when they went wrong. After taking a few shots that were overexposed (standing too close, I should have turned off the flash); blurry (not following the advice to press the shutter button halfway so the camera focuses first); or "noisy" - there I will experiment with lowering the ISO) - it's my own fault, not the camera, and I think it's right. Other pluses - the size - really compact but not so much that it's hard to hold. You really want to put on a wrist strap and wear it when taking photos because it's easy enough to fall off. I liked that it comes with a charger that you can plug straight into the wall without an adapter and that it charges the battery in less than an hour and a half. Perhaps the easiest way is to install the camera software on your computer and upload images. Image transfer was almost instantaneous - no waiting. And I really liked that every time I took a few new pictures and plugged the camera back in, I got a window asking if I only want to upload photos that haven't been transferred to the PC yet became. No need to search for images and find out how easy it is to separate the latest ones to download. Another cool thing that an advanced photographer will appreciate - and so will I as I learn more - is the ZoomBrowser app (on the included CD). ) lets you view your photos and get detailed information about each shot: shutter speed, aperture, exposure meter, ISO sensitivity, focal length, capture mode, image size, and more. on the fence above, shopping and holding a lot. I bought mine from Best Buy and they added a 2GB memory card as part of the package. The 32MB it comes with is a waste of time as it will likely contain fewer than 10 high quality images. I confess I hesitated for a long time before choosing Elf after getting a little scared of the negativity. Feedback on the issue of a fatal lens error. After digging around a bit, I think this probably happened to a small percentage of Canon's points and shots, and an even smaller percentage of this particular model. If you're worried, buy it locally and get an extended service protection plan. I did just that and realized the extra effort was worth it for less than $18 a year for the two years I paid for it. was brand new and their customer service (via email) was lightning fast (we chatted for a few hours max each time) and they replaced the ink cartridges I needed for me quickly and free of charge. I feel Canon is a great company and every time I have asked them for help and/or advice I have had excellent customer service. If I had to single out one downside of this camera, I'd say that the little door that covers the entry point of the connection cable, where you plug it into a PC or TV (for image transfer/display), is a really flimsy piece of plastic that sticks out almost certainly seems to bend with regular use. They needed to make this component more durable considering how many times it can be used. dark brown, matching my Canon bohemian brown if you're interested) that's slightly larger than the PowerShot dimensions. Haven't received it yet but appears to be a quality, well constructed item for less than [.] from an authorized Olympus dealer on eBay.) Overall I'm very happy with the Elph and would recommend it to anyone. both beginners and advanced photographers.