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Scott Lavimodiere photo
Russian Federation, Eugene
1 Level
690 Review
50 Karma

Review on Canon PowerShot ELPH 330 12.1MP Digital Camera - 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom, 3-Inch LCD (Black) by Scott Lavimodiere

Revainrating 5 out of 5

All in one travel camera

This ELPH 330HS was bought to replace a Canon PowerShot A540. The 330HS is a good travel camera. My wife uses it as a soap dish; She likes it because most of the controls are similar to those on the A540, which she is familiar with. It's also half as thin as the A540, so it fits better in your purse. I like it for its programmable features, 10x zoom and low light sensitivity. The latter in particular is a handy feature as I often shoot in natural light. (Note, however, that low-light sensitivity isn't necessarily achieved in auto mode; you'll have to switch to program mode and manually select a higher ISO setting.) This makes the 330HS a good complement to my other camera (the Canon EOS 60D DSLR). ). ). The 330HS comes in handy when attending family events, especially when I want some flexibility with my DSLR without being bulky or heavy. A few notes: The kit sold here at Revain is complete and identical to that described on the Canon website. . However, what isn't mentioned on the Canon website or in the Revain description is that it doesn't come with a memory card. At first I thought my kit was missing this necessary component until I read the owner's manual. Luckily I had a spare card from my DSLR. It is therefore essential to order the right card together with the camera. This camera uses SD, SDHC or SCXC cards. I use SDHC. Another point mentioned elsewhere is a small switch on the back (top right corner) that determines whether a short (a few seconds) video clip is recorded whenever a photo is taken. . Canon calls this "Hybrid Auto". I have decided to disable this feature. From a personal point of view, this short video clip does not help me with my way of taking photos. I was looking at the 340HS that Canon just released. However, some professional reviewers have suggested that the differences between the 340HS and 330HS aren't enough to justify the former's higher price point. Also, the 340HS's 12x zoom might look good on paper, but without a tripod it's a useless feature; Holding the camera steady at extreme zoom ranges is problematic at best.

Pros
  • Confident
Cons
  • Poorly thought out