There are also a dozen scene modes such as landscape; kids and pets; foliage; night snapshot; snow; and fireworks. You get continuous shooting at 0.7f/s or 1.2f/s, plus various in-camera editing features such as red-eye reduction. Unfortunately, our sample came without instruction book or software, but the latter includes Canon’s PhotoStitch program for creating panoramic images from multiple shots
Offering both Easy and Manual modes tells you that the SX110 is aimed at a wide range of users, although its main target audience is closer to the occasional snapper than the enthusiast. This helps explain why there is no hotshoe, for example, but it’s a shame that the SX110 doesn’t include a viewfinder (optical or electronic) with such a large zoom lens.
The LCD screen is large and bright, but it eats battery power
Likewise, the flash has to be manually lifted into position, even in Auto mode – we think it should pop-up automatically. True, if you try taking a shot in Auto mode and the flash isn’t deployed, you get three warning messages in the LCD screen - we’re surprised Canon didn’t include a klaxon - but it’s an annoyance if you forget at the crucial moment.
The SX110 powers up quickly, taking around two seconds, although the shutter isn’t that responsive and you have to press it fairly hard and wait a couple of seconds before the camera fires off. Canon has stuck to its familiar tabbed menu and L-shaped function menu, which involve a bit of scrolling but you soon get to grips with it.
The LCD screen is large and bright with good resolution, but it eats up a fair bit of battery power. That's another reason why the lack of an optical viewfinder is to be regretted.
COMMENTS
I like the longer zoom
Two of my sprog have different models of their powershots that have the 4X optical zoom and my only real complaint has been that it's only 4 instead of 10X. That's a good thing to add, though I agree that their chintzy little sd card is a waste. Why not at least 2gb? they aren't that expensive now and there's no reason to look cheap (as opposed to inexpensive).
Paris, 'cos I would take tele piccys of her for sure
Re: Digital Cameras Should be *Digital*
No, it's not artificial, and is a feature of the sensor.
High ISO capability is achieved by amplification of the analogue output from the sensor. All sensors have a certain amount of inherent "noise", and when in low light conditions the output of the sensor has to be amplified in order to render an image signal worth processing, that noise is amplified too, and in extreme cases may exceed the image signal.
As sensor technology improves (in terms of photosite area and efficiency), the inherent signal to noise ratio improves, allowing more amplification to be possible before the output image excessively degrades - which in turn equates to higher and higher ISO capability of the cameras involved.
Of course, now high ISO has become almost as much of a marketing gimmick as megapixels, camera manufacturers are now cranking up the maximum ISO (i.e. sensor amplification) without actually improving the underlying sensor efficiency. Anyone can claim their camera has ISO of a million, but it doesn't mean the images won't be total mush.
Great Camera
This camera is great! Very easy to use and with lots of features. The best price I found was on ikit.net's website, they have the hole range of Sanyo camcorders: http://www.ikit.net/canon-powershot-sx110-is-black-p-3260.html
@J
I agree with your comments about the viewfinder, my other reason for wanting one is that in certain light conditions the screens are very difficult to use accurately.
I will stick with my Pana FZ-18 for these reasons, oh and the 28-500 Leica zoom is nice :)
