CANON LITE! The SX100 IS, 8.3 MP, Pocket Size & Shape, 10x Zoom Digicam

Author's Rating:

Pros: Only needs two (2) AA Batteries. Many 'new' features common to other Canon Models.

Cons: Lots of features common to other Canon Models. Unprotected LCD Screen. No Case furnished.

The Bottom Line: 
Interesting "Face-Detection" feature -still a feature shared by several other, lower regarded/priced Canon Models. Look to "ELPH" and "A" Series to find out how long that unprotected LCD lasts.

Author's Review
Another of CANON's Latest Hits! The PowerShot SX100 I(mage) S(tabilization) Digicam - Discounted Price Already!

Maybe not THE latest; it is hard to keep up with this innovative company; one that has led the way and left others in its dust.

Jan 16 - On a Visit to Staples today, Jan 16, to buy some ink; noted that the SX100 price of $299 IS was cut to $199. Most unusual - discounting within 4 months of release.

I am still overwhelmed by the Canon S3 'IS' and all of ITS features and I had thought that I would never display the slightest Pixel of Interest by glancing at another camera. And, I had not - since May 2007. While walking through the default Camera Store in Napa (Office Depot) last week; a small tag reading "10x" caught my eye. It was stuck onto what appeared to be a smaller version of my Canon Monster Zoom. But it was too small for a "10x" - so I thought. Looking closer,I got drawn in, picked up a spec card and here we are. It might be fun to do a comparison between these quite different models and to see what is new or what they might have in common.

Mind you, Canon has moved on and introduced the S5 IS Model but I do not move that fast. What you will see herein is an attempted discussion of the SX100 IS and how it compares with the (obsolete?) S3 IS. The CANON USA Website allows on-line comparisons of one model with 2 other "Up to Date" Canon models in real time but there is no provision for comparison of anything new with 'obsolete' models. You might think I am comparing apples to oranges by even thinking S3 vs. SX100 but read further and see for yourself how appropriate this unlikely matchup is. Further, the S3 IS may have disappeared from dealer shelves but is still available at on-line stores at a price now directly competitive with the SX100 IS.

OVERALL RATING

Two and a half stars. Why? Differentiating features have crept into almost every CANON model offering: Thus, good as it is, the SX100 IS is only AVERAGE in a crowded field. One would be well-advised to consider the "IS" equipped "A" Series; some with Face De-Tection. Or, consider an ELPH.

WHAT'S NEW?

It is clear that considerable 'technology trickle-down' is happening. Within a year of my S3 acquisition; the SX100 appears, sporting "IS", more MegaPixels, 'Face Detection', uses only 2 batteries, and has a lower price.
Granted, the price seems to be a product of stripping features that were, just a short time ago, ESSENTIAL! But the SX100 is touted as "Top of the Line". Go figure.

Technology Creep is everywhere; not unusual in the case of the SX100 IS. So, what is the Attention Grabber here? Although I had heard of this feature as a part of public surveillance efforts, FACE DETECTION * in a small camera was novel enough to merit a word or two. Canon has built this feature into 17 current digital camera models, crossing the boundaries of all three of the 'types' now on the shelf. Canon wired a version of this tricky cosmetics-for-all feature into its DIGIC III Image Processor.
It is "...so powerful that it can identify and track multiple human faces."
---
* Once a face is found, the camera isolates it and dresses it up for best focus (AF), lighting, exposure (AE), etc. In the case of multiple faces, one can point at (ACTUALLY TOUCH THE LCD) a scowling subject, among a sea of smilies; which calls attention of "Big Brother"; who then waits for a smile. For as long as you can hold the shot, I guess. I can envision a 12" LCD screen being lugged around by would-be portrait artists.

BUT NOW WE KNOW WHY THAT LCD IS LARGER AND IS NOT PROTECTED!
Imagine if you will, "...hold that pose!" (...the subject notices an approaching train that will clear you off the tracks if you don't get that shot! - The subject, now motivated, smiles mysteriously, the Camera Nabs the shot, the train nabs the camera, etc.)

In those old shoeboxes, are dozens of ancestors who could not smile due to slow film, physical restraints, etc. The Stern Impassioned Look. I inherited an underbite condition that allowed the two upper center teeth to 'drift' and form a "V"; a condition that I habitually conceal by keeping the lips in a straight-as-heck line. SORRY. That ain't a smile. Nor, sadly, is my "Thumbnail" above. In 70 years of getting in the way of someone's camera; only one image would qualify today - my California DMV Mug Shot taken in 1974!
-----
The recent (Feb 2008, pg 7) issue of "Consumer Reports" discusses one objective of this Tech Advance as used in Sony's Entry, DSC-T70: The snapshooter can wait for the subject(s) to smile. BANG! GOTCHA! SIX times without touching the shutter release! This hilarious test rejected some well-known smiles: Mona Lisa, "Happy Face", and Charlie Brown.
----- ----- ---- --- -- -

AND NOW, I NEED TO RANT....!

How many times have we seen the claim "NEW AND IMPROVED"; only to find out that the only thing actually new and improved is the wording itself on a new package! A cheap trick to rejuvenate sales of some faltering item. So, with CANON USA, we have Image Stabiization (IS) which is/was supposedly needed for "Monster Zoom" snapshots which will blur because your heart is beating and that can shake your body and so on and so forth. Now, we see "IS" has been incorporated into 4x Zoom cameras! How about a pacemaker to stop the shooter's heart altogether? WELLLL! Why not? Just how is a person supposed to grope through the plethora of offerings and find the "right" thing? How do we find these things, anyway?

Here is a description of CANON Photography, taken right from the company website:

http://www.usacanon.com - Digital Cameras - High End, Adv..... Camera Advisor

IN THE BEGINNING - (Let me help out by mentioning that EVERY Canon digital camera is a "PowerShot")

"What type of camera are you looking for?" (Select One)
1. SLR Cameras With Interchangeable Lenses and Flashes

2. Compact Film Cameras

3. Compact Digital Cameras Clicking on this link...

"What type of digital camera are you looking for? (Select One)
1. Basic Point & Shoot Camera
Takes great photos automatically, has some advanced features, compact size to take anywhere

2. Intermediate Level Camera
Has multiple shooting modes and ability to control different variables

3. Advanced Level Camera
Has advanced shooting modes and options, ability to add on lenses, flashes, other accessories.

At this point, I had to rummage around various pages in that general category and found a web page with three major categories and a lot of pictures of different models:

High-End Advanced Digital Cameras
There are five (5) models: G9, G7, S5 IS, SX100 IS, and TX1

Performance and Style, Digital ELPH** Cameras
Here we see seven (7) models: SD950 IS, SD870 IS, SD850 IS, SD800 IS, SD750, SD1000, SD430

Easy and Fun! A-Series Digital Cameras
Here are nine (9) models: A650 IS, A720 IS, A640, A710 IS, A630, A570 IS, A560, A550, A480

OK, folks, where did those BASIC, INTERMEDIATE, and ADVANCED cameras go? Too painful to confess that you are really a "BASIC" sort of insect? Or, after years of preening, would YOU want everyone to know that you are merely "INTERMEDIATE?" I should say NOT. "TOP DRAWER FOR ME." Thus, one might think Canon USA could eliminate all but those "IS" models S5 and SX100 up there in the stratosphere. By the way, I was elated to discover that instinct had saved me from all but the very best. I only walked by the derned thing at the store. Impulse stopped me. But an empty wallet saved me.

"CAMERA du JOUR, anyone?"
-----
**"ELPH" is a trade name that translates roughly to "Cute" (as in a bug's ear).

The kaleidoscopic, crazy, and overwhelming selections on that Canon USA website nearly did me in but I did find a pattern: I picked the lowest model number that offered IS (in BOLD above) and sought a pattern. There was a pattern or more but PRICE was not one of them.

Thus: SX100 = $300; SD800 = $350; A570 = $180.
So, they overlap. AHA! No surprise here; no matter the technology, STYLE (as in ELPH) trumps everything!

This conversation about Digital Cameras took place at a well-known BIG BOX store last year. "Aw, for _____ sake; I have $200 to spend, gimme whatever you have handy and I'll be outta here. WHAT! NO Carrying Case? No, I avoid Credit Cards and, especially, yours. WHAT discount? NO, dammit, I DO NOT WANT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY! THIS IS A GIFT! Look, here is a clue, I want a camera in a carrying case and I have $200 including SALES TAX. Oh, get outa my way, lemme look for myownself. Sheeese!"

END of RANT
------ ----- ---- --- -- -

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The SX100 IS was released for sale October 2007. For an advertised 10x Zoom, this was some small camera. It did, however, get me to considering it for my Lovely Partner; who still uses a Fuji Discovery 85, a 35mm film camera dating from 1993. That Fuji was no 'slouch' of a design in its time. Then, I realized that the Canon SX100 could be a ready, possibly more rugged, substitute for my own "Good" Canon S3 IS 12X Zoom Digicam. And, soon, it became clear that users could benefit from this less expensive design. This 10x Zoom Digital Camera is a retrograde that should appeal to the mass of amateur photographers who never owned a Kodak Brownie and are fascinated by that LCD Panel.

IN THE BOX The purchaser will find:

The Camera Body with built-in lens (Either Silver or Black)
AA Size Alkaline Batteries (2 only)
One SD Memory Card - 16 Megabyte (Only)
Wrist Strap
CD-ROM Software & Solutions (includes operator manual)
USB Interface Cable IFC-400PCU
Audio Visual Cable

GETTING STARTED

Emulating the imaginary careful consumer who researches everything before buying, I started with a hands on 'Touch & Feel' assessment. Both "Office Depot" and "Staples" had display models that were, unfortunately, weighted down with very heavy and bulky security weights that allow only the most superficial "hands on" evaluation. My encounter at "Staples" was amusing: I nearly bashed my eye out looking through a viewfinder that did not exist. Oh, yes! I remembered:
NO VIEWFINDER! Now that is trouble right off the bat. My partner's Fuji HAS one of those things. And, she also owns old shoeboxes full of prints nobody ever sees. I don't know how to begin 'selling' one of these things to her.

Some chance enemy once gave her a Kodak Advantix 35mm Camera; an incredible effort by a "Head in the Sand" company to build something incompatible with the rest of the world's photography devices. Kodak expected to coast into a monopoly position with something familiar to dutiful American consumers. While flailing with this 'advance' in technology; the rest of us were moving along to portable memory designs. I was amazed to find some of that APS Film for sale at "Long's" store. Evidently, Kodak did achieve some market penetration but lost its Dow Jones 30 position in the process, for this and other goofs.

FEATURES SX100 IS vs. S3 "IS" in Italics

Image Sensor Type: CCD ----- (same)
Resolution: 8.3 MP ----- 6.2 MP Yes, they are MegaPixels.
Camera Type:
Standard Point & Shoot ----- (same)

LENS
ZOOM Optical: 10x ----- 12x
ZOOM Digital: 4x ----- 4x

35mm Zoom Equivalent: 36 - 360mm ----- 36 - 432mm
Focal Length 6 - 60mm ----- 6 - 72mm
Focus Type AutoFocus ----- TTL AF
Focus Range (w) 19.2in to Infinity ----- (Same)
Focus Range (t) 39.6in to Infinity ----- 36in to Infinity
Macro Focus Range (w) 0.39 - 19.2in ----- 3.9in - 1.6ft
Super Macro Range (w) (None) ----- 0 - 3.9in

IMAGE QUALITY
Resolutions:
SX129 IS: 640x480, 3264x2448, 2592x1944, 2048x1536, 1600x1200, 3264x1824
S3 IS: 640x480, 1216x2112, 2272x1704, 1600x1200

VIDEO
320x240 (QVGA), 640x480, 160x120 Video Speed 30fps
320x240 (QVGA), 640x480 (VGA)

Maximum Movie Length: Depends on Camera Free Memory (Both)
Video Format: AVI, Motion JPEG (Both)

EXPOSURE CONTROL

Aperture Range f2.8/f4.3 ----- f3.5/f3.5
Shutter Speed 15 - 1/2500 sec ----- 15 - 1/3500 sec
White Balance: Auto, Manual, Preset: Daylight/Sunny, Cloudy, Flourescent, Tungsten

White Balance: S3 IS (Same as SX120 with 'Halogen' added)

FRAMES PER SECOND 1.3 Frames ----- 2.3 Frames

Memory TYPES
Multimedia Card, SD Card, SDHC Card ----- Multimedia and SD Card (only)

Compression Modes: Fine, Superfine, Normal (Both)
Compression Type: JPEG, EXIF 2.2, DPOF 1.1 (Both)

File Sizes
(High) 3.44MB (37 Images on 128MB) ----- 2.67MB (48 Images on 128MB)
(Low) 0.08MB (1,600 Images 128MB) ----- 0.13MB (985 Images on 129MB)

ISO Speeds:
Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 80 ----- (Same)
FLASH Functions:
(Both have Built-In, 'Lift to actuate'.)
Flash Off, Auto, Fill-In, Red-Eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Forced On.
S3 IS has Flash Off, Auto, Red-Eye Reduction)

VIEWFINDER

SX100 SI has no Viewfinder ----- S3 IS has Optical TTL
LCD Panel Size: 2.5in ----- 2.0in - Fully Articulated Frame
LCD Screen Resolution: 172,000 Pixels ----- 115,000 Pixels
LCD not protected ----- S3 IS LCD has a protected position

INTERFACE

USB 2.0 Video Out ----- (Same)

POWER SUPPLY (Both accept rechargable batteries)
Type AA (2) Alkaline (140 Images) ----- Type AA (4) Alkaline (110 Images)

PHYSICAL

Width: 4.28in ----- 4.46in
Depth: 1.84in ----- 2.97in
Height: 2.81in ----- 3.07in
Weight: 9.28oz ----- 14.56oz
Volume: 22.13 cu in ----- 40.67 cu in (For the carrying case)

COMMENTS

What I like best about the SX100? Two battery magazine.
What I like least: Lack of a custom carrying case.

I like the "Lift Flash" feature. I can always refuse.

End of Review
----- ----- -----


For a Canon S3 IS review see: http://www.epinions.com/content_362061860484

Resources:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?
Wikipedia for definition of "ELPH"