Canon Powershot SD1100 IS

Auto Mode
There isn’t a mode dial on this camera – only a mode switch. But the switch only moves between three positions: still image shooting, Movie mode, and Playback mode. The various still image shooting modes – including the Auto mode - are tucked into the Function menu. This doesn’t make it the most accessible, but it isn’t tedious to get to either. The SD1100’s Auto mode takes care of everything except the image size and compression; you choose those. The Recording menu is almost exactly the same, and options on the multi-selector are still available.

Movie Mode
The Canon SD1100 IS’s Movie mode is accessible from a little switch in the upper right corner of the camera’s back. A tiny video camera icon sits between a still camera icon and a playback icon. The Movie mode’s menu allows access to the white balance and My Colors options, so you can record black & white videos or even vivid red.

The size options can also be changed between two compression options of 640 x 480 (standard and "LP" for "long play") and 320 x 240 pixels. All of these videos have a smooth 30 fps frame rate. The Motion JPEG videos record up to an hour at a time or up to 4GB, whichever comes first.

The size options on the SD1100 are slightly different from its predecessor. The SD1000 has 640 x 480-pixel videos that can record at 30 or 15 fps (but who wants to record choppy videos?), 320 x 240 at 60, 30, or 15 fps, and 160 x 120 at 15 fps. There is no "LP" compression for the top resolution, and the super-smooth 60 fps frame rate on the 320 x 240-pixel videos only lasts for one minute at a time.

The new SD1100 also has the compact 160 x 120-pixel videos at 15 fps, and it maxes out after three minutes. There is also a time lapse movie feature that records 640 x 480 pixels for up to two hours at a rate of 1 or 2 frames per second, selectable in the Function menu.

The optical zoom is disabled while recording videos, but the 4x digital zoom is fully functional – although it should be avoided because it makes subjects look like they have jagged edges. The optical image stabilization works in the Movie mode, and its effect is very pronounced, especially when the lens is zoomed to a faraway subject. It greatly reduces the number of bumps and jiggles from the natural shaking of hands; a very useful feature if you're trying to capture sports videos and the like.

Videos can be played back normally or in slow motion in the Playback mode. You can fast forward and rewind as well as pause. You can also do some simple editing: cut the beginning or end.

Overall, the optical image stabilization is a nice addition to this camera – it’s something that wasn’t on the SD1000 – and the videos look decent for this point-and-shoot.

Drive / Burst Mode
The Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS won’t be known for its speed. This is one area in which the newer camera is actually a step behind the older model. Indeed, the SD1000 shot 1.7 fps, but the SD1100 slows down to 1.3 fps. Perhaps the slowing is from the increased resolution, and thus increased processing time happening on the same Digic III processor.

Regardless, 1.3 fps is not fast. The Sony T70 can shoot 2 fps for up to 100 shots at a time. Other skinny cameras are not so impressive. The Nikon S51 stutters along at 0.8 fps, and the Fujifilm Z100fd performs similarly to the Canon with its 1.4 fps rate. To its credit, the Canon SD1100’s Continuous Shooting mode smoothly snaps away and does so for a long time. It took 83 pictures for me before filling the memory card, so it likely would have done more.

The continuous shooting can be activated by pushing on the lower portion of the multi-selector, but it's only available in the manual mode. Pushing this multiple times will also call upon the self-timer, which has 2- and 10-second delay options along with a custom self-timer that can be set to delay for 0 to 30 seconds and then take a series of 1 to 10 shots. This is great for family portraits when multiple pictures are needed to reduce the number of blinked eyes and bunny ears.

Playback Mode
The Playback mode is accessible via the mode switch on the back of the camera. The last picture or video shot shows up first. You can scroll through images by pushing on the sides of the multi-selector and you can scroll very quickly through them by holding a side down continuously. Pushing the top of the multi-selector jumps to every 10th or 100th image, or jumps to different dates, categories, or folders. You can also jump to video files from here. Pushing the bottom of the multi-selector is a quick way to delete files.

Viewing single images can be done with or without file info, and can be done with an exposure histogram if desired. Images can be magnified from 2 to 10x, and automatically rotate as the camera is shifted. Saving an image as rotated requires a little footwork in the Playback menu, though.