Canon PowerShot SX110 IS

We attempt to test all camera's to their limits, and the Canon PowerShot SX110 IS is no exception. In general it scored average to below average in these tests, and really struggled with white balance and noise. On the positive side, it maintained Canon's legacy of excellent color accuracy, and did very well in video mode.

Color (11.15)
The first test of our gamut is color accuracy. What we look for in this trial is how closely the camera can recreate the actual colors found in a scene. While having ultra-bright and over-saturated pictures may make them look dynamic, it's not actually what you were looking for. To test how accurately the SX110 IS can capture images, we shoot the industry standard GretagMacbeth color chart at the ample illumination of 1700 lux. We take the resulting images and run them through Imatest, an image analysis program, which tell sus how close to the known chart value the camera's recorded image appears. In the chart below, you can see the results at a glance, with the outer colored rectangle representing the captured value, the inner area the chart color corrected for luminance, and the inset rectangle the original chart color.

Greens and some blues were recorded very accurately

These results can be expressed in another manner, in the chart below. In this one, the ideal color is represented in the square, and the captured color in the circle, with the difference shown as the direction and length of the line.

The SX110 IS struggled a little with cyan and magenta
but did very well otherwise.

Resolution (6.90)
There's more to resolution than just megapixels: it's the total camera system of sensor, optics, digital processing and so on that determines how sharp your final photo looks, not that highly touted megapixel statistic. We test for resolution by shooting an industry standard chart, and running the images through Imatest, which reveals the actual resolution in line widths per pixel height, a measure of alternating black and white lines across a single area.

A section of the industry-standard resolution chart that we use for testing

The PowerShot SX110 IS captured 1509 lw/ph horizontally with minor over-sharpening, and 1620 lw/ph with some under-sharpening vertically. While not an amazing score, it's about average for this type of camera (as you can see in the comparisons below); this mediocre performance seems to be the price of having such a large zoom ratio.

White Balance (5.85)
There are certain phenomena which are very easy for a human brain to deal with, but much more difficult for a computer chip to try and understand. One of these is the way different sources of light provide a different color cast over objects the objects they illuminate. Our brains can automatically compensate for this, and say 'even though this sheet of paper is under an incandescent bulb, and looks slightly yellow, it's actually white.' Cameras, on the other hand, have to try and deal with these color problems using a feature called white balance. We test how well they handle the challenge by photographing a color chart under a number of different light sources using both the camera's automatic adjustment setting and manual presets. In the examples below the differences have been exaggerated to make the color shift clear; you will not see this much of a discrepancy in real life.

Auto White Balance (5.98)
With white balance set to automatic, we photographed with the flash, under fluorescent and tungsten bulbs, and in indirect daylight. The PowerShot SX110IS struggled with every setting, except the flash. All three other sources of illumination appeared to baffle the Canon, resulting in a poor score for this test.

Preset (5.72)
Unfortunately, the camera fared no better using presets for the light types (barring flash due to lack of a preset for that feature). While it did perform much better in indirect sunlight, white balance actually came in worse under the fluorescent and tungsten lights. Once again, not a good result.

Exaggerated White Balance Errors (Presets)

Fluorescent Preset WB - Fluorescent Illumination

Cloudy Daylight preset WB - Daylight illumination

Tungsten preset WB - Tungsten illumination

Unfortunately, the SX110IS did poorly with both presets and on automatic mode. Luckily, the camera does allow you to set a white balance manually, by shooting a neutral card under current lighting conditions, which might prove helpful if you are concerned about keeping your colors as close to real-life as possible.