Canon PowerShot ELPH 100 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 4X Optical Zoom (Blue)

The Canon ELPH 100 HS is beautiful, and the Smart Auto feature takes great, no-stress photos for the user who has little or no experience with camera equipment. Before buying the Canon ELPH 100, I read reviews and did a lot of research online to find a point-and-shoot camera that I would enjoy within the under-$200 price range. There are a lot of good products from which to choose. I next went to Best Buy, Office Depot, and Sears to hold different point-and-shoot cameras made by the major producers: Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, etc. For me, these visits to different retailers is an important part of the process of buying a point-and-shoot digital camera for the first time. Another important step is to learn whether or not the camera's software is compatible with your desktop computer. Because my computer is old (2006), I had to research compatibility with the different cameras that I liked. You can find the information at the product websites. Canon has a very user-friendly website that influenced my purchase considerably. I had XP Service Pack 2 on an older Dell Dimension E310. For the Canon, I had to download XP Service Pack 3. I ordered the camera from Amazon.com. From the moment I opened the box of the Canon ELPH 100 HS, I liked everything that I saw. The instructions are clear and organized well. Finally, I love the pictures that I am taking. No, they are not the same quality as those taken by friends and family members who own thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment. However, these photos are beautiful and fun to take. I am practicing now so that I will be ready to take photos at baby showers and graduations in the next couple of weeks. Is it easy to learn how to use the Canon ELPH 100 HS? It is VERY easy to learn how to use Smart AUTO. The sliding Smart AUTO button is on the top of the camera: you slide the latch to Smart AUTO, and you are finished. The camera "decides" whether or not to activate flash and also determines other settings. To learn to use all of the optional features (P mode) is fun but not essential to photographing great photos right away. Another reason that I bought the Canon ELPH 100 is that it is considered to be among the best in its price range -- and possibly THE BEST -- in low-light conditions. The only time the colors seemed to be distorted somewhat was when I took photos of pets sitting in a semi-darkened room while they were directly under the strong light of a table lamp. I found that the bright light from the lamp washed over all objects close to the lamp; the objects outside of the lamplight were fainter in color. Since then, I've taken the precaution of composing photos more carefully so that I am not creating a spotlight effect. I read that the ELPH 300 could be a better choice if you plan to use the video features a lot. For me, the video features on the ELPH 100 are fine. While in Playback (viewing photos that I have taken), I am learning how to use the displayed menus to select options such as Slideshow and Erase -- so far, so good. While not as easy as Smart Auto, the menus are fairly intuitive. I have been very pleased. The sheen of the dog's coat, the warm expression in her eyes, and the mysterious, bold gaze of the cat -- all captured beautifully.

This is an excellent little camera. In many situations, it takes pictures of comparable quality to my Rebel XS. The optical image stabilization puts it solidly above most point-and-shoot cameras I've used. I bought this because it's just about the smallest real camera I could find, and I wanted something I could easily carry with me. The only drawback to this is that the buttons on the back are quite small and can be a pain to use. On the plus side, the interface is very straightforward and there's no selection wheel full of options I'll never use. Another refreshing change from other cameras I've used is that the camera explains the significance of most settings, so even those you don't use very often won't confuse you. Video quality is also pretty good. It'll take 1080p videos, but only at 24 frames per second, which generally looks jerky. I much prefer the results at 720p. Zoom and autofocus do not work during video recording, but you aren't stuck with webcam-style fixed focus, you simply have to set zoom and focus before starting to record. I think this has something to do with the microphone picking up the noise caused by the moving parts in the lens. You can also take slow-motion video at up to 240 frames per second, which is a neat trick - although 240fps is not always fast enough to capture a whole lot of detail you can't see anyway.

I pre ordered this camera (sight unseen) before it even came out, and it did not disappoint. It is tiny, even for an Elph, and the photos are far better than any previous Elph I've owned. (I've owned four now.) The screen is nice and big, although it got a scratch within 1 week... something that had never happened to any of my previous Elphs over a period of 10 years. I guess that's what happens when the glass is so huge. My biggest complaint is about the ridiculously tiny controls. I have slender fingers and can use most small electronics without a problem. This is VERY HARD to use because the buttons are EXTREMELY small. The D-pad is barely usable. Fortunately, the flip side is that the automated scene selection feature has been improved so much that you almost never have to use the D-pad or other controls. Basically, I just shoot in auto mode all the time and all the photos come out fine. Once in a while, I'll switch to the program mode so I can shoot the kids running around, but mostly I don't need the controls any more. This was a real paradigm shift for me after so many years of constantly adjusting the ISO and exposure of my Elphs to get the lighting just right. Having said that, I am still a habitual deleter of excess photos while they are still in the camera, and the lack of a delete button is a serious design flaw. To delete a single photo, I have to press the ridiculously small buttons 4-5 times. To delete a bunch of photos, I just sit there pressing (or mis-pressing) buttons for 10 minutes. I guess if you are the type of person who simply manages your photos after they are on the computer, you won't have this problem. But my spouse is always filling up the memory card, and then I end up having to delete dozens of pix or movies to make more space on the camera. I guess the only other flaw I would point out is that the camera is so small, and the glass is so large, there's almost no way to take a photo without sticking your thumb directly on the glass and smearing it. These are all somewhat minor gripes compared to the quality of the images that the camera takes and the benefits of having such a compact camera. I also love the color options so that I no longer get my camera mixed up with someone else's. For the price, this is a really top-notch point and shooter... with 1080p HD!

Very disappointed. This camera has died TWICE (so far) and it's only been 9 months. The first time the camera failed it would not turn on at all. We sent it for warrenty repair and received a refurbished replacement camera THAT WAS NOT THE COLOR OF OUR ORIGINAL, Canon said we didn't have any option on which color they sent. Now, three months later and the replacement camera has just died. This time, after taking a video and attempting to shut off the camera its shutter locked up and would not close! Now when you try to turn it on you get a 'shutter error'. I'll unhappily be sending it in for warrenty repair again. Who knows what color camera they'll give me this time, Purple? I'm disappointed on two fronts, first that the camera FAILED TWICE in nine months and second that they send you a refurbished camers and don't give you any choice in which color you recieve. Why can't they just swap the front cover plates? Or make it so wee could do it? If the camera hadn't failed twice I'd have given it four stars, but right now my fear is that when we get a third camera it too will fail in a few months, probably after the warrenty is up, at which point there is no way I would pay for another refurbished replacement.

Just received my Canon ELPH 100 HS {orange} and I absolutely love it. The camera boots up almost instantly. Installed a 16GB SDHC class 10 card and now have 5000+ 12MB photo capacity or 60 minutes for HD video. The image stabilization at max digital zoom 4X4/16x works great! The camera easily fits in my pocket and is very light @ ~5 ounces. The Canon's Digic 4 processor & CMOS sensor make this camera truly point and shoot. By default it automatically selects the light level, shaking, target focus, shutter speed, flash/noflash and ISO to pick the optimal scene type. Perfect pictures virtually every time when button is correctly pressed 1/2 way (1) before fully in (2) for photo shot. But be sure to get a class 10 card for the best video. The only 2 minor problems I believe are: 1) It comes with a 700 mAh 3.7 Volt battery instead of the 1400 mAh 3.7 OEM version which doubles it run-time for 230 photos to almost 500 pictures per charge. This is easily fixed when ordering additional batteries just get the larger mAh capacity ones. 2) The CameraWindow transfer software doesn't automatically delete pictures after they are transferred. Some people like this as not to delete photos improperly transferred.(I do not). Some camera blogs suggest a quick format after transfer is the way to quickly delete photos/video after successful transfer. However, this is the best point and shoot camera I have used and I still think it's a 5 star camera @ $199 MSRP.

I bought this Canon ELPH 100 to replace my old Canon PowerShot SD750 which had a cracked lenses due to heavy use and one too many drops. The ELPH takes excellent photos, is easy to understand, and uses the same SD card and NB-4L battery as the SD750. I popped the old battery and SD card out of my old camera and into the new and kept shooting photos without missing a beat, while the new battery was charging and the new SD card is waiting in reserve. With all the specialization, it's a compliment to Canon that they kept their new camera interchangeable with the old. Connection cords, battery, battery charger, SD card, and controls...all work. There was a 5 minute learning curve, enough time to simply navigate through the menu to confirm everything was understandable. This is my 4th Canon Powershot and I am very pleased with Canon. These cameras are always with me. The size fits into my jeans or shirt pocket, and the feel of the camera is very good for my regular-sized hands. Love it! Thanks Canon, kudos for making a great product at a very good price.

This is a great camera. I had a Canon 6 MP and wanted to update to a 12 MP or higher and I wanted to stay with the Canon brand so I checked out what they had. This little camera just stood out for me. The first thing that attracted me was the color, but that aside, it does great in low light, just like it says and you can choose to shoot totally automatic or switch it over to manual and either choose one of the preset shooting modes or just adjust your own settings. It has a great 3" viewing area and the controls are very similar to my old Canon so it was pretty easy to move over to this one. I find myself grabbing more for this one now, than my old one. It takes great pictures and I like that I can use the larger storage memory cards. The handle is about the only thing that they could have done better on. My old camera has a nice, flexable, soft handle with a sliding part where you can make the handle opening larger or smaller. This new one has a stiffer, vinyl like handle with no adjustment for the opening. It just seems a bit cheeper to me, but the camera itself is amazing. If you want a camera that will do it all for you, this is great for that. I am very satisfied with it's quality and the quality of the pictures it takes. Canon is a good brand. One note: it does not come with a memory card so I had to buy that separately. It does come with the battery and the battery charger, as well as the software though. As usual, Amazon did a great job with the whole transaction. Camera arrived safe and sound within a reasonable time.

I really liked this camera at first. Videos are awesome, as well as outdoor shots. Now that I've tried all weekend to get a decent indoor shot, the love has gone. I will give it another chance in the coming week, but probably will return it. And it's not like I'm an inexperienced photographer--true I'm not a professional but I know enough about cameras and how to use them. Like I said, videos and outdoor shots are great, but no matter what setting I used indoors, the pictures are too soft -- even with trying post-processing they don't hold a candle to my older Fuji and Panasonic cameras' indoor pictures. What I don't understand is VIDEOS shot indoors are perfect, why don't the pictures look as good? (It's not the indoor lighting, I had enough lighting and they still aren't great). If you have large fingers and short nails, you may have a problem with the buttons on this camera. I have small fingers, short nails for a woman as I can't type with long nails, and I have problems with pushing the menu/function/set buttons on the back. I wish they'd made the LCD screen slightly smaller like the 300 HS Elph which is 2.7" diagonal, as it would have left more room for larger buttons. The menus are easy to learn, the movie quality is fantastic. But if you're looking for OPTICAL zoom during movies, buy the 300 HS Elph instead. This 100 HS has digital zoom only DURING the movie, you can optically zoom out first though, before you press the movie record button. Even if you want to use the DIGITAL zoom, you must change the settings in the menu. Speaking of which, there is a dedicated movie button which is a plus. A lot of cameras in this price range you have to get into the menu to change to the movie mode. As this camera uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (Part# NB-4L) instead of AA batteries, the recycle time after taking a picture, even with the flash, is pretty quick. You can even help it along by lightly pressing the shutter button (but not enough to take another picture) and it will be ready even faster. I have always loved the software that Canon provides with its digital cameras, this is no exception. Does a good job of cropping, auto-enhancing, and adding text if you want. One feature which I thought was kind of cute is you can add additional start-up pictures and sounds (for start-up, shutter clicking sound, etc.) when you attach your camera via the USB cable. You can even choose a small barking dog! Build Quality: 75% of the body is metal and also has a metal tripod mounting on the center bottom. The battery/SD card door is flimsy plastic, you have to be careful with it like you do with most cameras. Normally I never attach the hand strap on my cameras as they can in the way of a shot but with this camera being so tiny and hard to hold, I opted to use the strap. China or Japan - From reading reviews here and on other sites, Canon makes some of these in China, some in Japan. I don't think there's any rhyme nor reason - but FWIW, mine is the gray color and it was made in Japan. The build quality / fit is flawless and the zoom motor sounds perfectly quiet. I read on other sites you could tell which country it comes from the outside of the box it comes in. On my box, it doesn't state which country. Mine states Japan on the bottom of the camera, near the serial number. A case that would fit this camera: Lowepro Volta 20 Camera Case (Black) And if you'd rather have the 300 HS Elph: Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with Full 1080p HD Video (Silver)

This is the second time I had to buy this camera, due to thievery. Was contemplating upgrading to a newer model of the ELPH HS, the upgraded models include a bulkier design, or a touch screen that barely works. I looked high and low for the exact same model for the slimmer size, and actual buttons, as the touch screen does not respond to 2/3 attempts to press the same option whether in the automatic settings or the more advanced settings. Too bad Canon discontinued selling this product in stores, if you find a Canon ELPH 100 HS, I would suggest buying this product!

I bought this to replace an Ixus 780, & they're both very similar in appearance & size. However, what is gained in picture quality (pixels mostly) is lost in usability & construction. The Elph 100 is, I suppose, clad in metal, but the feel is rather flimsy, like an empty pop can. It doesn't have the solid feel of the earlier model. Nor is it as ergonomic. The necessarily small buttons don't have that finishing touch to inspire confidence, such as a slight shaping of the touched surfaces, & less slippery-ness than the rest of the body. But my worst complaint is with the rocker switch, which is very poorly executed. It is shaped so your finger just slips off before you actually press. Previous models had a lovely chrome ring around the outside of this selector ring, which kept your fingertip in place while pressing, but not here, so it smacks of thoughtlessness in search of economy. On the other hand, the price is right, & was about $100 less than the earlier model. But in retrospect, I wouldn't buy this again if I knew what I know now. It's just not very user friendly, so I am rather reluctant to pop it out of my pocket & snap away, knowing I'll have to struggle with the adjustments I want to make when selecting preferences from the pleasantly laid out menu.

How can you go wrong with products made by companies like Canon, etc.? They are top notch! I am a Pentax lover from way back, but I never found a Pentax "point and shoot" camera that packs the features of the Canon Elph series and especially at the price I got on my 100 model ($139 Ca including delivery). Once again I was impressed with Amazon.ca and do not hesitate to advise friends and family to buy on line for great product, price and service! It has a long lasting lithium rechargeable battery, uses standard SD cards, and is just so darn handy to use, and so "user-friendly" to learn how to use that you barely need a manual of any kind! I especially like the slow motion and simulated fisheye features as they are a lot of fun to play with, and there's more: like the toy affect, etc. You will not be disappointed with this camera, and I'd be very surprised if anybody did not like it--it's that good!

I'm really not an expert with cameras, but this camera is exactly what I was looking for. It's easy to use, the pics come out really great and it's small. Even in low light with no flash the pictures were in focus. The video quality is great too. Definetly the best point and shoot camera I've ever owned.

Canon demonstrate me again that is the best on the market for digital cameras. Even if is discontinued the ELPH 100, is a very good deal as price and quality. Definetly will share my impression with friends and will buy another in couple of years when this one will get old. By the way, i still have the PowerShot SD 450 ELPH that work perfectly after 7 years of usage.