Canon PowerShot SD110 Review

The Canon PowerShot SD110 Digital ELPH is one of the most recent additions to Canon’s extensive lineup of well-liked, compact digital cameras. The teeny-tiny, high-style Canon ELPH models have been incredibly successful in film and digital photography. Beginning with the PowerShot S100, Canon’s Digital ELPH cameras introduced the compact size and stylish design to the realm of digital photography. But, of course, Canon has been a well-known name for APS film cameras for a long time.

The Canon PowerShot SD100 Digital ELPH brought an upgrade to the series by adopting the SD memory card format. Now, the Canon SD110 includes the Print/Share button, which makes it a bit easier to utilize a very popular jewel of a camera with PictBridge printers. Due to the fact that this is more of an internal change, much of this evaluation will be similar to my initial assessment of the SD100. Suppose you are already familiar with that model. In that case, you may save some time by bypassing most of the material presented here, heading directly to the section containing the Test Images, and continuing on from there.

Camera Overview

Even though it’s a little bit more compact than many of the Canon Digital ELPH models that came before it, the PowerShot SD110 has the same fantastic aesthetics and crisp design characteristic of ELPH cameras. The Canon PowerShot SD110 is a simple point-and-shoot digital camera that offers a number of additional exposure capabilities for a little bit of further versatility. The camera is very compact and easy to use, owing to a design that has a lens that smoothly retracts into the body.

When the lens is not extended, the front panel of the Canon SD110 is flush with the body, making it convenient to carry in a pocket, and its all-metal construction is sturdy and long-lasting. In addition, the SD110 is equipped with a 3.2-megapixel CCD, enabling it to capture high-quality photographs that may be printed as big as 8 inches by 10 inches. There is also a movie mode that may capture short video clips with sound, as well as smaller image sizes that are suitable for transmission through email or use in web applications.

The Canon SD110 has a zoom lens with a focal length range of 5.4-10.8 millimeters, equivalent to a 35mm camera’s 35-70 millimeter zoom (a fairly common 2x zoom range). The aperture is adjusted automatically, however, the maximum setting varies depending on the focal length of the lens, going from f/2.8 at full wide-angle to f/3.9 at full telephoto.

The SD110 has a maximum digital zoom option of 3.2x, bringing the camera’s total zoom capabilities up to 6.4x. However, it is important to bear in mind that digital zoom degrades the overall image quality because it merely crops out and enlarges the pixels in the image’s center. When using digital zoom, image details are therefore likely to become less distinct. In the regular AF mode, the focus range is from 1.5 feet (47 centimeters) to Infinity, and in the Macro AF mode, the focus range is from 3.9 inches to 1.5 feet (10 to 47 centimeters). There is also a fixed-focus mode called Infinity that may be used.

The SD110 makes use of an advanced nine-point AiAF (Artificial Intelligence Autofocus) system to determine focus. This system employs a large active area in the image’s center to calculate the focal distance (a feature that has impressed me on a variety of ELPH models and one that I would like to see continued). You can switch off AiAF by going into the menu for the Record option, which will then set the autofocus to the middle of the frame by default.

Additionally incorporated inside the SD110 is an AF assist light, which supports the focus process in environments with little illumination. The SD110 features an actual image optical viewfinder and a 1.5-inch color LCD panel, both of which may be utilized for producing photographs. The LCDs have much camera information; nevertheless, exposure information, such as aperture and shutter speed, is not one of those things. When in Playback mode, a histogram display will indicate the tonal distribution of a picture that has been shot. This helps detect whether or not the image has been over-or under-exposed.

Recommendation

The Canon ELPH line of digital cameras continues to be a popular choice for many customers due to the smasmall size of these cameras and Canon’s well-deserved reputation for producing high-quality photographs. The PowerShot SD110 Digital ELPH is an upgrade to the series that includes specific features to make printing directly from the camera easier. It also boasts a 3.2-megapixel CCD to produce photographs with a high resolution.

Even though most of the control over exposure is handled automatically, the fact that exposures of up to 15 seconds may be taken and that the ISO can be adjusted dramatically boosts the camera’s exposure adaptability. In addition, the user interface is not overly sophisticated, making it easy for beginners and more experienced amateur photographers to feel at ease when using the camera. Additionally, sufficient control over the variable exposure satisfies both groups.

Design

The SD110 exhibits the signature ELPH aesthetic that is appealing to customers by presenting a slick appearance that is just as cutting-edge as its predecessors in the ELPH series while still being a bit more compact. Of course, if you want to keep that gorgeous finish from getting scratched, you’ll want to put it in a protective case first because the all-metal body is scratchable. However, the compact size makes it ideal for quickly stowing away in a pocket or purse without worrying about damaging the durable body because it is made entirely of metal.

Because the lens retracts when the camera is turned off, the front remains flat, highlighting the pocket-friendly form of the camera. Additionally, an automatic lens cover ensures you do not have to worry about smearing the lens or losing a lens cap. The SD110, which has dimensions of 3.3 by 2.2 by 0.9 inches (85 by 56 by 24 millimeters), should have little trouble fitting into the pocket of the typical shirt. The camera weighs 5.8 ounces (165 grams) when neither the battery nor the memory card is included.

The front of the SD110 is easily identifiable as an ELPH camera thanks to several distinguishing design elements, including the viewfinder and flash located directly above the lens, which is slightly off-center and angled toward the right.

Next to the optical viewfinder is a light emitter that serves various purposes. These include helping with focusing, reducing the appearance of red eyes, and providing a countdown for the self-timer. When the camera is turned on, the telescopic lens swiftly slides into position and then retracts entirely within the camera so that it may keep its flat profile. The camera’s little microphone may be found directly below the flash.

Even though there is an accompanying wrist strap, the only finger grip that is given is a tiny notch extending from the wrist strap’s eyelet. However, the wrist strap should provide a little bit more security.

The button for the shutter, the lever for zooming in and out, and the controller for turning the camera on or off are all located on the top of the camera.

The eyelet for attaching the wrist strap may be found on the right-hand side of the camera (when seen from the back).

The USB and A/V outputs ports are located on the camera’s side opposite the lens. A tight rubber cover secures these connectors.

The rear panel of the camera has all of the camera’s remaining controls, as well as the optical and LCD viewfinders. There are buttons labeled “Set,” “Menu,” “Display,” and “Function” that runs down the bottom edge of the LCD monitor. To the right of these buttons is a multi-functional arrow pad that may be accessed through the “Four-Way Arrow.” The Playback, Auto, Manual, and Movie camera modes may be accessed via the dial in the top right corner of the screen.

The camera’s speaker may be found in the same spot directly above the Four-Way Arrow pad. Two LED lamps located next to the viewfinder display the camera’s status. These lamps show when the focus has been adjusted, or the flash has been ultimately charged. The only visible difference between the SD100 and this model may be seen here: A quarter of an inch was added to the speaker’s height, and a button to print and share content was added. This button emits a bluish-white light when the camera is linked to a computer or printer.

The bottom panel of the SD110 is smooth and flat, and it houses the metal tripod mount and the compartment for the battery and memory card. Because the weight of the camera, which is placed off-center on the tripod head, might cause the mount threads to become too stressed, I like it when the tripod mount is not positioned so far off to the side of the camera.

It’s possible that this won’t be an issue, given how compact the SD110 is and how well the tripod socket is designed (kudos for that!). However, because the tripod socket is located so near the edge of the camera, there is a possibility that the camera will not rest level on some tripod heads. (Once again, this is not a significant worry because, most of the time, all you need to do to position the camera how you want it is to tilt the tripod’s head.) The battery and SD memory card slots are aligned inside the container.

The cover for the locking compartment may be opened and then moved outward, and it has a little rubber flap in the middle. This flap conceals a hole in the compartment lid that provides access to the connection jack contained within the “dummy battery” part of the AC converter kit. (Just like many other Canon digital cameras, the AC adapter system for the SD110 utilizes a fake battery that fits into the battery compartment and offers a connector for the cable of the AC power converter.)

Camera Operation

The user interface of the SD110 is easy and reasonably plain, with the same menu arrangement and basic control layout as the rest of the ELPH series. This ensures that anybody can use the SD110. Most of the camera’s operations are handled via buttons on the top and back panels. At the same time, the LCD-based Record menu controls a select few of the camera’s settings.

Without requiring the user to navigate the many menu screens, a Function menu allows for more practical access to fundamental parameters such as picture size, quality, and exposure correction. In addition, because the menu items are shown in tabs on the LCD screen rather than sequentially on a series of pages, the LCD menu system in and of itself is highly efficient.

In addition, the menus for Setup and My Camera are always accessible, notwithstanding the mode in which the camera operates. If you have the user manual available, becoming familiar with the camera shouldn’t take more than half an hour to an hour.

Display for Recording Mode

The LCD will either show the picture area with no information, the image with a restricted information display, or it will not show anything depending on whatever recording mode you use. The available collections will cycle through individually when you press the Display button.

When the information display is activated, it will report the current resolution and image quality settings, the number of photographs currently accessible, the orientation, the Record mode, and a few exposure parameters (although not aperture or shutter speed).

Display for the Playback Mode

Playback mode has three display options: the picture only, the image with information, and the image with expanded information and a histogram. In addition, these display modes can be selected independently of one another.

You may also zoom in on taken photographs to check for fine details, focus, or framing, and the index display mode allows you to see as many as nine thumbnail images at once on the screen.

Quality of the Image

Color

Excellent color. Throughout my tests, the SD110 offered superb color, which I’ve come to expect from Canon cameras. The colors were vivid and accurate to life. Still, I couldn’t help but notice that the solid additive actual colors (red, green, and blue) tended to be rendered with excessive saturation.

The white balance system performed exceptionally well, even though the Auto setting struggled when exposed to the incandescent illumination of my Indoor Portrait test. However, the SD110’s Incandescent and Manual white balance settings performed admirably in that test. [citation needed] In all of the test photographs, the color reproduction of the SD110 was generally satisfactory, and the skin tones were particularly impressive.

Exposure

more precision in terms of exposure than is typical. In most of my test photos, the SD110 required the same amount of exposure adjustment as other cameras or less exposure compensation than other cameras. In the studio, I adjusted the exposure on the DaveBox target to be somewhat brighter, but in retrospect, I think it would have been better if I had just left it alone. The image produced, as a consequence, looks a bit too bright, even though nothing is blown out.

Outdoors

The SD110 required a fair bit less exposure compensation on the Outdoor Portrait shot than most other cameras, whereas indoors, the +1.0 EV I used for the Indoor Portrait image was about average for that test. The SD110 also required less exposure compensation than most other cameras when taking the Indoor Portrait shot. The inherent contrast of the SD110 is a tad on the high side, but the camera performed a reasonably decent job dealing with the intense highlights in the Outdoor Portrait test. Overall, a powerful and effective lighting system.

Resolution/Sharpness

The resolution is about what you’d expect from a camera with three megabytes, although it’s a little lower than the finest full-sized three-megapixel devices. Nevertheless, on the “laboratory” resolution test chart, the SD110 resulted in a performance almost equivalent to the industry standard for its three-megapixel resolution.

In both the horizontal and the vertical directions, it started displaying artifacts in the test patterns at resolutions as low as 600 lines per image height. I counted “strong detail” up to around 1,050 lines on the horizontal axis and 950 lines along the vertical axis. The target patterns “extinct” themselves somewhere about 1,250 lines in length.

Closeups

A macro-region that is only somewhat small yet has a lot of detail. Flash comes close to reducing its power to an adequate level, although its coverage is slightly inconsistent. The SD110 performed admirably in the macro category, catching a subject in an area no smaller than 3.32 × 2.49 inches (84 x 63 millimeters). The coins, the brooch, and the dollar note all had a good resolution, and the level of detail was excellent.

Particularly notable were the distinct tonal variations of the giant coin. Details were presented clearly and concisely. The two corners on the left of the picture were a touch mushy, a frequent problem with digital camera macro images. (The quantity being discussed here is standard.) Although the exposure was a tad bright, the color was spot on.

The flash on the SD110 virtually dimmed when used in the macro setting, which caused a hot spot in the image’s top left corner and falling in the two bottom corners and around the edge. (It’s not that awful, but for the closest macro photos, you might want some additional lighting from the outside, but anything beyond about six inches should work just fine.)

Night Photographs

Excellent performance even in low light, with superb color reproduction, focusing, and exposure. Because the SD110 has a maximum shutter length of 15 seconds, the camera can record brilliant photos when the illumination is dim.

When I tested the SD110, it generated crisp, bright, and valuable images down to the limit of my test, which was 1/16 foot-candle (0.67 lux), and it did so with good color at all four ISO levels. There was hardly any noise at 100 and 50 ISO; however, the noise started to become noticeable at ISO 200. Noise is more pronounced with an ISO setting of 400, although it’s not terrible. (After viewing the results of the Indoor Portrait test, I anticipated finding a higher noise level in this section.)

However, it is probable that the superior color balance on this light source and the long-exposure anti-noise processing contributed to the improvement of the blue-channel nose.

Accuracy of the Viewfinder

A rigid optical viewfinder and an LCD with minimal play. The frame accuracy shown in the optical viewfinder of the SD110 is only around 82 percent when shooting at wide-angle and approximately 79 percent when shooting at telephoto. On the other hand, the LCD monitor performed significantly better, although it was vastly off, displaying somewhat more of the frame than was captured in the photo. Because I prefer LCD monitors to have an accuracy that is as close to one hundred percent as is humanly possible, the LCD monitor that comes with the SD110 does pretty well, as it comes very close to being exactly one hundred percent. Still, the optical viewfinder could use some improvement.

Distortion of the Optical Field

barrel distortion is lower than usual, and chromatic aberration is barely noticeable. At the wide-angle end of the lens, the SD110 has optical distortion that is slightly lower than typical. I observed an estimated barrel distortion of 0.6 percent while using that end of the lens. Even more impressive was the performance of the telephoto end, where I found only 0.2 percent pincushion distortion. The degree of chromatic aberration is relatively low, as evidenced by the fact that only very faint coloring can be seen on either side of the target lines. (You may see evidence of this distortion on the resolution target in the form of a very faint tinge of color around the items located on the periphery of the field of vision.)

Lag in the Shutter and Cycle Time

Slower than the majority of other types of tiny digital cameras. The Canon PowerShot SD110 is slow compared to other small digital cameras, a common problem with these cameras. In terms of the full-autofocus shutter delay, it is clearly on the slower side of average. Still, it is pretty quick when the camera is prefocused by half-pressing and holding the shutter button before the exposure occurs.

The cycle time isn’t too awful, clocking in at just under two seconds for each shot for the first five shots in large/fine mode, and the continuous mode shooting speed is decent, clocking in at just over one frame per second for five frames. In general, not the best option for sports, but also not an excruciatingly sluggish athlete. (Despite this, I would like the shutter latency stats improved.)

Battery Capacity

When considering its size, the battery life is somewhat respectable. I could not perform my standard direct tests of the SD110’s power usage because it has a specialized AC power connection. On a battery that had just been fully recharged, I put it through its paces by operating it in the mode that was the most taxing on the battery life (capture mode, with the LCD on), and I discovered that it lasted for 103 minutes.

Even though this is very decent for a tiny digital camera model, I would still strongly advise buying a second battery at the same time as the SD110. This will allow you to have a fully charged backup on hand for any lengthy adventures that you go on with the SD110.

Canon PowerShot SD110 Specifications

Body type	Compact
Max resolution	4000 x 3000
Other resolutions	4000 x 3000, 4000 x 2248, 4000 x 2664, 2992 x 2992, 2816 x 2112, 2816 x 1880, 2816 x 1584, 2112 x 2112, 1920 x 1080, 1600 x 1200, 1600 x 1064, 1200 x 1200, 640 x 480, 640 x 424, 640 x 360, 480 x 480
Image ratio w h	1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9
Effective pixels	12 megapixels
Sensor size	1/1.7″ (7.44 x 5.58 mm)
Sensor type	CMOS
Processor	Digic 5
ISO	Auto, 80, 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200, 4000, 5000, 6400, 8000, 10000, 12800
White balance presets	7
Custom white balance	Yes (2)
Image stabilization	Optical
Uncompressed format	RAW
JPEG quality levels	Fine, Normal
Focal length (equiv.)	24–120 mm
Optical zoom	5×
Maximum aperture	F2–5.9
Autofocus	Contrast Detect (sensor)Multi-area selective single-pointTrackingSingleContinuousFace DetectionLive View.
Digital zoom	Yes (4x)
Manual focus	Yes
Macro focus range	3 cm (1.18″)
Number of focus points	9
Articulated LCD	Fixed
Screen size	3″
Screen dots	461,000
Touch screen	Yes
Screen type	TFT PureColor II G Touch screen LCD
Live View	Yes
Viewfinder type	None
Minimum shutter speed	15 sec
Maximum shutter speed	1/2000 sec
Aperture priority	Yes
Shutter priority	Yes
Manual exposure mode	Yes
Subject/scene modes	Yes
Built-in flash	Yes
Flash Range	7.00 m
External flash	No
Flash modes	Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Second Curtain
Continuous drive	2.1 fps
Self-timer	Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom)
Metering modes	MultiCenter-weighted spot
Exposure compensation	±3 (at 1/3 EV steps)
AE Bracketing	(at 1/3 EV steps)
Resolutions	1920 x 1080 (24 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Format	H.264
Videography notes	Miniature Effect (HD, L) 6fps, 3fps, 1.5 fps
Microphone	Stereo
Speaker	Mono
Storage types	SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage included	Unknown
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI	Yes (Mini)
Wireless	Built-In
Wireless notes	Wireless LAN (IEEE802.11 b/g/n)
Remote control	No
Environmentally sealed	No
Battery	Battery Pack
Battery description	Lithium-Ion NB-5L rechargeable battery & charger
Battery Life (CIPA)	200
Weight (inc. batteries)	198 g (0.44 lb / 6.98 oz)
Dimensions	99 x 59 x 27 mm (3.9 x 2.32 x 1.06″)
Orientation sensor	Yes
Timelapse recording	No
GPS	Optional
GPS notes	via mobile (linked to a compatible smartphone)

Final Verdict

The ELPH name has become synonymous with high image quality and a user-friendly design, which is why the line is so popular with such a diverse group of customers.

The digital ELPH series members have always impressed me with their quality and adaptability. This is an extension of the excellent brand name’s good reputation in film. The SD110’s small size is unquestionably a benefit, and the variety of capabilities gives the camera an advantage over many another subcompact point-and-shoot digital cameras now available on the market.

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