Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS Review
I recently had the opportunity to use the Canon SD 11000 IS video camera for a weekend, and I have to say that I absolutely fell in love with its capabilities. In my opinion, the camera’s biggest strength is capturing videos over photos. This is mainly due to the fact that the camera’s video files are much smaller than those of a 4K camera, and they have a unique, grainy texture that reminds me of childhood videos.
I was able to capture many magical moments simply by taking out the camera, pointing, and shooting.
In terms of ergonomics, the material is slippery to the touch, with few buttons. I was able to holster out the camera, feel what mode it was in (if ever needed), and shoot, just like a cowboy.
The lens quality is not fantastic, at only 8 megapixales. In addition, the lens makes a lot of noise going back into the camera and when it is zooming in and out.
Canon’s SD1100 does claim to have image stabilization, but I found that my footage came out extremely shaky throughout all my examples. Plus, the camera is also limited in its capabilities, with a maximum frame rate of 30 FPS. However, for consumers who print pictures at medium sizes like 8 x 10 or 4 x 6, the quality will be more than sufficient.
While the Canon SD1100 has filters, I personally found them to be cheesy and corny. Nowadays, with the plethora of options available on phones and apps, there is much more flexibility for adding custom editing. Stick with the standard profile. However, take note that the Canon SD1100 adds quite a bit of softness to photos, as if the clarity slider were moved all the way to the negative end.
The camera doesn’t shoot in raw, but it does let you go into manual mode, although I don’t find it as fun. Therefore, my review doesn’t focus on that aspect too much. Instead, I focused on the video aspect, as that’s what I was really looking for in the camera.
Specifically, I was chasing a vintage style that looks like my Sony Hi8 camera, but in a more compact form and with the ability to transfer footage via an SD card or just plug and play. Fortunately, the camera has an AV out, making it easy to transfer footage. The vintage style is something I really love about the camera. It looks very cool, and people aren’t intimidated by it, unlike an iPhone connected to the cloud. The camera also has a video macro mode, which I enjoy more than the photo macro mode. Macro mode seemed more stable in video. As for the dynamic range, it’s not great, and it always chooses the sky over the shadows to a very drastic extent, especially during sunset. I didn’t mind it too much.
I found that my fastest SD cards were actually the worst choice for this camera. I recommend using SD cards with a reading speed below 100 megabytes and not exceeding 32 gigabytes in size, as there may be incompatibility issues.
One small detail I appreciate is that the tripod mount is in the middle. So many other cameras have it on the side, which is really annoying. When it comes to batteries, make sure you get good-quality ones, like the Wasabi ones linked below.
Overall, I’ve found that the biggest enjoyment I get from this PowerShot camera is the small file sizes, which make it easy to edit and save hard drive space. It also removes all the options and time needed to set up my exposure, which can be overwhelming at times. With the PowerShot, all I want to do is point, shoot, and go, making the creative process more frictionless.
Check out my full review in my video and subscribe!
