Design
Take note, camera buyers — this snapper is not for the faint of heart, the wallflower or the shy retiring type. As with many of the other cameras in Canon's IXUS range, the 100 IS boasts good looks, a compact form factor and sleek design. This is a camera that will turn heads, and it's pretty much the only camera we've toted around with us that has without fail elicited a continuous "ooh, pretty" response from people. It's hard to find anyone who doesn't find this look and feel appealing. Size wise, imagine a credit card but a little bit thicker, around 1.8cm, and you're on the way to understanding how diminutive this body is. So it's definitely the epitome of a pocket-sized camera, with its slim profile and weighing 115g.
The buttons can be slightly hard to see in dim lighting because they're just so sexy. No, really, they are a little bit dark. But also sexy. (Credit: Canon)
A small viewfinder (well actually, a tiny one) is nestled at the top of the 2.5-inch, 230,000-dot LCD screen and we applaud Canon for managing to squish one in despite of the tiny size of the camera. The button configuration is standard IXUS fare, with a very small switch used to flick between automatic, program and movie mode. Playback is relegated to a dedicated button beside the switch. The buttons are rather lovely, sitting flush with the camera body, but the text on them is rather dull and dark, which could make night-time usage difficult (note that our review unit was the black model — this may not be so much of an issue with the other coloured models).
Also at the back is a slightly fiddly output arrangement with the AV and HDMI interfaces covered by a small flap. The camera is serviced by a Lithium-ion battery that slots in underneath, next to the SD card.
As striking as its looks might be, the 100 IS suffers from a severe case of scratching. No, not the pork variety, but the actual marks and blemishes that appear as part of everyday wear and tear. Due to the brushed exterior, we found that within a few days of normal use it had developed quite the battle scars.
Features
The main talking point that Canon has included on a lot of the other compacts in its 2009 range is HD video, at 720p. The 100 IS is no different in that respect, though as we've discovered with other incarnations of the IXUS range, the implementation of HD video is fully automated — no manual control here. So too are the rest of the options available to you in program mode — no selection of aperture or shutter speed. Scene modes, white balance, ISO selection and metering are the only real things you get to determine in this mode.
Things start to get a little more interesting when you flick the switch into automatic mode as the 100 IS will choose the right scene mode for you depending on the subject. And, while we're still adamant that blink detection is a fairly useless feature unless the camera is able to automatically take another photo if a subject has blinked, it actually does work, displaying a little warning in the corner of your screen — provided you turn the feature on.
The rest of the features are a little pick and mix — there's no wide-angle lens (for that you'll have to fork out for the 110 IS) nor is there an extended optical zoom like in the 990 IS. Instead you'll have to make do with only 3x and, as is the case with all the other Canon compacts, there is no ability to use the optical zoom during filming. Also note that the video file is in .mov.
Lens aperture is restricted somewhat to f/3.2 at the widest end; slightly disappointing considering its predecessor, the IXUS 85 IS, had a maximum aperture of f/2.8.
Performance and image quality
The IXUS 100 IS performs quite well considering it's probably meant to be more of a stylish camera than a speed demon. It starts up in less than one second and auto focuses incredibly fast in adequate light. As for battery life, Canon states that with the LCD monitor turned on, the 100 IS will be able to take 210 shots before the battery is drained.
Thanks to the viewfinder at the top you may even be able to draw out a couple more shots than this in general usage by turning the display off — even if you do have to squint and look rather eccentric whilst doing so.
The photos that the 100 IS delivers are full of that punchy and bright colour that you'd expect from an IXUS compact. Images were relatively sharp from corner to corner though there was a little fallout at full magnification as you reached the edge of the frame. Barrel distortion was rather prominent though, and considering the lens isn't exactly wide this was a little concerning. That said, it's not something you would notice in everyday use, and only really exhibited itself in a controlled environment.
Click image to enlarge (Credit: CBSi)
Noise was relatively well controlled thanks to the Digic 4 image processor, and on par with what we've seen from the other Canon compacts from this 2009 range. It performed better in controlling noise than the recently tested Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15.
A really nice touch in playback mode is the transition effects as you flick through shots, almost like you're fanning out photo prints. It's nothing major, but makes the whole experience quite nice indeed.
Conclusion
The IXUS 100 IS manages to pair a sleek and sexy chassis with a very competent image-taking base and HD recording. If only it had a wide-angle lens and a slightly longer zoom it would easily win an Editors' Choice award. That said, for a price of AU$449 you probably won't be disappointed with the functionality and style on offer here.
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