Canon PowerShot A1100IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Silver)

by Canon

• 12.1-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality poster-size prints
• 4x optical zoom and Optical Image Stabilizer; 2.5-inch LCD screen
• DIGIC 4 Image Processor with evolved Face Detection Technology; Face Detection Self-timer
• Uses 2 AA-size batteries
• Compatible with SD/SDHC, MMC/MMC Plus/HC MMC Plus (not included)

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.8 x 1.2 x 2.5 inches ; 5.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001SER4BK
• Item model number: A1100IS Silver
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (375 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,964 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 17, 2009

Product Description

Color: Silver

From the Manufacturer

There’s nothing more satisfying than taking great pictures! And with the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS it’s so effortless. The 12.1-megapixel resolution and 4x optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer ensure radiant, detailed images. Plus, you’ve got an advanced DIGIC 4 Image Processor with evolved Face Detection Technology and the Face Detection Self-Timer for extraordinary control and performance. Smart AUTO lets you handle challenging conditions with ease.

PowerShot A1100 IS Highlights

12.1-megapixel resolution, 4x optical zoom and Optical Image Stabilizer
With the PowerShot A1100 IS, dramatic, personal pictures have never been easier to shoot and share. This 12.1-megapixel digital camera lets you create impressive large photos of family and friends you’ll be proud to display. The high-resolution images taken by the PowerShot A1100 IS can be enlarged up to 13 x 19 inches.

The PowerShot A1100 IS has a 4x optical zoom lens that makes it easy to get the inspiring, emotive close-ups that will make your images lasting keepsakes. This magnificent lens gives you the power to shoot distant subjects with razor-sharp precision and stunning lifelike color. So you can brilliantly capture a closer shot of a landscape, or a child’s big smile.

The PowerShot A1100 IS is equipped with Canon’s acclaimed Optical Image Stabilizer Technology that automatically detects and corrects camera shake--one of the leading causes of fuzzy or blurred shots. Even when zoomed in, you can get the steady, crisp, brilliant images you’ll be proud to shoot and share. And Canon’s Optical Image Stabilizer Technology is so convenient to use. It functions perfectly with or without a flash.

A World of Advantages with Canon’s Technology

The DIGIC 4 Image Processor has evolved Face Detection Technology that tracks the faces of moving subjects and lets the shooter enter the frame seamlessly with the Face Detection Self-Timer.

DIGIC 4 Image Processor
Canon’s most advanced image processor, DIGIC 4, delivers evolved Face Detection Technology that keeps every face in every photo looking its very best. The technology finds and tracks the faces of moving subjects until you’re ready to shoot, then delivers perfect focus. In addition, exposure, flash and white balance are compensated, so that faces exhibit natural skin tones and backgrounds are properly exposed.

iSAPS Technology is an entirely original scene-recognition technology developed for digital cameras by Canon. Using an internal database of thousands of different photos, iSAPS works with the advanced DIGIC 4 Image Processor to improve focus speed and accuracy, as well as exposure and white balance.

A Face Detection Self-Timer automatically detects an increase in the number of faces and makes the appropriate adjustments. For instance, to include the photographer’s face in a group shot, there’s no need to rush in. Just put the camera on a stand or tripod, specify Face Detection Self-Timer, and the camera will wait for the photographer’s face to get on-camera before it takes the shot. Motion Detection tracks moving subjects in a much larger range--allowing you to wait for the perfect shot without refocusing.

Intelligent Contrast Correction
DIGIC 4 also makes possible the i-Contrast (Intelligent Contrast Correction) system, which controls the compensation level in pixel units to brighten dark areas while leaving bright areas unchanged for better images where the main subject is dark, and more natural transition. The PowerShot A1100 IS can even use i-Contrast in playback mode to adjust images that were shot without the setting activated.

Red-eye Correction provides three options for removing red-eye from subjects in flash pictures. 1) Red-eye Correction during shooting actually identifies and corrects red-eye in human subjects as pictures are taken. 2) The PowerShot A1100 IS can be set to automatically detect and correct red-eye during image playback. 3) You can manually locate any red eyes in a scene during image playback on the LCD screen, and command the camera to remove them.

Life doesn’t give you second chances to capture special times. That’s why the PowerShot A1100 IS features an ISO 1600 setting that reduces the effects of camera shake and sharpens subjects in low-light situations, giving you greater shooting flexibility. ISO can be expanded to 3200 when you select ISO 3200 Special Scene mode.

Smart AUTO intelligently selects the proper settings
Just set the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS to Smart AUTO and you’re ready for maximum enjoyment from your picture taking every time. It’s a relaxing and satisfying way to shoot because you can completely concentrate on your subject knowing that the camera has the technical details covered. Advanced Canon technology intelligently analyzes your situation and shooting conditions. Then it automatically selects an appropriate setting from 18 specially defined settings. So whether you’re photographing flowers, a captivating sunset, or your friends at the park, you can be confident that you’re getting dramatic, memorable images.

Shooting Modes
Advanced presets for the best possible photos under certain conditions. With 18 Shooting Modes including 9 Special Scene Modes, you’re ready for whatever shot comes your way

Large, high-quality 2.5-inch LCD
The PowerShot A1100 IS’s 2.5-inch LCD screen gives you the big picture, whether you’re shooting, reviewing or showing off your images. This high-resolution screen offers a crisp, clear and bright picture. It also features Night Display for easy viewing in low light.

Uses 2 AA-size batteries
Conveniently, you don’t need to worry about running out or recharging of batteries. Since AA-size batteries can be purchased at any store, simply get new ones locally.

The Complete Print Solution

Print/Share Button for easy direct printing and downloading, plus ID Photo Print and Movie Print with select PIXMA Inkjet Photo Printers and SELPHY Compact Photo Printers.

The PowerShot A1100 IS’s Print/Share button makes direct printing easier than ever. Simply connect the PowerShot A1100 IS to a Canon PIXMA Inkjet Photo Printer or SELPHY Compact Photo Printer or any PictBridge compatible photo printer, press the lighted Print/Share button and print! Also use the Print/Share button to transfer images to a computer (Windows and Macintosh).

Print your own ID photos in up to 28 different sizes or use the Movie Print function to output multiple stills from a recorded movie on a single sheet with a Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printer.

What's in the Box

• PowerShot A1100 IS body
• AA-size alkaline battery (x2)
• 128 MB SD memory card (SDC-128MB)
• Wrist strap (WS-800)
• Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM
• USB interface cable (IFC-400PCU)
• AV cable (AVC-DC400)

Product Description

Splash Out with Dazzling Color. Brighten your world with the intensely colorful Canon PowerShot A1100 IS. Fashionably slender, this sleek camera body has been specially shaped to make it easy to hold and easy to shoot. There's a metal-plated front grip that contributes a striking note of elegance and adds to your comfort. Loaded with Features, Packed with Value. 12.1-megapixel digital camera with 4x Optical Zoom and Optical Image Stabilizer. With the PowerShot A1100 IS, dramatic, personal pictures have never been easier to shoot and share. This 12.1-megapixel digital camera lets you create impressive, large photos of family and friends you'll be proud to display. The high-resolution images taken by the PowerShot A1100 IS can be enlarged up to 13" x 19". The PowerShot A1100 IS has a 4x optical zoom lens that makes it easy to get the inspiring, emotive close-ups that will make your images lasting keepsakes. This magnificent lens gives you the power to shoot distant subjects with razor-sharp precision and stunning lifelike color. So you can brilliantly capture a closer shot of a landscape, or a child's big smile. The PowerShot A1100 IS is equipped with Canon's acclaimed Optical Image Stabilizer Technology that automatically detects and corrects camera shake - one of the leading causes of fuzzy or blurred shots. Even when zoomed in, you can get the steady, crisp, brilliant images you'll be proud to shoot and share. And Canon's Optical Image Stabilizer Technology is so convenient to use. It functions perfectly with or without a flash. A World of Advantages with Canon's Technology. DIGIC 4 Image Processor has evolved Face Detection Technology that tracks the faces of moving subjects and lets the shooter enter the frame seamlessly with the Face Detection Self-timer. DIGIC 4 Image Processor - Canon's most advanced image processor, DIGIC 4, delivers evolved Face Detection Technology

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

390 of 397 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and easy to use camera! July 11, 2009

By Jon H.

Color Name:Silver

I purchased this camera just before a 19-day trip to the East Coast and gave it quite a workout...nearly 2800 pictures taken during the trip, and only about 5 of them were unclear due to my unsteady hand. The rest were great, even zoomed out to a ridiculously large size on my computer, with crisp lines and faces, and vivid colors, far exceeding any 35 mm or digital camera I have used in the past.

The camera itself and the software included with it are incredibly intuitive. Though there are many manual settings possible, I set the camera in Auto mode and just clicked away. Many places I took pictures required me to turn off the flash, but even those were very clear and bright, and I had to do nothing but aim and shoot.

The delay time between pictures was negligible, and the rechargeable AA batteries I used were good for around 200 pictures a charge, even using flash and with frequent zooming in and out. I used a 16 GB SDHC chip and had the capacity to take 5,000 pictures! I'm still working on filling the first chip!!

The provided software is also very simple to use...as easy as plugging in the provided USB cable, and turning the camera on. All pictures are quickly and automatically saved in folders by date regardless of how many times in a day you download them, and renaming or tagging pictures is a breeze. I have not even begun making full use of the picture touch-up features, but the software includes a fun and easy slideshow application that makes sharing pictures via desktop or projector a snap.

Overall, I could not be happier that I purchased this camera! I look forward to mastering all its features, but as a user-friendly, versatile, and inexpensive point-and-click camera, it blew away all my expectations.... It does all that Canon says it does and makes taking pictures fun and easy, right out of the box! Read more ›

243 of 247 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Best camera is the one you have when you need it... October 23, 2009

By Kyung Fizaine

Color Name:Silver

I'm an experienced photographer already equipped with DSLRs (EOS 30D, EOS 5D MKII), but these are not always pratical when you are travelling or biking (I do both on a regular basis). I try to take my DSLRs as often as possible with me but but there are occasions when I don't want to be bothered by the bulky cameras. At the same time, having already invested significantly in DSLR equipment, I wanted to limit my investment. A G10 or G11 would have been nice but for what I wanted to do, it would have been an overshoot. I'm mainly using my A1100is for candid pictures or pictures of places I know I will be coming back with my DSLRs later. Overall, I'm happy about quality of the pictures. I rarely use the full resolution, I typically shoot with medium resolution as I will rarely print large pictures (I have my DSLRs for that).

What I like:
- price
- size
- optical viewfinder (not many point and shoot cameras at this price range still has an optical viewfinder)
- slow shutter speed flash mode
- IS

What I'm missing:
- no aperture priority mode where I can choose a precise f-stop
- wish would have a wider angle

I would definitely recommend this for people on low budget but still wants good quality pictures. It has a lot of features for a camera which sells around $150.

178 of 180 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice, easy to use camera June 3, 2009

By jenniemarie

Color Name:Blue|Amazon Verified Purchase

I recently decided to upgrade from my Powershot A540 to the A1100IS. What I got was a nice, easy to use camera with many improvements from the earlier model. I find the picture quality to be very good. While other reviews indicate that it performs poorly in low-light conditions, thus far I haven't had that problem. All of the pictures that I have taken to date have been clear and crisp. There are times when the video viewfinder may appear grainy in low light when attempting to take a picture, however the pictures actually taken are not grainy at all. It is very user friendly, and the motion detection, face recognition, and image stabilization add vast improvements over earlier models. It is small and slim even though it takes AA batteries. If you're looking for a nice, small, easy to use and very sturdy camera, I would highly reccommend this one.

58 of 59 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I wanted August 29, 2009

By John Heinrichs

Color Name:Silver

Bought one of these about a month ago and have taken it on two trips and shot maybe 350 pictures with it so far. I'm quite pleased, the pictures are great. The ASA 1600 setting in Program mode allows quite decent shots indoors with no flash, which in museums and many other locations is essential. I bought it mainly because of good experiences with older Powershot models, and because I insist on being able to get batteries anywhere although I use rechargeable NIMH AAs normally. The NIMHs last a really long time. The image stabilization really helped with shots of static subjects with the camera zoomed way in. The viewfinder is extremely helpful outdoors in the sun. Finally, the camera is small enough to easily fit into a pocket.

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars this is 6 stars by the standards it should be measured on! January 8, 2010

By Paul Liesenberg

Color Name:Blue

the Canon A1100IS is one of those cameras that invite one of those philosophical, paradigm-shift discussions about the changing nature of photography. but that seems a distraction and for the sake of a review we should talk about the camera itself. just to tell you where i come from - i compare the results i obtain with the A1100 with the 2 other cameras i have come to use the most: a Canon G9 i know isnide out, and a canon s90.

i wanted a very capable, cheap and reasonably compact point and shoot. i have enough cameras that are large, and far more complicated, and cater to my needs as a more ambitioned creative hobby photographer (which means i mainly screw around with aperture settings, demand quick optics and electronics, and use something like Photoshop Elements 8.0 -adjust version a month from now :D- for occcasional post-processing, really, if we are honest). nevertheless, let's get to the point, and make the review stand out a tad by being somewhat controversial with a guess-timate: i would venture that 90% of people buy far more camera capabilities than they'll ever need or train themselves to exploit; and as far as camera enthusiasts go, they'll just need the ambitious setting capabilities for 10% of the pictures they take. the digital revolution makes us appreciate convenience, and makes us take *most* pictures either in full or semi-auto mode. really, there is nothing to be ashamed about, we all do it. but enough about philosophy and paradigm shifts, and on to the A1100.

what i have to say is, wow, this camera takes awesome panoramic or group/people/porttrait pictures in full auto mode outside or good indoors lighting, which means traditionally low ISO settings and a distance ~8ft or so. i mean, amazingly sharp.... i'll go further - go challenge your friend with an EOS 5D in such "unchallenging", good-lighting and typical subect settings. the A1100 produces great pictures by *any* price standard in very standard environments. which is what the vast majority of people will need. and, honestly - if you don't somewhat thoroughly experiment with your camera regularly, and if you haven't ready the manual cover to cover at least twice, the fact is you do fall into this category of users.

then there are the more challening environments: typically indoors, and the amount of objects, less light and artificial lighting sources and intensity and wavelengths thereof that challenge cameras. sure, like every other full auto, the Canon A1100 applies the considerable and able capabilities of the high end, latest gen Digic chip to get the job done. and it performs admirably, albeit with the typical temperamental and inconsistent nature of smart digital cameras (but it takes more good pictures in the process than anything i have experienced before, mind you). the thing is, in such settings, do yourself a favor and go for "semi auto mode". by that i mean the "P" setting along with what the A1100 calls "center based AF frame", which gives you quick control: a half-click gets the camera to evaluate your main subject in the middle, and then you can go compose and eventually go through with the shot. focus lock is your friend, and make sure to tell the camera to keep the ISO as low as you can (i limit it to 200). do that, and then... darn, does the A1100 take great shots inside too or what? pretty awesome. do *not* challenge your friend with the EOS in more contrast rich, low lighting settings, though. :-) don't get me wrong, the full auto mode seems to work pretty well inside too: this is the perfect camera to turn into full auto, hand over to someone else, and tell them to just click away. it will be hard for them to totally screw up pictures, no matter how hard they try (amazing how many people still simply pull all the way through, which may explain some of the picture quality complaints in here). i've had a 90 year old take a picture of me with this camera, and it made her day to feel like a pro photographer after she saw the results. but if you own the camera, you owe it to yourself to experiment with the semi and creative modes. and then you will really need a compelling reason to buy more camera. amazing.

the summary is: the A1100 is a very capable camera by any price standard, and a *superb* and *stellar* camera considering its value. i mean, i can take amazing pictures i can blow up to poster size, and yet given its price tag i don't have to be overly afraid to lose or subject it to some hardship given it's not asking me to burn a lot of $ to acquire it! the optics are fast enough, the electronics seem extremely capable, the camera is a perfect auto point and shooter and yet allows ambitioned users to beat those results by using semi auto modes smartly (if they bother to learn).

so, as so often, you have to know what and why you are buying it. and be honest with what you really and truly need. there is no way those who really use it well will have complaints about picture quality - it is amazing considering what you pay. if i am to mention complaints, i'd say battery life. in indoor use you'll be lucky to get ~100 shots with NiMH rechargables, but i have gone an dbought the SONY batteries recommended elsewhere. the battery door takes getting used to. other than that - very nice, simple, and reasonably compact camera considering you can just pop in AAs.

cameras like the A1100 convince me that, a few years from now, photography will not necessarily be about knowing technicalities like apertures or f-stops or the like - it will be about creativity and an eye for the right scene. hate it or love it, the digital revolution will create and egalitarian creative environment and eliminate technicalities.

and we are more than halfway there with a camera like the a1100.

i follow a dual camera strategy these days, and the A1100 is the perfect companion to anything else i own for more ambitioned stuff. Read more ›