SX100 IS
Family guy with an attitude
A high-end wolf under super-value clothing?

Not that long ago, the Canon's series used to be pretty straightforward: "A" series for budget cameras, "SD" for stylish ultra compacts, "G" for high end, "S" for super zoom… end of the story. But lately Canon's series are getting a bit confusing: there are very capable A series cameras, strange hybrids like the TX1, G series without G signature features, and now this SX thing.

The SX100 IS was an utterly surprise from the moment we opened the box: it was unexpectedly handsome. We asked for the black version thinking it was dark gray (like the S5) but it is pure black with a dark gray accent on the grip. We've seen the silver version on photographs and that's a color we use to despise; it tends to look cheap and plasticky.

The SX100 is practically all-plastic and sports a reasonably big 2.5" fixed LCD screen. There is a round EOS-like dial that works, surprisingly, better than the G9's. This control performs the same operations in a single unit instead of one circular dial plus a 4 ways controller, in the case of the G9.

This new camera is better than average on the ergonomics department. We felt it very comfortable and with many recessed areas to rest fingers. Unexpectedly, there is a place for the right thumb at the back as well as an area for the left index finger (or thumb) on the top. The on/off button is easy to access, yet unlikely to be pressed by accident. Both mode dial and shutter zoom-lever are good, although ordinary. The battery compartment provides a very comfortable grip. The design is curvy and ergonomically better than any other Canon we've tested lately. Kudos to the designers of the SX100!

The battery compartment shares the space for the memory card with the typical annoyance of accidentally dropping the batteries while changing the card. The door is made of plastic but way more resistant than SD's that are –in comparison- more expensive. There is a little door at the left side of the camera for the date battery which is pretty strange, the only Canon Camera to have something like that.

Optics

On the optics department the SX100 is exceptionally well fitted with a 10x optical zoom. The wide end is not surprising at all. With a 36-360mm (35mm equiv) that is a very capable zoom and maximum apertures of f/2.8-4.3. Since super zooms with 18x magnification are quite trendy these days we wouldn't call 10x a super zoom, yet it is better than the 6x zoom of many other Canons such as the G9, A650 IS or A720 IS. The 36mm wide end is good for overall photography, yet true wide angle at 28mm enables more room for tight interiors and huge landscapes.

The SX100 features –now unsurprisingly- an Image Stabilizer. It has a panning option which seems to be the new Canon's standard for IS. The optical stabilization works remarkably good and compensates the not-that-blazing-fast f/2.8-4.3 lens.

The button arrangement is somewhat different to other Canon's models. There is a row with four buttons under the screen (direct print/shortcut, face selector, display and menu). There is the omni-present FUNC. SET button, it sports an exposure compensation and play mode buttons. It takes a little while to get used to this new controls placement.
The dedicated Face Selector button begins to indicate the intentions of this new camera.

The mode dial on the top provides further clues to the what-the-heck-is-this-new-SX-series-thing puzzle: in the auto zone there are direct access to portrait scenes, landscape, night scene and Kids & Pets mode. What's a K&P scene setting doing there instead a Sports mode? The answer may be that the SX100 is a camera aimed to families, and to the Photo Aficionado family guy to be more precise. This camera may have ended as just another power zoom P&S, but it sports fully manual modes: P, Av, Tv and Manual and that is just great. Every member of the family can use this camera right away.

Battery life

The SX100 IS uses two AA batteries, which is great for traveling. Since there's no optical viewfinder, the shooting capacity decreases. You may expect 140 shots with alkaline batteries and 400 if using NiMH. Annoyingly, there is no battery level indicator on the display. Many new-generation Canon such as the SD870 IS or the G9 have a battery indicator. Having none is like driving a car that only lets you know you're going to be out of gas when you reach reserve levels, unless you buy the very top of the line model... weird.

Image Quality

With 8.0 mega pixels resolution is very good and enough for big prints. The image quality is very good overall. Optically there is little to complaint about: the lens is very competent. The chromatic aberrations at the tele-end are very well managed and much better than the S3/S5. The Digic III processing is very good and color rendition is precise with the typical Canon approach to well-done reds. The dynamic range is also very good: even in very contrasty scenes, the camera manages shadows and highlights rather competently. In general the exposure and focus are precise, although there is a slight tendency to over expose (which can be controlled via exposure compensation or going manual).

ISO sensitivities and noise issues

Everything was very good up to this point. In a tiny 1/2.5" sensor, those eight million pixels would be more comfortable on the London Underground in the rush hours. Noise is visible when pixel peeping even at ISO 80, it is flagrant at ISO 200 and things get worst with every step up. ISO 1600 is obviously useless and ISO 800 is pretty bad too. ISO 400 is merely usable. Although Canon's sells the SX100 saying that the ISO1600 is something like the "ultimate weapon" against camera shake blur due to the high ISO possibilities, we strongly recommend you to forget going ISO 800 and 1600. It is true that Canon has improved its noise reduction approach slightly and there's a little more detail (but just a little) at ISO 1600.

The SX100 is, like the vast range of compact camera, a so-so low-light performer. Obviously don't you even dare to dream in RAW files for better noise control. No surprises here, and it's a shame.

Canon PowerShot SX100 IS Noise Performance (100% crops)
ISO 80	ISO 100
ISO 200	ISO 400
ISO 800	ISO 1600

Minor quirks

Flash. Maybe it's no big deal and it maintains a low cost, but having to manually rise the flash (as in the S3/S5) it's slightly annoying. OK, it's pretty much the difference of having power windows on your car or going manual, no big deal, but it's more comfortable to use the power option. As a social lighter it performs reasonably well, although you may want a high power flash for lower light situations.

Auto focus. This is one very strange point of the SX100 because the auto focus. is strangely limited. In most PowerShots it is possible to choose Artificial Intelligence Auto Focus (AiAF), the useful FlexiZone and the new Face Detect. This camera has only two options: Center focus and Face Detect. Since it may be aimed to the family (at least we believe that), our theory is that guys at Canon thought it would be better to use a very simple center auto focus. and a more advanced Face Detect, assuming that this camera is oriented to social situations. But even if that theory is true, why bothering then with the inclusion of full auto modes? Why not going fully manual? Having different options for Auto Focus enhances the usability of the camera and it is a function that is even available in A series cameras. It may seem like having the whole set of features would cannibalize the S3 or G9, but that makes no sense, each camera has a very clear niche. What's the purpose of stripping down features from the in-camera software? And we don't mean very high-end features, but basic ones such as battery meter, 9 points AiAF auto-focus...

No true wide angle. We are not big fans of converter lenses as you may notice in our reviews of the S3/S5 and G7/G9 converters: they are expensive and bulky and the improvement is questionable, but it is better to have the possibility to use them if necessary than not. The A720 has this option which is cheaper, but the SX does not allow the use of converters nor adapters. Even with the inherent problems of such accessories, the focal length of 36-360 would be even more versatile with true wide angle and starting with the 10x optical zoom, a converter would take the SX100 to new levels of long range photography.

That’s it for the techno babble. How does the SX100 IS feel?

The SX100 is a pleasant discovery: a capable camera with a good range of features sporting a 10x optical zoom.

It's good looking and has a construction comparable to the Rebel XTi in a compact package. This is not an entry Photo Aficionado compact camera (such as the A720 IS) but it is still far from some premium cameras such as the S5 IS or the G9.

It's a capable camera that is affordable and right in the middle of the road, hence the bang-for-the-buck is pretty decent. Although this may be a family oriented camera to cover a specific niche, any Photo Aficionado will enjoy it regardless of some inherent quirks.

The bottom line