Canon PowerShot ELPH 110 HS Pro Reviews

Though the exterior looks beautiful, the headline specification here is fairly run of the mill for a fully auto pocket snapshot in 2012: a 16 megapixel sensor plus a 5x optical zoom, backed up by Full HD video with mono sound and HDMI output. Okay, so that may be more than enough for anyone who wants a reliable and unobtrusive tool for taking the odd snap, but there are cheaper, better value options for anyone who doesn’t covet the Canon’s icily cool exterior. Still, although non-revolutionary, this model has pretty much everything in the right place, is easy to use and undemanding. You may however want to shop around to get the best price available.

It can be difficult to pack good optical performance, extensive features and practical usability into a camera as small as the Canon IXUS 125 HS. But Canon has indeed provided a compelling blend of attractive compactness, high image quality and enough features to satisfy its target market. Featuring Canon's latest sensor and processing technologies, and producing high image quality in such a compact form, makes the Canon IXUS 125 HS an appealing package. However, since it costs around £230/$360 and doesn't quite match the image quality of some of the class leaders, the Canon IXUS 125 HS falls slightly short of the value for money now offered by some established IXUS models. Consequently we can't quite award the Canon IXUS 125 HS top marks, but this is still a very capable camera and is unlikely to disappoint.

The Canon IXUS 125 HS ticks the boxes for anyone wanting a good-looking, slim, metal-bodied compact that packs in all the essentials. These include that regulation issue 16 megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom, Full HD video with mono sound, a smattering of effects filters (including the tilt and shift lens apeing miniature), plus HDMI output, though the required cable inevitably costs extra. OK, apart from the ability to tweak exposure, alter white balance and play around with colour levels it lacks much in the way of manual controls, but that much was expected at the outset.

The Canon IXUS 125 HS is a stylish ultra compact camera with a good set of features and the camera is capable of producing bright colourful images with good detail, although corners are a little soft and purple fringing is quite high. It would be nice if the buttons on the back were a little larger and if the camera featured a built in panoramic stitching mode. Also the high speed continuous shooting mode is limited to 5fps at 4 megapixels - it's a shame the "High Speed" designation doesn't mean that the whole camera is lightning fast. Overall this is a good looking camera that feels overpriced especially compared to other ultra compact cameras on the market.

Okay, so you'll pay for the IXUS style and svelte design, but that comes at a cost that is not just in your bank balance. Handling such small cameras is a compromised (the flash, the slippery body, the higher chance of camera shake) though mitigated by the 125's image stabilisation and high sensitivity settings and controls. The lack of critical sharpness is disappointing at higher ISOs since it completely removes any advantage of having a sensor with over 16 million pixels on board the HS system reduces detail as it smoothes away the worst vagaries of the high sensitivity settings. Yes the metering and white balance are very good and overall so the end user of such a camera may not care (or notice) such image detail issues, but when you look at the price of this camera over similar competing models with the same or similar specification, they may notice it then.

The Canon ELPH 110 HS / IXUS 125 HS is likely to be the entry level IXUS model when Canon drops the ageing ELPH 100 HS / IXUS 115 HS from the line-up. It shares a core set of features - including Optical image stabilisation, 1080p24 HD movies, Scene detection and Face ID - with the more expensive ELPH / IXUS models further up the range. Its image quality is excellent and, crucially, a big step up from what you'll get with one of the CCD-based PowerShot A-series models, so if you're undecided between an A-series PowerShot and an ELPH / IXUS, the quality issue, combined with the ELPH 110 HS / IXUS 125 HS's excellent low-light performance could swing it. All said, the ELPH 110 HS / IXUS 125 HS provides a great balance of features at a very affordable price point for a premium compact and is a worthy recipient of a Cameralabs Highly Recommended award. While it's still around though, the ELPH 100 HS / IXUS 115 HS is also well worth considering if discounted, though it only has a 4x zoom which can't be used while movie recording and lacks Digic 5 features like Face ID and Intelligent IS.

I encouraged a friend who knows absolutely nothing about photography (and has no interest in correcting that glaring deficiency) to take pictures outdoors with the 110 HS (in auto mode) for about an hour with no interference, advice, or suggestions from me. Each shot was properly exposed and sharply focused, and all of them displayed accurate colors. The bottom line here is that absolutely anybody can take decent pictures with the Canon Powershot ELPH 110 HS. Potential 110 HS purchasers should be aware that the Canon PowerShot ELPH 310 HS is available for only $10.00 more and features an almost identical design, very similar features, and an 8x zoom – for those who want a little extra reach. Either camera will very nicely meet the needs of casual shooters, family photographers and travelers.

Filled with some of Canon's latest technology and shooting modes, the PowerShot ELPH 110 HS is a solid ultracompact camera.

The slim and compact 16-megapixel Canon PowerShot Elph 110 HS boasts a very sharp, wide lens, but is hampered by noise at higher ISO settings and a limited zoom range.