Canon Powershot A1100 IS Review

Easy mode allows any user to pick the camera and start shooting. When shooting this way the only option that you are able to control is if the flash is on or off.

Auto mode is almost as simple as easy mode shown above. Shown on the screen are the Auto icon, flash setting, Image size and quality and the number of remaining pictures.

When the color LCD is turned on and you half-press the shutter you will see which of the nine AF points (green rectangles) were used for the focus lock. You can also see the shutter speed, aperture and ISO values that were selected for by the camera for this shot.

Program AE exposure mode is like Auto in that the camera selects both the shutter speed and aperture for a correct exposure but you now have access to a multitude of Function and Menu options and color effects. Icons on the left here indicate ISO speed is Auto, no flash, single drive mode, metering is set to evaluative, etc.

Program FUNC. Menu

ISO - Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
White Balance - Auto, Day Light, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H,
Custom
My Colors - Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B&W, Custom Color
AF Mode - Evaluative, Center, Spot
Drive Mode - Single or Continuous
Image Size - L (4000x3000), M1 (3264x2448), M2 (2592x1944), M3 (1600x1200),
S (640x480), Widescreen (4000x2248), Press DISP. to change image quality: Fine or Normal

The camera features several scene modes, some of which are located on the dial and the rest are located in the FUNC. menu under the scene setting. On the dial you will find the scene modes for Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, Kids&Pets and Indoor. Under the scene menu (shown above) you will find the settings for: Sunset, Night Scene, Fireworks, Long Shutter, Beach, Aquarium, Foliage, Snow and ISO 3200.

When using the Standard Movie mode, you can capture video clips at either 640x480 30fps (or LP) or 320x240 30fps. The optical zoom may not be used during recording, but can be preset before hand. Movie clips are recorded in Motion JPEG format and saved as AVI files.

Both the video and audio portion of movies can be replayed on the camera thanks to the built-in speaker. Full audio-video playback is also possible when connected to a TV monitor or a compatible PC after downloading.

Movie FUNC. Menu:

White Balance - Auto, Day Light, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H,
Custom
My Colors - Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B&W, Custom
Video Size - 640x480 30fps, 640x480 30fps LP, 320x240 30fps

Record Menu:

AF Frame - Center, Face AiAF
A Frame Size - Normal, Small
Digital Zoom - Standard, Off,1.5x, 2.0x
AF-Point Zoom - On or Off
AF-Assist Beam - On or Off
Flash Settings - Red Eye Correction, Red Eye Lamp
i-Contrast - Off, Auto
Review - Off, 2-10 second, Hold
Review Info - Off, Detailed, Focus Check
Display Overlay - Off, Grid Lines, 3:2 guide, Both
IS Mode - Continuous, Shoot Only, Panning, Off
Date Stamp - Off, Date, Date & Time
Set Print Button - Set button to shortcut of your choosing

Movie Menu:

Digital Zoom - Off, Standard
AF-assist Beam - On or Off
Disp. Overlay - Off, Grid Lines
IS Mode - Continuous, Off
Set Print Button - Set button to shortcut of your choosing