Canon Powershot ELPH 300 HS Review

Review posted 03/16/2011

Quick Take

Pros

Awesome build quality Durable, and super slim metal exterior Metal Tripod mount Excellent image quality for a compact camera Blazing fast shooting performance Loads of useful exposure options for both stills and video Captures very nice full HD video Stylish exterior that comes in three colors (Red, Black, Silver) Unmatched high ISO performance from a camera of this size (as of 03/15/2011) Good battery life Excellent bang for your buck

Cons

LCD screen could have been bigger Flash is quite weak (which is to be expected from a camera this small) Lens bezels dented easily, which raises some concern; although operation was not effected The standard burst mode didn't live up to Canon's claim of 3.4fps

Bottom Line

The ELPH 300 HS is an awesome ultra-compact digicam that offers unmatched features and performance for a sub $250 camera; especially one of this size. Read more in our Full Conclusion.

Between the Powershot ELPH 100 HS and the 500 HS, the Canon Powershot ELPH 300 HS is the mid-range model of their new ELPH HS series.  The 300 HS is being touted by Canon as the world's thinnest 24mm, 5x optical zoom digital camera with Optical Image Stabilizer.  It also sports the 12.1-Megapixel High Sensitivity CMOS sensor that allows for low-light pictures without the need for a flash.

Other features of the Powershot ELPH 300 HS include 1080p HD video recording with digital stabilization, a 2.7-inch LCD screen and Smart AUTO functionality for adjusting exposure as well as focus.  Also, a high speed burst mode captures up to 8 frames per second.

Canon Powershot ELPH 300 HS key features include:

• Compact and stylish metal bodu
  
• 12.1-Megapixel High-Sensitivity CMOS image sensor
• DIGIC 4 Image Processor
• 5x optical zoom  covers 24 - 120mm equivalent range
  
• 2.7-inch LCD with 230K pixels
  
• 1080p video recording at 24fps
• Smart AUTO (Face detection, focus, exposure)
• High-speed Burst Mode captures 8.0fps @ 3M
  
• 23 shooting scenes
• Movie Digest Mode
• Li-ion battery pack
• Comes in 3 colors (Black, Red and Silver)

The Canon Powershot ELPH 300 HS is available now with a suggested retail price of $249.99.

What's in the box?:

• PowerShot ELPH 300 HS Body (red, black or silver)
• Battery Pack NB-4L
• Battery Charger CB-2LV
• Wrist Strap WS-DC11
• AV Cable AVC-DC400ST
• USB Interface Cable IFC-400PCU
• Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM
  

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