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- Best budget digital camera Canon PowerShot Elph 100 HS *Est. $160
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Budget compact camera is as portable as a smartphone -- with better quality
- Small size
- Lots of automatic settings
- Crisp, colorful photos
- Solid optical image stabilization
- HD video capability
- Stiff control buttons
- Slow shooting speeds
- No zoom in video mode
With its small size, great photos and cheap price, reviewers say the Canon PowerShot A3300 IS will make you think twice about using your cell phone or smartphone for photo ops. The A3300 IS -- the update to the now-discontinued Canon PowerShot A3100 IS -- wears the A-series crown with a 16-megapixel sensor, 3-inch LCD, 5x zoom lens and 720p HD video. It also offers plenty of automatic settings and comes in five colors. At a weight of about 5 ounces, the A3300 IS is compact enough to take anywhere yet doesn't have the cheap, plasticky feel of the A3100 IS. However, reviewers say the flat, stiff control buttons aren't the easiest to use.
The A3300 IS excels with crisp, colorful photos. "They had a level of detail I could just rub my nose in," says Mike Pasini at Imaging-Resource.com, who ranks it above the pricier Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10 (*Est. $355) . It also fares well in low-light conditions, shoots HD video that's comparable for its class and has the advantage of optical image stabilization to offset natural hand movement. As with most budget cameras, the zoom lens doesn't work in video mode and performance is slow, with a few owners at Amazon.com saying it's not the best for action shots. However, the A3300 IS is still faster than phone cameras, says CNET's Joshua Goldman, and it offers more shooting options along with photos and videos that are "so much better." Still, the A3300 IS doesn't impress experts quite as much as the superb photo quality of the top-rated Canon PowerShot Elph 100 HS (*Est. $160) or the extra 8x zoom capability of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH25 (*Est. $155) .
CNET, Imaging-Resource.com and DigitalCameraHQ.com provide thorough, test-based reviews of the Canon PowerShot A3300 IS. Editors at Which? magazine offer a briefer write-up, while ConsumerReports.org lists test results and a comparison chart. Rounding out our sources are user reviews at Amazon.com, which help show how the camera fares outside the test labs.
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"This is the A-Series that will make you forget your cell phone," says Mike Pasini. He says the A3300 IS lives up to Canon's claims of being "fun and easy," and it offers great photo quality along with plenty of shooting modes for a simple camera.
Review: Canon PowerShot A3300 IS, Mike Pasini and Stephanie Boozer, April 2011
Although the Canon PowerShot A3300 IS isn't fancy, it's still a solid entry-level point-and-shoot, says Emily Raymond. The camera has decent features and takes great photos, but Raymond says the 16 megapixels aren't necessary, and the dial mode is "so tightly screwed that a thumb alone could not possibly change it."
Review: Canon PowerShot A3300 IS: Hands On Review, Emily Raymond, April 28, 2011
3. CNET
CNET's Joshua Goldman says "it's a shame that cameras like the A3300 are being displaced by cell phones and smartphones." He considers the Canon PowerShot A3300 IS a very nice camera for the price, and says it churns out some excellent photos despite slow shot-to-shot times.
Review: Canon PowerShot A3300 IS (Red), Joshua Goldman, April 2011
4. Which? magazineDetails/Subscribe
Low-light conditions don't "pose a problem for this Canon" and HD video footage is "impressive" overall, say editors at Which? magazine. The ultra-slim Canon PowerShot A3300 IS also offers good optical image stabilization and useful features for novices, editors say, but there's no optical viewfinder or manual focus.
Review: Canon PowerShot A3300 IS, Editors of Which? magazine
5. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
The Canon PowerShot A3300 IS is tested along with more than 150 point-and-shoot cameras. Although editors don't provide a detailed write-up for the A3300 IS, a ratings chart shows how it fares alongside other cameras, comparing features such as image quality, versatility and battery life.
Review: Point and Shoot Digital Camera Ratings and Reliability, Editors of ConsumerReports.org
6. Amazon.com
The majority of Canon PowerShot A3300 IS owners consider it an ideal first camera that's small enough to carry with you wherever you go. They also like the sturdy build and great image quality. However, a handful of users say the A3300 IS is slower than other point-and-shoots and takes grainy photos.
Review: Canon PowerShot A3300 16 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Black), Contributors to Amazon.com
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