Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS Review

June 5, 2009 | Gavin Stoker | Rating star Rating star Rating star Half rating star

Introduction

The Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS (also known as the Canon PowerShot SD960 IS) is a new compact 12 megapixel digital camera with a wide-angle zoom lens. Offering a focal range of 28-112mm, the IXUS 110's 4x zoom lens comes complete with Optical Image Stabilization to help prevent camera shake. The The IXUS 110 IS joins a select band of Canon compacts that can shoot 720p HD video, and it also has an on-camera HDMI connector. A new Active Display and improved user interface, a wide aspect 2.8 inch LCD screen, Blink Detection and new Smart AUTO mode complete the IXUS 110 IS’ headline features. Retailing for $329.99 / £349.00 / €399.00, the Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS is available in silver, blue, pink and gold.

Ease of Use

Here we have another attractive looking addition to Canon's premium point-and-shoot range. Yet Canon's IXUS 110 IS has, initially at least, got to be one of the least intuitive (supposedly snapshot-operation) cameras I've used. Talk about a triumph of form over function: from the front the simple design recalls a clam shell mobile phone laid on its side – with curved edge to the left and beautifully smooth overall finish. But flip the camera around, try to get to grips with the functionality at its rear, and head scratching ensues.

We'll come back later to the reasons why, but for now let's examine the specification that brought us here; first and foremost a 12.1 megapixel resolution, coupled with a 4x image stabilised, wide angle optical zoom (28-112mm equivalent). Feeling more plastic-y in the palm than the more compact 100 IS model we were testing in tandem, and coming in a choice of silver, gold, pink or blue, the manufacturer's suggested £349 UK asking price comes as something of a surprise. Set side by side and on looks and feel alone, the £50 cheaper 100 IS ironically appears the premium model.

Like that camera, the Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS features the ability to shoot HD movies at 1280x720 pixels, at a speed of 30 frames per second (fps). It also sports Canon's newly installed Smart Auto mode which, with shades of Panasonic's own intelligent auto technology, switches settings (choosing from 18 available options) to deliver optimum results dependant on the subject and conditions the camera is presented with. With the Digic 4 processor on board to keep things zipping along, operation of the 110 IS proves to be pretty much point and shoot all the way – or would be, if its rear functionality was less obtuse.

A brace of beginner friendly features do however lend a hand in the pursuit of picture taking. These are motion detection technology to reduce the risk of blur when shooting moving subjects, i-Contrast (if selected) to brighten dark shadows and even out exposures, face detection incorporating blink detection (again if selected), and a face self timer option that waits until it detects the user themselves entering the shot before firing the shutter. And yes, you need to manually select that too.

Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS
Front Rear

With the above in mind let's take a tour of the Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS' form, features and functionality, dispensing critical barbs when and if deserved.

Staring reasonably enough at the front, the light, clean metallic finish to the face plate of our review sample and its curved edges unconsciously recall the tactile nature of a smooth pebble plucked from the shoreline. Its internally stacked lens, only protruding from the body when in use, is encircled by a mirrored surround that you can almost catch your face in. Top right of the lens is a sniper-thin slit for the built-in flashbulb, while top left of the optic is a small porthole doubling up as an AF assist and self-timer lamp. On a practical level, the positioning of the flash bulb means it's quite easy for your forefinger to stray in front of it when gripping the camera in both hands.

The IXUS 110 IS' top plate meanwhile features controls set into a tapering dark grey strip that encircles the camera's periphery. Starting from top right (if viewing the camera from the back), we find a large shutter button with just the right amount of give to be able to determine its half way point before firing off a shot, and so fix focus and exposure. This is handily encircled by a rocker switch for gliding between wideangle and telephoto settings within the camera's fairly standard focal range. A minimally protruding lip provides just sufficient purchase for the pad of your forefinger.

Still on the top plate, and moving to the left, is a lozenge shaped on/off button set into the bodywork, thereby avoiding accidental activation when sliding the camera in or out of a pocket. Press this and, with an ident-like 'sting', the camera powers up in just over a second, the rear widescreen LCD blinking into life while the lens barrel jets out to arrive at maximum wideangle setting. Adjacent is a slider switch with three available settings: auto mode (incorporating the Smart Auto setting-shifting functionality), program auto (which allows the adjustment and selection of a wider array of shooting functions) plus a movie setting. As you'd expect, given the preamble at the top of this review, everything is pretty much point and shoot in auto mode.

Press the 'function' button on the Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS' back and a left hand tool bar merely presents the user with the ability to set image recording size (therefore determining the number of pixels utilised) plus the compression level (Fine or Normal only). Should your thumb come to alight on the fiddly scroll wheel surrounding the function button, a virtual dial appears onscreen offering up the features normally surrounding a four-way control pad on rival models. These are the ability to adjust flash settings (auto or off), change the display (shooting icons on or off), select the self timer options (10 seconds, two seconds, the 'face timer' option, plus, unusually at this level, a custom option), while, in auto mode, the fourth option to swap focus distance between macro and infinity is disabled.

Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS
Front Top

The scroll wheel itself appears overly sensitive – and frustratingly so – in that it's easy to over-shoot the option you wanted, and then, even once you have it highlighted, again slip along to the adjacent function. By including some functions in virtual form only, Canon has ensured a minimalist looking design but one, we feel, that is at times at the expense of operability.

Move the aforementioned top switch one notch along to program mode and, equally as expected, with a press of the rear function button the user has the choice of a wider range of manually selectable shooting options, including a range of pre-optimised scene modes – with an ISO 3200 option offered among the sunset and Canon-particular colour accent and swap settings. Also on the left hand tool bar is the ability to adjust regular ISO range (from ISO 80 through to ISO 1600), white balance, plus the selection of the 'My Colors' effects (including our preferred 'vivid' option and again the ability to add a custom setting), alongside evaluative, centre-weighted, or spot metering. Here too the user also gets to adjust exposure compensation in 1/3 increments from -/+ 2EV, select single shot or continuous capture, plus adjust the aforementioned pixel count and compression levels.

Push the top switch along a further notch to its third and final movie setting and there's the choice to adjust the capture quality from humble 320x240 pixels at 30fps, through the standard definition 640x480 pixels, and up to an HD 1280x720 pixels, at which points the black bands cropping each side of the view presented by the LCD screen (to provide a 4:3 ratio) drop away to present a 16:9 image. Some funky effects are also accessible in movie mode – namely colour accent and swap – plus the ability to adjust white balance and call up the same 'My Colors' options provided for stills capture.

Last but not least atop the Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS are a cluster of three tiny holes for the camera's built in microphone – a separate cluster of three for its speaker is to be found at the bottom of its (otherwise clear) left hand flank (if viewed from the back). Transferring our attention once more to the camera back, we find three quarters of the available space devoted to a 2.8-inch widescreen ratio LCD monitor, and, in the absence of an optical viewfinder window, that is all we have for shot composition plus review. Thankfully visibility is OK indoors and out, and we didn't feel the need to cup a hand around the screen to ensure a better look.

Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS
Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

To the right of the LCD is a streamlined trio of controls. From the top is a self-explanatory review button; press this to check out the captured JPEG file format images. Unusually the IXUS 110 IS incorporates what Canon is calling an 'active display'; tilt the camera on its side as if to shoot portrait fashion and the (captured) image on screen will also flip to present itself the 'right way up'. A gentle flick of the wrist while holding the camera in this fashion meanwhile will also advance the reviewed image on screen by a frame or two – though mastering this gimmick requires some practice. Below the playback button is the previously outlined 'function' button that brings up the side bar of shooting options, encircled by the less welcome scroll wheel that calls up the previously-explored virtual mode dial on screen.

The final control located directly beneath is again self-explanatory, seeing as it's marked with 'menu'. Press this with the camera active and in capture modes and we're presented with two simplistic but legible menu folders – the first with additional shooting options, including the ability to activate the digital zoom, i-Contrast, image stabilisation modes (continuous, shoot only, when panning or off), face and blink detection. The second available folder contains the set up menu, offering the ability to tweak various sound and start up options – for once on a Canon compact, there's not an extraneous separate menu folder for doing this – plus format the SD or SDHC card in use.

Moving to the right side of the Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS (viewed from the rear) we find a subtly incorporated lug for the attaching of a strap, next to which is a plastic cover for the 110 IS's available ports. Highly unusually for a compact of this size and simplicity we have an HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) connection, a feature normally found on high end DSLRs. Perhaps now that more of us have HD TVs, we'll find this feature creeping in to the humble compact. And as such its inclusion is a welcome one – another means of setting apart what is otherwise a fairly standard snapshot camera from the ubiquitous camera phone that has arguably been stealing away market share. That said, and as with Sony's competing T-series Cyber-shots, unfortunately there wasn't an HDMI cable (HTC-100) included in the box with our review sample.

Below the HDMI port is a second connection that doubles up as a means of connecting up the camera to your PC via USB, or alternatively the TV or video via regular AV leads (the latter both supplied). The base of the camera meanwhile features a familiar screw thread for attaching this IXUS to a tripod, plus a sliding door protecting both the SD/SDHC card port (with no internal memory to fall back on, the camera warns if there's no card inserted) and slender rechargeable lithium ion battery, good for a so-so 200 shots from a single charge, though admittedly we weren't left wanting for more.

Overall the Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS is as quick and responsive as you'd want a compact camera to be – and as we've noted in reference to the annoying fiddly scroll control, it can feel too responsive on occasion. Still, our initial infuriation lessened the more we used the 110 IS, so that alone shouldn't be a deal breaker. So, moving along, how about the images themselves? Do the results suggest that this is a camera that transcends its minimalist exterior and delivers images that have both form and that all important substance? Let's find out…

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 12 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 3Mb.

When left on its standard default settings (i.e no effects applied), the images from the Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS occasionally have, for us, a delicate, slightly washed out, faded picture postcard look and feel, even in seemingly perfect conditions. While this painterly feel can be compensated for - if wanted, and to an extent - by the application of Photoshop Levels and selecting the 'Vivid' setting from among the 'My Colors' options (particularly on overcast days), the degree of detail delivered by the camera when it does get things right is impressive, suggesting Canon hasn't over-egged the pudding by sticking at 12 megapixels. Still of course being higher more than most casual snappers would need.

It's own 'auto everything' mode is likewise spot on, particularly effective it seems when shooting close-ups (whereby the camera automatically switches to macro setting, here offering focusing down to 2cm from your subject). Inevitably perhaps, purple fringing is evidenced between areas of high contrast, but only when zooming in close and scrutinizing edges. In terms of its low light performance, image noise and softening of detail only really becomes visible at ISO 1600, and, that said, the results are still perfectly usable. However the ISO 3200 setting is only to be used in desperation, noise and softness conspiring to deliver an image as if viewed through frosted glass.

The images from the IXUS 110 IS are then a rather curious affair therefore; sharp for the most part, but with the occasionally flat colour reproduction leaving you wishing for more visual 'bite'.

Noise

There are 6 ISO settings available on the Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting.

ISO 80 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

 
 

Sharpening

Here are two 100% Crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a little soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can also change the in-camera sharpening level to suit your tastes via the My Colors menu option.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

   

Chromatic Aberrations

The Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS handled chromatic aberrations quite well during the review, with some purple fringing present around the edges of objects in certain high-contrast situations, as shown in the examples below.

Example 1 (100% Crop)

Example 2 (100% Crop)

Macro

The Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS offers a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is 2cms away from the camera when the lens is set to wide-angle. The first image shows how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.

Macro Shot

100% Crop

Flash

The flash settings on the Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS are Auto, Flash On, Slow Synchro, and Flash Off, with Red-eye Correction and Red-Eye Lamp settings available via the Flash Settings main menu option. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (28mm)

Flash On - Wide Angle (28mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Flash Off - Telephoto (112mm)

Flash On - Telephoto (112mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Flash On or the Red-eye Correction settings caused any amount of red-eye.

Flash On

Flash On (100% Crop)
   

Red-eye Correction

Red-eye Correction (100% Crop)

Night

The Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS's maximum shutter speed is 15 seconds in the Long Shutter mode, which is good news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 1 second at ISO 80. I've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like. The camera takes the same amount of time again to apply noise reduction, so for example at the 5 second setting the actual exposure takes 10 seconds.

Night Shot

Night Shot (100% Crop)

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS camera, which were all taken using the 12 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 24 second movie is 69Mb in size.

Product Images

Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS

Front of the Camera

 
Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS

Front of the Camera / Turned On

 
Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS

Isometric View

 
Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS

Isometric View

 
Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS

Rear of the Camera

 
Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

 
Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS

Top of the Camera

 
Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS

Bottom of the Camera

 
Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS

Side of the Camera

 

Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS

Side of the Camera

 
Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS

Memory Card Slot

 
Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Canon IXUS 110 IS would be, to be fair, one to mark down as 'just another' point and shoot digital compact if it weren't for gimmicky features like its active rear display (flipping images on playback and advancing frames with a cursory flick of your wrist) plus the rather more useful inclusion of HDMI out port (if no actual lead in the box) and 1280x720 widescreen movies.

In creating a smooth, pebble like exterior finish this Canon has, for us, sacrificed some functionality - less physical controls means more time delving into on-screen menus and toolbars to find what you want. Therefore we only give the IXUS 110 IS a modest '3' for ease-of-use, which surely should have been first and foremost among its manufacturer's considerations. But, since most people in the market that the camera is aimed at buy on looks first and foremost, it shouldn't affect take up unduly.

At £349 though the Canon 110 IS feels expensive given its immediate rivals, and that, coupled with our issues with its operation, means that we can only give it an average score, all things considered. If you want a camera with a small form factor, cute looks and HD movies, we suggest you also seek out the even more compact IXUS 100 IS for further investigation.

3.5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4
Features 3.5
Ease-of-use 3
Image quality 3.5
Value for money 3

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS from around the web.

reviews.cnet.co.uk »

The Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS is a good but pricey camera. It shoots great movies but average stills. Its control layout is excellent but its navigational controller is a frustrating gimmick. You won't find many cameras that are better-looking than this one, but, when it comes to the actual pictures, it's very middle of the road.
Read the full review »

ephotozine.com »

It's an interesting camera that they've released in terms of design and styling. It has the feel of the old Mju 2 from Olympus and they've stripped a lot of buttons and stuff off the back. My only concern with this minimalist approach is that to find out what the navigation pad options are only found out by pressing the pad and an icon appears on screen. This isn't very quick and you could accidentally activate a mode without wanting to. It's a shame because I do like it and see it as a positive design. I can see the appeal for users who like pretty cameras and younger photographers who enjoy funny little features such as Colour Accent.
Read the full review »

Specifications

IMAGE SENSOR
Type 1/2.3” CCD
Effective Pixels Approx.12.1M
Colour Filter Type Primary Colour
IMAGE PROCESSOR
Type DIGIC 4 with iSAPS technology
LENS
Focal Length 5.0 - 20.0 mm (35mm equivalent: 28 – 112mm)
Zoom Optical 4x. Digital approx. 4x (with Digital Tele-Converter approx. 1.5x or 2.0x and Safety Zoom ¹) ².Combined approx. 16x
Maximum f/number f/2.8 – f/5.8
Construction 7 elements in 5 groups (1 double sided UA element, 1 single sided aspherical element)
Image Stabilisation Yes (shift-type)
FOCUSING
Type TTL
AF System/ Points AiAF (Face Detection / 9-point), 1-point AF (fixed to centre)
AF Modes Single, Continuous¹, Servo AF¹
AF Point Selection Size (Normal, Small)
AF Lock On/Off Selectable
AF Assist Beam Yes
Closest Focusing Distance 2cm (W) from front of lens in macro
EXPOSURE CONTROL
Metering modes Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame), Centre-weighted average, Spot (centre)
AE Lock On/Off Selectable
Exposure Compensation +/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments.
i-Contrast for automatic dynamic range correction
ISO sensitivity* AUTO, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
SHUTTER
Speed 1/8 - 1/1600 sec (factory default)
15 - 1/1600 sec (total range - varies by shooting mode)
WHITE BALANCE
Type TTL
Settings Auto (including Face Detection WB), Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom
LCD MONITOR
Monitor 2.8” PureColor LCD II (TFT), aspect ratio 16:9, approx. 230,000 dots
Coverage 100%
Brightness Adjustable to one of five levels
FLASH
Modes Auto, Manual Flash On / Off
Slow Sync Speed Yes
Red-Eye Reduction Yes
Flash Exposure Compensation Face Detection FE
Flash Exposure Lock Yes
Built-in Flash Range 30cm - 4.0m (W) / 2.0m (T)
External Flash Canon High Power Flash HF-DC1
SHOOTING
Modes Auto*, P, Portrait, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Sunset, Fireworks, Long Shutter, Beach, Underwater, Aquarium, Foliage, Snow, ISO 3200¹, Digital Macro, Color Accent, Color Swap, Stitch Assist, Movie.
*with Scene Detection Technology and Motion Detection Technology
Photo Effects My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color)
Drive modes Single, Continuous, Self-Timer, FaceSelf-Timer
Continuous Shooting Approx. 0.8 shots/sec.¹ (until memory card becomes full)²
RECORDING PIXELS / COMPRESSION
Image Size (L) 4000 x 3000, (M1) 3264 x 2448, (M2) 2592 x 1944, (M3) 1600 x 1200, (S) 640 x 480, (W) 4000 x 2248. Resize in playback (M3, S, 320 x 240)
Compression Fine, Normal
Movies (HD) 1280 x 720, 30fps, (L)640 x 480, 30fps, (M)320 x 240, 30fps
Movie Length (HD) Up to 4GB or 29 min. 59 sec ¹
(L and M) Up to 4GB or 1 hour ²
FILE TYPES
Still Image Type JPEG compression, (Exif 2.2 [Exif Print] compliant) / Design rule for Camera File system, Digital Print Order Format [DPOF] Version 1.1 compliant
Movies MOV [H.264 + Linear PCM (monaural)]
DIRECT PRINT
Canon Printers Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printers and Canon Inkjet Printers supporting PictBridge (ID Photo Print, Fixed Size Print and Movie Print supported on SELPHY CP & ES printers only)
PictBridge Yes
OTHER FEATURES
Red-Eye Correction Yes, during shooting and playback
My Camera / My Menu Start-up image and camera sounds customisation
My Category Image tagging feature
Intelligent Orientation Sensor Yes
Histogram Yes
Playback Zoom Approx. 2x – 10x
Self Timer Approx. 2 or 10 sec., Custom or FaceSelf-Timer
Menu Languages English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Chinese (traditional), Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Thai, Arabic, Ukrainian, Romanian, Farsi
INTERFACE
Computer Hi-Speed USB (MTP, PTP) dedicated connector (Mini-B compatible)
Other HDMI Mini Connector. A/V output (PAL/NTSC)
MEMORY CARD
Type SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus.
SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEM
PC & Macintosh Windows XP SP2-3 / Vista (including SP1)
Mac OS X v10.4 - 10.5
SOFTWARE
Browsing & Printing ZoomBrowser EX / ImageBrowser
Other PhotoStitch
POWER SOURCE
Batteries Rechargeable Li-ion Battery NB-4L (battery and charger supplied)
Battery life Approx. 200 shots ¹
Approx. 300 min. playback
A/C Power Supply Optional, AC adapter kit ACK-DC10
ACCESSORIES
Cases / Straps Soft Leather Case DCC-1100, Digital IXUS Metal or Leather Strap
Waterproof / Weatherproof Case Waterproof Case (40m) WP-DC32, Waterproof Case Weight WW-DC1
Flash High Power Flash HF-DC1
Power Supply & Battery Chargers AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC10
Other Canon HDMI Cable HTC-100v
PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Operating Environment 0 – 40 °C, 10 – 90% humidity
Dimensions (WxHxD, excl. protrusions) 97.9 x 54.1 x 22.1mm
Weight (body only) Approx. 145g
   
Zoom ¹ Depending on the image size selected.
² Digital zoom available for still image and standard movie modes only. Optical zoom may not be available during movie recording.
AF Modes ¹ Some settings limit availability
Modes ¹ Recording pixels fixed at 1600 x 1200.
Continuous Shooting ¹ Under conditions where the flash does not fire.
² Depending on memory card speed / capacity / compression setting.
Movie Length ¹ The following Speed Class memory cards are required for maximum record time: 1280 x 720, 30fps Speed Class 4 or above. 1920 x 1080, 30fps Speed Class 6
² Depending on memory card speed / capacity / compression setting.
Battery life ¹ Using the batteries and memory card format supplied with the camera (where included), except where indicated.
 
* Standard Output Sensitivity / Recommended Exposure Index.
According to ISO 12232:2006 (20th April 2006) which specifies the method for assigning and reporting ISO speed ratings for digital still cameras.
All data is based on Canon standard testing methods (according to CIPA Standards) except where indicated.
Subject to change without notice.

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