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5 Comments on “Canon PowerShot A3100IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD”

1. Daddy Bear
   June 23rd, 2010 at 10:11 am

   Just got this brand new camera. I replaced our Casio, which was one of the most impressive digital cameras I have ever owned (had it for only 14 months). The reason for the replacement, my family loses cameras… a lot.. and this one went bye bye somewhere. The Casio had great features, a nice touch screen, a great zoom, good shutter speed for sporting events, and time between photos was great for the photo quality. It had one flaw, its inability to take night photos and the movies even in natural light were only okay. There were a ton of options, which for a standard user could be overwhelming.

   Now to the PowerShot. This camera, sometimes will look grainy on the viewfinder until the actual photo itself is taken, but when the photo is taken… perfection. No matter the differences in light and shadows in a picture, the PowerShot somehow nicely accommodates for this. While the standard zoom is 4X, it can go to 10x, and with the shutter and flash, it still takes much better than most from beyond its standard range. PIctures at night with or without flash is absolutely incredible and movies are easy to take and upload. The features are plenty, but not overly complex. This means a standard user cannot get into trouble, but the highly discerning user might want more. There are other 10 and 12 MP cameras out there, and many have poor picture quality, which for me makes no sense… having a high quality image of a bad shot is an oxymoron. You don’t have to worry with this camera.

   Here is the one downside… time between shots. If you are looking for a camera to hold down the shutter and take pictures in multiples in rapid fire, this might not be the camera for you. While a faster memory card will help issue, you will not be able to rattle off 5 shots in 10 seconds during your kid’s soccer game. If you want to have 2 or 3 perfect shots in that 10 seconds, this is the camera for you. It doesn’t have a touch screen either, but with the Casio, this sometimes got in the way during viewing or taking shots.

   Summarizing… This camera is easy to use, not confusing, has a great smart mode, and has yet to take a poor picture in any light condition. If you can’t take a good picture on your current camera, you will be able to on this one. The movie mode is very easy, but should be used in good light either indoors or out. It does zoom during the movie, which I understand isn’t common, and the microphone is extremely sensitive… which means if you fumble around, it will record the fumbling noise, but that is very hard to avoid on any camera. It is lightweight, but substantial enough to hold comfortably. All in all, this is a camera any family would be happy to have.
   Rating: 5 / 5

2. Surgery100
   June 23rd, 2010 at 10:22 am

   This is a compact, easy-to-use, bring the fun back to photography camera that provides Canon’s photo quality in a lower cost, compact build. A little bit bigger than the digital elphs, this camera still fits comfortably in a shirt or pant pocket.

   The feature set is very basic, and nothing new. It has a “Face select” feature which lets you select which person you want to focus on in a group. On the dial it has four settings: Auto, Easy, Program and movie modes. The auto mode is just as with every other camera, the camera will select the settings it determines best, but you maintain control (if you care to select it) over the white balance and flash. Easy is the same as auto, except no options. Program gives you the option to select among several “scenes”: Portrait, Landscape, Night, Kids&Pets, and Indoor (buried in the menu you can also select lesser used scene settings like Beach, Long Shutter, and Fireworks).

   The only negative I’ve encountered with the camera is the relatively slow processor. That is the power up time (the time between turning the camera on and taking the first picture) is average (about 2 seconds), however, the time between pictures is around 2 seconds without the flash to 4 seconds with the flash. If you envision having (or wanting) to take faster pictures, then this is not the camera for you. Similarly, if you want to have any control over settings (i.e. shutter speed if you want to take pictures of your running toddler) this is not the camera for you.

   Bottom line:
   
   Canon replaces control and feature selection for extreme ease-of-use. This camera is a solid option for the money, and in case you are considering the A3000 IS, this (the A3100) is well worth the extra $30 (better resolution and faster picture-to-picture time).
   
   The picture quality is great, no blur and vivid colors.
   Rating: 4 / 5

3. Jason Jimenez
   June 23rd, 2010 at 12:22 pm

   I have to admit I am a big fan of Canon cameras. I’ve owned a number of them. My last camera was a very powerful Kodak easy share camera. It was a great device but it was complicated and not as easy to use as this Canon camera. I am not a professional photographer and I’d like a camera that has easy to use features and takes great shots in all sorts of environments. The Canon A3100IS is a fantastic all around camera. I think anybody who buys one will not be disappointed. There are other cameras that may do one thing better than this Canon but overall the Canon trumps them all!
   
   Jason
   Rating: 5 / 5

4. T. A. Yusran
   June 23rd, 2010 at 2:39 pm

   It produces nice clear pictures with well balanced colors outdoor and indoor. The camera is a little heavier, bigger and thicker than the Canon SD models, but it still fits in my jean’s front pockets. It has all the features you can find with the much more expensive SD models. I would recommend this camera.
   Rating: 5 / 5

5. EleganzShopper
   June 23rd, 2010 at 4:08 pm

   I have enjoyed taking pictures with my Canon PowerShot A3100IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 4X Optical Zoom.
   
   It takes great pictures if the picture is well composed. It is a little slow for rapid picture taking; but there is a mode for that which improves the speed which everything works (listed as the setting for Kids & Pets.) The software installation works great with my Apple eMac (G4, 1.4GHz) as well as with Microsoft Windows 7 and with Kubuntu, Ubuntu, Xubuntu (Debian) Operating Systems too. It is small enough to put into my vest pocket and wear it every day to be ready to take pictures; it is light. The batteries (available on Amazon for much less than from Canon) come with a charger which is easy to use. The battery power lasts a long time; but I am not taking movies (which the camera will do) or taking pictures often.

   The controls are easy to use with big hands and long fingers. I can use my canon printer directly hooked up to the camera to print pictures; not needing to go through the computer.

   This camera uses the same processor as one of their high end SLR (single lens reflect) digital cameras. I have been positively impressed with it’s performance. I used to use film SLR cameras; so I know about use of f-stops and shutter speeds as well as darkroom work to work on pictures; this camera is so much easier than using the old film cameras. You can see the results in the big screen in the back of the camera right away to save or delete it.
   
   It has a self-timer too. The telephoto works fine for my uses. It is relatively inexpensive and I did not see any reason to procure a more expensive point and shoot model. This one has everything I wanted and more functions easy to use.

   I do have my camera attached to my vest; so it wont fall out onto the ground. If it is was to land on a hard surface I don’t know how well it would work. I have not dropped it; so I don’t know about that.

   I did buy extra memory chips and batteries; just to have. I have not needed the extra capacity beyond the 2GB memory; but I did find it useful to have an already charged battery to install while the discharged one recharged.
   Rating: 5 / 5