Canon PowerShot A3100IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD

July 23, 2010 | By In Technology |

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5 Comments so far

  1. jkr66stang on July 23rd, 2010

    I purchased my first point-and-shoot digital camera, a Pentax Optio, 10+ years ago. So when I went shopping for a new one, I expected lighter weight, better pictures, better menu navigation, etc. I was astounded to find that this Canon was not much of an upgrade from that old Pentax at all! At first I thought maybe my expectations were unrealistic, but after spending just $15 more to replace it with a fabulous little Panasonic Lumix FH20, I now know that Canon has come up way short in this price range.

    The Canon is slow to start up, slow to process a picture and be ready for a second shot, horrid at taking indoor photos, and surprisingly bulky for what it offers. Compared to the built-in camera on my Blackberry, the Blackberry wins in the quality match up! Pretty unbelievable.

    The navigation menus and playback took some figuring out, which I wouldn’t be mentioning here but now that I have breezed through the Lumix menus without the manual I can see this is another major flaw of the Canon Powershot. It also does not come with a memory card so figure that into the price.

    One final note… I like a good, sharp, well balanced photo. I have a digital SLR that I love, so this Canon Powershot (now Panasonic Lumix) was intended for every-day toting around. The Panasonic is an excellent stand-in for my full-on SLR; the Canon isn’t worth the weight or bulk in the pocket.
    Rating: 2 / 5

  2. J. Newell on July 23rd, 2010

    This is our fourth digital camera in about 5 years. Each time we buy one the features are greatly expanded and the ease of use increases dramatically. We still have 2 of the other cameras and will continue to use them. However the Canon A 3100 IS will be the one that we carry with use for spur of the moment shots, the lite weight, ease of use, quality of photos, and low cost are the main reasons.

    For the cost you can’t do better.
    Rating: 4 / 5

  3. Antonio Musat on July 23rd, 2010

    It is well known that human perception of the image quality of a digital camera is influeneced by the price, build quality and overall the “coolness” factor…

    Having a Canon 5D2 and some L glass I would try to judge it and give this camera a 4 stars for the quality of the image for such a good price. Try to bump a little the colors and sharpness and lower a little bit the contrast and you can get even better pictures. The only problem it may have is some softness in the left or right side of the image on wide setting, so check carefully, at this price range the quality control is to be desired.
    Rating: 4 / 5

  4. Truthinadvertising on July 23rd, 2010

    I bought this camera for my 80+ year old father. He loves it. I did my DD and this camera is rated in the top 5 according to independent laboratory testing. For the money, I wish I had bought this one rather than my Kodak!
    Rating: 4 / 5

  5. Gordon M. Wagner on July 23rd, 2010

    My Canon S410 Powershot gave up the ghost, even after a trip back to Canon for repairs ($100, ouch). I was tired of not having a camera and this one crossed my path at the right time and I bought it after debating for months which camera to go with.

    This is MUCH lighter than my Canon S410, and far sleeker — all the knobs and buttons and whatnot are smooth and out of the way. It won’t snag on things like the boxy S410 tended to do. This camera is as light as a plastic disposable camera. I remember my first digital camera back in 1999 which weighed a pound and then some.

    The LCD screen is ENORMOUS compared to my old camera(s). It takes up almost the entire back of the camera body. Amazing. The controls are scrunched together compared to the S410 controls. Having had the S410 I was familiar with the Canon layout and the way the camera works, which was nice.

    An earlier review mentioned that the startup time and the time between shots was long — I didn’t find that to be the case. It powers up almost instantly, and even taking photos at the largest image size the time between shots is only a second or two. My first digital camera would tend to “submarine” for six or seven seconds between shots!

    Overall I’m VERY, VERY happy to have a camera that works again, and the cost wasn’t all that much, like half of what I paid five years ago for the S410. Half the cost, half the weight… I still daydream about getting a “real” camera, a digital SLR (DSLR) with a nice heavy L-series prime lens… but it wouldn’t fit in my pocket, would it?

    Don’t hesitate — this is a beautiful little device, thoughtfully designed and nicely manufactured. If you’re traveling or if you’re a parent (or both) you know you simply cannot take too many photos. I bought a 4GB card for this, one of those little big-as-your-thumbnail chips, and even at the highest resolution the photos are about 2MB apiece, so you can shoot a lot of photos and never run out of space. Included with the camera was a cable to attach to a television, which I thought was a neat idea. I’ll have to play with that sometime.

    My only caveat would be based on my experience having sent my S410 in for repair to Canon — for $100 the repair didn’t last long at all, I wonder if they just sent me a refurbished unit they had. Anyway, don’t DROP your camera and you won’t have to send it in to be repaired.
    Rating: 5 / 5

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