While Canon has long had one of the widest selections of digital point-and-shoots of any brand, its lineup has been shy on super-zooms—as in models with 10x or greater optical zoom. The super-zooms it did have—the full-featured PowerShot S3 IS, its successor, the PowerShot S5 IS, and the hybrid PowerShot TX1—were all priced at more than $300. If you wanted to spend less, you had to choose cameras from other brands, such as the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3. (More information about all the camera models mentioned here can be found in our Ratings of digital cameras, available to subscribers.)

At $250, the Canon SX100 IS is Canon's first super-zoom priced to compete with models like those. Like the S5 IS, the SX100 IS is an 8-megapixel compact with full manual controls, preset scene modes, a built-in optical image stabilizer, and face detection. Unlike the S5 IS, it has an optical zoom ratio of 10x (versus 12x) but features a navigation wheel, similar to those on the Canon's PowerShot G9 and SLRs, although its control isn't quite as powerful as the SLRs'. The wheel can be useful in selecting menu settings or images in playback mode.

We hope to complete our tests of the Canon SX100 IS digital camera soon and include it with other models featured in our Ratings of digital cameras and CR's list of Recommended cameras. (Both are available to subscribers.) In the meantime, here's what our testers have discovered so far:


HIGHS

Picture quality. The SX100 IS's picture quality is on par with other cameras in its class, such as the S5IS and the highly rated A630. It's also comparable to the Panasonic DMC-TZ3 and the Sony DSC-H3.

Image sharpness. If you like to print large photographs, the SX100 IS won't disappoint. Prints up to 13 x 19 inches maintained excellent sharpness, while those up to 20 x 24 inches had very good sharpness.

Battery life. At 400 shots, this was excellent and on par with the S5IS and the A630 (with 450 and 500 shots, respectively).


LOWS

Low-light performance. If you like to shoot in low light without a flash, you might not be satisfied. Although the camera can be set as high as 1600 ISO, our tests indicated that 100 ISO was the maximum setting for an acceptable photo. Above that, you'll start to see visual noise in the image, which can degrade image quality and obscure details.

Missing some niceties. The SX100 IS has an LCD that doesn't swivel and lacks a viewfinder.

Video recording. This is a mixed bag. Like nearly all compacts, it records videos with sound, up to the capacity of the memory card, at 30 frames per second at either 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 resolution. (So can the S5 IS and A630.) But it can't zoom optically during video recording. And, like most Canon Powershots, it records in the Motion JPEG format, not MPEG-4 (as do some digital cameras from other brands). MPEG-4 lets you capture more video on a memory card, without losing quality, than other compression schemes.

Battery maintenance. Aside from using two AA batteries, you'll also need to occasionally replace a button-size battery that retains the date and time. On the good side, if the main camera AA batteries die, your date and time settings aren't lost. But you might find it annoying to maintain two types of batteries


BOTTOM LINE

Despite a few rough edges, the Canon SX100 IS is a very good choice and offers a lot for a super-zoom compact in its price range.