Friday, February 3, 2012

Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera (Black)




Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera (Black)

I currently own a 5D Mark II and was looking to replace my Canon S80 which is now 6 yrs old. While I love the S80 and the quality pics it captured, the bulkiness of this point-and-shoot (P&S) became inconvenient. My wife was adamant she wanted a more compact P&S this time around. 


In addition to great pics, I was looking for a P&S with 1080p video capability so I wouldn't have to get a separate camcorder. Let me say that the 300 HS is a quality camera packed into a sleek body that I can easily slip into any pocket on the run. 




Most Canon cameras (I am a Canon loyalist) take great shots. But what most impresses me about this camera are its low-light capabilities. It obviously can not match the image quality of a DSLR, but for a P&S, I was impressed! Indoor night shots of my kids WITHOUT flash (incandescent lighting only) come out amazingly crisp with minimal noise. Autofocus is quite impressive as it tracks faces in the frame further enhancing ease of use. Menu functions are quite intuitive (if you've owned previous Canon models). It's got plenty of preset shooting modes. And it's quick between shots for a P&S (a couple seconds with flash photography). 



I also compared the 1080p video vs Flip Ultra HD which shoots in 720p. The video quality is like night-and-day with the 300 HS finishing ahead by a mile. Low-light video is grainy but still watchable (unwatchable on Flip). In daylight, video looks beautiful. Video is easily imported into both iphoto and imovie. Just make sure you have a large memory card as 1080p takes up 16GB/hour of video. I bought a 32GB card. 



I did purchase an extra battery after reading battery life can be short. I've had the camera a week and have used it for 15-30 minutes daily (including video capture) and I have not needed to recharge yet. 



I'd also recommend the black body as it has a textured housing that makes holding this small camera much easier. 



Also purchased a Caselogic TBC - 302 compact camera case which fits this camera perfectly. It has a small side pocket that I slip the extra battery in. 



Overall, considering the excellent quality of the camera, easy portability, and great price, this camera is worth every penny.


Technical Details

Color: Black
  • World's thinnest digital camera with a 24mm ultra Wide-Angle lens and 5x Optical Zoom and Optical Image Stabilizer.
  • Canon's HS SYSTEM with a 12.1 MP CMOS and DIGIC 4 Image Processor improves shooting in low-light situations without the need for a flash
  • Full 1080p HD Video for exceptional quality with stereo sound, plus a dedicated movie button for easy access.
  • Get high-speed shooting in a point-and-shoot camera: High-speed Burst Mode captures 8.0fps and
  • Smart AUTO intelligently selects the proper settings for the camera based on 32 predefined shooting situations.
  • Super Slow Motion Movie records video at high speeds to allow slow motion playback.
  • Zoom optically while shooting video and keep footage stabilized with Dynamic IS.
  • And lowers noise levels at higher ISO settings.


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