Canon Ixus 1100 HS review

Shot-to-shot times were on the slow side for such an expensive camera, averaging 2.3 seconds. Continuous mode was better, though, at up to 3fps in bright conditions. There’s also a continuous mode with updating autofocus between each shot. Its 0.9fps performance doesn’t look good on paper, but leaving the camera permanently in this mode let us capture a string of shots simply by holding down the shutter button, effectively reducing the 2.3-second shot-to-shot time to 1.1 seconds.

Image quality is among the best we’ve seen from a compact camera – towards the centre of the frame, at least

With the same 12-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor that we’ve seen on various other Canon compact cameras this year, it came as no surprise to find some beautiful photos coming out of this camera. Brightly lit scenes were captured with rich, smooth colours. When telephoto zoom positions or diminishing light demanded faster ISO speeds, noise levels remained impressively low.

The lens wasn’t quite up to the same standards, though, exhibiting slightly soft focus and chromatic aberrations towards the corners of frames. The centre was better but still not quite as sharp as from other Canon cameras that use the same sensor. These issues were pretty subtle but it’s fair to expect better from a compact camera that costs over £300.

Noise levels remain impressively low at higher ISO speeds but focus is a little soft towards the edges of the frame, and there are chromatic aberrations too (most visibly on the edges of the sheep’s leg)

Video quality was generally excellent, with a clean, sharp 1080p picture and superb optical stabilisation, but the 16-minute clip limit is a little frustrating. The stereo soundtrack was detailed and clear but the microphone picked up the zoom and autofocus motors in quieter environments.

The 1100 HS is currently available for pre-order for £350, but we expect the price to come down when stock is widely available. However, it’ll need to drop considerably for it to be a more attractive prospect than the Nikon S9100 or Canon Ixus 230 HS, both of which narrowly surpass the 1100 HS for image quality with their sharper lenses, and offer more conventional controls that we found much easier to use.