Introduction

Design & Appearance

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Just as the 520 HS added more angularity and sharpness to the 510 HS body, the 110 HS has cleaner lines and harder corners than the 100 HS. The update is subtle, but gives the camera a more modern appearance. The flash bulb on the front panel has been widened and thinned to match the new style, and the only other change is a new dedicated movie button above the existing control layout.

Tour

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Menu

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Canon is using their updated quick menu for the 110 HS. It's a cosmetic upgrade over the previous criss-cross interface, and one that sacrifices function for form. All shooting variables are no longer visible at once, so some extra scrolling is needed. The main menu (not pictured) is a typical tab-based system that takes advantage of the zoom lever to easily navigate between groups of options.

Ease of Use

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While the control layout on the rear panel is simple enough, all buttons are recessed into the surface of the body, and this can make actually pressing them annoying. At least the setup is beginner-proof, other than the directional pad only three buttons populate the rear panel: playback, main menu, and record video.

Size & Handling

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This ultracompact is certainly small and portable, but no ergonomic features are built into the design. The form factor doesn't help much either, and we're left with a small body that is no more or less comfortable than all the brick-shaped models on the market.

Modes Overview

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A simple hardware switch toggles between Program and Full Auto shooting modes, and while we always miss PASM when it's not available, the simplified configuration will be perfect for brand new photographers. Once the shooter has built up some confidence, Program mode allows more detailed control, though program shift functionality is absent.

Auto Mode

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Movie Mode

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Like the 100 HS, the 110 HS is a Full HD 1080p device that records at 24 frames per second. Without permission to use a memory card with the unit, it was impossible to gauge the response and effectiveness of movie mode, so we'll have to wait for the full review.

Drive/Burst Mode

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Again, without a memory card it's impossible to judge the performance and responsiveness of the 110 HS' burst mode, so we'll hold judgement until the full review. What we can tell you is that the 110 HS is rated at 2.0 frames per second at full resolution, slower in fact than the 100 HS (though this is to be expected with the additional megapixel count). The camera's self-timer will be fully customizable.

Playback Mode

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Image review departs very little from Canon's typical repertoire, though it does make use of the newly designed quick menu which we don't love. Fullscreen, magnification, and index review are all available, along with additional tools such as in-camera editing, shuffle, slideshow, application of My Colors modes, information display and histogram, overexposure warning, contrast enhancement, and many more.

Picture Quality & Size Options

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Four aspect ratios are available: 16:9, 3:2, 4:3, and 1:1; and four resolutions in varying sizes are available for each. JPEG compression quality may be set to either Normal or Fine, and the 110 HS does not support RAW shooting.

Focus

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The 110 HS uses contrast detection autofocus, like most cameras of this size, and focus lock speed is rather average. No manual focus capabilities are available, but a macro focus setting can be used to resolve subjects less than 1.6 feet away. Face detection is also supported.

Exposure & Metering

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Aperture range is a very typical f/2.8 - 5.9, and shutter speed ranges between 15 seconds and 1/1500th of a second, but without program shift these stats are almost meaningless. Exposure compensation extends +/- 2 stops in 1/3-stop increments, again very typical, but at least AE lock is possible. Metering methods are Evaluative, Center-weighted, and Spot; with Spot fixed to the center of the frame.

ISO

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In what now seems like a theme, ISO options are–yes–very typical, ranging from 100 to 3200. That will be sufficient for most beginner photographers, but many cameras at this price range now offer ISO 6400. No reduced resolution "extended ISO" modes are available.

White Balance

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White balance control is...wait for it...typical! Canon's most common presets are available: Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, and Fluorescent H, along with automatic and custom modes. Direct color temperature entry in degrees-Kelvin is not possible.

Image Stabilization

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The 110 HS will take advantage of optical image stabilization, a superior technology to the digital stabilization often found on small cameras. It's impossible to test the system's functionality without our in-house testing rig, and since optical zoom maxes out at 5x, we couldn't get a good initial read on the show floor either. This verdict will have to wait until the full review.

Picture Effects

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Scene modes include some popular choices like Smooth Skin, Miniature Effect, High-speed Burst, Poster Effect, Color Swap, and Super Slow Motion Movie (up to 240 fps). Color modes come in Canon's standard flavors: Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black and White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin, Darker Skin, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, and Vivid Red, plus a custom color mode. Without our lab tests, it's impossible to predict which will be the most accurate.

Lens & Sensor

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Optical zoom range has been extended to 5x, and while the CMOS sensor at the heart of this device is still the same size, resolution has been upped to 16.1 megapixels. More megapixels don't always equal better pictures though, so hold your applause until our full review is complete.

LCD

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Resolution of the rear LCD monitor is twice that of the 100 HS: 461,000 dots with a nearly 100% coverage area. This is a 3.0-inch non-touchscreen panel, and that's good, we usually can't stand touchscreen interfaces. Reflectivity was no worse than average, and certainly not severe enough for a beginner to notice.

Flash

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The 110 HS' flash emitter is rated to 11 feet, making it a pretty weak bulb. Canon's lists recycle time at "10 seconds or less," but that's very generous. Typical recycle times were around 3 seconds or less during our time with the camera. Slow Synchro mode, used to help illuminate backgrounds evenly, is supported.

Jacks, Ports & Plugs

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Both a miniUSB and miniHDMI port are concealed underneath a plastic cover at the top of the camera's right panel. The USB terminal is standard, not proprietary, and this is always our preference.

Battery

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The 110 HS is powered by an NB-11L lithium battery pack, and together they're rated to 170 shots on a single charge. That's very slightly below average, but not uncommon for Canon.

Memory

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Widely-available SD, SDHC, and SDXC media are used for storing image and video data from the 110 HS. No internal storage is available, so don't forget those memory cards before heading out to shoot.

Conclusion

In both price and feature set, the PowerShot ELPH 110 HS seems ideally positioned to offer a necessary middle ground between Canon's cheap but limited 100 HS, and the expensive 500 HS level. Canon may have this year's answer to every enthusiast's most common dilemma: "what camera should I buy for my mom?"

Of course all this depends on image quality, which is impossible to analyze accurately without more hands-on time. If the 110 HS can fulfill its promise of high-end performance with low-end simplicity, then this camera could be a huge seller.

The outlook is strong, Canon usually impresses us with gorgeous shots. Until we can complete a full review, we definitely recommend keeping this little compact on your radar.

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Sample Photos

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Specs

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