Canon PowerShot SX100 IS Super Zoom - Design
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Design
The size of the SX100 makes it portable enough to carry along in a purse, bag, or jacket pocket. It's not the smallest super-zoom on the market, but it is smaller than both the Canon S3 and S5 that I mentioned earlier in this review. The overall dimensions of the SX100 are 4.3 x 2.8 x 1.9 inches, and it weighs just under 10 ounces. This camera's size is pretty typical of other super-zooms on the market.
The body of this Canon is made of a hard plastic material, which should withstand the test of time. I've read a few reviews of this camera that have said that the plastic can get a bit slippery on a hot, humid day. It would have been nice to have some rubber added in strategic places on the camera's body for a better grip in those types of situations. Overall, though, the body is very ergonomic, well-balanced, and comfortable to hold.
The front of the camera sports the heart of the SX100, which is the Canon 10x optical zoom, 3.0-60mm f/2.8-4.3. This lens will zoom 36-360 mm. The lens also features an electronic lens cap, which is a lot nicer than having a bulky cap that is dangling off the camera while you're trying to take photos.
The top of the camera sports the pop-up flash, power button, mode dial, and zoom controls. Other controls on the camera are located on the back of the device. These controls include a navigational scroll, exposure controls, review button, and a function button. There is also a dedicated photo transfer button for transferring images to a computer or a printer with a USB cable. This camera is compatible with PictBridge printers.
The 2.5 inch LCD display works okay for viewing images, but it's not great. The reason for this is the relatively low resolution display, which packs only 172,000 pixels into the 2.5 inch screen. This wouldn't be that big of an issue if the SX100 had an optical viewfinder as an alternative, but it lacks this feature.
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