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Canon ELPH 300 HS Review



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Black Canon ELPH 300 HS digital camera Lens View

For whatever reason, this year's release of ultra-compact cameras really focused on how thin the manufacturers could make their cameras. In previous years, the focus has been on getting the width and height as small as the LCD that the camera housed. I guess the camera guys have shaved as much as they can there, so now the focus is on thin!

And with that, I bring you this Canon ELPH 300 HS review, a camera that Canon touts as the thinnest camera in the world...with a catch. That would be the thinnest camera which has 5x optical zoom and a 24 millimeter wide-angle lens, and not just the thinnest camera ever (I could look up which camera that is, but I know it's practically unusable; trust me).

Canon ELPH 300 HS Camera for Sale at Amazon

Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with Full 1080p HD Video (Silver)
Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with Full 1080p HD Video (Silver)


List Price: $229.00
Sale Price: $184.00

You save: $45.00 (20%)

So while the Canon ELPH 300 HS camera might not be the world's thinnest overall, if you want the smallest camera available with these two features, then the Canon ELPH 300 HS camera is the place to be! But is it right for you?

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Canon Powershot 300 HS RED ELPH Digital Camera NEW
Canon Powershot 300 HS RED ELPH Digital Camera NEW


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It is honestly amazing that so much technology can be placed into such a small package. In fact, there is very little missing in the Canon ELPH 300 HS that you could want that might be available in another ultra compact camera. We mentioned the 5x optical zoom and that coupled with Canon's image stabilization system will have you shooting nice and clean shots with very little noise and with a sharpness that you might expect out of a better sensor.

The HS in the name gives the camera the attributes of being able to shoot in low light and yet keep the output relatively noise-free. Yes, there will be a bit of noise, for now there always will be in a point-and-shoot. But the HS system cleans up the shots and works with the image stabilizer to create a blur free photo. No need here to worry if you have the right ISO setting or not. The HS system takes care of it for you.

Speaking of which, the megapixel rating on the Canon 300HS camera is a bit low, at just 12.1 megapixels. That's lower than most of the higher-end point-and-shoot cameras coming out lately, and it's also backed by a CMOS sensor instead of the now standard CCD. This is probably the only low point of the camera, as the 300HS is supposed to be the successor to the SD1400IS, yet rates a bit lower in the sensor department. Still megapixels aren't the be-all, end-all to everything in the camera world, and as long as the ISO can be set high enough, picture quality should not suffer.

What you don't find in most ultra-compact cameras is 1080p HD quality video recording, and yet you have it in this camera. The Canon 300HS fully supports 1080p video and includes an HDMI output for playing the video directly to your HDTV. You can of course move that resolution down somewhat to save room on your memory card, but get a nice and large SDXC card so you can go ahead and take advantage of the cameras video options.

Canon ELPH 300 HS Camera Photos

One item we thought was a neat addition for the Canon 300 HS camera is the ability to record video in high speed, around 240 frames per second. Why is that good? Well, the high frame rate allows for a slow motion playback, so you can see quick moving objects (birds, animals, and yes kids) in a super slow and fun type of video capture.

Back to the lens for a bit, and the fact that Canon chose to install a wide-angle lens on the 300 HS. I'm not sure enough can be said for a camera that allows for wider angles in photography, and we're glad to see it anytime it's available. The ELPH 300 HS takes advantage of this wide angle lens availability in including the 5x optical zoom so you can zoom in a good bit further than the ultra compacts, yet still capture plenty of the surrounding area in your field of play. Telephoto isn't left out either with the wide angle, as the 300 HS cranks it up to 120 millimeters in that area.

Like most other point-and-shoot cameras, the Canon ELPH 300 HS camera can be set in manual mode so the photographer handles all of the scene selection issues, ISO, and whatnot. But if you prefer, turn on the "Advanced Smart Auto" feature and let the camera choose from among 32 scene settings to find the perfect one for your environment. That's usually what I would prefer in the camera myself, as this type of camera is really something I want to have to shoot pictures without worrying over settings.

However, you can have a little fun with the 300HS camera in the scene selection. Want to create photos that look like they were taken from the inside of a fish bowl? Turn on the fisheye effect. How about nostalgic pinhole type camera shots? You can do that with the Canon 300HS also. Incredible over the top saturation is available in Super Vivid mode and miniaturizing your subjects or their surroundings are both cool scene selections to try. My favorite though is the Color Swap scene, which allows you to switch out one color in the photos you take with some other photos, leaving a special and unique look to each photo.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the Canon ELPH 300 HS camera has a lot of options for such a tiny little package. Once you open it up and install the battery, you'll also see that the majority of the camera is taken up by the battery compartment, and frankly that's even more amazing to me. For those with large hands, you might want to try the camera out first at your local store to see if the fit of it is comfortable in your hands, but for the rest of you, we can't recommend the Canon 300 HS camera enough if the "world's tiniest camera" is what you are really after. Especially if you don't want to skimp on features at the same time!

Canon ELPH 300 HS Camera Specs

* Model / ASIN: 300 HS / (B004J41T7Q, B004J3ZXGU, B004J3ZV62)
* Colors Available: Black (most popular), silver, and red
* Resolution: 12.1 megapixels using a CMOS sensor
* Lens: 5x optical zoom wide-angle Canon glass lens with 35 millimeter equivalency of 24 millimeters to 120 millimeters
* Digital Zoom: 4x digital zoom
* Video Recording: Capable of 1080p HD video recording at 24 frames per second; 30 frames per second available in 720p and 640x480 model
* Minimum Focus Range: 2 inches in normal; 1.2 inches in macro mode; 3 feet in telephoto
* Continuous Shooting: 3.4 frames per second in normal mode; 8.2 frames per second in burst mode
* Shutter Speed: 1 second to 1/2000 of a second in normal mode; Up to 15 seconds in fireworks scene mode
* Aperture: f/2.7 to f/5.9
* ISO: Auto ISO between 100 to 800, 1600, and 3200
* LCD Display: 2.7" LCD screen used for shot setup, playback, and for shooting photos and video
* Viewfinder: None
* Flash: Flash is built into the body of the ELPH 300 HS
* File Format: JPEG for still photos; MOV for video files
* File Storage: SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory card compatible; Eye-Fi compatible; Sony MMC, MMCPlus, and HC MMCPlus memory card compatible
* Outputs: Mini-HDMI (x1); USB (x1); A/V (x1)
* Power: Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (model #NB-4L) which is capable of around 210 shots before the battery needs to be recharged or 5 hours of video playback on one charge
* Dimensions: 3 3/5" x 2 1/10" x 4/5" (W x H x D) and weighs just 4 1/3 ounces before installing the battery and memory card
3.63 x 2.20 x 0.77 in
* Release Date: February 2011

Reference

Canon ELPH 300 HS (IXUS 220 HS): Digital Photography Review
The Canon ELPH 300 HS/ IXUS 220 HS is premium ultra-compact with back-li...

Canon PowerShot Elph 300 HS Review - YouTube
For the complete Canon PowerShot Elph 300 HS review, go to http://www.in...

Canon ELPH 300 HS Camera - Youtube Video Review

YouTube Videos

Set Sail / Bitter Sweet / Sydney, Australia / Canon Powershot Elph Camera 300...
16 May 2012 at 6:57am





B. Daniels is the lead review expert with Find Cheap Bargains. B. was more than likely the person responsible for the hands-on review of every product on the site. He also spends time searching for sale bargains when not conducting and writing the reviews.

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