Canon

Canon 4925B001 PowerShot ELPH 100 HS Blue Digital Camera

4.0 (167 reviews)
1080p

A pocketable 12.1MP point-and-shoot with a 28mm wide-angle lens and Canon's HS SYSTEM — clean results in low light without reaching for the flash.

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Overview

The Canon PowerShot ELPH 100 HS is a 12.1MP slim-body compact camera built around Canon's HS SYSTEM — the combination of a backside-illuminated CMOS sensor and DIGIC image processor that Canon positioned as its answer to the low-light performance gap between compact cameras and larger-sensor alternatives. The practical result is cleaner images at ISO 800 and above compared to CCD-sensor compacts from the same period, meaning indoor birthday parties, dimly lit restaurants, and evening street scenes produce sharper, less grainy shots without requiring flash. The lens starts at 28mm equivalent — wider than the 35mm-start zoom lenses that were standard on earlier ELPH models — which translates directly to better group shots in living rooms, broader architectural captures, and more contextual travel photography. The 4x zoom range takes you to 112mm, which covers most everyday distances but leaves wildlife and sports shooting underserved.

The camera is genuinely designed to be picked up and used without adjustment. Smart AUTO's 32-scene recognition covers the scenarios that trip up fixed-program automatics — backlit portraits, low-light candles, close-up flowers — and gets exposure right consistently enough that casual shooters rarely need to override it. Full 1080p HD video with Dynamic IS adds a capable video dimension for an era when most compact cameras were still shooting 720p. The 3.0-inch PureColor LCD handles image review and playback well in normal lighting, though bright sun requires deliberate shading to compose accurately. For photographers looking for a rugged backup camera, a gift for a non-technical family member, or a compact shooter for travel days when a larger camera is impractical, the ELPH 100 HS delivers reliable results with a form factor that disappears into a shirt pocket.

Key Features

Improves shooting in low-light situations without the need for a flash and lowers noise levels at higher ISO settings

Full 1080p HD Video for exceptional quality and keep footage stabilized with Dynamic IS

Smart AUTO intelligently selects the proper settings for the camera based on 32 predefined shooting situations

4x Optical Zoom with a Wide-Angle lens (28-112mm) Optical Image Stabilizer and a 3.0-inch PureColor System LCD

Includes battery pack, battery charger, wrist strap, AV cable, USB cable, CD-ROM

Specifications

Sensor
12.1 MP CMOS
Lens
4x Optical Zoom, 28–112mm equivalent
Image Stabilization
Optical Image Stabilizer (stills), Dynamic IS (video)
LCD
3.0-inch PureColor System
Video
Full 1080p HD
Burst Mode
8.2 fps high-speed
Scene Detection
Smart AUTO — 32 predefined scenes
Color
Blue
Included Accessories
Battery pack, battery charger, wrist strap, AV cable, USB cable, CD-ROM

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • 28mm wide-angle starting focal length captures more of the scene than the 35mm-start lenses on older compact cameras — noticeably more useful for group shots and interiors.
  • Canon HS SYSTEM CMOS sensor delivers cleaner high-ISO output than CCD-based compacts, making available-light shots more usable without flash.
  • Full 1080p HD video with Dynamic IS keeps handheld footage stable enough for casual and travel video use without a separate stabilizer.
  • Smart AUTO with 32 scene modes handles the exposure decisions reliably across varied shooting conditions, making it a genuinely pick-up-and-shoot camera.
  • High-speed burst mode at 8.2fps captures fast-moving subjects — children, pets, sports — at a frame rate competitive with entry-level interchangeable lens cameras of its era.

👎 Cons

  • 4x optical zoom tops out at 112mm equivalent — sufficient for everyday shots but limiting for any subject that requires reaching across a room or outdoor space.
  • Fixed lens with no manual focus option makes close-focus creative work and selective focus control unavailable to the shooter.
  • Smart AUTO's scene-selection logic occasionally misreads ambiguous scenes — mixed lighting or partial backlighting can produce auto settings that don't match what the photographer intends.
  • 3.0-inch LCD is the sole composition and review method — no viewfinder means shooting in bright daylight requires shading the screen to compose accurately.
  • No RAW format output; JPEG-only capture limits post-processing latitude for recovering highlights or lifting shadows in challenging exposures.

Frequently Asked Questions

The HS SYSTEM combines the 12.1MP CMOS sensor with Canon's DIGIC image processor to improve signal processing at higher ISO settings, reducing noise while maintaining detail. In practice, this means indoor and evening shots produce noticeably cleaner results than comparably priced cameras with older CCD sensors — particularly in situations where flash would be intrusive or unflattering.
At 28mm equivalent, the ELPH 100 HS captures a wider field of view than the 35mm starting point common on older compact cameras. This makes a practical difference in tight indoor spaces — fitting more people into a group shot or capturing a full room — and in travel photography where you want architectural context in frame.
Yes — Full 1080p HD video recording uses Dynamic IS, Canon's video-specific image stabilization mode that compensates for camera movement during handheld recording. This reduces the rolling jitter typical of handheld video on small-bodied cameras, though it does not eliminate motion blur from rapid panning.
Smart AUTO evaluates the scene across 32 predefined shooting situations — backlit portraits, night scenes, close-ups, moving subjects — and selects shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and white balance accordingly. It is an automatic mode; in Smart AUTO, the camera's scene analysis takes precedence over manual settings. Switching to other modes (P, Tv, Av) returns more control to the shooter.
The ELPH 100 HS accepts SD, SDHC, and SDMC memory cards. No memory card is included in the box — the included accessories are a battery pack, battery charger, wrist strap, AV cable, USB cable, and software CD-ROM.