Canon PowerShot A1100 IS 12MP Digital Camera

The Canon PowerShot A1100 IS sits firmly in the everyday-carry category of compact digital cameras. Its 12.1-megapixel effective resolution targets the snapshot photographer who wants more than a phone camera offered at the time, without stepping into enthusiast territory. The 4X optical zoom covers the most common framing needs, from group shots to moderate reach, and Canon's optical image stabilization is on hand to keep those longer focal lengths usable in less-than-ideal light. The gray finish keeps things understated.

What sets this PowerShot apart from many of its contemporaries is the inclusion of a traditional optical viewfinder alongside the 2.5-inch LCD. That gives shooters a secondary framing option when sunlight overwhelms the rear screen or when they simply prefer composing with the camera at eye level. Construction is purely point-and-shoot in spirit: a fixed lens, a compact shell, and a control layout designed for casual use rather than deep customization. Owners considering it today should treat it as a straightforward picture-taker, not a hybrid stills-and-video tool, and weigh its modest zoom and small screen against its pocketable size and stabilized optics.