Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera (Black)

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Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera (Black)

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera (Black)

Product Details

Product Dimensions: 3.6 x 0.8 x 2.2 inches ; 5 ounces
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
ASIN: B004J41T7Q
Item model number: ELPH 300 HS - BK
Batteries: 1 Nonstandard Battery batteries required. (included)

List Price : ~~$229.00~~
Price : $140.00

Product Description

Color: Black
From the Manufacturer
Don't let the PowerShot ELPH 300 HS digital camera's slim profile and good looks fool you. This slick little device may stand out from the crowd, but it'll also deliver brilliant still images, ultra-detailed 1080p Full HD video, serious functionality, and a wealth of effects and automatic settings. You'll be surprised how much is packed into such a slim point-and-shoot. Let your imagination run wild, and let Canon's HS SYSTEM, a 24mm lens, 5x Optical Zoom, and 12.1 Megapixels help you snap great photos everywhere.

Incredibly Thin. Incredibly Powerful.
Thin Is In
At less than an inch deep and weighing just under five ounces, the PowerShot 300 HS will fit right in your pocket, but it packs plenty of power into its sleek point-and-shoot body. A 24mm ultra wide-angle lens with a powerful 5x optical zoom gives you the versatility to shoot in any number of situations, and the optical image stabilizer keeps things from getting too shaky when you're zoomed in tight. Whether you're out partying or just walking around town, you don't need to sacrifice style for power--the PowerShot ELPH 300 HS has got you covered for capturing great photos effortlessly.
No More Dark Photos
Canon's HS SYSTEM improves shooting in low-light situations without the need for a flash, and lowers noise levels at higher ISO settings.
The Canon HS SYSTEM takes the frustration out of low-light shooting, delivering clear, blur-free shots with all the ambiance intact, and freeing you from the sometimes unwanted effects of using the flash. Beautiful low-light shots are possible at both low and high ISO speeds, and the dynamic range is expanded to retain maximum detail in highlight and shadow areas.
The system is the result of two technologies brought together in this compact PowerShot. The first is the 12.1 Megapixel CMOS Sensor, which positions the light-receiving surface for optimal light reception. More light means clearer, blur-free images with plenty of detail and nuance, even in dark areas. Working together with the CMOS sensor to deliver the HS SYSTEM is Canon's advanced DIGIC 4 Image Processor, which actively reduces noise and delivers high speed image processing.

The HS Megapixel Advantage
There's more to megapixels. Canon's HS System provides dramatically greater sensitivity than your average camera with identical or greater megapixel counts. That means you don't need excessive megapixels to achieve spectacular images with minimal noise, and you get equally impressive results out of the 12.1 megapixel ELPH 300 HS.
Memorable Moments in Full HD
Experiencing the brilliance of HD video in a Canon PowerShot ELPH digital camera has never been easier. With the convenient dedicated movie button, you'll be able to instantly record everyday moments in high-definition detail at the push of a button. Record in Full 1080p HD with stereo sound, and pick up the optional HTC-100 HDMI cable for viewing your footage directly on your HDTV.
You can also use the optical zoom while shooting video, so you can get in nice and close--plus, no need to worry about shaky footage thanks to dynamic image stabilization to keep your videos steady!

A PowerShot that Keeps Up with the Action
Sometimes, the action just won't stop for you. The PowerShot ELPH 300 HS comes equipped with a High-Speed Burst Mode that can capture eight frames per second. Just hold down the shutter button and catch rapid-fire action sequences--perfect for sporting events!
You can also add a fun slow motion effect to your videos, using Super Slow Motion Movie. Super Slow Motion Movie will record your clips at a high speed, so that when you watch your videos, they'll play back in slow motion--a great feature for analyzing sports play-by-play, or just for creating fun visual effects.
Advanced Smart AUTO for Stills and Videos that Shine
The PowerShot ELPH 300 HS digital camera takes the quality of your still images and videos to a whole new level--automatically. The camera's advanced Smart AUTO system detects a wealth of information about the scene you're shooting, then automatically selects the optimal settings for you. Now with an expanded range of 32 shooting scenarios, the camera handles a wide variety of situations, freeing you up to concentrate on composing your shot and capturing the moment you're looking for. From portraits to landscapes to action scenes, the PowerShot ELPH 300 HS digital camera has you covered, whether you're shooting stills or videos.
Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 Functions
Canon PowerShot ELPH Series Feature Comparison

Smart AUTOThe camera automatically selects the best shooting settings for optimal quality based on subjects and environmental factors to provide point-and-shoot simplicity.
P ProgramAccess advanced exposure compensation features while shooting mostly automatically.
Movie Digest ModeRecords a video clip before capturing a still image and then combines one day's worth of clips into a video.
PortraitThe camera sets a large aperture, focusing the subject and artistically blurring the background to make your subject pop.
Kids ; PetsReduced focusing time freezes fast-moving subjects, so you won't miss those special shots.
Smart ShutterThe camera automatically takes the photo when people smile, wink, or get into frame.
High-speed BurstThe camera shoots continuously at a high speed of approx. 8.2fps while you hold down the shutter.
Best Image SelectionThe camera takes five photos in succession, and then chooses the best one out of the bunch.
Handheld Night SceneSuppresses image blur even without the help of a tripod.
Low LightFor high quality image capture in an amazing range of dimly-lit situations.
Fisheye EffectAdd a classic photo distortion without a fisheye lens.
Miniature Effect for Movies ; StillsEmphasizes perspective for a miniature effect by blurring upper and bottom portions of videos and stills.
Toy Camera EffectSimulates photos taken with "toy" or pinhole cameras, darkening the image at the edges to create a vignette effect.
Creative Light EffectTransform background bright spots to stars, hearts, music motes and more.
MonochromeChoose from three single-tone effects: Black-and-White, Sepia, or Blue.
Super VividSuper Vivid intensifies existing hues, saturating the scene with bright colors.
Poster EffectPoster Effect combines several similar shades into one color, turning subtle gradations into eye-catching, scene-popping contrasts.
Color AccentChoose to retain a single color in your image while other colors turn monochrome.
Color SwapSelect a color and replace it with a color you specify for special effects.
BeachGet clear shots of people at a sunny beach without darkened faces.
FoliageCapture brilliant shots of autumn foliage, greenery and blossoms.
SnowShoot clear snow scenes without darkened subjects or an unnatural bluish tint.
FireworksGrab brilliant images of skyrocketing fireworks.
Stitch AssistBuild awe-inspiring panoramas by neatly aligning sequential images.

Movie Capabilities
The PowerShot ELPH 300 HS gives you a variety of resolution options for shooting movies, depending on your needs. Shoot in Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 30 fps for up to 14 min. 34 sec. or 4GB per clip. Shoot in HD (1280 x 720) at 24 fps for up to 20 min. and 43 sec. or 4GB per clip. Shoot in VGA (640 x 480) at 30 fps for up to 43 min. and 43 sec. or 4GB per clip and QVGA (320 x 240 at 30 fps) for up to 1 hour 58 min. and 19 sec. or 4GB per clip. Super Slow Motion Movie
Record your clips in high speed (approx. 240fps), and then watch your videos in slow motion. (Watch a video of Super Slow Motion Movie Mode at the top of the page, just below the product image.)
Miniature Movie Mode
Miniature Movie Mode enhances perspective to make large scenes like cityscapes or landscapes appear to be in miniature proportions. (Watch a video of Miniature Movie Mode at the top of the page, just below the product image.)
Easily Turn Your Memories into Videos
Putting together a video containing highlights from family vacations, important occasions and other special events is now easier than you might imagine. Using the Movie Digest Mode, you can have the camera automatically record a short video clip (up to approximately 4 seconds) every time you shoot a still image. The camera will then combine an entire day's worth of clips into a single video. No editing required--Movie Digest Mode does all the work, so you can sit back and enjoy your video!
Add Some Fun to Your Photos
Two new scene modes, Toy Camera Effect and Monochrome, add an artistic look to your photos.
Toy Camera Effect
Add some vintage nostalgia with Toy Camera Effect, which recreates the classic look by darkening the edges to make them appear as if they were photographed through a pinhole lens, and amping up the contrast.
Monochrome
Monochrome lets you stray from the usual black and white, letting you choose from three single-toned effects: Black ; White, Sepia, or Blue, to really give your photos the effect you're looking for.

What's in the Box
PowerShot ELPH 300 HS (Black), Battery Pack, Battery Charger, Wrist Strap, AV Cable, USB Interface Cable, Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM, Documentation
The Canon 5096B001 PowerShot ELPH 300 HS Black 12MP Digital Camera with 5x Zoom and 2.7 In. LCD Display has a slim profile that will not only make you stand out from the crowd, but it will also deliver incredibly brilliant still images and amazing 1080p HD videos. Once you turn on the camera, be prepared to be amazed at how much is packed into one of the slimmest point-and-shoot digital cameras on the market. So let your imagination run free and let the HS SYSTEM, 24mm 5x Optical Zoom and 12.1 Megapixels help you achieve great images everywhere.

Technical Details

World's thinnest digital camera with a 24mm ultra Wide-Angle lens and 5x Optical Zoom and Optical Image Stabilizer.
Canon's HS SYSTEM with a 12.1 MP CMOS and DIGIC 4 Image Processor improves shooting in low-light situations without the need for a flash
Full 1080p HD Video for exceptional quality with stereo sound, plus a dedicated movie button for easy access.
Get high-speed shooting in a point-and-shoot camera: High-speed Burst Mode captures 8.0fps and
Smart AUTO intelligently selects the proper settings for the camera based on 32 predefined shooting situations.
Super Slow Motion Movie records video at high speeds to allow slow motion playback.
Zoom optically while shooting video and keep footage stabilized with Dynamic IS.
And lowers noise levels at higher ISO settings.

Customer Reviews

I'm a DSLR photographer who shoots professionally and has managed a camera store in the past. I wanted something I can take with me everywhere but still produces good quality shots. I also wanted a camera that could shoot good looking videos. I researched several models and after much deliberation decided on the Canon 300 HS. I'm very happy I did.
Image Quality:
I tested cameras and lenses all the time while managing the camera store so whenever I purchase a new camera or lens I always test it. The Canon 300 HS doesn't produce the quality of images my Nikon D7000 does but I didn't expect it to. The edges get a little soft with the 300 HS when looking at the image at 100% whereas the D7000 images are almost tact sharp.
Comparing the 300 HS to the Canon Powershot SD1000 from a few years ago, the 300 HS blows it out of the water. The SD1000 is a 7 MP camera. Shooting the same shots on a tripod with the same focal length on the lens the 300 HS uses its extra MPs well. When looking at the images from each camera at 100%, at the wide angle zoom setting and normal zoom setting both cameras have about the same relative slight softness on the edges. However the 300 HS has more MP so it actually produces much more detail in the image. I think it was smart for Canon to keep the MP at 12 because last years models while being 14 MP (SD1400) didn't give any extra detail from what I could tell than the 12 MP version (SD1300). The SD1400 was basically just creating larger files. When zooming in the telephoto setting the 300 HS clearly produced a sharper image than the SD1000. Often cameras have sweet spots in the zoom range in which it will produce crisper images. The 300 HS has consistently good sharpness throughout it's zoom range.
HS system and ISO:
The image processing with the HS system truly works to reduce noise at higher ISOs enabling people to produce better quality images in low light. The improvement in image quality gets more and more visible the greater and greater the ISO. ISO 400 with the 300 HS was almost as good as ISO 200 on the SD1000. ISO 800 on the 300 HS was a tad better than ISO 400 on the SD1000. ISO 1600 on the 300 HS was between ISO 400 and 800 on the SD1000. ISO 3200 on the 300 HS produced the same quality of image (noise) as ISO 800 on the SD1000. A 2 stop in film speed improvement is big.
1080p video and slow motion:
With good light, the 300 HS produces wonderful smooth 1080 videos. If you look at a lot of HD videos from compact cameras the video often looks jumpy. From what I've seen it wasn't until you got to the Canon G12 or Panasonic LX5 that the video looked smooth. Both of those cameras only shoot 720p whereas this camera shoots 1080p. The video also very good detail. It truly looks HD.
If you are wanting zoom and continuous AF with your video this camera is the one you want compared to the 100 HS which doesn't allow you to zoom. The continuous AF with face recognition is stellar with this camera in video mode. I was videoing my wife while she was driving. It focused on her face. I switched to the scenery outside. It immediately focused on that. I then went back to my wife and it found her face and focused on it right away. I even videoed her reflection in the rear view mirror and it found her face in the mirror no problem and focused on it. AMAZING
Commenting on a complaint I've read about the zoom being slow in video mode. If you like getting motion sickness whenever someone rapidly zooms in or out during their video this is not your camera. As smooth looking as the video is, the zoom is also. The smooth zoom creates nice looking transitions instead of warp speed ahead looks.
The slow motion is a fun feature that works well. You need to have good lighting though. In low light even with high ISO's it produced very dark videos. In a review someone commented that it should have sound with the slow motion video. I honestly don't know how that could work unless you want to listen to everything at 1/5 it's normal speed. I think it's a good thing that it doesn't have sound with the slow motion videos.
AF:
I commented on AF partially in the video portion of the review. It does have several AF modes for various situations. The face detection works great. If you have a person in the picture but want something other than the person to be in focus you will need to change AF modes from face detection. The reviewer that had the problem with the 300 HS focusing on things he didn't want the camera to focus on likely didn't have the correct AF mode for the shooting situations. The 300 HS does have a center AF if you prefer that.
Areas for Canon to improve on with the 300 HS:
The camera is so well thought out that I'm surprised Canon let this slip. I love having a wide angle zoom go down to 24mm. It's great for scenery and photojournalist type shots. If you shoot at the widest angle zoom and use the flash, the lens on the 300 HS blocks the flash's exposure on the bottom right corner of the image. The corner is completely black. If you zoom in a bit so you aren't at the widest angle setting when using the flash you will be fine. Still all Canon had to do is not put the flash so close to the lens.
When shooting video in lower light situations the video does start to get noisy and grainy quicker than some other cameras.
Conclusion:
All in all this is a wonderfully thought out camera with great image quality and image processing and it shoots stellar videos for it's compact size.

I currently own a 5D Mark II and was looking to replace my Canon S80 which is now 6 yrs old. While I love the S80 and the quality pics it captured, the bulkiness of this point-and-shoot (P;S) became inconvenient. My wife was adamant she wanted a more compact P;S this time around.
In addition to great pics, I was looking for a P;S with 1080p video capability so I wouldn't have to get a separate camcorder. Let me say that the 300 HS is a quality camera packed into a sleek body that I can easily slip into any pocket on the run.
Most Canon cameras (I am a Canon loyalist) take great shots. But what most impresses me about this camera are its low-light capabilities. It obviously can not match the image quality of a DSLR, but for a P;S, I was impressed! Indoor night shots of my kids WITHOUT flash (incandescent lighting only) come out amazingly crisp with minimal noise. Autofocus is quite impressive as it tracks faces in the frame further enhancing ease of use. Menu functions are quite intuitive (if you've owned previous Canon models). It's got plenty of preset shooting modes. And it's quick between shots for a P;S (a couple seconds with flash photography).
I also compared the 1080p video vs Flip Ultra HD which shoots in 720p. The video quality is like night-and-day with the 300 HS finishing ahead by a mile. Low-light video is grainy but still watchable (unwatchable on Flip). In daylight, video looks beautiful. Video is easily imported into both iphoto and imovie. Just make sure you have a large memory card as 1080p takes up 16GB/hour of video. I bought a 32GB card.
I did purchase an extra battery after reading battery life can be short. I've had the camera a week and have used it for 15-30 minutes daily (including video capture) and I have not needed to recharge yet.
I'd also recommend the black body as it has a textured housing that makes holding this small camera much easier.
Also purchased a Caselogic TBC - 302 compact camera case which fits this camera perfectly. It has a small side pocket that I slip the extra battery in.
Overall, considering the excellent quality of the camera, easy portability, and great price, this camera is worth every penny.