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1537 of 1551 found the following review helpful:
 Wonderful compact camera with hd video Mar 20, 2011
By J. Gebauer
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.
419 of 425 found the following review helpful:
Awesome Point and Shoot Mar 14, 2011
By Keith Corbin
This is a point and shoot class camera, if you understand that going in, you are going to be more than impressed with it. I'm going from an SD630 and hands down, this beats it. I even had an SX210IS and these images are on par with it, if not better. I had to return my SX210IS as it had issues with dust on the image sensor and I've been waiting for a new P&S class to come out. I bit the bullet on this, well, the black version Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12 MP CMOS Digital Camera with Full 1080p HD Video (Black) and what can I say - I am happy!
300HS vs 500HS:
There is a 500HS version of the camera, which is approx $50 more. To this point, the only differences I can tell are the LCD on the back as well as aperture priority and shutter priority, while the 300hs does not. The touch screen on the 500hs can also be used to focus on a particular subject. The 500hs also has a wider aperture at 2.0, the 300hs has 2.7.
Form Factor/Display:
Small. Awesome. There is a texture on the camera, I really like this as it seems like it will help if you hands are wet (sweat, snow, etc). Easy to operate one hand and if using both hands, flash isn't in a horrible place. Display is very bright and button seem intuitive as with other Canon cameras. Battery and SD are on the bottom door, USB and HDMI are in a covered side port. Comes with a wrist strap if you desire a little extra security.
Boot Time/Software:
Camera is ready to take photos very fast. From the time you press the button, it's pretty much set to catch the action. Time between photos wasn't terrible (about 1.5 seconds) and if you need it, there is continuous shot mode. Had no problem with the Canon software on Windows 7. I've used the Canon Photo Window import for a while, does a good job of getting photos off the camera without duplicates. I use Picasa to then manage my photo library (I skip the Zoom Browser, but it's really not bad if you want to use it, I'm just a slave to Google/gmail)
Computer Connectivity:
I didn't find this anywhere in the specs, so if you're looking, the camera uses mini-USB, similar to all Canon's that have come out over the last few years.
Optical Zoom:
You're going to be impressed with the form factor of this camera and it's 5x OPTICAL zoom. I immediately disabled digital zoom as 12.1MP + 5x Optical will get you very close to the action. You're better off digitally enhancing the photos later on.
Battery + Memory Card:
This uses the NBL-4 (again, I found confusion on this and accessories) - so if you have some of those laying around keep them as they'll work just fine in this camera. This is nice as my SD630 uses the NBL-4 so now I have 2 chargers + 3 batteries. It took my 32GB SDHC without any issues and holds thousands of images. Images have tended to be between 2 and 3mb on the highest settings.
Image Quality:
Look, I'm no photo fanatic, I don't expect the people buying this camera are. I am looking for solid images and this camera delivers. There are a ton a feature you can delve into and I'm sure they are good. It has manual mode, so if you fancy that, you can go down that path. But I'm the type of person that knows when something looks good, OK or great. This camera consistently delivers GREAT photos. I'm happy with the low light and images aren't blurry or grainy (within reasonable expectations).
Video:
FINALLY! Optical zoom on a Canon during video! 1080p brings this camera up to par with others in its class and it does a decent job. I didn't notice any major noise when zooming in and out while recording video. I know this is the excuse Canon has used in the past as to why they never had this feature. It shoots nice clips for those quick moments. This will NOT replace a true DV cam, but hey, for a few minute clips here and there, you will simply not be dissapointed.
178 of 183 found the following review helpful:
Another great Canon product! Mar 30, 2011
By sojo
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.
205 of 220 found the following review helpful:
 Video shaking zooming in at around 3.8x and 4.8x Apr 19, 2011
By T. Wang
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3V1PPASFHWS79 I liked this camera very much especially the low light photo quality and 24mm ultra wide-angel lens until I received my Sandisk Extreme Pro 32gb memory card and started to play with the video functions of the camera. I found that when I was zooming in from 1x, the video was very smooth until it hited around 3.8x, it was shaking twice, and when I continued to zoom in to around 4.8x, it shaking once a little more, no matter what resolutions I used (1280, 1920, 640). Please take a look at the video. I zoomed in all the way from 1x to 5x, and zoomed out and in several times between 3x and 5x. Zooming out was no shaking at all, but zooming in was shaking at around 3.8x and 4.8x. Does anybody have this kind of problem? I don't know if I got a defective one or it is normal. Please let me know and appreciate any comment. Thanks!!
[Update (4/23/2011)]: Finally I returned it because I thought it is defective and just received the replacement one this afternoon. The only difference I noticed at first is the returned one is "Made in Japan", and the new one is "Made in China". I tried to record video by zooming-in with the new camera and very happy to find out the video got perfect zooming-in without any shaking. But later I played that video file on my computer, and heard some very loud knocking sounds when the zooming-in almost reaching to the end (5x). I tried several times and the results were the same. I listened very carefully when I recorded video by zooming-in the camera, and found out the knocking sounds came from the lens' motor. That didn't happan with the returned camera!! I think Canon must have some quality assurance problems. I bought this camera to replace my two and half years old Creative Labs Vado HD 720p Pocket Video Camcorder that only has poor digital zoom function, so I wanted to use this camera to record video mostly and expected much from its 5x optical zoom. I don't know if I would return this replacement one too. :(
[Update (4/25/2011)]: Found another person has the similar problem - clicking noise when zooming-in during video mode. Because Amazon doesn't allow to post the link directly. Please go to YouTube and put "Unboxing Canon Elph 300 HS" in the Search field. Go to the movie page posted by "whynot7891", and see the comments just below that movie.
[Updated (5/2/2011)]: Finally I returned my replacement camera. Before I did that, I went to the local BestBuy, and bought another one that is made in Japan. I was happy to find out that one is free of problems. Though I still can hear the lens noise when zooming, but it is hardly audible. I am glad I didn't give up, because I really love this camera. It is very compact, fast to function, and creates great picture and video even in low light. I particularly love its 24mm wide and 5x lens. I would like to give it a 4 and a half stars if I can. Good luck to get your one!
[Updated (10/4/2011)]: For your information, there is a new model coming out - Canon PowerShot ELPH 310 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with Full 1080p HD Video (Silver). Price is $60 more as today, with same 12.1 MP, same DIGIC 4 processor, but higher 8x Optical Zoom (a plus), larger 3" LCD display (another plus), narrower 28mm lens (a minus), and with more body color options (no black though).
56 of 57 found the following review helpful:
Great camera if it's what you're looking for Mar 20, 2011
By Force2BRW
I've only had it for a couple days now, but I can honestly say this camera was worth every penny so far. It has a lot of interesting features, and is the only camera I have found that hits all the strong points I was looking for (120 fps @ 640x480 resolution, full 1080 hd video, optical zoom and auto focus during movie recording, strong low-light performance, good image stabilization, and small form factor [very small. much smaller than other cameras like it that I was considering])
Other things of note: I have Photoshop, and use it regularly, so I wasn't looking for a camera that can do everything by itself. This camera cannot shoot hdr pictures by itself like the Exilim ZR-10 or 100 can, nor can it take panoramic pictures all by itself. It does have a "panorama helper" kind of application, which will help you line up the shots, but you must then use software later to merge them (it comes with software, compatible with both mac and pc, that will help you merge photos, as well as sort through them and manage them, but I find that Photoshop does a much better job than the packaged software does at creating panoramas. I also use the HDR toning option on Photoshop to simulate an actual HDR picture. As long as all the details are there (not blown out or too dark to brighten), PS can create a very convincing HDR picture, and this camera does a good job at getting all the detail in pictures.
It also doesn't take the fastest pictures (around 3 per second) on continuous mode, but I rarely (if ever) take more than 1 picture at a time. I may take pictures in succession, but I generally set each one up, rather than just shotgunning a bunch of pictures.
The pictures are very sharp. I haven't had much time with video or sound yet, but the little that I have played around with it produced pretty good results. (altho sound can get very distorted with windy sound in a windy environment, as many camera's microphones can. still thinking about/searching for a remedy...)
Also, just a little side note, the finish on the camera is left a bit rough. This is a good thing, as it gives the camera more grip, and makes it less likely to slip out of your hand. I have used cameras that were shiny and slippery before, and it make taking pictures with one hand much more difficult and risky. The rough texture keep this camera more firm in your hand. This also makes the camera less prone to finger prints, altho the screen will collect plenty of those (but that has never really bothered me much)
Just a couple knocks against it that I have found so far, but they are not deal breakers for me. It says that it can take pictures with shutter speeds between 1/2000s and 15s. This may be true, but it is not user choosable. You cannot set the shutter speed of the camera. It has options for "Longer Exposure" (or something named like that), but does not let you choose the speed. I have not gotten it to hit a 15 second exposure yet. I was thinking of trying a city scene on a tripod where you set the exposure long so that the car lights look like streaks, but it doesn't seem to stay open long enough.
Also, the zoom doesn't seem to be variable, it goes at one speed, and it's pretty fast, so sometimes it can be hard to hit that sweet spot if you are trying to get a shot somewhere in the middle (5x zoom, which I think is very reasonable for it's size), and optical zoom is pretty slow while recording video, but still an option, which is more than many cameras of this type can say. The battery may also be a tad short (especially if doing a lot of video and/or zooming in and out, but that will shorten the life all camera batteries), but they are pretty small, and you can get extra, generic batteries for very cheap.
There is no way to plug in the camera to a wall for continuous shooting/video, so you need to replace the battery when it dies. However, I have seen the option of having a battery stand-in that sits in the battery slot and runs a line down to an adapter that plugs into the wall, but this will require you to leave the battery door open while using it)
For everything your getting, I think this camera is well worth $250. It takes sharp, accurately colored pictures look great on their own, as well as with Photoshop. If you do not own any imaging editing software, this camera still produces great pictures, has a ton of very cool, very interesting modes (some of which I've never seen on any camera before), and comes with some simple editing software (mainly for merging panorama shots. there is also other, free image editing software out there on the internet if you are so inclined)
Edit:
You CAN choose the shutter speed, it's just not as simple to find as some of the other options. You have to go into program mode, choose the Long Shutter option. Exit program mode. When you're back to the normal screen, press the up button (+/-). From there, you can choose the shutter speed by pressing right and left. Glad to find the option!
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