Canon PowerShot A1000 IS review (gray)

If you're expecting to find the manual controls of earlier Canon A-series models, you'll be disappointed with the A1000 IS. The A590 IS is the only model in the current lineup that has aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and manual options. However, the A1000 IS' Program mode does give you control over ISO, white balance, autofocus type, light metering, and color effects. The rest of the camera is designed for point-and-shoot simplicity.

The A1000's performance is decent for its class and has better shutter lag than we expect from such a low-end camera. From off to first shot takes an acceptable 1.7 seconds. The camera's 2.5-second shot-to-shot time is also comparatively normal for its class. Turning on the flash drives the average wait time up to 6.7 seconds between shots. Shutter lag in our CNET Labs' tests was average at 0.5 second in bright conditions, but shooting in dim light resulted in only a 0.7-second lag. There is no proper burst-shooting mode, but the A1000 IS has unlimited continuous shooting capable of a slowish 0.8 frames per second.

As mentioned, for the money the A1000 IS has very good photo quality. Color, contrast, and white balance are particularly good, though there is some highlight clipping. Characteristic of point-and-shoots, photos are best in bright lighting at sensitivities below ISO 200. Grain becomes readily noticeable at ISO 400, but for the most part, details remain decent enough for use at 8x10 or smaller sizes. The camera goes up to ISO 1,600, but photos at that setting or even at ISO 800 aren't what we'd consider usable for much more than small prints and Web use. (Click to see a photo comparison of ISOs.) There is some slight barrel distortion at the lens' widest setting and off-center subjects are soft, but there was little to no purple fringing in high-contrast shots.

For a cheap point-and-shoot pocket camera, the Canon PowerShot A1000 IS gets the job done. It delivers better photo quality than other cameras at its price point, and if you like the convenience of AA batteries and the availability of a viewfinder, it's a smart choice.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot

Typical shot-to-shot time (flash)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Shutter lag (dim)

Shutter lag (typical)

Canon PowerShot SD1100

1 

3.5 

2.1 

0.7 

0.4 

Canon PowerShot A1000 IS

2.5 

6.7 

2.5 

0.7 

0.5 

Kodak EasyShare M1093 IS

2.8 

1.4 

1.2 

1 

0.5 

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S750

2.2 

2.6 

2 

1 

0.7 

Pentax Optio E70

2.4 

4.2 

3.3 

1.2 

0.6 

Find out more about how we test digital cameras.