Shooting performance is average for its class and it's actually faster than the very similar A3000. From powering on to capturing its first shot is 1.8 seconds, which is OK. Its shot-to-shot times are decent, too: 2.3 seconds without the flash and 3.9 seconds with. The shutter lag in bright lighting conditions is average at 0.5 second; in dim conditions it does well, though, at 0.7 second. Lastly, the continuous shooting speed from the A3100 IS is middle-of-the-road at 0.8 frames per second. These speeds are by no means fast, though, making it best for motionless subjects.
Though the A3100 IS might not have much in the way of features, it does have excellent photo quality for the money. Like many compacts in its class, there's a noticeable shift in quality at ISO 400, so the A3100 IS performs its best below this sensitivity. In other words, the more light you have the better off you'll be. Compared to the A3000, this camera has less visible noise when photos are viewed at 100 percent, especially in darker areas of photos. Combined with its higher resolution, you get a little more flexibility when it comes to larger prints and cropping. Photo taken at higher ISOs, despite being noisier and softer from noise suppression, are good enough for small prints and Web use.
The lens has good sharpness edge to edge, but there is some barrel distortion at its widest position. There's no discernible pincushioning with the lens fully extended, however. Purple fringing is at normal amounts with high-contrast subjects. It's visible when photos are viewed at 100 percent, but not at the picture-destroying levels seen from competitive models. Colors are not always accurate, but they sure look great. With rare exception, subjects turned out bright and vibrant. Exposure is good, too, though highlights have a tendency to blow out--typical of its class.
Video quality is decent, suitable for Web use and on par with a standard-definition pocket camcorder. And like those devices, you cannot use the optical zoom on the A3100 IS while recording.
The Canon PowerShot A3100 IS is a solid compact camera for the money and in my opinion is worth the $30 premium over the A3000 IS. There's not a lot here to get excited about beyond its ability to take an excellent snapshot and optical image stabilization. But if all you're looking to do is point and shoot, it will likely be enough camera for you.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
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Time to first shot | |
Typical shot-to-shot time (flash) | |
Typical shot-to-shot time | |
Shutter lag (dim) | |
Shutter lag (typical) |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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