Canon Ixus 1100 HS: 12x Zoom in a Tiny Camera Body

The Canon Ixus 1000 HS caused something of a stir last year by using an innovative new lens architecture that blended a telescopic and periscopic zoom on the same camera to produce a 10x zoom despite measuring just 24 mm thick.

Its successor, the new Canon Ixus 1100 HS goes one better, with a lens that stretches form 28 to 336 mm.  It achieves this feat by using the same architecture as its predecessor, with a prism allowing the lens to be retracted right into the body of the camera with the sensor tucked away to one side under the shutter release.  The new camera also uses the same NB-9L battery, the only way to keep the size down given how much room the lens occupies and a rather limiting choice in terms of battery life.

The 1110 HS a new 12 Megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, something now found across the whole Ixus range form the 115 HS up to the 310 HS.  It's borrowed the latter's touch-sensitive controls, in including the ability to tap on an area of the screen to take a photo focussed on that area.

The whole thing is a veritable technical feat, and even if it's set to be a little pricey when it goes on sale, Canon can justifiably claim that the Ixus 1100 HS is something of a unique proposition.

> Digital Camera Reviews: Choose the Best Compact Camera


> Buyer's Guides: Our Pick of The Best Products