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Buyer's Guide: The Best Monitors 
Canon PowerShot A1000 IS
| Caractéristiques | |||
| Sensor | CCD 10 MP, 1/2.3 | ||
| Lens | 4 x 35 - 140 mm / F2.7 - F5.6 | ||
| Optical stabilisation | Yes | ||
| Internal/external memory | 32 / SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus | ||
| Sensitivity (ISO range) | 80 - 1600 ISO | ||
 Show all specifications
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| Video mode | 640 x 480 - 320 x 240 - 160 x 120 pixels / 30 fps |
| Power source | 2 AA alkaline batteries or NiMH batteries (NB4-300) |
| Dimensions/Weight | 95.4 x 62.4 x 31 mm / 155 g |
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Nilofar Hadjanadjiboudine
Test date: September 17, 2008
Test date: September 17, 2008
Does optical stabilization work in all conditions?
The optical stabilization on the A1000 IS should mean that we don't need to change to use faster exposures for darker scenes. We photographed the same scene using three different modes to test that out. We used night mode, nocturne mode and P mode, allowing the camera to choose its own ISO setting each time.
Only the first of these photos was a real success: with the other two, the shots were very blurry. In P mode, the exposure time is one second up to 800 ISO, but above this, each image is taken a lot more quickly.
Only the first of these photos was a real success: with the other two, the shots were very blurry. In P mode, the exposure time is one second up to 800 ISO, but above this, each image is taken a lot more quickly.
With their Powershot A1000 IS, Canon are looking to attract beginners by putting the emphasis on its ease-of-use and stabilized 4x optical zoom.
Handling
This camera benefits from a good finish quality - one that's better, in fact, than on some of Canon's earlier models.
The interface is simple and easy-to-se, with the cross allowing direct access to some key functions (ISO, flash, macro and auto modes), and the Function key allows other important settings to be controlled in just two clicks.
The 2.5 inch screen is of dubious quality, and it only displays 115, 000 pixels which is only just enough for a screen this big. Fortunately there's an optical viewfinder too, but if it's only of marginal use in bright sunlight.
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The A1000 IS is certainly not lacking oomph and gets going very quickly. We also appreciated how quickly it could focus, taking only 0.44 seconds in bright light and it was only marginally slower at 0.64 second in darker conditions.
It's only saving images to the memory card that slows things down, with a gap of 2.26 seconds in between photos. And the burst mode, well, hardly bursts, at a mere 1.6 fps.
Image QualityHandling
This camera benefits from a good finish quality - one that's better, in fact, than on some of Canon's earlier models.
The interface is simple and easy-to-se, with the cross allowing direct access to some key functions (ISO, flash, macro and auto modes), and the Function key allows other important settings to be controlled in just two clicks.
The 2.5 inch screen is of dubious quality, and it only displays 115, 000 pixels which is only just enough for a screen this big. Fortunately there's an optical viewfinder too, but if it's only of marginal use in bright sunlight.
The A1000 IS is certainly not lacking oomph and gets going very quickly. We also appreciated how quickly it could focus, taking only 0.44 seconds in bright light and it was only marginally slower at 0.64 second in darker conditions.
It's only saving images to the memory card that slows things down, with a gap of 2.26 seconds in between photos. And the burst mode, well, hardly bursts, at a mere 1.6 fps.
Images from the A1000 IS are, in general, pretty acceptable. The electronic noise handling is pretty reasonable, with graininess only very light up to 400 ISO, although details do begin to disappear soon after that. Nevertheless, the results are fine for prints on A4 right up to 1600 ISO.
The lens is of good quality, with only very limited geometric deformities, and with a good control of chromatic aberration too. Bright colors are handled well. The well-known phenomenon of purple fringing is mostly kept under control.
Turning on the flash gives a healthy burst of light, and works well even in macro mode helping create a good focus at just 3 cm from the object. The optical stabilization avoids nasty surprises, allowing handheld shots in just a sixth of a second
The video is much as it always has been. Little has changed, with Canon sticking with VGA (640 x 480 pixels) for the time being, with a slightly blurry image, but not at all bad for a digital camera at the end of the day. One shame is that you can't use the zoom while filming a video.
Pluses
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Optical image stabilization
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Good color handling
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Rapid autofocus
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Macro mode up to 3 cm
Minuses
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Poor resolution on the LCD screen
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No wide angle
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No zoom in video mode
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Weak burst mode
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No manual mode
The Canon A1000 IS is an agreeable compact overall, aimed above all at beginners who don't need a camera with advanced functions. Quick, easy to use and given a good image quality, the compact suffers most of all from the lack of a panoramic mode and a rather old-fashioned video mode.
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