Canon PowerShot A1100 IS

One of two very similar A series 'affordable' compacts (the other, the A2100 IS, has a larger zoom and LCD) offering a stabilized 4x optical zoom and a 2.5" screen with brightness adjustment. The A1100 IS has none of the manual controls seen on older A series models but does feature Canon's new Smart Auto mode (an improved Easy mode), Motion Detection and Face Detection that can detect up to 35 faces. More stylish and more beginner-friendly than previous A series models (which have traditonally offered a solid feature set and decent output quality in slightly dowdy designs), the A1100 IS is part of a new point and shoot oriented direction for Canon's budget range.