Canon PowerShot Elph 510 HS
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This PowerShot Elph 510 HS from Canon updates the manufacturer’s SD4500 IS by increasing the resolution to 12 mpx and it also changes from a narrow lens that had a 10x zoom to a 28mm wide-angle lens with a 12x zoom. The 3-inch LCD was ditched in favor a larger 3.2-inch high resolution touchscreen display, along with the inclusion of other goodies in a body that is less than an inch thick.
This model has a MSRP of $349.99 and comes with a 12-megapixel, 1/2.3-inch backside-illuminated CMOS sensor. It features 12x, f3.4-5.9, 28-336mm lens and comes with a 3.2-inch LCD touchscreen display with 460k dots. The camera measures 3.9 x 2.3 x 0.9 inches and it tips the scales at 7.3 ounces. The highest resolution available for the still photos is 4,000 x 3,000 pixels while video recording can be done at up to a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels at 24 fps.
Canon PowerShot Elph 510 HS (Source: proreview.net)
For this class of cameras, the quality of the photos taken by the Canon PowerShot Elph 510 HS is very good. The images will get noisier and softer above ISO 200 but you still have very usable ISO 400 and 800 to play with. Similar to other HS models, the noise and noise reduction are very well balanced which means that you will still be getting good detail and color up to ISO 800. At ISO 1600 and 3200 the colors desaturate, the subjects will appear very soft and the amount of detail will be diminished.
The color reproduction is great for the segment’s standard, managing to provide vivid and bright results, while the exposure level is also quite good. However, highlights have the tendency to blow out, but the good news is that pincushioning at the telephoto and barrel distortion at the wide end are both kept under control.
Canon PowerShot Elph 510 HS (Source: www1.pcmag.com)
The quality of the video recordings is just about the same as the one you will get from a good HD pocket video camera which means that it is suitable for web use and also nondiscriminating TV viewing. Keep in mind that even though panning the camera will create judder, the video will still remain watchable. The video recording in a low-light environment is pretty grainy and you have the possibility to use the zoom while recording. The bad news is that the zoom lens move extremely slow, which is probably because Canon wanted to prevent the movement from being picked up by the stereo mics located on top.
The battery is located on the bottom under a non-locking sliding door and you cannot charge it in-camera. The battery life of the Canon PowerShot Elph 510 HS is rated by CIPA to last for 170 shots.
