Canon PowerShot ELPH 310 HS

12.10 Megapixels	8.00x zoom	3.0 inch LCD

Canon PowerShot 310 HS Overview

Posted: 08/23/2011

The Canon 310 HS is a new addition to the company's ELPH lineup, rather than a replacement for an existing model, and will sit directly above the existing 300 HS model in terms of pricing and feature set. Canon aims its ELPH series at the fashion-conscious photographer who wants a very pocket-friendly camera that offers good image quality, and are willing to go without some of the creative controls more experienced photographers would look for. The PowerShot 310 HS specifically is aimed at a younger customer, with a selection of bold body colors such as blue, purple, pink and green, as well as the more traditional silver. The purple and pink models in particular are expected to be popular with females.

Canon has selected a rather more powerful 8x zoom lens for the PowerShot 310 HS, in place of the 5x zoom that was used in the 300 HS. The new lens offers focal lengths from a useful 28mm wide angle to a moderate 224mm telephoto, plenty for many amateur photographers, whether shooting indoors or trying to frame a more distant subject. Maximum aperture of the 310 HS' lens varies from f/3.0 to f/5.9 across the zoom range. Like that in the earlier camera, it includes image stabilization. Canon has updated its image stabilization algorithms, which now analyze the shooting environment, then automatically choose from one of six different scene types such as macro, and optimize the shake reduction system accordingly. We're still awaiting specifics on exactly what tweaks are made in the various scene types, and the degree of correction possible, but every little improvement will count.

Compared to the 300 HS, the other main difference in the Canon 310 HS is its larger, higher-resolution LCD panel. The size increase is only slight, stepping from a 2.7-inch screen to a new 3.0-inch panel. The step forwards in resolution is much more significant, with Canon doubling the total pixel count to approximately 154,000 pixels (461,000 dots), versus a 77,000 pixel (230,000 dot) panel in the 300 HS. Image sensor resolution is unchanged, with an effective resolution of twelve megapixels, and output from the 310's image sensor is processed by the same DIGIC 4 image processor as in the earlier camera. Like the 300 HS before it, the Canon 310 HS can capture video at up to Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixel, aka 1080p) resolution.

The Canon PowerShot 310 HS stores images and movies on Secure Digital flash cards, including the higher capacity SDHC and SDXC types. Like the 300 HS before it, the Canon 310HS runs on a proprietary lithium ion rechargeable battery pack, although we don't yet know if it's the same model as used in the earlier camera.

The Canon 310 HS will be available from October 2011 in the US market, and pricing is set at around US$260, $10 above the price point previously occupied by the 300 HS. (That camera will now carry a reduced price of around US$230).