Here at WoWasis, we always carry a digital camera that’s small enough to fit in a pocket, durable enough to take a beating, takes great pictures, has a zoom and optical viewfinder, and requires no maintenance. The best we’ve ever used is the Canon PowerShot SD1100IS Digital Elph, and we’ll tell you why you’ll want to own one. 

For years, we used the Nikon F Body 35mm SLR. Although it took great picture and was built like a tank, its weight and overall bulk forced us to make decisions as to when we took it along. We almost never took it out at night, and during the tropical heat, its shoulder strap and bulk made it cumbersome. When the digital revolution came along, we made the decision to adopt small cameras which we could carry everywhere. The optics weren’t quite as good, but we took them everywhere, and got lots of shots we never would have taken with our SLR packed away in the hotel safe. We’ve tested and used half a dozen small digital cameras, but the one we fell in love with and still use is the Canon SD1100. 

The optics are terrific, the camera’s metal casing makes everything durable, and it’s smaller than a pack of playing cards. Most importantly, it’s got an optical viewfinder, essential for shooting in tropical and sunny conditions, when the sun is often behind you, and thus washes out the digital viewfinder in back of the camera, rendering it useless. This 8 megapixel camera (the Canon SD1200, nearly identical, offers 10 megapixels) has never taken a crappy picture, also shoots sound movies, has all the features you’d expect, and has fallen on the floor or dropped out of more pants pockets than you’d believe. And all the optics work like the day we bought it. 

The camera has been around for a while, but its price never seems to go down. We surmise that it’s a secret of the hard-driving travelers’ world, and your WoWasis field team travels harder than just about any. Savvy travelers just keep buying it. If you’re looking for a quality, durable camera you’ll take everywhere, this is the one. If you’re ever going to shoot in sunny conditions, Never buy a travel camera without an optical viewfinder. If you do, we guarantee you’ll change your mind after your first trip. We’ll end this review by telling you that we  recommend this camera highly for its overall quality, versatility, and durability.  Here are its specs:

Type of Camera 
Type Compact digital still camera with built-in flash, 3x Optical/4x Digital/12x Combined Zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer System
Image Capture Device 
Type 8.0 Megapixel, 1/2.5 inch type Charge Coupled Device (CCD)
Total Pixels Approx. 8.3 Megapixels
Effective Pixels Approx. 8.0 Megapixels
Lens 
Focal Length 6.2-18.6mm f/2.8-4.9 (35mm film equivalent: 38-114mm)
Digital Zoom 4x
Focusing Range Normal: 12 in./30cm-infinity
Macro: 1.2 in.-1.6 ft./3-50cm (W), 1.2 in.-1.6 ft./3-50cm (T)
Digital Macro: 1.2-3.9 in./3-10cm (W)
Autofocus System TTL Autofocus
Viewfinders 
Optical Viewfinder Real image optical zoom viewfinder
LCD Monitor 2.5-inch low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD with wide viewing angle (PureColor LCD II)
LCD Pixels Approx. 230,000 pixels
LCD Coverage 100%
Aperture and Shutter 
Maximum Aperture f/2.8 (W) – f/4.9 (T)
Shutter Speed 15-1/1500 sec.; Long Shutter operates with noise reduction when manually set at 1.3-15 sec.
Exposure Control 
Sensitivity Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 equivalent (Standard output sensitivity. Recommended exposure index)
Light Metering Method Evaluative*, Center-weighted average, Spot**
* Control to incorporate facial brightness in Face Detection AF
** Metering frame is fixed to the center
Exposure Control Method Program AE; AE Lock
Exposure Compensation +/-2 stops in 1/3-stop increments
White Balance 
White Balance Control Auto, Preset (Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H), Custom
Flash 
Built-in Flash Auto, Red-eye Reduction, Auto Red-eye Correction, Flash On, Flash Off; FE lock, Slow Synchro
Flash Range 12 in.-11 ft./30cm-3.5m (W), 12 in.-6.6 ft./30cm-2.0m (T) (when sensitivity is set to ISO Auto)
Recycling Time 10 sec. or less (battery voltage=3.7V)
Flash Exposure Compensation +/-2 stops in 1/3-stop increments
Shooting Specifications 
Shooting Modes Auto, Camera M, Portrait, Special Scene (Foliage, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Fireworks, Aquarium, Underwater, Indoor, Kids & Pets) Night Snapshot, Color Accent, Color Swap, Digital Macro, Stitch Assist, Movie
Photo Effects My Colors
Vivid, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Custom
Self Timer Activates shutter after an approx. 2-sec./10-sec. delay, Custom
Wireless Control Not available
Continuous Shooting Approx. 1.3 fps (Large/Fine)
Image Storage 
Storage Media SD/SDHC Memory Card, MultiMediaCard, MMC Plus Card, HC MMC Plus Card
File Format Design rule for camera file system, DPOF Version 1.1
Image Recording Format Normal, Fine, SuperFine
JPEG Compression Mode Still Image: Exif 2.2 (JPEG)
Movie: AVI (Image: Motion JPEG; Audio: WAVE (Monaural))
Playback Specifications 
Playback Modes File Still Image: Single, Magnification (approx. 2x-10x), Jump, Auto Rotate, Rotate, Resume, My Colors, My Category, Transition Effects, Histogram, Overexposure Warning, Index (9 thumbnails), Sound Memos, Slide Show, Red-eye Correction, RAW, Trimming, Resize, Image Inspection Tool
Movie: Normal Playback, Special Playback, Editing, Auto Rotate, Resume
Erasing Specifications 
Erase Modes Still Image: single image, select range, select by date, select by category, select by folder, all images
Movie: part of movie, all of movie
Interfaces 
Computer Interface USB 2.0 Hi-Speed (mini-B jack)
Video Out NTSC/PAL
Audio Out Monaural
Other Memory card slot; direct connection to Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printers, PIXMA Photo Printers and PictBridge-compatible printers via camera’s USB 2.0 Hi-Speed cable
Power Supply
1. Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery NB-4L
2. AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC10 (optional) Still Image: approx. 240 shots (NB-4L)* Approx. 360 min. (NB-4L)
* LCD screen on. The above figures comply with CIPA testing standards and apply when fully-charged batteries are used.  
Power Source
1. Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery NB-4L
2. AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC10 (optional)
Shooting Capacity Still Image: approx. 240 shots (NB-4L)*
Playback Time Approx. 360 min. (NB-4L)
* LCD screen on. The above figures comply with CIPA testing standards and apply when fully-charged batteries are used.
Physical Specifications 
Operating Temperature 32-104°F/0-40°C
Operating Humidity 10-90%
Dimensions (W x H x D) 3.42 x 2.16 x 0.87 in./86.8 x 54.8 x 22.0mm
Weight Approx. 4.41 oz./125g (camera body only)