Canon PowerShot A1000 IS review

Shutter lag in our tests was average at 0.5 seconds in bright conditions, but shooting in dim light resulted in only a 0.7-second lag. There is no proper burst-shooting mode, but the A1000 IS has unlimited continuous shooting capable of a slowish 0.8 frames per second.

As mentioned, for the money, the A1000 IS has very good photo quality. Colour, contrast and white balance are particularly good, though there is some highlight clipping. As with most point-and-shoots, photos are best in bright lighting at sensitivities below ISO 200. Grain becomes readily noticeable at ISO 400, but for the most part, details remain decent enough for use at 200x250mm or smaller sizes.

The camera goes up to ISO 1,600, but photos at that setting or even at ISO 800 aren't what we'd consider usable for much more than small prints and Web use. There is some slight barrel distortion at the lens' widest setting and off-centre subjects are soft, but there was little to no purple fringing in high-contrast shots.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot

Typical shot-to-shot time (flash)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Shutter lag (dim)

Shutter lag (typical)

Canon Digital IXUS 80

1 

3.5 

2.1 

0.7 

0.4 

Canon PowerShot A1000 IS

2.5 

6.7 

2.5 

0.7 

0.5 

Kodak EasyShare M1093 IS

2.8 

1.4 

1.2 

1 

0.5 

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S750

2.2 

2.6 

2 

1 

0.7 

Pentax Optio E70

2.4 

4.2 

3.3 

1.2 

0.6 

Conclusion
For a cheap point-and-shoot pocket camera, the Canon PowerShot A1000 IS gets the job done. It delivers better photo quality than other cameras at its price, and if you like the convenience of AA batteries and the availability of a viewfinder, it's a smart choice.

Edited by Nick Hide