Canon IXUS 510 HS WiFi Compact Camera Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification



The Canon IXUS 510 HS is the top of the range ultra-compact from Canon, and features a 12x optical zoom lens, 10.1 megapixel backlit CMOS sensor, 3.2 inch touch-screen and built in Wi-Fi. Also available is the Canon IXUS 500 HS, a camera with a smaller touchscreen and without wireless.

Canon IXUS 510 HS Features

The ultra-compact Canon IXUS 510 HS is roughly the size of a pack of cards, yet features a huge 12x optical zoom lens, which makes it very easy to put in your shirt pocket. The rear features a large 3.2 inch touch screen which helps when setting options or using the built in Wi-Fi to send photos to another Wi-Fi device, such as the iPhone.


Canon IXUS 510 HS also stands vertically if needed

Key Features

• 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor
• 12x optical zoom lens equivalent to 28mm - 336mm
• Optical image stabilisation
• 3.2 inch 461k dot touch screen
• Full HD video, 24fps with stereo sound
• ISO100 to ISO3200
• 1cm macro mode
• High speed burst, 6.1fps at 2.5mp, 2.6fps full resolution
• Touch-screen shutter
• Wi-Fi Connectivity
• Available in black or white

Canon IXUS 510 HS Handling

Handling - The camera features a metal body with a top on/off button, play button and zoom control surrounding the shutter release button. On the back is the rear touch screen which is used for all of the additional controls. There is nothing added to the camera for additional grip, instead you simply hold on tightly to the camera. Therefore use of a wrist strap is highly recommended.


Menus – The Canon menus are relatively easy to use with the camera providing clear icons, although some of the options aren't explained very clearly, with the Wi-Fi main screen being made up of just icons leaving you guessing as to which one you want. There is a dedicated video button on the left hand side of the screen making it easy to start recording. Pressing the top left of the screen lets you choose each mode, and pressing the FUNC button brings up an overlay of options, with more options available in the P / Program mode. When you have pressed the FUNC button, you can then enter the Menu to set more advanced options. Changing options using the touch-screen is relatively straightforward as you press and slide to change settings, however it's not as quick as dedicated buttons.

Photo mode	Menu

Wi-Fi Connectivity - The Canon can be connected to other Canon Wi-Fi cameras, iPhones, a computer or to the internet. Once it's been sent to another device, such as the iPhone, you can then send direct to facebook. To connect the camera to the internet you first have to connect the camera to a computer and use the supplied software to setup the service. Once setup in order to upload to social network sites like facebook and twitter you need to first upload to the Canon Image Gateway (online photo album service).

Selecting images on the Canon	Selecting images on the iPhone

Battery life - CIPA life is rated at: 190 shots. We were able to take just over 170 shots before the battery went flat. This is lower than expected, and additional use of Wi-Fi is likely to reduce the number of shots further.

Canon IXUS 510 HS MicroSD and Battery compartments

Speed - We tested each camera's performance at focusing, shutter response, shot-to-shot time, continuous shooting etc. and have posted the results below. To test this we took 6 or more shots and calculated the average, so that consistent results were produced.

	Canon IXUS 510 HS	Panasonic TZ25
Shutter Response	0.05	<0.05
Wide - Focus / Shutter Response	0.3	0.15
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response	0.35	0.3
Switch on Time to Taking a Photo	2.5	1.6
Shot to Shot (without flash)	1.8	0.6
Shot to Shot with Flash	3.1	1.2
Continuous Shooting (JPEG)	2fps	10fps (4 shots)
Continuous AF Shooting (JPEG) Continuous 3 megapixels Continuous 2.5 megapixels	1.1s N/A 5fps	5fps (5 shots) 40fps (40 shots) 60fps (30 shots)
Continuous Shooting (with Flash)	1.7	2fps (5 shots, 3m)

Focus speed is very good, even at the telephoto end of the zoom. Shutter response is also very good. Shot to shot is is a little slow, although continuous shooting is reasonable at 2fps at full resolution.

Canon IXUS 510 HS Performance

Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review and product ratings.

Canon IXUS 510 HS Sample Photos

Sample Photos - There is a little red-eye visible in the portrait shot with flash, however skin tones are good. Detail is good in outdoor shots and colour is particularly impressive with the camera providing reliable exposure.

Canon IXUS 510 HS Lens test images

Lens test images - There is very little barrel or pincushion distortion, and detail is good throughout the frame. Macro performance is particularly impressive with the camera allowing the subject to be roughly 1cm from front of lens, it's also possible to zoom slightly to get even closer.

Canon IXUS 510 HS ISO test images

ISO Noise Performance - There is no noise at ISO 100 and when you go through ISO 200 and ISO 400 there is only a very small increase in noise levels with sharp images produced. At ISO 800 there is enough noise to cause the images to lose a touch of sharpness. Noise then becomes significant to enough to effect image quality at ISO 1600 / ISO 3200, but noise doesn't effect the quality of the colours in the images, making these higher ISO settings usable for images which are to be resized for use on the web.

Canon IXUS 510 HS White-balance test images

White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance (AWB) gives an orange cast under Tungsten light with the Tungsten preset giving a more neutral result. Auto White Balance performs very well under fluorescent lighting, with the fluorescent present giving a slight orange cast. Auto white balance performs very well under mixed lighting.

Canon IXUS 510 HS Digital filters

Digital Filters - The camera has an number of digital filters, colour options and scene modes, including miniature, soft focus, poster effect, toy-camera, fisheye, colour swap, colour accent, low-light, super vivid, monochrome and more.

Video - High Speed video examples can be viewed on the ePHOTOzine YouTube channel: 240fps at 320x240, and 120fps at 640x480. The camera records full HD video with stereo sound, wind filter and optical zoom.

Value For Money

The Canon IXUS 510 HS is available for £275 making it one of the more expensive ultra compact cameras available, alternatives include the 10x Samsung ST200F (£139, with Wi-Fi), Panasonic Lumix SZ1 (£139), Sony Cybershot W690 (£169), Canon IXUS 500 HS (£235, without Wi-Fi), Olympus SH-25 (£179, with 12.5x and GPS) and another ultra compact with Wi-Fi and a touchscreen is the Panasonic Lumix FX90 (£199), although it only has a 5x optical zoom lens. You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.

Canon IXUS 510 HS Verdict

The Canon IXUS 510 HS is a stylish ultra compact camera with a huge 12x optical zoom lens, image stabilisation, a 3.2 inch touch screen and built in Wi-Fi. Images produced by the camera have good colour and as well as giving a huge amount of zoom, the lens also gives extremely impressive macro performance. It's a shame that Wi-Fi doesn't allow the option to upload directly to Facebook and other social network sites. However, if you want to put your photos on your iPhone then it does this very well, and from there you can upload to Facebook or YouTube for videos. If you are looking for an ultra compact camera that provides good image quality then this would be a good choice, although the price may put some people off.

Canon IXUS 510 HS Pros

Ultra compact with 12x optical zoom
Impressive macro mode
Full HD video with stereo sound
Good colour reproduction
Wi-Fi to iPhone works well

Canon IXUS 510 HS Cons

Little grip - wrist strap recommended
Wi-Fi upload options go through other devices / Canon Image Gateway (rather than direct to FB etc.)
MicroSD card slot
Quite expensive

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
VERDICT

Canon IXUS 510 HS Specifications

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