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Canon Powershot ELPH 180 Review: A Compact and Powerful Camera

The Canon Powershot ELPH 180 is an affordable 20-megapixel digital camera with lots of excellent features like 8x optical zoom, image stabilization, and HD video capability. This camera features great image quality and compact sides. It has a 1/2.3″ sensor (compared to the more advanced 1/1.7″ sensors in other similar cameras), which means that it takes bigger photos than you might want for printing or emailing; but because this sensor captures so much light, you can shoot at higher ISO settings without worrying about noise or blurriness – something that’s especially useful when shooting indoors or at night. To make it easier to purchase this powerful, ultra-compact camera, we’ve included Amazon affiliate links throughout our review.

Canon – Powershot ELPH 180 20.0-Megapixel Digital Camera Overview

Canon Powershot ELPH 180 20.0 Megapixel Digital Camera OverviewThe Canon Powershot ELPH 180 is a 20-megapixel digital camera with several useful features including face detection, image stabilization, and HD video capability. This camera also includes a 28mm wide-angle lens for capturing stunning photos without worrying about blurriness or noise from the sensor being visible in your shots. While our previous reviews have focused on beginner-oriented cameras, this compact and powerful camera is well suited for amateur professionals that travel often and prefer a less bulky option than a full kit for a heavier-duty DSLR.

Powershot ELPH Series Cameras

For 17 years, the Canon Powershot ELPH series released cameras with increasingly advanced technology contained within a familiar, compact body. Canon was at the forefront of compact digital photography equipment, using their prior experience with compact film cameras to combine portability and ease of use with ever more powerful photographic technological advancements to produce popular and effective ultra-compact digital cameras en masse. The ELPH 180 was one of the most recent models produced and released in this iconic series hitting the market in early 2016.

About Canon

Canon, the world’s largest camera manufacturer, began nearly a century ago on a side street in Tokyo, Japan. Long considered a powerhouse in both film and digital photography, Canon continues to bring affordability, power, and precision to a highly competitive market with each new release including the Powershot ELPH 180 and the EOS 4000, which you can learn more about by reading our review.

Canon Powershot ELPH 180 Review

When comparing the Canon Powershot ELPH 180 digital camera with other similar cameras, it’s important to keep the target market in mind. This camera may not be the perfect choice for a high-end professional photographer or a graphic designer who works for million-dollar brands, but the Canon Powershot ELPH/Ixus 185 works perfectly well for mid-level photographic work and design.

Canon Powershot ELPH 180 Ixus 185

In a few reviews and listings online, you may see the Powershot ELPH 180 referred to as the Canon Ixus 185. These are two names for the same camera, with the Canon Ixus 185 representing the Powershot ELPH 180 in European markets. The stats and specs of these two cameras are identical; the only difference worth noting is the currency denomination–as you will need to convert the price to your own country’s currency when purchasing. The price listed in the affiliate links in this article is in US dollars.

Canon – Powershot ELPH 180 Specs

Canon Powershot ELPH 180 SpecsLet’s dig deeper into our Canon ELPH 180 review by looking at its technical details and perks and drawbacks compared to similar cameras in its class. The Canon Powershot ELPH 180 is an affordable 20-megapixel digital camera with comparable features like image stabilization, HD video capability, and more that place it on par with other ultra-compact cameras in the same price range. This camera has great image quality as well as a compact size, making it perfect for travelers or anyone who wants a powerful but small camera to take on the go.

Pros

On the positive side, the ELPH 180 features live view, image stabilization, and face detection focusing capabilities that reduce out-of-focus or motion-blurred shots, making this camera a popular choice for portrait photographers who prefer compact cameras for easy portability. Weighing in at just under 4.5 ounces and measuring less than an inch wide, the light body of this compact point-and-shoot camera makes travel a breeze. It also features a high-resolution sensor (20MP), 8X optical zoom (with auto-zoom), HD video recording, Smart AUTO settings, a 224mm telephoto lens, and reasonable 28mm wide-angle coverage that are well suited to street and everyday photography

Cons

There are a few cons associated with the Canon PowerShot ELPH 180, but the drawbacks are primarily a result of the category rather than the shortcomings of this particular camera. Compact point-and-shoot cameras are not known for extensive battery life, external flash shoes, excellent screen resolution, large screen size, touch screens, articulating screens, environmental sealing, or RAW shooting. One complaint particular to the ELPH 180 is a lack of wireless connection, which is fairly standard among cameras of this type.

Canon Powershot ELPH 180 Charger and Power

The Canon Powershot ELPH 180 Battery does not have a particularly long life, lasting for about 220 shots before needing to be recharged. This is slightly less than the average 256 shots that most compact-type cameras have, but not by enough that the reduction in price doesn’t justify it. The Canon Powershot ELPH 180 20.0 megapixel digital camera charger is an NB-11L USB charger that works quickly to restore life to a drained battery, and the battery itself is fairly inexpensive to replace (or buy a backup to extend shooting time), which is often not the case with higher-end professional digital cameras.

Canon Powershot ELPH 180 Memory Card Storage

Canon Powershot ELPH 180 Memory Card StorageAccording to the Canon Powershot ELPH 180 user manual, this particular digital camera model can accommodate a secure digital (SD) memory card of up to 64 gigabytes, which is fairly standard for compact and ultracompact cameras. Additionally, with USB connectivity, transferring files from the camera to one’s computer or another device for long-term storage, editing, or publication is a simple process. Much like the Canon Powershot ELPH 180 silver version is the most popular choice when it comes to color (followed by red), the SDXC or secure digital extended capacity memory card format is the most popular among traveling photographers that use this camera due to its high storage capacity.

Software and Apps for the ELPH 180

Once more, we can turn to the Canon Powershot ELPH 180 manual for more information about installing, updating, and using apps and software for the ELPH camera. With Canon’s Digital Camera Software 7.0, you can use CameraWindow to import images from your camera to your computer as mentioned in the previous section of this review. Any necessary Canon Powershot ELPH 180 driver can be downloaded quickly, easily, and safely from the official Canon website.

Adaptability

Unfortunately, this is where the Canon ELPH 180’s lack of wireless connectivity comes into play, as it limits functionality and direct connection between the camera and newer apps and software. However, once the images are transferred with CameraWindow, they can be uploaded to any photo manipulation, image editing, or artistic app of your choice, as well as to publishing and media platforms.

The Verdict

The Canon Powershot ELPH 180 is a reasonably priced, ultra-compact camera that would make an excellent choice for amateur and freelance photographers who value portability, ease of use, and simple functionality over fancy bells and whistles attached to bulkier, more expensive options. With a remarkably light, slim body and enough resolution and stabilization to create beautiful shots, no matter where you roam. Striking a fine balance of power and portability, the Powershot ELPH 180 has our stamp of approval. Stay tuned for more digital camera reviews from the graphic design experts at Adrian Graphics & Marketing.

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