Good looks attached to a high-resolution sensor and a capable focal range makes the Canon PowerShot A3300 IS appear as one of the better budget options.

It is based around a 16-megapixel, CCD image sensor coupled to a 5x optically-stabilized zoom lens that offers focal lengths ranging from a useful 28mm wide-angle to a moderate 140mm telephoto. As there's no true optical viewfinder on this camera, images on the Canon A3300 IS must be framed and reviewed on its 3-inch LCD panel. First for the Canon A-series, the PowerShot A3300 IS can capture video clips at 720p HD resolution (1,280x720 pixels) at 30 frames-per-second, along with VGA (640x480) and QVGA (320x240) resolutions. Canon PowerShot A3300 IS's 16MP CCD sensor claims to provide a three-stop advantage in terms of usable shutter speeds. Also there's a separate Dynamic IS image stabilization system which comes into play during movie recording to reduce instances of camera shake/image blur when shooting at the telephoto end of the focal range (140mm), or in lower light without flash. Canon claims this allows A3300 IS users to shoot in just 1/8th of the amount of light that would be required to get similar results without such stabilization.

The A3300 IS sports a slim and lightweight body in four different colors. Other highlights include 32 shooting modes including Smart Auto and Easy modes with Scene Detection Technology for point-and-shoot operation, 6 creative filters, Face Detection, Auto Red-Eye Correction and the DIGIC 4 image processing engine. The Canon Power shot A3300 IS takes any type of Multi Media Cards (MMC) and Secure Digital (SD) card that are available today. Apart from this, the A3300 IS features the fourth version which was introduced in 2008 and boasts faster image processing, improved noise reduction and the capability of recording Full HD video. The heart of the camera is DIGIC which stands for Digital Imaging Core. When we take a picture with the camera, the information runs through the DIGIC processor before storing onto the memory card. During this process, the image is sharpened; compressed and appropriate colors are boosted to make the picture look more attractive. In context of battery, it is one of the PowerShot A3300 IS's relatively weak spots, as the camera can manage around 230 shots per charge of its lithium ion battery.

Fact remains that Canon's entry-level A series of Canon PowerShot has long been known for its balance of solid performance and low price, and the PowerShot A3300 IS is no exception. It's easy to use, it takes good-looking photos without any hassle, and it even throws in a few higher-end creative modes to play around with. Although with the populated sensor, dynamic range and image noise control both suffer.