I have to say that I was happy to be one of the first people to buy this camera. I actually received it before it was being officially marketed at BestBuy stores. I saw a lady online post that the camera was in storage at many of the stores but that you could request for them to retrieve a box from storage, and they couldn't refuse you to buy one for a sale. I didn't believe this tactic, but I went to a BestBuy, and tried it. The guy told me that they had it in the back, and came back with three boxes. I was so surprised, and he then asked me, "Which color would you like." Apparently, it wasn't being officially marketed, but you could still unofficially request one, and be allowed to purchase it. I felt lucky. I used it on my birthday (Sep 30). I freelance with photography as a serious side hobby, and I own a Canon 60D. I have been waiting impatiently for this Elph 310 HS to come out, due to it's new HS system, larger and 450,000 dot per square inch Hi Def (improved) 3"... Read more

I purchased this camera as a replacement to my Canon SD870IS which I was very happy with. The features that really caught my eye in the 310 HS were the 1080p video, 12MP images (I print LARGE poster size images at time), the large LCD screen and the new flash technology. I didn't want a touch screen as my interface so I went with the 310 instead of the 510.

So far I've taken about 500 pictures and 20 videos (some 1080p others 720p) with the camera both inside and outside. Overall I'm impressed with the quality of the pictures and VERY impressed with the video quality.

Pictures:

When you set the camera to Auto is does a decent job at detecting the environment. It adjusts the focus/lighting accordingly and takes a decent pictures. However, there are times where I have been taking a wide angle scenic view and it decides to focus on the nearby post and adjust to macro. When it does that, the picture comes out a little grainy and some areas are out of... Read more

This camera is FANTASTIC. After losing my Canon SD 630 (which I've had since 2006), I was nervous I wouldn't find a camera that I would love again. I had originally ordered the 300 HS, and had it for about two weeks and then I found out that the 310 HS was coming out so I decided to return the 300 HS. I also wasn't really impressed with the 300 HS to begin with. There are tons of great reviews about it out there but I really was not satisfied (shutter lag was horrible -- even though I had an 8 GB memory card, pics came out blurry a lot, the exterior felt and looked cheap, and the quality of the pics were not that great considering that it was rated so highly). This is ridiculous considering that this camera was made 5 years after my old one, and I still thought my SD 630 was better quality! I took my chances on the 310 HS after reading all the specs and improvements and I am beyond glad that I made the switch to the 310 HS.

The color in the pictures looks beautiful,... Read more