The 12-megapixel Canon PowerShot Elph 510 HS ($349.99 direct) delivers an impressive 12x zoom range in a pocketable body, with a touch screen that replaces almost every physical control typically found on a camera. This might not please everyone, but the lack of buttons makes a large, 3.2-inch LCD possible in a camera this small. The Elph 510 HS's biggest drawbacks are its low-light performance, an area in which our Editors’ Choice superzoom, the Nikon Coolpix S9100 ($329.95, 4 stars) excels, and the lack of a GPS feature like the one found in Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V ($299.99, 3.5 stars) or Canon's own PowerShot SX230 HS ($329.99, 4 stars).

Design and Features
The cameras in Canon’s Elph line have a history of sturdy construction, and the 510 HS is no different. Its metal body gives it a much more solid feel than plastic cameras, and at 2.3 by 3.9 by 0.9 inches (HWD), it's slightly smaller than the Nikon Coolpix S9100 and Canon PowerShot SX230 HS. It weighs in at 7.3 ounces, slightly lighter than the S9100, and comes in silver, red, and black versions. Canon's PowerShot SX150 IS ($249.99, 2.5 stars) offers the same zoom range as the 510 HS, but sacrifices features to meet a lower price point.

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The camera’s physical controls are scarce: the standard On/Off button, the shutter release with integrated zoom rocker, and a mode toggle switch are located on the top, and the back's sole Play button are the only buttons and switches you'll see. The 460,000-dot, 3.2-inch touch-screen LCD features a 16:9 aspect ratio, which gives you an uncluttered view of the camera’s 4:3 image frame, even with additional information on the screen. It's bright and crisp thanks to its resolution, and is quite easy to see on a bright day. While the screen is quite sharp, it’s not as high-res as the 921k-dot screens found on the Nikon S9100 and Sony HX7V.

Menu functions are located on black bars at the left and right of the display. All standard camera functions can be controlled via touch-based menus, which can take longer than selecting via a traditional mode dial. This isn’t an issue if you plan on leaving the camera in automatic mode and firing away, but if you want to adjust the EV compensation, metering mode, or other settings, expect it to be slowed down by the menu, especially if you have larger fingers.

One of the positive aspects of the touch screen is the ability to focus on a point and fire the camera’s shutter with your finger. This makes it possible to quickly select a subject and capture a photo, eliminating any guesswork on the camera’s part on where it decides to focus. Touch also excels when reviewing images. You can swipe your finger across the screen to scroll through, and even bring up a Cover Flow-style display of the images stored on your memory card.

The Elph’s lens has a 12x zoom factor, covering a 28-336mm (35mm equivalent) range. The 28mm wide angle is very generous for its zoom strength, and the long end of the lens offers plenty of reach for capturing distant objects. Like any high-zoom compact camera, you’ll have to have a steady hand or tripod to get a crisp shot with the full zoom, even with the built-in optical stabilization system. The zoom range is longer than that of the Casio Exilim EX-H20G ($349.99, 3.5 stars), but that camera offers a slightly wider 25mm wide angle field of view and a GPS system. The Nikon S9100 also starts at 25mm, but its 18x lens gives it a 450mm equivalent reach on the long end, but that camera lacks GPS. For a longer zoom range and GPS, consider the Canon SX230 HS, which has a 28-392mm lens and GPS.

Performance and Conclusions
The Elph 510 HS is a little sluggish, taking a full 3 seconds to start up and take a photo, nearly twice as long as Nikon S9100’s 1.6-second start up time. It does a much better job with recycle time and burst shooting, taking 0.63 seconds between shots when set to continuous mode. Shutter lag clocks in at a very respectable 0.4 seconds. In contrast, the S9100 takes a full 1.8 seconds between shots and delivers a 0.5-second shutter lag.

We use the Imatest software suite to test the camera’s sharpness and performance in low light. Sharpness is measured in center-weighted averaged lines per picture height, with a score of 1,800 lines considered to be acceptably sharp. The Elph 510 HS recorded 1,875 lines, which bested both the Sony HX7V and Nikon S9100's respective 1,624 lines and 1,767 lines. The Casio Exilim EX-H20 recorded 2,542 lines, keeping it one of the sharpest superzoom cameras that we’ve tested.

To test image noise, I shot a color test chart at every ISO setting offered by the camera. When a photo is comprised of more than 1.5 percent noise it is considered to be too noisy for normal use. The Elph 510 HS was just barely under this threshold at ISO 400, crossing it at ISO 800. This is a disappointing result when you consider its price point. Both the Sony HX7V and Nikon S9100 are able to capture clean images through ISO 3200.

The camera is also capable of recording 1080p24 HD video in QuickTime format. The video quality is quite good, although there was some evidence of the rolling shutter effect when panning up and down, causing distortions in the picture. These glitches are only a slight distraction, and otherwise the video was crisp and bright. The camera can zoom and focus while recording, and, to its credit, doesn’t pick up the sound of the lens moving on the audio track. A mini HDMI port lets you connect the camera directly to your HDTV for image and video playback, and a standard mini-USB port is there for uploading pictures to your computer if you don't have an SD card reader. The 510 HS supports SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards.

The Canon PowerShot Elph 510 HS is a well-built, nice-looking camera capable of capturing sharp images and HD video. Its 12x zoom lens can tackle many photographic challenges, and the camera is small enough to slip into your pocket with ease. Its touch-screen interface makes it difficult to navigate through menus, but does make it easier to review photos and to focus on a specific point in a scene. Low-light performance is the 510 HS’s biggest weakness, forcing the use of the camera’s flash in low light. Our Editors’ Choice in this category, the slightly less expensive Nikon Coolpix S9100, fairs much better here—it can captures clean images in one eighth the light that the Elph 510 HS can. If you’re a geotagger, consider the Casio Exilim EX-H20G, which is priced the same as the Elph 510 HS and features an advanced GPS system, or the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS, which also features GPS. If a touch-screen interface and a long zoom range are what you’re looking for in a compact camera, the Elph 510 HS won’t disappoint.

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