Canon PowerShot SX200IS 12 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD (Black) by Canon
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Digital camera reviews of Canon PowerShot SX200IS 12 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD (Black)
Digital camera Review: A new Powershot - with GREAT capabilities.
Summary: 4 Stars
HI All,
First off, let me start by saying that I am a Canon fan-boy. I love their product lines in the point and shoot category. I have owned several Canon Powershots and this is my newest acquisition.
Basics:
Whats in the Box:
Camera
Hand Strap
Battery
Charger
USB Cable
Analog Video Cable
Documentation
Canon Software version 46
Whats NOT in the Box and Should be:
Mini-HDMI to HDMI Cable
Sample Memory Card
ONLY GRIPE:
The NOT portion above automatically pulls this review down to a 4 star. Why? Because if you are going to put a mini-hdmi port on your camera...you should include the cable. Even CREATIVE includes a mini-hdmi to hdmi cable with their Vado Video Cam. Come on CANON! And no memory card to start playing out of the box..whats up with that? $349 for this camera would surely be able to give Canon enough to throw in a memory card..and cable. Enough Gripes...now on to the good stuff.
PROS:
I love the look of this camera. Take a look at the images I have attached and ascertain for yourself. Canon has refined the lines on their power-shots so much so that they look like professional cameras.
From the time you press the power button to the time you take your first shot is about 1 second...which to me is pretty fast. Turning the camera off takes an extra second or so because it has to put the flash back down and bring the lens in.
The zoom (12x optical zoom) is amazingly fast when compared to other cameras (Lumix TZ5) that have a lens that is about this size. When the optical zoom runs out, it does get a bit slow on the digital zoom...but that is to be expected on all cameras. I timed about 1.6 seconds from wide-angle to telephoto at full speed. It moves faster as you put more pressure on the switch. The range is 28-336mm. NOTE: One of the cons here is that this amazing zoom can not be used for Video shooting.
A fully charged battery should give you about 280-300 shots depending on conditions, flash usage, light compensation, etc.
The face self-timer option lets you be in a photo, without having to sprint across the room while the self-timer counts down. The camera will simply wait until any other face is detected, and it will take 3 shots in 2 seconds.
The custom self-timer option lets you select both the time you need and how many pictures you want to take. Awesome feature.
The Optical Image Stabilization is awesome and works really well.
The LCD (which is an issue on most cameras for bright outdoors) is amazingly bright and high quality. It is easy to see what you are shooting indoors under heavy lighting and outdoors.
One of the few cameras in its class that allows you to use it in FULL Manual mode...although it does not save files in RAW format.
HD video at 1280 x 720 (720p) at 30 frames/second, with mono sound in h.264 format...which means more video due to higher compression.
Amazing automatic red-eye removal....tested on my daughter with eyes that will put any cameras red-eye feature to shame. We finally dont have to do any post editing on her eyes. YEAH!!!
I will be getting in to photo related details once I have had more time to experiment with the different shooting environments. So far I can see that this camera shines in bright light but seems to have some noise that causes detail loss over iso 200 in low light. Keep checking on this review for updates.
Cons:
Again, no included memory.
No HDMI cable.
Battery Life could be better (not a deal breaker).
Flash takes a bit of time to charge after firing.
Optical zoom not usable in video mode (my lumix tz5 allows it)
Low light performance is lack luster..there is some detail loss.
As I mentioned above..this review is a work in progress and I will be updating it regularly as my experiences with this camera increase. Please ask any and all questions via the commenting system here and I will answer them to the best of my abilities.. Thanks and I hope this review is informative.
Digital camera Review: Accused of having PROFESSIONAL photos!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was printing photos at home today on my canon selphy 760 (nice compact printer by the way), and decided I wanted to get some 5x7's and collages done. I went online and ordered some prints from Walmart. About a half hour after placing my order, I received a call from the photo lab at Walmart. Curiosly I answered the phone and the lab lady told me should would NOT print my photos until I got a signed relase from the photographer's studio. I said, "What?", "Those are my photos I took with my own camera", (actually my niece took them with my Canon SX200 IS of my wedding). She was quite snippy and stated that she felt they looked like they are taken by a professional and was insisting that I sign a relase before I can have them printed. At first I was mad. I explained to her they didn't need anybody's release, they were my photos taken with my camera. After hanging up, I couldn't help but smile, these were photos taken at my wedding which my 15 year old niece took with my canon sx200! I was so pleased. My ex-husband and I just got re-married and decided not to spend money on professional photos this time (we had professional photos taken the first time we got marrried). I have to admit I was worried that I should have spent the money and hire a photographer since it really was an important day for us. I guess we didn't need to spend the extra money afterall. I have 4 cameras including the canon S3IS, Canon SX200 IS (the camera we used for our photos), the Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ28 (which also takes high quality photos, just seems the SX200 takes more vivid photos), and the casio sx-12 (a ultra compact with nice but not exceptional photos). These photos really do look professional and I had the camera set to auto mode so my niece wouldn't have any trouble. This camera is awesome. I guess I got my professional looking photos (without the price).
**I only used auto mode, and got wonderful results. I can only imagine what results I can get if I play around with the settings.
Before buying, I looked at cnet.com http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/canon-powershot-sx200-is/4505-6501_7-33529069.html?tag=mncol;lst
I love cnet.com, although I do feel 90% confident in the editors review, I understand that their reviews are based on a "test" for that item, and not everyday use. I therefore place more value in the average users review, becuase these are the people who bought the camera and are using it to take their photos which can include different settings (inside, outside, weddings, sports, landscape photos, etc...).
Digital camera Review: Almost Perfect!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this camera! It is so close to being exactly what I wanted at a great price. I wanted a wide angle/big zoom camera with adjustable controls for going beyond snapshot taking that is portable, affordable and takes great pictures.
Pros: It takes GREAT picture! (Lots of positive comments from people who didn't know I changed cameras.) The lens combination is what I like best. The zoom allows me to take candid pictures of friends and family without being intrusive. (Still visible, but not in their face.) Landscapes actually turn out and catch the essence of the beauty. Combined with the image stabilizer my photos have improved enormously!! I've used the macro and super macro lenses for flowers in my yard. They work wonderfully. I love that it has a wide angle lens and the 12 mega pixels is not the overkill that I thought it would be.
The settings aren't all just gimmicks. I really can control what a picture will look like. Color, light, depth of field can all be adjusted without having to remember aperture and shutter speed settings, but you CAN use them if you're fluent in them.
The image stabilizer works!!
The video wasn't a consideration for me and I've barely used it, but it IS HD and looks amazing! The sound is pretty good too.
In over a thousand pictures since I got the camera, I've only had two pictures with any red eye at all. Most pictures have been outdoors, but even so, the pop up flash (which hasn't bothered me) works great.
As others have said, read and then reread the manual once you're more familiar with the camera. There are so many features, it's hard to remember them all.
Cons: I MISS the optical view finder! The camera has some warning icons built in to warn you about possible closed eyes and camera movement which helps in bright sunlight.
All flash options are not available on all camera settings. It is annoying to take a picture, look at it, realize it would be better with a fill in flash and have to change the setting in order to find the flash option.
There is a bit of a learning curve to realize its potential, but that's also part of the fun!
I gave it a 5, because I really love the camera and it seems to be an excellent buy!
Digital camera Review: Amazing Camera
Summary: 5 Stars
Amazing camera in such a small package. Only complaint is that the dial on top to change shooting modes is hard to read (symbols are small and not intuitive). With time you get used to it, but other cameras are easier to select modes with. Pictures are fantastic. Great picture quality in automatic mode, but also lots of flexibility for more advanced photographers.Digital camera Review: Amazing Camera
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great camera. Large camera features and functionality in a small package. Zoom and lens stabilization are super. Image quality top notch. Good battery life. And it all fits in your pocket. No regrets buying this camera.