Decidedly slim and sleekly refined the PowerShot SX210 IS packs a feature set that reads like a wish list.The 14.1 megapixel CCD joins a 14x 28mm wide angle zoom for imaging power to spare.Frame your shots in the bright 3.0 inch widescreen PureColor System LCD with the Low Light mode for sharp images in dimly lit situations
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Rating
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RBW5FATHST40A Update: 7-19-2010 The video that I posted today is to answer questions about the camera’s cycle rate. It is not an overall camera review but a demonstration of how long it takes the shutter to fire and a demonstration of the “wicked fast” continuous mode. I posted the continuous mode photos on my Google Picasa account which can be viewed by going to my Amazon profile page.
I am a professional motion picture camera assistant and an advanced hobby photographer. I own a Nikon D90 and several other compact cameras. There are times that I wanted to bring a decent camera but didn’t want to haul my SLR kit around with me. I have always felt like I had to make a big compromise until now. This camera captures amazing images for such a compact device. If wanted it also allows for full control of all aspects of your shots including ASA, shutter time and aperture. The HD video it captures is fantastic and it does this without the need to hand focus like my D90.
The first thing that you will notice when you get the camera is that it is very small. It is the size camera you can put in a belt case and forget you have it with you.
Controls – I am use to more direct access to the controls but anyone who is familiar with SLR photography can easily navigate the controls without a manual. Amateurs or those unfamiliar with SLR controls have two great options, Auto or EZ mode. You can put this camera into the hands of an inexperienced photographer and if they can compose a shot, and have fundamental consideration of lighting, they can get technically great pictures.
Colors are accurate with excellent black detail for this price range camera. This camera achieves a level of image quality that was available only from professional SLR cameras a few years ago.
Once you turn on the camera, you are going to be impressed with the wide end of this cameras lens. For vista shots, it does not show wide lens distortion. For close wide shots, it does show an acceptable amount distortion that is fun to shoot with. When I took this camera on a family trip, I was easily able to hold the camera myself and get all 4 of us in the shot. The only issue that I have with this wide mode is that it will not fully translate in a standard 4X6 print. You will loose the sides of the pictures when you print. I hope that the 16X9 HD ratio will become a standard for future photo prints. Of course you can set the camera to shoot a standard 4X6 print
The long end of the zoom is equally amazing. The image stabilization seems as good as Nikon’s VR system.
The SX210is focuses almost as quickly as my SLR Nikon D90 in still mode.
Contunuous Mode- The camera can record 2 FPS in continuous mode. It is a lot of fun to record action sequences or take a series of photos if you have the need to grab a lot of shots in a short time. I posted a few series of shots on my Google Picasa site that can be viewed through my profile page, or paste:
[…]
Movie Mode – The camera really shines in video mode, it focuses quickly and tracks action well. This Canon camera can continuously focus the image rather than having to press the button halfway to activate focus.
In video mode, the exposure shifts in steps rather than gradual transitions. In other words, the exposure could be good for a particular scene and as it transitions to a different lighting scenario the exposure clicks to the proper exposure. Dedicated video cameras transition more smoothly between different lighting conditions than still camera shooting in video mode.
It shoots 720p movies that rival a dedicated video camera. The optical 14X zoom is amazing. This camera could take the place of a stand-alone video camera for many people. The audio quality is good but not fantastic. You can notice the steady shot while shooting videos. It works well until you get to long end of the lens where you will notice that the image jumps around when you try to hold a steady frame. In reality, you would never want to shoot zoomed in all the way.
Con’s- I’m getting picky here but you should know…
I would have liked a viewfinder. Shooting in bright sunlight can be difficult with the LCD screen. I also find that resting the camera against your head helps steady shots.
I wasn’t really crazy about the exposed LCD screen. The screen is made of glass rather than plastic, which is nice. If placed LCD side down it does not rest flat on the screen. It instead rests on the mode rotary dial and the opposite corner of the camera. I wish manufactures would engineer a slightly raised screen bezel to prevent scratches to the screen.
I think it could have been better if the microphones were in front of, rather than on top of the camera. There isn’t enough separation between microphones to realize stereo sound capabilities. The microphone is very susceptible to wind noise.
Low light mode is still slightly noisy compared to the D90. Don’t expect a miracle low light camera and you won’t be disappointed. Still it is a lot better than other compact cameras. Please see the low light photo I posted.
The pop-up flash for the camera is positioned where your left index finger would typically grip the camera. I keep forgetting to relocate my fingers when I turn on the camera. It works well for illuminating snapshots. I have found that it is a bit inconsistent. Sometimes it gracefully lights shots and other times it performs as a typical compact camera flash.
Conclusion:
I really love the camera and would purchase it again if I manage to destroy it or loose it. The zoom range is amazing and very useful. The color this camera captures is realistic and detailed. It is compact, easy to use and fun to shoot. It is not equal to a quality SLR camera but is clearly better than all of the compact camera’s I have used. My impression is it’s in-between quality in a compact body. It definitely sets a new standard.
If you have any questions or want other information that will help improve this review, please leave a comment. I’d be happy to repost any improvements.
My review is intended to give a overall consumer impression of this amazing little camera. I could have gone on for pages and there are plenty of professional reviews on the internet if you want to find out very specific information.
Don’t forget to order a case or SD card when you order this camera as it comes with neither.
SD CARDS
I tried SD cards that ranged from a class 2 Panasonic to a class 10 SanDisk 30MB/s. It didn’t make a lot of difference in the cycle rate the camera was able to shoot at.
BATTERIES
If you get a spare battery get the OEM Canon Battery. I was tempted to save and bought the Lenmar replacement battery. I would suggest you save your money. After the first few cycles it would read full on the camera’s battery indicator but not be able to power the camera.
CASES
The Canon PSC-3100 PowerShot Case for Canon SX200IS Digital Cameras is really too large for this camera. See the posted pictures on Amazon’s consumer photos. I went to an electronics store and tried all of the cases. I liked the Lowepro D-Pods 20 best. Amazon sells it for $9.23 and it’s Amazon Prime too. This case is snug fitting and offers spare battery and card storage. I posted some snapshots and a video.
Avoid the temptation to put a compact camera unprotected in a jacket pocket. The dust and dirt contained within can work itself into the camera and optics. There is no easy way to address this.
I posted a video review there also.
Lowepro D-Pods 20 Camera Case (Black)
Lowepro D-Pods 20 Camera Case (Black)
Some sample photos are at my Picasa account that can be found in my profile page.
Rating
I have little to add to Stephen’s comprehensive review except to say I love this camera as well. So this review will be more of a first impression “gut” feel about this camera.
I also miss a viewfinder and have the same trouble with my finger getting in the way of the pop-up flash. Both are minor issues.
I own a Nikon D90 and D300, but I also travel with a small PowerShot as my “pocket camera.” My first was a SD900, followed by an SD990IS (which was a slight improvement). Yet I was never really happy with the image quality of either, and the video was a greater disappointment.
I was about to buy a top-rated S90, in spite of its age in digital camera terms. Yet I opted to pre-order the SX210IS, as newer is generally better.
Both the 14.1 MP 14X Zoom are a bit over the top – I’d prefer a wider angle and not so much zoom! Yet no regrets – image quality, color saturation and HD video quality are noticeably better than the SD ELPH series (some costing more than the SX210IS).
I just bought two 32 GB SD cards and can’t wait to shoot lots of street photos and some video on an upcoming trip to Barcelona. This camera is perfect in places where expensive DSLR or HD camcorder equipment would attract the attention of petty thieves.
I did have one instance while photographing kids, where the camera simply would not auto-focus. Yet that may have been new-user error, as I had my D90 in the other hand. No problems since.
When a new HD model of the S90 is released, I’ll likely give away my SX210IS, as I did with my previous PowerShots. I hope it is not soon, as my new SX210IS is the first ever PowerShot that I am truly happy with.
Rating
I put a lot of thought and research into picking out a camera this time. I was looking for an all-around family camera for someone who really likes photography and shares a lot of photos. Ultimately, I want a DSLR to get those perfect, professional quality archive photos to blow up and hang on the wall. I knew that the SX210 wouldn’t achieve that but, only being able to buy one camera this year, it still seemed the best all around choice. It does what it does well enough that I’m just excited to have it.
A lot of reviews of this camera will just say that the image quality is Fantastic and Perfect and such. My review is based on knowing that there are other cameras that could ultimately produce better pictures but that this one is worth getting anyway.
First off, the image quality is quite nice. Right out of the box, using the auto setting, I’ve been impressed. I have taken some difficult backlit pictures of my kids that were surprisingly beautiful. My old Elf would have been baffled by the light. I shot some flash pictures in near darkness while zoomed across the room and the amount of detail is impressive. I did this in Low Light setting, letting the camera focus with the little red light and hitting the shutter at the right moment. You could actually get usable shots that way. Daylight photos, as expected, are rich and vividly colorful. I’ve posted a backlit photo taken on auto setting, zoomed across the room. I also included a ’tilt zoom’ photo. That seems like it could be a fun effect from time to time.
And then there are all of the manual controls. I can tell that one could put the effort in with this camera and become skilled at producing better and better shots. I haven’t had access to manual focus, aperture and shutter speed since my old 35mm days. It’s not quite the same to handle as that but the same principles apply. A real photographer could stay busy with this.
Once I saw that the image quality is acceptable for an expensive point and shoot, the rest of it is a no-brainer. Having all that room to zoom really changes your perspective on the shots you can get. I prefer candid shots of people rather than posing and telling them to smile. This is the perfect stealth camera for that. My youngest daughter got into the habit of posing all the time. You pull out the camera because she’s doing something priceless but as soon as you’re pointing it at her she stops to ham it up. Now I’m taking natural, candid shots of my kids playing in the yard from all the way across the yard. It’s awesome. The only way to do it with my old Elf would have been digital zoom which produces terrible pictures.
And then there is the video. This thing may cost a lot for a point and shoot but it’s not so much considering that I really don’t need to buy a video camera now. At a recent school event with my daughter on stage I was in envy of the parents with video cameras. But, of course, if they wanted to shoot pictures, they were carrying two cameras. With the SX210, I could zoom in for a perfectly framed, HD shot from the back row. And you don’t even need to switch to video mode. Just hit the red button. Very cool. I was so glad to see that they updated the video function from the SX200. (I owned one of those for a couple of days before returning it.) 14x optical zoom while shooting video is unbelievable. You can track moving objects all over the place. It’s really fun.
Yesterday was my first full day of shooting with this. I took my daughter to the museum and the park and the SX210 fit pretty comfortably into my front pocket. I recommend using the strap all the time to avoid drops. To me, it’s not ideal in terms of handling. I liked the feel of the SX200 better, for example. But it’s a good tradeoff when you consider the functions and how much camera you’re able to put in your pocket.
Changing the annoying pop-up flash so you can snap it shut was a big improvement from the SX200. It gets it out of the way, for good, when you’re shooting in daylight and I like being able to shut it off without going into the functions. There are some situations where you’re not allowed to use flash and it’s nice to know for sure that it’s not going to fire. With it snapped shut, you know for sure.
I imagine the Panasonic and Sony superzooms that compete with the SX210 have their charms as well. But I don’t care about having GPS and I trust the Canon not to be beat in its class in terms of color and overall image quality.
When I saw that Canon had raised the megapixels, probably, too high for the size of the sensor in this camera, I was prepared to be annoyed. It seems gimicky. 10x zoom and 10 MP wouldn’t have been enough? But, the image quality is still decent and I find myself using all of the zoom. It’s definitely a gimicky camera but they’re fun gimicks. The pictures aren’t DSLR quality but even entry level DSLRs still cost more than this and you can’t stick them in your pocket for a day of touring around. For the price, I’m happy with it and I don’t see anything out there that would have been better for me.
Rating
I waited for a while to see what was up with Amazon’s release date. I have a huge European vacation coming up in a couple weeks, so I couldn’t wait much longer to get used to a new camera. I surfed on over to Best Buy and there it was…with Free Shipping and I am loving this camera! Best point-and-shoot I have ever owned.
This is now my third Canon PowerShot. I am by no means getting rid of my SD750 though – great camera, but there is 2x’s the pixel and zoom in the SX210IS. I never thought that I was going to have a point-and-shoot with image stabilization like my Nikon D90 has. The red-eye correction works best if the setting is to reduce DURING the photo taking.
The 3″ LCD is so clear and so the colors are bright. The video capability is just uhm… WOW! I thought the SD750 took amazing video, but the video this camera takes is mind-blowing. I filmed some of us at our softball training tonight and if I could – I would show you how amazing the videos came out. I am using a 16GB Transcend Class 6 card and the download time was pretty fast. I had about 17 minutes total.
Zoom zoom zoommm (did that sound like a Mazda commercial?) The zoom was also tested at my softball game. I zoomed in on my friend out in left field and the Red Sox logo was CLEAR! There was a bit of grain, but when I say ‘bit’ – it was so minimal.
Day photos – vivid, clear, and overall superb quality. Low-light – great quality and the best that I have seen in any point-and-shoot – just let it do the right focusing and you have some decent photos. Night – it was pretty dark before softball was over tonight. I walked over to the dugout and just started randomly taking shots at some objects where it was pitch dark – they came out like it was DAY! I the arranged a softball, bat bag, and glove about 60 feet away from me and zoomed, well – the photo came out clear, bright (but not overdone) and way better than I ever expected.
I now joke that this camera has higher MP than my DSLR. My Nikon D90 is a 12.1 and this is 14.1 – I honestly never thought that I would have a non-DSLR that had these options, but Canon surely has made a great choice in this area!
Overall, I am extremely happy with this camera. It was well worth $350 for a compact point-and-shoot. I will be looking forward to seeing more reviews since there are only six (including mine) as of now.
Hope you enjoyed my review & hope you choose this camera!
Rating
I purchased this camera on April 17th and have taken 200 photos in the last week. My battery indicator still has a full charge. The low light and natural light photos are great and I am very happy with my purchase. I was concerned that you only get a basic printed manual and the rest is on a CD. However, after reviewing the manual on my computer, there weren’t any sections that I felt I needed to print out. The on screen menus are easy to follow and the pop-up flash, while somewhat annoying, hasn’t been a problem for me. I do what another reviewer suggested and hold my finger over it when I turn on the camera. It appears to be more fragile than my Fuji Finepix J10 and I find myself being extra careful and gentle with it. But it may just seem so since it cost so much more. I find myself wanting to go on vacation or to the zoo so I can take some really cool photos to compare with my other two cameras (the Fuji and a Panasonic DMC-FZ30). All in all, I am very pleased.
For those of you wanting a hard shell case to protect this camera, I finally found the right fit in the Case Logic SLDC-202 Compact Camera Case. It will fit your camera perfectly with a hard shell on both front and back, and there is a front pocket for a spare battery and memory card.
Rating
I was so impressed with this camera that I bought a second one for my wife!
There is no need to repeat other people’s comments, so I will raise several new points. First, the true test of any camera is how well it photographs oil paintings. This camera is suburb. My wife is an artist and photographing her paintings is always a challenge. I followed a tip on the internet and chose Scene — autumn leaves. This pumps up the color slightly and makes the photos close to the original. We compared the photos with the original paintings and they were mighty accurate in color reproduction. The photos are much better than what my wife obtained using professional photographers in the past.
Second, the camera does well with photos partly in the shade and partly in the sun. I would say that results are very near that obtained with film SLR cameras. Most digital camera freak out under such circumstances.
Third, the camera performs extremely well under low level light conditions.
For the size,features and performance, this camera can’t be beat.
I bought spare genuine Canon batteries and I get about 230 photos per charge, which is more than adequate.
Rating
Bought this camera to take to concerts. Needed a big zoom, great low light performance, HD video and a lot of battery. Ordered on-line since all local stores had been sold out for several weeks. First Canon I have ever owned. It was worth the wait. Easy to use yet comes packed with every manual feature you could need. The zoom is remarkable. The HD video performed like a much bigger camera. Battery lasts – even with video. Low light pictures are remarkable. If you are looking for a concert camera – you cannot do better.
The complaints about the flash placement are overstated. It only took a few minutes to learn how to hold it and it is easy to reactivate the flash if your finger holds it down.
I have only owned this camera for a month and it has already made a big impression. In my camera bag, I will carry my Nikon digital SLR when I can and this little beauty when I can’t.
Rating
I bought one of these to replace my Canon A720is that SOMEONE in my house managed to ruin by putting a deep ol scratch dead center on the lens. (No one has fessed up yet either….)
Part of me is glad that happened though as I now own a camera that I love and enjoy ten times more than my previous a720.
This camera is simply amazing. Easy to use, has TONS of features and manual settings for the guys that like to take more control, and the pictures are outstanding. The quality of pictures I am getting over my a720is is incredible. I am getting a much sharper, clearer, and more colorful picture and I thought what I was seeing before was nice with that a720…
This camera has a plethora of fun settings, smile detection, wink detection, blink detection, redeye removal and prevention, an amazing zoom length (14x OPTICAL!)and it’s no slouch on the macros either. I also love that this camera not only tells you what setting you have chosen on screen, but it also explains WHAT THE FEATURE DOES FOR YOU! My wife, who knows ZIP about photography, is now taking better pictures than ever before and is beginning to understand what changing the settings will do for her. Very nice touch by Canon…
I researched the daylights out of this camera and I couldn’t find a negative professional review. I read a LOT of them too. If your budget is around three hundred dollars look no further.
Oh, someone else here wrote a review and commented that the camera zooms very slowly. This is NOT true. Had he read the manual he would have discovered that pushing the zoom button a little harder makes the speed increase. You can almost snap zoom in on a subject if you want to. I LOVE how Canon designed the zoom because you can crawl or run while zooming in…it’s your call.
EDIT:
I just got home after using this gem to shoot my daughters softball game. Let me tell you, it’s so nice to sit in the stands and get a close up of her on second base! The 14x zoom is still surprising me! Last year when shooting pictures using my a720is I always had to get as close as possible to get a decent shot and that camera has a 6x optical zoom. The day was cold and cloudy yet every picture and video I shot looked fantastic.
The video is what prompted me to edit this review a little. I set it to record in HD and shot her at bat and while running the bases. You can still zoom in and out while shooting video which is another plus I discovered by the way. When I got home I was amazed at the quality of the video it took! It even looks better than what my full blown, mid range Sony handy cam produces! I can’t believe I am getting video this clear, colorful, and sharp from a pocket sized camera. I installed an 8 gig, class 6 HC SD card in the camera and still had a TON of room left. Granted I didn’t shoot a lot of video that day but I know I can fit a decent amount on there if needed. You can also step down the quality to also not take up so much space.
Anyway, just buy this camera. It packs a punch in every category and is easy to use.
Oh, the 8g HC SD class 6 card I bought was from Transcend. It has worked flawlessly and is very, very fast. I purchased it here at Amazon for around 20 bucks. I also have a 4 gig card that’s the same brand and it’s worked great as well.
Rating
I’m quite pleased with this purchase. The SX 210is is worth the pennies you put into it. Has pretty good AI for a point and shoot, fair low light pictures and amazing HD movies. I rarely use the flash since it degrades the true-to-life perception in photos, and it performs like a champ. In bright daylight the pictures are extremely crisp and full of color. In low lighting you do notice some noise since the ISO is ramped up to compensate. Using manual settings you can get crisp non-action shots even in low light. Rarely get blur when using the flash even with fast action shots.
This camera takes amazing video. I’ve used it in the home, and out and about. The focus is a little slow if your moving from close to far objects but the detail is really worthy of being called 720p. It has tons of options for effects and manual control. Quite impressed with the technical abilities of the camera. Definitely has captured memories in detail that I haven’t had with previous cameras.
I have a Canon fs11 camcorder and the SX 210is takes better quality video in my opinion (fs11 is much faster from turn on to a record though).
A few cons:
Low light can produce noise and blur when taking pics. Videos are slightly grainy/noisy but nothing game breaking. Still great detail, its 14mp for crying out loud.
The focus during videos is a little slow. The manual focus option can actually work faster if you know what you’re doing.
The Mic doesn’t function well in a windy environment, but works great otherwise. Stereo sound isn’t awesome unless things are to the far right or far left and then you can really hear it.
The guy that posted about the dark shadow in the lower right is truth. But I’ve only personally found it when taking a macro picture with the flash. Taking a macro you’re better off using natural light or background light anyway.
For entry level or just needed a good P&S this is a great camera. And for those comparing this to entry level DLSR’s, there’s no comparison. Apples and oranges. Just depends on your take of photography. The SX210is is VERY portable (carry it in my pocket most of the time) and has highly detailed pics and vids every time.
Rating
I’ll leave the technical reviews to others. I bought the SX210 primarily for the 14x zoom and it has let me get some fantastic photos. I was even at one event where a guy with a digital SLR who had been sitting behind me came up to me at the end and asked me about the SX210 because he had seen (over my shoulder) the shots I was getting with the zoom and was impressed.
I did have one surprise though. Apparently the LCD display is polarized. I found this out the first time I tried to take a vertically oriented picture while wearing sunglasses and all of a sudden the LCD went totally black on me. It took me a few seconds to realize that the LCD was still on – I just couldn’t see it due to the combined effects of the polarization of my sunglasses and the polarization of the LCD display when holding the camera vertically.