Canon PowerShot SX200 IS

This review is based off of several days of use and a THOROUGH review of the manual. If you are interested in seeing specifications and actual pictures of this camera (which I suggest you do) I recommend visiting websites that offer extensive these types of reviews [...]First, lets review what seems to be common CONS to the camera.

POP UP FLASH. Contrary to some reviews, this camera is not hard to handle/hold nor does the pop up flash get in the way or feel flimsy. Notice Canon has made three designs to combat this problem (e.g. indented thumbprint above controls on back of camera, curved body on right side of camera, and about 3/4 inch space to place finger behind the flash. As I right this review, I am playing around with the flash and notice it feels sturdy; not flimsy. Also, the further the distance between the flash and the lens allows for a better red-eye reduction.

NO VIDEO (optical) Zoom. This camera offers excellent video quality for a "point and shoot camera". It is 720 so expect that quality - no more no less. As for the zoom, it only has a digital zoom (i.e. less quality than optical). Nonetheless, it should not be a deal breaker - unless you are in the market for a digital videorecorder. I recommend a stand alone video recorder at this point. Would it be nice to have a zoom, sure, but honestly, this is not a big deal.

NOISE - Indoor use. PLEASE believe me when I say I find very little if any noise on indoor shots (when using the camera correctly (e.g reading the manual!!!). There are many ways to adjust this camera - MANY ways! Again, I am reviewing pictures I just shot today inside my local library and find them very pleasing and no noise!

FIT/FEEL of Camera. This camera does not feel flimsy. This I think I can promise you. Actually, when I got the camera in my hands, I was suprised to feel and see it was thicker than I thought - but not too thick. Still able to put in pocket (although not if you are wearing tight jeans). If you are looking at this camera, chances are you doing so because of the aesthetic body - and you are right. When/if you put it in your hands, you'll understand that it is, well, sexy and fashionable.

I have put forth what I saw as potentially "deal breakers" to some people and find all of these supposedly negative points not so negative. After thorough research and an extensive review of the manual, I find this camera to be excellent.

Finally, let me try to state what I believe to be the absolute best features of this camera.
1. Quality. The only way to defend this point is to recommend doing research. Many websites have posted pictures this camera has taken - many of them stunning. I even saw a side by side comparison with the SX200IS rival - the TZ7. It was a picture of a night time view of a major city. This camera won hands down. And as for video quality, I was happy with the quality - if you expect 720 and not blu-ray quality. It honestly is great- oh yea, and I notice that when shooting with video, the image seemed to have little or no shake ( I was suprised about this).
2. Function. You can immediately use this even if you never used a camera before. Thank canon for the "easy" function which lets you only hit the shutter button: it does ALL the work for you, and has hints/tips on the screen as you shoot. Or if you are not so novice, you can turn this camera into a complete manual function and create your own aperture, shutter, and ISO values. (This is the reason I bought this camera; so I could go more manual while my wife could just point and click).
3. After having this camera, I have noticed that CANON has not marketed this camera well enough. It has LCD image brightness control that changes on screen depending on how bright it is where you are shooting. Very nice to view the lcd. Also, the LCD has been layered with a scratch resistant coating!
Finally, in my opinion, this camera's best feature is its versatility. What I mean by this is that it takes excellent pictures and allows you to grow with the camera - this point needs to be emphasized.
I suggest that you truly do your research (as you are doing!!:) and you may see as I did that no matter how many cameras I reviewed, I kept coming back to the SX200IS. I am glad I have it.
One final point. If you do get this, please review the manual. It is your bible and will really help you understand the camera if you want to turn it into more than a point and shoot. I wrote this review because I was SHOCKED at the criticisms this camera received. I agree that this camera can be fine tuned (longer battery life.....etc...) but these are by no means deal breakers. Don't worry, whatever camera you get, it will be soon outdated - all cameras get their annual tweaking. Having said that about camera's getting outdated, note that I chose this camera for the features it has for the price it is. Having taken it home, I realize that I am more than getting my money's worth. I am honestly concerned about answering any questions you may have. I wish I could ask people questions before I buy things, so please feel free to comment and/or ask. Best wishes.

***Updated 4-6-08****
For those interested in comparisons, I have recently compared the SX200IS vs the Panasonic TZ5 [...]. Unbelievable, I was able to find same scene shots taken by these two different cameras. This is hard to find. Plus, being that the TZ5 is really the main competitor to the SX200IS, it makes for an interesting comparison. If you do review this website, particularly notice the "city night shot" and ISO 400 setting. In my opinion, the SX200IS is much clearer and offers a more accurate picture. Again, the SX200IS is a winner to me!

***Updatd 7-26-09***
After 4 months of extensive use, this camera is now having power issues. When the camera is turned on, and then turned off, it automatically turns on when I do not want it too! :( It will go back to be fixed. So in terms of reliability, I am a little disappointed. Nonetheless, given the quality and features of this camera, I will GLADLY keep the camera and GLADLY have it fixed. Even with this electronic issue, it is still the best camera out there.

I received this before a weekend trip and it turned out to be a very well rounded camera. It's not as small as an Elph but it's still just small and light enough to carry around in your pocket or purse for easy access. The 12x zoom lens is terrific and in well lighted situations even the digital zoom creates clear, sharp pictures. The offset is that you lose the f2.8 aperture of other 3x camera's.

I tried most of the scene settings and they all produce slightly different results. The AUTO setting uses a higher shutter speed and ISO setting than Portrait. In Program mode you can set the ISO setting to 80 or 100 and have the camera adjust the shutter speed. The foliage setting does enhance the greens. If you have enough light the indoor setting works better and uses a faster shutter speed while Night snapshot uses a slower shutter speed and produces a better overall shot in lower light. In all but the low light scenes the camera does tend to over expose the shot slightly so I ended up using the exposure adjustment at - 1/3 or -2/3's to compensate.

I really liked the ability to adjust the settings to get a well exposed picture out of a range of situations that you can't always get with an Elph and the zoom lens allows you to frame a shot from just about any distance. The pictures are clear, bright and on par with other Canon camera's in it's class. There's plenty of features to play with like face detect and blink detect and the Image Stabilization works very well.

If you are ready to step up from a point and shoot camera to one that provides more control, has a better zoom but is still pocketable the SX200 IS is well worth putting on your list to check out.

Canon SX200

Well - I read in another post that someone likes to try the latest camera - me too! Check out my other reviews as I'm always in the market for a P&S that take at least 720HD Video. I've been using the Sony T500 and Canon G7 for most of my pic/vids until now! Since my last review, I've tried at least 6 other cameras and camcorders - all where returned for one reason or another; let's see - there's the: Samsung HZ10, Panasonic TZ5, Sanyo 1010, Leica D-Lux4, Leica Clux3, Sony CX12, various other cameras at the local store. I have great news! This new Canon SX200 will be my "go to" camera - at least until something better comes along (my trusted T500/G7 will be laid to rest). I'm giving it a 5 Star rating - is it perfect however! No, but for MY needs, it great.

Pro's:
1) Great picture quality - generally speaking indoor pictures are pretty good, noise low on anything below 400ISO, comparable to my Canon G7, much better than my Sony T500, as good - if not better than my old Panasonic TZ5. Outdoor - outstanding - what you would expect from a Canon, sharp, clear, good color, nicely exposed. Have not fooled around with manual settings, but nice to have.
2) I like the design and find it easy to hold (no slippage in my big fat fingers!). Other cameras make it easy for you to hold your finger over the mic or flash, but not here.
3) Flash - I do not mind the pop-up. No big deal for me! Works good too!
4) Menu's are pretty easy to navigate - no problem here.
1) HD Video - I really like the quality of the video, nice wide screen playback on my 40" Samsung HDTV and looks great on the desktop. Playback is easy and smooth, no problem. (not diggin' the digital zoom - see my cons). Codec actually works with my Windows Media Player without any hick-ups or wiggles. It's not perfect (like "Sunrise Earth" HD quality), but pretty nice for taking shots of the kids and grandkid, etc. Again, plays nice on the HDTV. Sound quality is only mono, but SOOOO much better than the Panasonic TZ5 (my deal breaker for the TZ5) it's no comparison. The Sony T500 beats them both for sound quality - it's stereo! Remember, during video you can NOT optically zoom this camera, but you can digitally zoom - it's not great, but will get you a little closer if you need.
6) IS - works great
7) Zoom nice and smooth - focus is fast and accurate.
8) Battery - pretty good - seems to last me the day - I bought an extra just in case.
9) Auto Focus works like a charm, even in low light - no problem here.
10) Macro looks great - took some beautiful shots of flowers and roses in my backyard.
11) Easy to carry around - not to big, not to small either - just right!
12) Overall quality and "feel" is nice! Seems well built and should hold up to many outings with the kids and hiking around.

Cons:
1) No optical zoom with the Video. If this camera was able to optically zoom, it would be as good as it gets for a point and shoot with HD Video! Come on Canon - what's up with that!!!! Panasonic can do it -why can't you! Do you want your customers to jump ship when the new Panasonic TZ7 comes out??????? If SOMEONE could.......please, please, please, hack this and help me. Maybe Canon will do some kind of firmware update and allow optical zoom. I can put up with the motor noise of the zoom for this ability!!!!!!!! While you're at the firmware hack - if you could disable the flash pop-up that would be nice too!
2) Indoor shots a bit soft, but just about all P&S's are, the SX200 is pretty darn good though.
3) In the Auto mode, the camera automatically (hence "auto" mode) picks the setting it thinks it needs for the best shot. For example, if you real close to an object, it will automatically switch to Macro, then turn back to other modes if you take another shot - this process takes a little time (maybe a second or two) to switch. I do not mind because that is what is supposed to do, it just takes a "learning curve" understand what is happening.

Anyway, these are just the things that really stand out. Of course there are other functions that I really like and others that I will rarely use.

Just one camera geeks opinion, I've read the above folks comments and agree with some, disagree with others. Each piece of tech has it's quirks (like the flash popping up when the camera is on; or it feels slippery; or whatever). It's hard to try something new, but with all of the cameras I've tried, I can tell within a few shots (I have my test shots all picked out for comparisons) if I'm going to like it or not. The SX200 was the first in long time that kept me inetested, testing, and ultimately claim this one as a keeper! Interested in your opinion - just me nice!!!! Oh, and one more thing - PLEASE don't tell me to go and get a DSLR and a dedicated HD Camcorder - been there, done that!

UPDATE
A lot of people are comparing this to the Panasonic DMC-ZS3; I just bought one so I have both. After spending some time with each I've come to the conclusion that, despite the similarities, they are different camera for different audiences. Here's where each excels:

PANASONIC

* For a very powerful point-and-click / don't think about it camera, it can't be beat. The Intelligent Auto almost always takes great pictures under almost all conditions. The Canon Auto doesn't even come close and esp for indoor pictures you have to select specific scenes - or use manual controls - to get a good picture.

* Video: True optical zoom + AVCHD video format support. IMHO the Canon's video really is toy-like without optical zoom.

* Features: Here again the Panasonic runs circles around the Canon:
- Much faster burst mode
- Takes 3 aspect ratios at once (e.g Normal + Wide Angle)
- Twice as many scene modes
- Focus locking (e.g. a moving animal)


CANON

* Manual Camera Controls: (e.g. ISO settings) I honestly have never used these before, but I'm disappointed the Panasonic doesn't include any, as I'd like to start to learn more about them. I can see how this is a big omission if you're a semi-professional photographer.


PICTURE QUALITY

* Auto Point-and-Shoot: Panasonic. I've taken pictures with high motion, low-light conditions, etc. I never thought possible (for me). If you know very little about ISO, etc. This is the camera for you.

* Manual and Best Possible Pictures: Looking at a LOT of samples, it's clear the Canon has a slight edge over the Panasonic here. I'm sure this is because Auto still can't quite take a picture the way a professional photographer would. I've always always been very partial to Canon cameras (until now) because they do seem to have the best picture quality, and the samples I've seen seem to show this is still true.

Realistically though, most of use won't take the time to adjust manual controls for every picture - in which case I'm confident the Panasonic will often take better pictures than the Canon (esp indoors or low-light conditions).

So overall, even after owning maybe 5 canons over the years, I'd recommend the Panasonc hands-down, with one exception:

If you're looking to learn more about professional photography and manual camera setting - but not ready for a real professional camera yet, the Canon might be a really good place to start, as the Panasonic doesn't have these.

I'm keeping both - but thee Panasonic will be the one I use 95% of the time.

*** INITIAL REVIEW ***
I've owned a half-dozen Cannon digital cameras over the years, this is the first one I'm not entirely impressed with.

PROS
* The 12x optical zoom
* Wide angle pictures
* HD video recording (digital zoom only)
* New features: Blink detection, etc.

CONS
* Auto Mode: Maybe I have a faulty camera; if not Auto mode is useless for indoor photos. Auto mode seems VERY aggressive with setting the shutter speed, etc. The problem with this is its settings usually mean you have to hold the camera rock-steady or you'll get very blurry pictures.

Also (with Auto Mode) indoor pictures are soft, include lots of noise, and the colors are off.

Doing some experimenting, you can get around these problems by switching to another picture mode, like Indoor. But, IMHO that defeats the entire purpose of Auto Mode. Yes, it's a simple turn of a dial to get the right mode - but I think even that disqualifies this as a true "point and shoot" camera.

I think this would be a good camera for people who want more control over their photos - without having to be a professional photographer. But I can't recommend it for someone who just wants to push a button to take a picture.

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.