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 Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon PowerShot SX200IS 12 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD (Black)
Customer Review: I really like this one!
Summary: 5 Stars
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!
Customer Review: The most versatile ultra-zoom comact camera
Summary: 5 Stars
First let me say that in either automatic or manual mode the SX200 takes stunning photographs in both bright and dull light, and its night shots are marvelous.
Here are the features of the camera that I like (in no particular order of preference):
- i-Contrast , which brings out details in dark areas of an image. It can be used either before or after taking a photo. I live by the ocean where seascapes and landscapes often have a wide range of bright and dark areas.
- Editing colors in the review mode. I take lots of photos of flowers, generally using the "foliage" mode; sometimes an image is improved when switched to "neutral" or "positive film" colors.
- Trimming photos in review mode.
- Fast, smooth, and precise zooming.
- Manual focusing, especially the distance scale shown on the LCD. But it takes practice to get proficient using the manual focus.
- Manual aperture control. I like to have maximum depth of field in my seascapes and landscapes, for which I always use f8, the SX200's smallest aperture.
- Manual shutter speed control. I take lots of night scenes, usually with a tripod, so I often use exposures of several seconds at ISO 200, where noise is not noticeable.
- The image stabilization is the best I have ever used. Shots at shutter speeds as slow as 1 second have little or no visible camera shake.
- The wide angle lens is nice, but it would be even nicer if it were wider.
- 12 Megapixels are valuable when using digital zoom to extend the telephoto range beyond the maximum optical range of x12. At 12x optical & 2.5 digital (x30 total) with ISO100 the SX200 produces excellent 8"x10" photos and very good 11"x14" ones. Digital zoom on this camera is fantastic compared with my previous digital cameras.
- The LCD screen is sharp and easy to see in bright sunlight. Manual brightness adjustment with the display button takes only a second.
- Function hints that appear of the LCD are helpful and easy to read.
- The SX200 has a stylish body made mostly of metal; it is comfortable to hold; and it is manufactured in Japan.
- The camera fits snugly in a Zing case, which in turn fits comfortably in my pants pocket. There is even room in the case for a battery, memory card, and a lens cleaning cloth.
- The software for transferring images to a computer and then editing them is user friendly. I fine tune most of my images with the first level of editing: auto adjustment, color levels, brightness, contrast, sharpness, trim, tone curve, and red eye. I rarely need to go to the external editor.
- The battery charger is elegantly simple.
- Unlike some other reviewers, I actually like the SX200 User's Manual. It is better than other Canon manuals that I have used. I read most of the manual during the 2 hours while I was waiting for the battery to be charged up.
- Red-eye with indoor flash shots is less frequent with the SX200 than the Elph SD850; perhaps because the flash is farther from the lens. I can optimize flash pictures by adjusting the flash power and/or aperture, and ISO.
And here are some SX200 features that could be improved to make an excellent camera even better:
- The plastic door on the output socket compartment feels flimsy and needs to be shut carefully.
- I would happily trade off the maximum focal length to get an even shorter minimum focal length (wider angle lens) such as the x12 lens on the Panasonic DMC-ZS3.
- I'd like an ISO higher than 400 before the image gets noisy.
- A minimum aperture smaller than f8 would be valuable.
- I'd prefer a manual flip-up flash rather than one that pops up automatically when the camera is switched on.
- No live histogram; but one is displayed immediately after every shot when the "review information" is set on "detailed."
- The wrist strap is not Canon quality. Mine frayed after only two weeks and 1,000 photos.
- Longer battery life (I always have a fully charged spare battery on hand.)
(I never use video so I am unable to comment on those features of the SX200.)
Summary: This is a terrific travel camera for a photographer who needs an ultra-zoom compact with both manual and automatic controls. The SX200 is not perfect but it comes close. I bought my SX200 at Amazon for $325. For my requirements, it is better value than its nearest rival,the Panasonic DMC-ZS3, which might be a good choice for a beginner with no intentions of progressing beyond automatic snapshots or a person who wants a compact point-and-shoot ultra-zoom without manual controls and is willing to shell out at least $425.
Customer Review: Great zoom camera
Summary: 5 Stars
I was previously looking at budget cameras and settled on the Fujifilm Finepix J38 for about $95. I figured companies had this point and shoot thing figured out, and pretty much anything would take good photos these days. I was wrong, and found out sometimes you do get what you pay for.
I restarted my search, this time focusing on cameras with greater zoom capability, since I had decided to up my budget and didn't need anything tiny. I decided on the SX200IS, and haven't regretted it. It take good photos indoor and outdoor, without too much noise, and the 12x zoom lens is great.
Noise level is one of the things I hated about the Fujifilm, and this camera is much better in that regard. I would have loved to see what this looks like with an 8MP sensor since it could have reduced the noise level even further, but it takes fairly clean shots even in poor lighting conditions. If the lighting is good, such as in a room with windows during the day, the images are very good with little noise. Zoomed out to about 50% size or less, it's barely noticeable. In comparing similar indoor shots, I would say the noise is slightly worse than a Canon EOS 50D SLR (over $900 without a lens), and comparable to a Canon SD1200IS. All this testing was with auto mode, so fine-tuning with different scene modes or manual control (if you know what you're doing) would perhaps improve things even more.
I also looked at the main competition from Panasonic (Lumix TZ5 or some such), and found on one review site that at full wide angle with the flash on, the lens actually casts a shadow in the photo. Unbelievable, and a deal breaker for me. It's not like that is some kind of obscure shooting situation.
There are lots of other detailed reviews, so I'll just be brief.
- Lots of shooting modes seem to work very well
- Easy to use. I mostly use three things: auto, indoor, and flash control.
- Pop-up flash seems sturdy enough unless you abuse your cameras and presents no problem for holding it
- Image quality is good
- Zoom is awesome
- Price is quite fair for the value
- Good battery life (though I don't use the flash much)
- The charger is nice - compact and light, and the plug folds in. Good for travel.
- Big, clear screen; can get washed out somewhat in sunlight but still usable
- Small enough to be very portable, but not a shirt-pocket camera. Then again, who makes a shirt-pocket camera with 12x zoom?
- Not particularly good for macro work; it has trouble focusing at very close distances sometimes
- As with any small point and shoot, shooting with the flash is iffy. Not a knock on this camera, I think it's very hard to get really good shots with a flash unless you have a nice external flash like with an SLR.
- Image stabilization works well, everything comes out sharp unless there's just not enough light.
- Video comes out well if there's good light, grainy if too dark (nothing you can do about that). The frame is good enough to capture the action such as hyperactive kids.
I took this on a vacation to Europe and it performed great. For anyone traveling with this camera, the battery charger does accept 240 volts, though of course you'll need a plug adapter. I was taking something like 150 photos a day and I never needed more than two batteries. The camera gives you a warning when the battery is low and I've never had it just die on me - always plenty of time to get a spare.
Also, there are some ridiculously inexpensive 3rd-party replacement batteries and chargers for this camera available on Amazon, or at least they used to be. They have slightly less life than the OE battery but still great value. Either way, I do recommend a spare battery as you don't want to get caught with a useless camera and a great shooting opportunity. I would attach some shots but I don't see how.
This model has been superceded by the SX210IS, which I understand is very similar. Buy it! I did a lot of research, and I don't think there's a better compact digital camera on the market, period.
Customer Review: Over 2000 Pictures Taken
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had the camera for about 2 1/2 weeks and this was the product I have been waiting for many years-compact size for traveling with a large zoom. Since the camera has been released, I have read all the reviews I could find, including the comparisions to the Panasonic. Although most of the professional reviews rated the Panasonic higher, I decided to stick with Canon because of the following-I have owned 4 Canon Elphs, Canon has been in the business of making cameras for many years and I don't really care about video.
Many have complained about the pop-up flash. At first, I was somewhat irritated about the flash being extended all the time, but after after a few days I hardly even notice it anymore. In fact, many times my finger prevented the flash from operating and did nothing to change the quality of the photos I took(in properly lighted situations).
I have used all the possible picture modes with the exception of "Easy" and the camera performs flawlessly for me. I live on the beach in Florida and have many pictures of tropical flowers and boats in my sample collection that were extremely sharp in contrast and with great colors. The closeup features on the camera are just what I was hoping for in sharpness and blow away my Elphs by a long shot.
In reduced light or at night-time, I have taken pictures of my stained glass lampshades and the colors were reproduced perfectly. This also goes for my hound dog who never likes to stay still when I take her picture. By using the 'Kids and Pet' scene mode, the camera again worked flawlessly and stopped her movements so I could get great quality pictures of her. I have a waterfall in my backyard and the same scene mode stopped the water flowing over the rocks so the stream appeared to be stopped- a very nice effect.
The zoom!!!!!!!!! Just wonderful. I used the digital zoom at about 32X to take a picture of a flower blooming in a neighbors yard. I am not a fan of digital zoom pictures at all, but the photo appeared to very crisp and sharp. I take pictures of the sea birds near my house and the zoom is perfect for those hard to get close ups.
The software inside the camera can be used to enhance or repair photos, and again this is a feature I never used before. I can take a picture into the sun of a person and by using the correction in the camera, they don't appear to be blacked out like with my Elphs.
The battery takes aproximately 250-275 pictures and I am very happy with it's performance. The LCD screen looks fine to me even in the bright sunlight.
My only wish was the camera was the same size as my Elphs, but I am sure that will happen in the not too distant future. It fits easily into the pockets of my shorts and feels solid, although a bit heavy compared to the ELph.
Lastly, these are just my impressions and everyone will have specific likes and dislikes about any brand of camera. I almost pushed the buy button on the Panasonic competitor, but I remembered what a professional photographer told me before I purchased my first digital camera: "Go with a brand that has been making camera for a long time." If you do decide to purchase the Canon SX 200, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. If not, return it and get the Panasonic which by all accounts is a very fine camera also.
Customer Review: Excellent SLR replacement/backup
Summary: 5 Stars
The Short Version: I love this camera. While it has a few clear weaknesses, it more than makes up for them in quality, ability, and manual controls.
Background: I am a photography enthusiast. Not the kind who stalks around taking random pictures of strangers, or who wanders the forest looking for interesting plants. The kind who enjoys taking pictures at events: quiz meets, softball games, weddings, etc. to share with friends. I own a Canon EOS 50D (digital SLR) but also like to have a smaller point-and-shoot for travel or situations where the "snap-click" noise of an SLR is unacceptable. My last point-and-shoot had proved bad for the lower-light situations where I tend to shoot, and a wedding was coming up that I wanted to cover. In the past, I had always gone for ultra-compacts but this time around I wanted something that could handle both low-light and long zooms while still being pocketable. I tried an Olympus Stylus 9000 (returned due to impossibility of focusing reliably and blur indoors) and researched the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. But in the end, I chose the Canon Powershot SX200 IS and purchased it from Amazon.Com.
The Good: This camera is a joy to use. It has an automatic mode, a "super-easy" mode, 5 scene modes, a dedicated "special scenes" mode with less-used options, video, full manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, and Program mode, like an SLR. Unlike the competition, the camera has nearly as much customizability as an SLR and the controls are fairly easy to use due to a new menu structure for Canon camera. The pictures are clear, crisp, and has relatively low noise even down to 1600 and 3200, when compared to other point-and-shoot models. The SDHC card slot will accommodate even the largest 32 GB models of memory card (yes, I tested with one those those) and saving to card is quick. The 3.0" LCD on the back is also clear and crisp. And I love the "selective desaturization" mode in the camera. And how do you beat 12x zoom (28 to 300mm equivalent lens) in this size package?!
The Bad: The camera is not perfect. First, while very pocketable, it is not an ultra-compact - it is about as long as an iPhone but 4 to 5 times as thick and it is has definite heft in your hand and pocket. Second, time from shot to shot is not quick, even in "burst" mode, sometimes taking a full second or 2 to recycle between shots. Third, battery is life is only moderate - over the course of a wedding and reception (about 8 hours) I went through 3 fully-charged batteries, and the batteries themselves take over 2 hours to recharge. Finally, when zoomed to the extreme, the camera often finds it hard to find a focal point and may vacillate between two of them, forcing you to let go of the shutter and recompose the shot. This lead me to lose a few really critical photographs.
The Bottom Line: This camera is a keeper, but you'll want to keep your SLR for the most important or challenging occasions. The 12x zoom is great for getting in close or finding a good wide-angle option. It is pocketable, has a plethora of manual options to allow you to get the best shot, has several really fun auto options, and comes in at under $400 even at the expensive shops. How much did I like this camera? Let's just say that I am now one of 3 friends who all own the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS.