Canon Powershot SX10IS 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
by Canon
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon Powershot SX10IS 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Customer Review: Canon Powershot SX10IS - Amazing Camera
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the most amazing camera I have ever owned. To be fair, I have only owned 2 previous digital cameras - an ancient Canon Powershot, and a Sony. This camera, however, is as close as you could get to a DSLR quality image, while still being a point and shoot.
I was going back and forth deciding to buy this camera, or the Canon G10. While the G10 boasts 4 more megapixels, I am confident that this is a far better purchase. The price is FAR lower, and the image quality, I find, is the same, if not better. What really makes this camera knock the G10 out of the water is the zoom. The zoom is absolutely incredible. I researched both models for weeks before buying, and I just cannot find any real justification for the enormous price difference between the two cameras.
The rotating LCD screen on this camera is a huge plus as well. Especially when taking a self-timer shot, I like to rotate the LCD screen to face me while I position the camera. And when shooting in macro, you can tilt the screen up to face you so you don't have to get down on the ground and use the view finder (like when shooting flowers and plants that may be low to the ground).
It's fairly easy to learn how to use, though I still haven't gotten the hang of taking good indoor and night time photos. For that, I'm sure, a tri-pod would be of good use.
Read the manual, it's very helpful.
I have gotten so many compliments on the shots I have taken with this camera already. The macro and supermacro modes are outstanding, as is the portrait mode. They both produce beautiful clearly focused images with a nice blurred background.
The color options are fantastic as well - I love shooting in vivid colors and sepia tone.
This camera is a MUST BUY.
Customer Review: Thumbs up after 1000+ shots
Summary: 5 Stars
I just got back from a weeklong vacation, with over 1000 photos on this camera (having just gotten the camera a few days before the vacation). I would not say that any of the bad photos were because of the camera. Quite the opposite, I think it rescued some that would not have been very good on my older camera.
The clarity and color on the photos is very, very good. In all kinds of lighting, from bright sunlight to normally lit rooms. Indoors I used the full manual mode a lot, with ISO 800 and 1600. I haven't tried printing anything, but on a 1920x1600 screen things look great.
I also took about 12 minutes of video of my son's middle school orchestra, needing to shoot at ISO 1600. The sound quality was more than adequate from the rear of the auditorium. Definitely good enough to show the relatives.
Overall, the camera has a lot of strong points - LCD is bright and the swivel helps get a lot of shots that would be impossible otherwise. Previewing manual mode shots is very good. The zoom is very quiet, and with all the sound muted (I'm not into having my camera make cute little noises) the camera is silent. Manual mode is easy to control with the scroll wheel. Super macro mode is great for flowers, etc.
Cons - the lens cap has no tether. The lens hood will obscure the corners of wide angle shots. It's going to put a strain on my storage space, going from 1MB photos to 4MB photos (not really a con, but worth realizing). I'm not fully comfortable with the manual focus mode yet.
I had dithered a lot about whether to get this camera or a low-end DSLR. In the end, the lower price and the convenience of not having to mess with changing lenses won out. After seeing the first photos, I'm happy I went with this camera.
Customer Review: Excellent for wannabes (like me)!
Summary: 5 Stars
Like:
Quick startup/setup
Lots of customization/tweaking
"Flippy" LCD screen
Incredible zoom feature
Option for flash attachment
Solid construction
Don't Like:
No ability to use filters (yet)
USB access has an awkward plastic cover
AC adapter not included
Impossible to clean dust off the sensor
I was considering a DSLR for a while, but I wasn't really planning for the full commitment that DSLRs require. I wanted the convenience of a point-and-shoot, but the abilities of a "pro camera."
I've used a Canon Powershot before (I can't think of the model), and I've grown accustomed to the ease of use and quality of the photos, so I picked up the SX10IS because it had the features I was used to, and the features that I wanted.
I am not disappointed. After taking some trips to the baseball stadium (Go Giants!) and a couple hiking trips, I've been able to take -- from my perspective -- some really incredible shots; ones that I couldn't have otherwise done with the Powershot I used to use.
My only complaint regards some mild, dark spots in my photos, especially in my zoom photos. I've cleaned the lens as much as I could, with no results. After doing some research on the internet, it appears that the sensor may have dust on it. Since this is a "closed system," I have no way of getting to the sensor to dust it. It's a mild annoyance -- I can clean it up with a computer -- but enough of one for me to bring it up.
I'm very satisfied with this camera. Once I bought a bag for it, I intend to take it everywhere and learn all its features.
Customer Review: Very pleased
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had this camera for 2 months now. Have used it in every circumstand I can think of. I have been very pleased.
1) battery life. Alkaline battery life is only about 100 pics for me. I use Rayovac Hybrids and I can easly take 400 pics with these. I imagine with Lithium you could reach 600.
2) picture quality. It isn't an DSLR but sure is close. Qualtiy is very good in any lighting conditions. You should be able to print any picture any size you want.
3) Zoom. Amazing. I have taken pictures zoomed all the way with out a tripod and they are almost as clear as if I was right on top of item. The image stablaization worked perfect everytime. (I do not use the digital zoom)
4) Video - Love the dedicated button for video. I have had many cameras where I always wished they had something like this. The qualtiy is not HD and you can buy their model that has it for $200 more but I don't know that it is worth it. The video quality is great in my opinion. If you really want an HD video camera I would suggest buying a seperate HD video camera.
5) features - lot and lots of great features. The color swap and where you can make everything black and white except one color is pretty nice.
6) ease of use. Everything seems really intuitive to me. Everything is right where it should be.
I don't think you can go wrong with this one. I did a ton of research and dpreview.com and digitalcamerareview.com before I bought this utla zoom camera. Thought about getting a DSLR but I really wanted the zoom. You can get this great camera that would probably meet your needs for under $400 or easliy spend $1200 to get a comprable DSLR with this zoom capacity.
Customer Review: A Comparative Review
Summary: 5 Stars
I own two other Canon cameras, A Digital Rebel Xt DSLR with two zoom lenses and a Power Shot A720 IS. The DSLR is used for serious photography and the A720 for informal family pictures and things like fishing. As I am getting older I am finding that the DSLR outfit is getting harder to carry so I was looking for a lighter outfit when I did not want to carry it. At first I thought that getting auxiliary lenses for the A720 would do the job but found it too bulky and inconvenient. Then Canon came out with the SX 10 IS. I got the first one my local dealer got in. It is far more versatile than the A720 but only slightly larger. It covers the complete focal length range I need for almost all picture taking needs. The quality of the pictures is slightly better than the already very good A720 at most ranges. At the extreme telephoto end it loses some as expected. Of course it is not as good as the DSLR but how can one expect a camera that sells for under 400 dollars to be as good as one that was over 1000 dollars? I was able to get close to the DSLR quality with a little help from my Photoshop Elements.
The camera is light for what it does and very convenient. I like the variable angle viewing for odd angle shots as close to the ground and the electronic viewfinder for bright situations. The electronic viewfinder is best for telephoto use as you can hold the camera steadier. The image stabilizer works all the way out to the 560mm equivalent but I recommend taking several pictures just in case. I like the fact that I don't have to carry extension tubes for close ups. The camera has too many other useful features to mention here. I have used it for over a month now and feel I got more than my moneys worth.