 Avoid AUTO and "EASY" modes |
| Review Date: June 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Spinner's End, Knoxville, TN USA |
I almost sent this camera back. The shots were SO "noisy." I was shocked that a Canon camera at this price point could produce such lousy photos, when the Canon point and shoot camera I bought for $199 about a year ago takes great shots.
Then I read the manual (go ye, therefore, and do likewise!) and the reviews, and started taking the breath-taking shots I expected from a Canon 12 MP camera with 12 x OIS. The secret: DO NOT SHOOT IN AUTO OR "EASY" MODE! The ISO setting is too high, resulting in "noisy" photos. I am an experienced digital photographer, but when I'm taking snapshots of my daughter running and playing, I like to shoot in AUTO. I now shoot in PROGRAM mode much of the time, specifying the ISO setting I wanted, and let the camera do the rest. The scene, kids & pets, indoor, and portrait settings work well, as with other Canon models.
The only complaint I have about the camera, other than the useless AUTO and "EASY" modes, is that the access door for the HDMI and USB ports is flimsily constructed and attached.
Many reviewers dislike the pop-up flash, but I prefer it. It cannot break, even if you have your finger on the panel when you turn on the camera. It was designed for the user to be able to hold/push it down when flash is not desired. Having a pop-up flash, rather than one in the body of the camera, reduces red-eye, to some degree. The lens barrel extends 1.875" at 12x optical zoom, so the flash probably had to be moved up to avoid a shadow when zooming.
The movie mode is the best I've seen in a still camera, but the footage does not look like HD to me. The footage looks pretty good on my computer display in a large QuickTime window, but is not good enough for a larger screen (TV). It would be perfect for shooting YouTube footage, or anything you intend to share on the web. For everything else, I'll continue to use my Canon HD video camera that shoots in 1080i. I didn't buy this camera for the video shooting capability, so that it shoots decent (though not HD) video is a bonus for me.
This is a well-rounded point-and-shoot camera with a BIG, HONKIN' LENS, fantastic zoom and resolution, well organized menus, and lots of useful features. The MACRO (which works well in AUTO, oddly enough) is DREAMY. Shooting in full MANUAL, or shutter and aperture priority, yields predictably wonderful results. I recommend the SX200IS to anyone who is looking for a full-featured point-and-shoot camera, and is comfortable shooting in any mode but AUTO. |
Love this camera!
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| Review Date: August 1, 2009 |
| Reviewer: M. Herrin, Louisiana |
| This camera does everything I hoped it would do. I have a smaller Canon and DH has an SLR Canon. I wanted something for travel sized between the two that would take better pictures in low light and would zoom. I returned from Europe with wonderful pictures at night with no flash (had to prop to prevent shaking but the camera warned me). beautiful pictures of interiors where the camera seemed to create light, and a decent shot of Notre Dame Cathedral zoomed from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. I knew the optical zoom was 12X but did not realize digital zoom goes up to 48X - what fun! The pop-up flash does not bother me at all. If you happen to have your finger on it (doesn't happen often) it just waits until you move your finger to pop up. I got great videos of the traffic in Paris and Rome - the video does zoom digitally - why all the complaints? I am not a professional but returned with over 5GB of photos and love them all. I don't understand complaints about quality and battery life was always adequate for a full day. I charged each night. Love, love love! |
Love the Zoom on the Canon PowerShot
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| Review Date: November 7, 2009 |
| Reviewer: K. Moe, |
| I took my new camera for a 4-day visit to So. Africa's Kruger National Park, and was exceptionally pleased. Being a Canon fan, learning the features was pretty straight-forward. The camera feels good in my hand and I liked the color more than I thought (all my others were silver or black). I liked the direct dial to the camera modes (over the menu); the compact size for a 12x zoom is great; the zoom is awesome for such a small package, however it went from optical directly to digital and I prefer to do digital adjustments on my computer. This is my first camera without a view finder and it took getting used to it. The 3 inch screen is nice and bright, although a bit challenging in brilliant sunlight. I am quite happy with the image quality, probably due to image stabilization, but I also used the kids/pets mode for animals in motion. The colors are crisp and clear. The flash, as reported, is only effective for subjects pretty close in, well under 10 feet. I didn't try the low light feature as I didn't have a tripod. I'm really glad I purchased a back up battery (the Lenmar DLC5L equivalent to NB-5L) as it was usually mid day when it went out; either battery lasted about a day and a half of constant on-off, a lot of flash and only a little video. I got the Transcend 8 GB SDHC Class 6 flash memory card which was plenty for my trip. I'm very happy with my purchases and highly recommend this camera for those who like to zoom and frame their photos. |
Excellent Camera
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| Review Date: November 16, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Ehud Nathaniel, NJ, USA |
I will not attempt to add to the amazingly detailed and professional reviews already available for this camera - which, btw, were one of the main reasons I chose this camera.
I will just describe my experience with it.
I was looking for the 5 things in a new camera: Compact form factor, excellent picture quality, mega-zoom abilities, HD movies recording and an image stabilizer for indoor long exposure where I want to avoid using the flash.
For me, this camera has answered those requirements - and almost perfectly so.
The image quality - and in various indoor and outdoor settings as well as various light situations - is just excellent. Same goes for the HD movies it records.(Almost) No need for to carry another gizmo any longer.
I have only 3 issues with the camera:
1. Once a movie recording has started, the zoom cannot be changed.
2. The batteries are Cannon propriatory and I cannot use standardized (and rechargeable) batteries.
3) The location of the flash is where one would hold the camera and it's just an annoying engineering decision.
However, I know about all this issues prior to purchasing the camera and hence I would rate this camera as an (almost) perfect 5 stars.
Well worth every penny invested in it.
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Amazing!
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| Review Date: September 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Napaloo, Tiburon, CA |
| This camera is absolutely fabulous! It shoots amazing video at night, and gets great crisp colors mid-day at the beach (no wash outs!) The zoom even caught individual whiskers on seals I shot swimming in surf a couple hundred feet from the beach and unblurred shots of flying pelicans!If there is one thing that could be improved on it's the editing software for this camera, it's really bad. Then again, most camera software is inadequate in alot of ways, or the company will screw it up w/updates if it's not, so this really isn't a big deal. This camera is worth every penny! |
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