Canon does video and photos WELL in one unit (Canon Powershot SX200 IS)

Member Name: davomrmac

Product:	Canon Powershot SX200 IS
Date:	13/10/09 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great video in 720P, superb quality photos

Disadvantages: Annoying flash position, no optical zoom in video mode

I got this camera after being a little disappointed with a Sony compact (DSC-WX1) and it was a little cheaper than the Sony. I paid £225 for mine.

The actual camera is a little bigger than I expected. This is not one of those tiny Ixus compacts and is also larger than the Sony X1 which I returned. However, it does feel a lot better built, apart from the flimsy flap on the side which covers the USB and HDMI port. By mentioning the HDMI, I have already given the game away, this shoots HD video alongside taking rather good photos.

The video first then... it shoots in 720P, so perfect for really nice looking video and also a good partner for YouTube uploads too (which is where most of my video ends up). It does have a 12x optical zoom, but when shooting video you cannot use it. Instead you can only digitally zoom up to 4x. I tried this and was disappointed, as the video footage blurs and pixelates. You can get away with a little bit of what I call adjustment zoom though, without losing too much quality. The trick though is to pre-zoom. To do this, you find your subject, zoom in, then start recording. By doing this you can achieve the 12x optical zoom and a crystal clear recording. The video quality is superb, I am very impressed. The sound is good too, far better than I expected.

Taking photos is equally as good. You get 12 megapixel images, with loads of detail and a nice natural colouring to them. Even in darker areas they resolve a lot of detail. So as a regular camera, the SX200IS performs well. Just to confirm the 'IS' stands for Image Stabilisation, which is very handy when using that massive 12x zoom. It really works well and steadies the shot.

One other minor problem, is the flash. When you turn on the SX200 the flash pops up and you cannot push it down with your finger. The only way to get it to go down is to switch the camera off and it electronically goes in. The positioning of the flash is right where you hold the camera. You do get used to it, but Canon need to give this camera a firmware update, so the flash only pops up when needed.

Battery life is great, I got well over 300 photos and about an hour of video from one charge. It is supplied with a charger, so you recharge the battery outside of the camera. I like this, as you can always have a spare charged up for when you need it. In fact I picked up an Energizer battery for the SX200 for £10 delivered. It also uses SD and SDHC memory cards for storage, which is good as they are the most common, so again fairly cheap to pick up.

So apart from the lack of optical video zoom and the annoying flash positioning, the SX200IS is exactly what I was looking for. Great photos, great videos and loads of control. Well done Canon.

Summary: Great photos, great videos and loads of control

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