Canon Powershot SX200 IS Review
Posted on 04/20/2009
Despite a few minute design concerns, the 12.1-megapixel Canon SX200 performed quite well, yielding high-quality still photos and extraordinary high-definition video. Its 12x optical zoom lens is just the icing on the cake. By Michael Patrick Brady
Canon SX200 IS Pros
- Consistently excellent image quality
- Very good HD video mode
- Superb 12x optical zoom lens
- HDMI output
Canon SX200 IS Cons
- Irritating scroll wheel interface
- White balance problems in bright scenes
- Miscellaneous design annoyances
The Canon Powershot SX200 is the brand's first foray into the compact-zoom category, with a long-range 12x optical zoom tucked neatly into a slim, portable point-and-shoot style body. Panasonic has been turning out this type of camera for a few years now, with much success. Their TZ line (now the ZS line) of compact-zooms were very popular, and this year's release of the Lumix ZS3, which offers 12x optical zoom and a high-definition video mode (see our hands-on review here) has kept them in the game.
Canon is known for consistency, and the SX200 is no exception. It's an appealing digital camera capable of taking excellent, high-quality photos, and its marquee feature, the 12x optical zoom, performs admirably. That said, there are a few aspects of the SX200's build and design that are of some concern. While not complete deal breakers, they're clearly the little foibles that tend to appear on early models. Canon is working out the kinks on this new class of cameras, and the small irritations present here will undoubtedly be resolved on the next update.
Design
The design of the SX200 is defined by a slight convex curve that rolls off the right-hand side of the camera, forming a subtle, yet sturdy grip. It's not the old, bulky A-series grip of yesteryear, but rather a restrained slope whose presence is nearly imperceptible except when holding the camera. It's an elegant solution that blends style and substance, and stands out as the SX200's most intriguing design element.
Other parts of the camera do not fare so well. The SX200 IS has a pop-up flash that emerges from the top of the camera when it is powered on. Once it has deployed, the flash cannot be tucked back into the body of the camera. It remains present even when the flash is disengaged and not necessary for a particular shot. The flash is encased in a plastic shell and is mounted on a plastic hinge; having it always out increases the chances of getting it snagged or stubbed on something, and breaking it. While it does feel solid and isn't rigid (in fact, it has quite a bit of give to it), it's still a concern.
The camera's interface also has a minor issue. Canon has made the SX200's interface exceedingly simple. The rear of the camera has only four buttons surrounding the traditional four-way directional pad, and is dominated by its large, 3-inch LCD display. For whatever reason, Canon decided to take this straightforward interface and make it a little more confusing by adding a circular scroll wheel, which hugs the directional pad like a halo. The scroll wheel is very, very thin, with small ridged notches. It's used for quickly scanning up and down the camera's menus. Keep in mind, pressing the down directional on the pad achieves this same effect, albeit not as swiftly. It seems to be a redundant feature. Canon should have either committed to a scroll wheel or directional pad, but not both at the same time.
The close proximity of the pad and wheel is what causes the real problem. When tapping any of the pad's four directions, it's very easy to slip and rotate the scroll wheel, which interferes with menu navigation. This happened several times during tests, and it never ceased to be frustrating. Users with large fingers will not be happy.
Canon's on-screen icons and menu system are large, bright, and easy to understand. Modes are accompanied by on-screen advice, explaining what they do and what situations they work best in. The tabbed menus are easy to read, though I do have one complaint about how Canon presents its HD video mode. Now, this isn't exactly a Canon-specific problem; lots of camera-makers have had trouble making their HD video modes clear to users, for some reason. On the SX200, when you navigate to video mode on the mode dial, the screen announces the change by displaying the video icon, with the text 'STANDARD,' beneath it. To me, that meant I was initially in standard-definition video mode. That was not the case; tucked in the corner of the display, I saw '1280,' denoting that I was shooting at a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, which is high-definition. Never mind that they should represent it as 720 instead of 1280. The issue is that Canon calls their default high-definition movie mode 'standard,' to differentiate it from two other video effects modes, color swap and color accent. That's mighty confusing.
Performance
The SX200 is a very versatile camera, with full automatic and manual controls. This makes it an excellent option for both experienced photographers, and novices who'd like the opportunity to learn and expand their skill set while still being able to fall back on the automatic functions.
For those latter users, the "Smart Auto" mode makes using the SX200 a snap. Canon's Smart Auto is capable of reading a scene, taking into account various environmental elements to better adjust the camera's settings. It will automatically swap the camera's current scene mode. If you get up close to take a photo, the camera switches to macro mode. If the camera detects a face, it switches to portrait. Point it directly into bright light and it moves into a sunlight mode. I've recently reviewed two other cameras that feature similar 'Intelligent Auto' modes. One is the Panasonic ZS3, which I've already mentioned is quite similar to the SX200. The other is the Sony W290 (see our hands-on review). I'd have to say that in a direct head-to-head matchup, the intelligent auto modes on the W290 and ZS3 were quicker and more responsive than the SX200's. That's not to say that the SX200 performed badly, it just seemed a little more tentative than the competition.
Generally speaking, the photos taken with the SX200 came out very well. Canon has quality photography down to a science, and the bright, vivid colors and blur-free final products are a testament to that. The only caveat with regard to the camera's performance would be that it had difficulty handling intense sunlight. Automatic white balance settings could not adequately compensate for very bright scenes, and manual adjustments to the white balance were required. Other than that, there's very little to complain about. The SX200's sample photos should be proof enough that this 12.1-megapixel shooter is the real deal.
The 12x optical zoom worked wonderfully, and the camera's built-in image stabilization ensured that even shots at full extension were rendered crisply and without distortion. There were no blurry or shaken-up shots taken during the test run.
High-Definition Video
The Canon SX200 IS records high-definition video at a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, at 30 frames per second. The camera uses the H.264 MPEG4 video format, similar to the AVCHD format used by the Panasonic ZS3. Consumers should be aware that the high-definition video modes on digital cameras will not compare to those found on high-end camcorders that cost three times as much. Nevertheless, these modes are becoming an excellent option for those who want higher-quality video at an affordable price.
The SX200's HD video mode is certainly among the top of its class, providing sharp, highly-detailed clips that retain the vibrancy and color of the original scene. It handles motion and panning very well, also. Compared to the Panasonic ZS3, I'd say that the video modes of the two are basically on par. Not surprising, considering they both have a similar video-format pedigree and feature-set. The SX200 definitely out classes the HD video mode found on the Sony W290, however, which did not produce results even approaching this level of quality.
One note: the 12x optical zoom is disabled in video mode. It's annoying, but common in cameras like this. The lens motor noise would show up to prominently on the clip's audio track. If you really need to zoom, you can pause your recording, then zoom out, then resume recording. It's just that you can't zoom in and out while the video is being recorded.
Conclusion
While there are some minor design concerns, they are hardly reason to dismiss the SX200's excellent still photo and video performance. Canon once again provides high-quality, consistent, and satisfying performance coupled with an array of appealing and powerful features. If you've been eyeing a compact-zoom, or a Canon in particular, you can feel comfortable investing in the Powershot SX200 IS.
Canon Powershot SX200 IS Comments & Questions (write your own!)
Most digital still cameras in this range don't have zoom capability while recording. If that's a deal breaker, you're better off looking at a hand held camcorder which takes stills and writes them to a memory card. The quality is approaching 6MB on some hidef models.
I guess the biggest point to make is: Is it worth it? Is there something in between?
Like I said: I like a well rounded camera, but one other thing: I am reeealllly looking for manual controls! So anything I like at would have to have some manual control... And obviously I am looking in this camera category of Extended Zoom so... you know what I'm looking for.
1. Had to manually raise the flash
2. No HD Video recording
3. 4+ second delay after using flash
It looks like the new model can take HD Video (30 minute clips at a time). It also appears to have a flash that will pop up if needed. I don't know if the delay is fixed in the new model but it better be. Along with the increased zoom and resolution it was worth me selling the SX110 IS on ebay and pre-ordering the new one. By the way, i was able to sell it on ebay for $30 more than i paid. :-)
Digital SLRs still shoot using mirrors and direct exposure to the CMOS chip, and as such, shutter lag isn't an issue.
But for a compact camera, w/ nice to have, just incase 10X zoom; and esp. for $200 only, go for the SX110.
1. The flash is fully automatic now.
2. HD video recording is excellent.
3. The after flash shot delay is much shorter, about two seconds now.
4. The pictures are amazing thanks to the image stabilization, automatic scene detection, blink detection, face detection, and on and on and on.
5. Battery life is incredible. I have taken tons of pictures and over an hour of HD video and the battery is still showing full.
If you are looking for a camera that gives you more than a point and shoot but aren't advanced enough (like me) for a DSLR then this is the camera for you!
BTW, I also purchased a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 to test and if you don't care that you can only record eight minutes of HD at a time and want to save $100 then you should definitely pick the TZ5 over the SX110 IS.
e) Are the manual features of SX200 really useful? f) better image stabilization g)better intelligent auto
Hence if I ignore the zoom & stereo sound of the Video Capture in ZS3, is the ZS3 still image capturing and experience as good or better than the Canon SX200?
The SX200 seems to take better night pictures from reviews i've read.
My comparisons below are quotes that I have collected from various reputable sites, including DPreview, Digitalcamerareview, Cnet, the Panasonic and Canon websites and others. I have combined some of your questions as the answer fit for both questions.
a) better lens and b) image quality: Both cameras feature a wide-angle lens, with Panasonic's slightly wider, which helps when you zoom all the way in on a subject.
Panasonic uses a Leica DC Vario-Elmar 12X, 25 - 300 mm lens with excellent sharpness and minimal barrel distortion. During zoom, you might get a little barrel distortion at one or two corners.
The Canon XS200 12X, 28 - 336 mm lens produces solid edge-to-edge sharpness and expected but not intrusive barrel distortion at 28mm. Add a little bit of zoom, however, and things start getting noticeably softer.
c) sensor: The sensor sizes are nearly identical and when factoring in the mega pixels, teensy size difference won't be noticeable.
The SX200 is 1/2.3 CCD" 6.16 x 4.62 mm, 0.28 cm²/ 12.7 Total Mega pixels / Primary Color Filter.
The ZS3 is 1/2.33" CCD 6.13 x 4.60 mm, 0.28 cm²/ 12.4 Total Mega pixels-- (Though it shoots 10-mega pixel photos, the ZS3 actually uses a 12-mega pixel sensor in order to maintain the same angle of view 16:9 and 4:3 aspect modes)
d) better auto image capture? g)better intelligent auto:
Both cameras do a splendid job on their auto capture, however, the ZS3 has TTL 11-point (with face detection) while the Canon SX200 has AiAF TTL 9-point (with face detection).
The Panasonic ZS3 uses 10.1 Mega Pixels sensor with 10 elements in 8 groups
(2 Aspherical Lenses / 3 Aspherical surfaces, 2 ED lens) and uses Intelligent Auto to automatically determines the most suitable Scene mode and helps correct blurring, focus, and brightness problems. It also has Face / AF Tracking / Multi (11pt) / 1pt HS / 1pt / Spot. The reviewers seem to agree that the the Intelligent Auto of the SZ3 exceeds expectation, and is nearly always right when choosing scene selections.
Canon SX200 uses a 12 mega pixel sensor and DIGIC 4 processor with evolved Face Detection Technology that tracks the faces of moving subjects and produces vibrant, borderline-over saturated images that generally look great with minimal post-processing. The SX200 packs an exhaustive list of My Color processing modes, including settings for shifting skin tones (you can choose Darker Skin Tone to help correct the typical contrast problems), mimicking positive film, and even a custom mode that lets you set saturation, contrast, and sharpening manually. Smart AUTO intelligently selects the proper settings for the camera based on 18 predefined shooting situations.
e) Are the manual features of SX200 really useful? The question is, will these be useful to you? The canon SX200 has: Manual Focus, +/-2 EV of manual flash exposure, manual Shutter Speed, Manual Exposure, Control to incorporate facial brightness in Face Detection AF, Control to incorporate facial brightness in Face Detection AF, white balance
Panasonic ZS3 does not have manual Focus, and does not even have manual aperture and shutter priority settings about the only manual control you have is white balance.
f) better image stabilization: Panasonic has an excellent reputation for IS, and uses Optical Image Stabilizer with MEGA O.I.S. technology
the SX200 IS features an ISO 1600 setting that reduces the effects of camera shake and sharpens subjects in low-light situations
--I have not found a negative review of the IS for either camera so I think we can assume that the IS is good on both cameras, but of course, as in all super zoom cameras, there is no perfect IS.
Now of the difference that you did not mention:
1) LCD pixels, the SX200 has 230,000 while the ZS3 has twice as many with 460,000
2)The SX200 has a third timer option (in addition to 2 sec. and 10 sec.), face detection. The timer will wait until it detects a new face has entered the shot, then wait two more seconds and take the picture.
3)The SX200 has Blink Detection which alerts a shooter after a shot has been taken that a subject had closed eyes.
4)The SX200 has RAW image and the ZS3 does not.
5) the ZS3 has an elaborate date stamp feature: You can print the date and time, the age of your baby or pet, and even a title of your choosing onto your photos, either one at a time, or in a big group. Do note that the camera will downsize the image to 3 Megapixels or less when using this feature. Also the Travel Date/World Time stamp keeps track of which vacation day you took the picture
6)ZS3 incorporated in the Intelligent Auto mode is an AF tracking and Face Recognition feature- it allows you to add a name for each subject and the camera ‘remembers those faces’ and gives them priority focusing. You can also specify the age of the registered subject and have both the name and the age of the subject stamped onto your photos. When babies under 3 years-old are registered, the camera will automatically switch to Baby mode. In playback, you can choose to display only photos that contain a specific registered face – so you can search for all photos of your Cousin Jennie. (BUT Depending on background and facial expression, camera may not recognize a registered person. For family members with similar facial features, camera may not correctly identify the intended subject.)
7) The SX200 has a Super Macro of 0.5cm or so, without the Super Macro it is 2cm.
The ZS3 has a 3 cm but adds a macro zoom mode, which is basically digital zoom which reduces image quality and should be avoided!
When comparing both camera's macro views, the SX200 appears to be able to get much closer but the area of focus is tiny. The ZS3 has a larger, clearer macro image, and is very usable. I suggest you compare the macro images side by side at imaging-resource.com
8)I haven't been able to figure out if the sx200 has this feature! The ZS3 has an extended optical zoom which means that as you lower the resolution, the DMC-ZS3's extended optical zoom feature kicks in. This lets you have additional zoom power, without degrading image quality. For example, lowering the resolution to 3 mega pixels (still enough for a 4 x 6 inch print) will give you a whopping 21.4X worth of zoom.
Both video's have the same colours and amount of lines visible ().
Thats all Folks !
Bye, Jesper from Denmark
Would you be so kind as to give us more info about the camera and its image quality? What was your previous camera and how does it compare to that?
Thank you
They all say the same: "More pixels doesn't make a better picture after all but more noise, like the grain I was talking about.
They said that camera's who are 2 years old are making better pictures compared with the new ones *( 6 and 7 Megapixel cameras).
Ofcourse you will not read that in most tests because they making money with those tests telling the world the new ones
are better then the old ones.
That's All
Camera :........................ Canon SX200 ..... Panasonic ZS3/SZ7
Noise ISO 80 .............................170 ........................ 338
Noise ISO 400.............................306......................... 317
Noise ISO 800.............................435..........................451
Resolution ISO 80 .............2.649 x 2.581..........2.389 x 2.311
Resolution ISO 400 ...........2.371 x 2.325..........2.156 x 2.066
Resolution ISO 800............2.252 x 2.154..........1.948 x 1.862
Colour Delta-E daylight...........6.8...............................7.7
Colour Delta-E a-light.............20.9............................22.3
Chromatische Aberration.........1.55...........................1.08
Accu W/h...............................4.1............................. 3.2
Weight gr..............................240...............................231
Temp.: 22 'C, R.Hum. 46%, (first picture results).
Also, you can check sample images side by side at imaging-resource.com.
Based on specs, P90 is obviously better than SX200is, but most REVIEWS seem to indicate Canon's deliver real results. In this case the SX200is is so new, I wonder does anyone have actual hands on experience to do a fair comparison.
Another concern for SX200is is the construction of the body - size and shape, which is more of a lower end compact camera. Is this camera of the same caliber as the P90?
The battery life (280 Lab 150-200 reported in field), shorter zoom, and no viewfinder was deal breakers for me ... The P90 also has battery life problems...
Anyhow go to a store and try both, don't take the salepersons word on one camera over another-- actually try both.
When I tried both in the store, indeed I saw little to no difference in picture quality between the 2. But I am a novice when it comes to critical analysis with digital camera.
I'm partial forwards the SX200is. Would a lighter weight campact camera has more a "shake" issue in practice? Would I be compromising quality due to it's compact in size?
many thanks.
The Sx200 actually competes with the likes of the; Nikon L100, Fuji s1500, Lumix Tz5 & Tz4 (Sony and Olympus probably make a compact superzoom also...). Basically these are compact superzooms which pack a 10X+ zoom in a very small space.
Anyhow below is a set of tests you want to perform to evaluate any camera:
You will want to look at reviews with Test Pics and compare full sized images (Sometimes called full crop pics) and look for edges being pushed out at the wide angle (Lens all the way in) and for edges and loss of detail in the corners when at full telephoto (Lens all the way out at full zoom). Look for green and purple fringes along edges- ask yourself if you can live with the fringes/barreling/cushioning. You also want to look at loss of detail/noise at ISO 200, 400, and 800 to see if it is acceptable to you (200 is for outdoor shooting/well lit rooms, 400 is for indoor settings/dusk and 800+ is for low light rooms/night shots) and ask yourself is the loss of detail/noise acceptable to you .. Thats pretty much what you want to do online.
In the store take a small coin- dime or penny and lay it down. Switch to macro-mode and see 1. Where the minimum focal distance is at both ends of the zoom in macro mode. 2. How much detail was captured. Snap off several shots in the store at various distances look at 1. how fast the camera focused and how well it focused 2. Did the camera reproduce the colors well and 3.are you happy with the lag time from; A. half press an B. full press (you can read specs all day but until you experience .8 FPS vs 2.5 FPS the difference won't sink in). Shoot a barcode... zoom in on the preview shot- did the lines blur?? Play with the menu system- is it easy for you to navigate to features you think you will be changing? Turn the camera off then back on- is the time the camera takes to power up and start shooting acceptable to you. Switch the camera to continuous / burst mode look at 1. How hard it is to get into this mode and 2. how well it performs in this mode. Finally look at any other desirable special feature the camera may have and give it a try and ask yourself if it meets your needs.
Sol
Exx (xx: number) - A camera error was detected. Press the power button to turn the camera off and back on.
- If an error code displays directly after taking a picture, the shot may not have been recorded. Check image in playback mode.
- If this error code reappears, note the number and contact your Canon Customer Support Help Desk as there may be a problem with the camera.
Next, check out this resource ( imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP... ). It takes pictures with each and you can compare them side by side.
You'll no doubt eliminate the SD200 right away because it only has a 3MP chip. Which makes me believe tha tyou really wanted the SX200 to compare the SD970 to. But they're essentially the same camera except the SX200 has a larger lens.
>Luis
But allow me to make an pitch for using several cards, rather than one large one. Reason being, insurance. Any memory card can fail or become corrupted. And when you're on vacation the last thing you want is to lose the opportunity to take pictures until you can recover that media card with a software utility. If your card goes bad, swapping another one for it at that moment is of advantage so you can keep taking pics.
I've done the comparison on the Canon site, but am still confused which camera is a better fit. I take a lot of pictures of my children, both indoors & outside.
Any help is appreciated.
But I'm of the mind that the SX200 is your best bet.
2. I have a Sony Digital now and one of my issues is when taking photos/video outside in the sunlight - because it doesn't have a view finder only the LCD screen, it is difficult to see/track the image you are capturing. Has this been an issue for anyone with the SX200 and how did you get around it??? Has the LCD technology improved?
Thanks,
As for the SONY and other LCD only cameras, that's the problem with them. Which is why I prefer a viewfinder camera. That and the larger LCD only really serves to kill your battery faster.
Also, do you know where/how to operate the anti-shake feature on the SX200? I can't seem o find it?
Thank you again.
K
Now, as far as the anti shake feature goes. Canon uses optical image stabilization, where the image is corrected with the lens elements. By default, it's always continuously correcting for camera shake. But to change your settings, you can either reset your camera or From the [ (Rec.)] menu, select [IS Mode], and press < or > button. [Continuous], [Shoot Only] and [Panning] or [Off] can be selected.
2. Use the or buttons or control dial to adjust the exposure compensation.
* The settings can be adjusted in 1/3 steps in the range 2 to +2.
* You can confirm the effect of the setting in the LCD monitor when it is on.
* You can shoot right after selecting a value. The menu displays again after the shot, allowing you to change the settings easily.
3. Reset the exposure compensation by returning the setting to "0".