Canon PowerShot SX210 IS

Canon PowerShot SX210 IS Summary

For a $350 pocket camera, the Canon PowerShot SX210 Is undoubtedly offers quite a bit choosing it. For newbies there's the amazing 14x optical zoom, comparable to a 28mm to 392mm range with a 35mm camera, giving everything from a beneficial wide-angle to some strong telephoto. To hold those zoomed shots stable, Canon has coupled the lens with a genuine optical graphic stablizing system for combatting blur from camera shake. Aperture ranges from f/3.1 to f/5.9 throughout the zoom range, so whether you're acquiring sweeping shots from the Grand Canyon or zoomed in close-ups of wildlife, the Canon PowerShot SX210 is built to be the only camera you will need.

Similarly to of Canon's most recent PowerShot digital camera models, the SX210 IS utilizes a 14.1-megapixel, 1/2.3-inch CCD graphic sensor which could shoot between ISO 80 and 1,600. Along with the basic pre-set scene modes you could find of all point-and-shoots, Canon's included many exciting new configurations to the SX210 IS including Fish-eye and Miniature, which mimic the effects you have with high-priced specialized lenses for digital SLRs. Besides the Face Recognition self-timer positioned on past versions, the Canon SX210 offers Smile and Wink modes where the camera will wait to have the picture simply when it finds a smile or after a wink from the subject. Meanwhile, Canon's Smart FE (Flash Exposure) function is designed to improve and not overdo flash this means you "nuke out" your subject; along with the Low Light mode improves ISO to 6,400 while falling image resolution to 3.5 megapixels.


Although it does not have an optical viewfinder, the camera's 3-inch LCD display with 230,000 dots involving resolution assists in framing your shots. LCD coverage is all-around 100% just what exactly the truth is on the monitor 's what you'll capture if you push the shutter. Nevertheless the screen crops down to the 4:3 aspect ratio when shooting still pictures, you will get full 16:9 wide screen coverage on the LCD aided by the Canon SX210's movie mode. And the movie mode is a excellent one, offering high-definition 720p (1280 x 720) or normal definition video capture at either VGA (640 x 480) or QVGA (320 x 240) resolution. Frame rate for movie clips is 30 frames per second in the Motion JPEG AVI format with sound recorded in stereo.

To view your high-def footage from the camera on your flat-screen HDTV, just use the Canon SX210's mini-HDMI port though, as with most digital cameras, there's no HDMI cable integrated in the box. One of the greatest enhancements to the Canon SX210 is mechanical. A serious discomfort on the SX200 IS was its pop-up flash, which couldn't be closed when the camera was on. Now, with the SX210 IS, all you have to do is place a finger over the flash to keep it down.

The Canon PowerShot SX210's predecessor was a very popular camera with a few flaws. With this follow-up, Canon has ironed out some of the kinks of that earlier model and, in the process, created one of the best all-around, affordable compact cameras I've tried. The Canon SX210's impressive 14x (28mm-392mm equivalent) lens is capable of serving all your photographic needs on your next family vacation, whether it's taking group shots of loved ones or scenic landscapes; or zooming in on wildlife such as lions, tigers, or birds. (Oh my!) If the image quality isn't as good as a digital SLR or even a chunkier "super zoom" model, for a compact camera that fits in a coat pocket or a bag and costs under $400, it's a sweet deal. The Canon SX210 IS has one drawback, though: it's a slow performer, not uncommon in the pocket long zoom category: slow to start-up; slow shot-to-shot; and slow in image playback. If you want to take candids of kids or pets with this camera, be sure and pre-focus or you may miss the shot. While the bump up to 14 megapixels seems unnecessary, it doesn't dramatically affect image quality, with the Canon SX210 performing decently in low-light at ISO 800.