Canon PowerShot SX200 IS

Canon PowerShot SX200 IS

9th June 2011

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Intro

Canon's PowerShot SX200 IS is a 12.1 Megapixel compact with a 12x optically stabilised zoom and a 3in screen. Proclaimed in February 2009, it's Canon's first attempt at a pocket super-zoom and directly targets Panasonic's enormously popular go down-zoom series. Like Panasonic's latest Lumix TZ7 / ZS3, the PowerShot SX200 IS packs an impressive 12x optical zoom range into a relatively pocketable grade factor, while keeping up with the modish gadgets and features.

Both the Canyon and Panasonic additionally feature 3in screens, automatic scene detection, HD movie recording in the 720p formatting and HDMI ports for production to an High-definition television. They'rhenium also or s the same size and angle. As such both cameras have a good deal in common along the surface, but dig a little deeper and you'll attain considerable differences in their specifications and capabilities, with unitary more probably to suit your style of picture taking than the other.

In our Canon PowerShot SX200 IS review we'll canvas the differences between it and Panasonic's Lumix TZ7 / ZS3, illustrating where each takes a lead over the other. We'll likewise compare the ikon quality and movie modes of both cameras, along with visual perception how Canon's larger super-zoom, the PowerShot SX10 IS measures-up in comparison. If you're in the market for a super-zoom digital tv camera, you've come to the right place

Measuring 103x61x38mm, the PowerShot SX200 IS looks almost identical in size to arch contende the Panasonic Lumix TZ7 / ZS3 when viewed chee-on. Turn both cameras around though and you'll note the Canyon is comfortably thicker than the Panasonic – by 5mm – giving it a chunkier show. So the important Canon body is approximately the same thickness as the right hand end of the TZ7 / ZS3 where information technology bulges to provide a hairgrip.

In terms of weight, there's non a enthusiastic deal in information technology though, with the Canon approach-in somewhat heavier at 245g compared to the 229g of the Panasonic when both are fitted with their respective batteries. While the TZ7 / ZS3 is sure enough the slimmer of the two cameras, both remain too thick to dislocate discreetly into shirt pockets operating room fitted trousers – they're best carried around in larger pelage pockets or bags, although it's still significant to find much a large rapid growth jammed into either consistency.

The build quality is roughly similar: both are constructed and done with to the customary high standards of each manufacturer, and while both also feature calloused right deal ends to act as grips, Canon has designed a body that curves outwards whereas Panasonic has employed a vertical fora. Some are equally hard-hitting grips, although we preferred the indented area on the posterior of the Canyon as a thumb roost over Panasonic's raised dots alone.

One of the biggest design differences between them involves the winkle. Panasonic's TZ7 / ZS3, like most compacts, employs a flash that's stacked-into the front surface and always happening regar. In dividing line, Canyon's opted for a popup model that raises automatically as the tv camera powers-in the lead whether IT's needed Beaver State non.

One benefit is a slightly greater flash to lens outstrip which terminate reduce the occurrence of red-eye, but we found it often got in the way if you were holding the camera with some hands while switching IT on. To be fair the dash does swoop forwards while emerging, which subsequently allows you to hold the organic structure with both hands erst the extension is complete, simply we found many a times when it annoyingly prodded our leftfield fingers.

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Like many compacts the PowerShot SX200 IS is available in a variety of colours: hopeless, blue and red, although Panasonic offers a wider choice of smuggled, silver, brown, blue Beaver State red. More importantly for those who want protection against the elements surgery complete submersion, there's an elective underwater trapping visible for the TZ7 / ZS3, whereas the SX200 IS has none.

The SX200 IS is hopped-up by an Atomic number 41-5L rechargeable Lithium Ion barrage gang which Canyon claims is good for 280 shots under CIPA conditions – roughly the same as the 300 gib life of the TZ7 / ZS3. The battery pack can also Be switched for an optional ACK-DC30 AC adapter kit for mains operation. The bombardment compartment also houses an Mount Rushmore State memory card slot. The tripod thread is settled towards the other side of the body's bottom, which may allow you to access the barrage and card compartment when decorated on little tripods, simply we prefer the more centrally-located thread of the TZ7 / ZS3.

Behind a large ash gray flap happening the superior right English of the body are a combined USB and standard Television set output, alongside an HDMI interface. HDMI is a relatively new, only welcome increase to Canon's compacts, allowing models like the SX200 IS to make HD slideshows on suitably-helmeted HDTVs. Note the HDMI left International Relations and Security Network't active during composition, although you can monitor the live feed finished the canonic definition TV output.

The newspaper headline feature of the PowerShot SX200 IS is naturally it's 12x optical zoom range, that's equivalent to 28-336mm. Panasonic's TZ7 / ZS3 also shares a 12x range, but starts a little wider at an equivalent of 25mm and ends a little shorter at 300mm. The focal ratio of the TZ7 / ZS3 is fractionally brighter at f3.3-4.9, compared to the f3.4-5.3 of the Canon, merely not enough to shuffling any significant divergence in practice.

So the Panasonic zooms a trifle wider and the Canyon zooms a little longer. Which is best for you depends on your own personal druthers, although many enthusiasts will find the slenderly wider coverage of the Panasonic much useful than beingness able to soar-in a midget advance on the Canon. The important thing to retrieve though is both are delivering amazingly flexile coverage considering their size, taking you from decent fisheye to serious telephoto. You rear end fancy an case of the PowerShot SX200 IS's coverage beneath and we feature more examples in our Results and Sample Images pages. You can compare the Panasonic's coverage from the same location in our Lumix TZ7 / ZS3 review.

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Canon PowerShot SX200 IS coverage

5-60mm at 5mm (28mm equivalent)		5-60mm at 60mm (336mm equivalent)

The genus Lens extends rapidly upon power-functioning with the camera gear up for action in or so two seconds. A rocker around the shutter release operates the zoom motor with the PowerShot SX200 IS oblation complete 30 steps betwixt wide and telephoto, with a bit lurching as you zoom out, just non as you zoom-in. The nearest focusing distance in macro musical mode is 2cm, or 0cm in Super Macro instruction mode, although the latter locks the lens in its widest position.

The IS in the camera's title stands for Image Stabilization, which helps combat camera handshake. Information technology's an optical system and Canon offers three modes: Continuous where the arrangement operates day in and day out, Hit Only which solely applies stabilisation as you take the photo, and Panning which single stabilises in the plumb axis for when you'rhenium wiggly the tv camera horizontally as you take the photo – for an example of using the latter, examine the Blurring Litigate tutorial at our sister website, DSLR Tips. Banker's bill when filming movies, the IS options turn Sour or Continuous only when.

Canyon PowerShot SX200 IS Ikon Stabilisation off / on (Continuous)

100% crop, 5-60mm at 60mm, 1/30, 80 ISO, IS off		100% crop, 5-60mm at 60mm, 1/30, 80 ISO, IS on

Above are examples affected with and without Continuous stabilisation with the PowerShot SX200 IS fully zoomed-into its maximum equivalent of 336mm. Traditional photographic advice would recommend a shutter speed of at least 1/300 to eliminate television camera shake, so past achieving complete sharpness at 1/30 with stabilization proves the system is good for just over leash boodle of compensation.

The rear of the SX200 IS is submissive by a 3in screen with 230k resolution. This matches the size of the screen connected the Panasonic TZ7 / ZS3, but with half the total count of pixels. With 460k pixels, the TZ7 / ZS3's screen has an actual resolve of 480×320 pixels compared to 320×240 on the SX200 IS. With some cameras lined-awake happening the same subject with a twinned theater-of-view, the Panasonic's screen enjoys a small edge in fine detail, although as discussed in our revaluation of this photographic camera, most of the welfare seems to be during playback.

When reviewing images of the same subject assumed with a matching field-of-view, those on the Panasonic's screen decidedly look more detailed, although the difference isn't as great as the 920k / 640×480 picture element displays found connected more DSLRs these days. Naturally screen resolution won't affect the recorded image upper-class, but a Sir Thomas More detailed screen is a squeamish sumptuosity to undergo on a digital camera, and a key specification where the SX200 IS falls behind the TZ7 / ZS3.

In use the SX200 IS's screen is certainly brilliantly with a wide screening lean, but under direct sunlight the visualise became more washed-out than the Panasonic, and any fingerprints were also more visible. Don't get U.S.A wrong, it's not a bad screen – so it's better than many, but in that battle the TZ7 / ZS3 comes retired on top.

In terms of on-blind controls, Canyon still offers a bedded Function carte for quick access to various settings, just has revamped the purpose over other models in the roll. Pressing the FUNC / SET button once again presents a vertical list of options gushing down the left side of the shield, but the list now scrolls up and down, and the available options for each setting pop-out to the flop in another vertically scrolling number.

Possibly the most important difference though is each setting in real time briefly shows a short message in the remaining area of the screen helpfully describing what information technology'll come, although you can turn this off altogether if preferred. It's a nice touch, although some explanations could go game further for beginners – for example switch the White Balance to Tungsten and the SX200 IS will order "For Shooting under Tungsten Inflammation". Well, sure, that much is obvious, but peradventure giving an example equal "For Shooting under Tungsten Inflammation, so much as indoor lamps" might be Sir Thomas More useful. Alike, choosing 1600 ISO will bu read "Set ISO to 1600" when it could elaborate and suggest IT could be good for low light.

As for the literal settings presented, the SX200 IS's Function card lets you line up the Metering, My Colours options, White Balance, Sensitiveness, Flash Recompense, Drive mode, Resolution and Compression.

The various menus and other options are navigated using a four-way rocker surrounded by one of Canon's thumb wheels, giving you a quality of process: for example you can scroll behind menus, or through your images in playback, by either push up and knock down, or by spinning the wheel; the wheel is also used to adjust the aperture, shutter and exposure recompense. The cycle is a nice addition, but like the SX10 IS, it's completely velvet-textured to turn and lacking the stepped feedback of the wheels connected Canon's G10, IXUS 870IS / SD880 IS and its DSLRs. Intrinsically you're not confident how much to turn it to change a setting, and we also found the very low rooftree makes information technology quite hard to actually get a grip on it.

While shooting, the DISP push button switches between a clean opinion of the figure of speech operating theater peerless with shooting information. You can enable a cardinal-aside-three grid in one of the menus, but sadly unlike Panasonic's TZ7 / ZS3, there's nary live histogram. Enthusiasts leave have to live in hope of a new version of CHDK to nag unrivaled out.

During playback, the DISP button cycles between a clean view and ones with basic or elaborate shooting information, the latter including a brightness histogram. An additional page in playback shows a thumbnail of the double alongside an magnified portion showing the active focus area. If the photo was in love Face Detection, then the enlargement will show off the primary subject's face, allowing you to quick check their expression and confirm the focus. You send away also soar upwards-in further along the detail if desirable, or switch between strange focus points – it's a handy sport in practice. Turning the camera to the side will rotate the image away 90 degrees to always stay on erect – handy for filling the screen with a portrait aspect shot. Tied the thumbnail panoram happening the histogram foliate rotates as you twist the photographic camera.

The SX200 IS has access to shutter speeds from 1/3200 to 15 seconds along with nine aperture settings and in a fundamental advantage all over the Panasonic TZ7 / ZS3, you have complete control concluded all of them.

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Impressively, the SX200 IS is equipped with a chockful complement of shot modes including Program, overloaded Manual, Aperture and Shutter Priority, two Auto modes, direct access to five popular scene presets and a SCN option which presents a further seven to choose from on-screen alongside a 3200 ISO option, two Scene stitch-serve modes and Canon's Colour Swap and Colour Accent options.

Similar other Canyon compacts, these Colour modes allow you to select a color in and either change IT to something different (such as turn a reddened London heap green) Oregon make it the only colour in an otherwise colorful and white image (like the young woman with the red billow in Schindler's List). The final examination mise en scene on the mode telephone dial fires-up the picture mode, unlike Panasonic's TZ7 / ZS3 which has a red release the rear to start and stop transcription video at any time.

The crimson-nerve selection on the dial signifies Abundant fashion, which is fully semiautomatic but with the bare nominal of options – ideal for when you hand the camera over to a beginner or someone pickings a photo of you on holiday.

The main Machine mode becomes the second Canon heavy we've tested to employ the company's new Setting Detection applied science, and the implementation appears to be the unvaried every bit the IXUS 100 IS / SD780 IS. Eastern Samoa such, it doesn't just accredit people, landscape painting or close-up shots, but also the kindling conditions for each, differentiating between pearlescent conditions, aristocratic skies operating theatre Night-time, and whether the subject is backlit or not. In each instance, the exposure and flash are altered accordingly, and the camera will even attempt to recognise a Old and hike the colours.

In practice, the system works well, seamlessly switching to portrait mode with face catching when pale-faced with a person, or into macro mode when placed juxtaposed to a subject. It's also interesting to watch the change of icons in the quoin of the screen as the camera detects different lighting conditions, although Canon admits pointing it at a blue or orange wall can fool the camera into intellection it's either a glorious day OR a spectacular last. That same, it's a abuse-up in mundanity concluded the scene detection in strange cameras and a welcome addition to the Canon line of merchandise.

Panasonic's TZ7 / ZS3 too features mature scene espial, although again a key advantage of the Canon is its ladened manual of arms control over exposures – so you really toilet dial-in whatever aperture operating theater shutter speed you desire. This is always a welcome adeptness, although IT's important to have a realism-check. For deterrent example good because you have Aperture Anteriority doesn't hateful you can necessarily blur the ground along portraits. Sadly the inherent depth-of-field on compacts is already so large, you won't achieve much blurring even with the SX200 IS zoomed-in and the aperture wide open – we receive an example in our sample images gallery. Simply having Shutter Priority bequeath at to the lowest degree permit you to designedly boring the exposure to blur motion on waterfalls or panned execute shots. So we're gratified to have the control, even if information technology comes with extraordinary caveats.

The PowerShot SX200 IS becomes Canon's latest compact to sport HD video transcription. You can capture video at either 320×240, 640×480 or 1280×720 pixels, all at 30fps. American Samoa its label suggests, the best quality '1280' mood is in the 720p HD format, the likes of Panasonic's TZ7 / ZS3.

Like all Canon models which hire DIGIC 4, the SX200 IS compresses its video victimisation the nonclassical H.264 format and encodes mono audio as Linear PCM at 16 bit / 44.1KHz, and so stores the result in a QuickTime MOV wrapper. The maximum movie length is a second unconfident of 30 minutes in HD or unitary hr in the other formats, or when the file size reaches 4GB. Annoyingly the optic whizz is locked once you start filming, with only an increasingly fuzzy 4x digital zoom at your disposal. This is in consummate contrast to the Panasonic TZ7 / ZS3 which allows optical zooming while filming, and features stereoscopic photograph levelheaded.

The 1280 HD movie mode on the SX200 IS delivers fairly good-looking for footage that's a step-up in detail over the standard VGA modes, although moderately restrained image processing results in a soft and dull appearance at times; this is the same go about seen connected the IXUS 100 IS / SD780 IS. You can see an example here, handheld with Continuous Stabilisation (the only IS option when filming) and demonstrating the fuzzy digital zoom in the middle of the clip – listed members of Vimeo can besides download the original file cabinet for closer inspection.

We shot another sequence using the Canon SX200 IS and Panasonic's Lumix DMC-TZ7 / ZS3 moments apart for mastermind comparison. Both cameras offer 720p recording at 30fps and H.264 compression, but adopt starkly different strategies for envision processing, with Panasonic going in the opposite direction for a lead that's arguably over-sharpened and with likewise much contrast. Side-by-side, the diaphanous punchiness of the Panasonic version makes it look superior at first-glance, but examine them intimately and you'll imag some cameras are in reality recording roughly the same add up of detail, and are fair processing it differently.

Another difference between the cameras are the concretion options. Panasonic's TZ7 / ZS3 offers 720p modes at 9, 13 or 17Mbit/s, while Canon's 720p HD mode is determinate at a much higher rate of around 24Mbit/s, which kit and caboodle out at about 3Mbyte/s. Quality fanatics will be pleased to see such mild compression, just it will wipe out through your memory bill of fare very much quicker, especially with no depress quality alternatives. It should also embody mentioned the HD television from the Panasonic at 17Mbit/s didn't look to be suffering from greater compression artefacts. Information technology's a shame Canon isn't offering depress snatch range options on these latest models, but at least the 720p mode here is to a greater extent manageable than the 40-50Mbit/s exhausted by the 1080 modes connected the SX1 IS and EOS 5D Mark II.

It's likewise worthy noting Panasonic's TZ7 / ZS3 besides offers a Motion JPEG compression choice, which is easier to edit and playback on a computer than the AVCHD / H.264 modes, and while it's less flat than the TZ7 / ZS3's other modes, the bit rate is actually only slightly high than Canon's only 720p modality. So the TZ7 / ZS3 certainly has more video capabilities, merely also has a number of issues of its own – see our Panasonic TZ7 / ZS3 review for more inside information.

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Equal other DIGIC 4 models, the PowerShot SX200 IS offers a Servo AF mode which tracks a subject spell the shutter unfreeze is fractional-ironed; this established stiff when photographing the forthcoming Steamship in our Gallery section. Face detection is quickly, responsive and recognises almost complete profiles. Like opposite late Canyon models, there's also a clever Face Somebody-Timer mode which waits until it sees other face put down the frame before pausing for two seconds then pickings your choice of one to ten photos. Blue-collar focusing is also available, with a magnified central area and a distance scale happening the right that's adjusted using the thumb wheel.

Interestingly, the SX200 IS solitary offers a single AF border the centre for standard (non-servo) shooting, unlike the multiple-area AiAF options on other models in the range. And strangely after combining the normal AF framing with face spotting on the IXUS 100 IS / SD780 IS, they'Re once again presented atomic number 3 separate options connected the SX200 IS. So if the camera's set to Auto or one of the portrait scene modes, then face detection is mechanically enabled, but if you're shooting in Program or extraordinary of the separate modes, you'll need to manually activate it. This feels like a step backwards.

Wish the IXUS 100 IS / SD780 IS though, the SX200 IS does lineament Blink Detection. As its name suggests, this can spot when a subject has blinked at the moment the exposure was captured. This plant in do, in short displaying a blinking face icon in the box of the sort as a cautionary immediately after taking the pic. It will however only function if the subject in question has already been acquired by the boldness detection arrangement.

DIGIC 4 also offers I-Contrast options which john tweak the brightness level of dark areas in the frame to improve their visual aspect, although as before in our tests it was insidious to say the least. Finally if you like, an optional Date subprogram can permanently put in the date or date and clock to the lower right corner of every shot.

The PowerShot SX200 IS offers two continuous shot modes which may fire until you run forbidden of storage, simply at a painfully slow rate which isn't appropriate for whatsoever kind of action photography. In the classical Dogging mode (which locks the focus and exposure) we fired-off ten frames in a leisurely 11.5 seconds, confirming the quoted pace of around 0.8fps. Switching to the AF Continuous mode (which is slower still, but focuses between shots), we fired-polish off ten shots in 16.5 seconds, which works out around 0.6fps. It's a shame there's no faster option on the SX200 IS, either with a decreased number of frames or at a depress resolution, like those offered by the Panasonic TZ7 / ZS3.

Sticking out with drive modes, the usual 10 and two second self timers along with the Face timer mentioned above, are complemented by a bespoke option which lets you set the countdown to arsenic mindful as 30 seconds, and have the camera take one to ten shots at the conclusion. This is handy for increasing your chance of successful poses and expressions in timed group shots. So the continuous shooting may be disappointing, but Canon's got completely bases covered when it comes to the somebody-timer.

At the warmheartedness of the SX200 IS is the same 12.1 Megapixel CCD / 1/ 2.3in sensor as the IXUS 100 IS / SD780 IS. The sensor delivers images with a maximum resolution of 4000×3000 pixels, which throne be written up to 13.3x10in at 300dpi. Four lower resolutions and a planted 16:9 mode are ready, and images can embody recorded with either Standard Beaver State Hunky-dory JPEG concretion (no Super-close-grained option here though). Unsurprisingly, there's no Naked mode – you'll want the PowerShot G10 surgery PowerShot SX1 IS for that.

Set to 12.1 Megapixel resolution, these compression settings deliver files that typically measure 1.4 or 3MB severally. Like separate Canon compacts, there's no built-in memory, so you'll call for to supply your own SD memory card.

The sensitivity ranges from 80 to 1600 ISO at full resolution, with a 3200 ISO Scene Preset operating at a greatly reduced resolution of 2 Megapixels. To figure how the caliber of the PowerShot SX200 IS measures-up in practice, take a reckon at our real-sprightliness resolution and high ISO noise results pages, browse the sample images gallery, or skip to the chase and head square for our verdict.