Canon PowerShot SX220 HS Review
Review Date : Fri, 15 Apr 2011
Author : Paul Nuttall
Canon's PowerShot SX series of compacts have long been some of the best travel compacts on the market. But how does the latest model shape up in light of competition?
| Pros: | Slim body, good focal range, large LCD screen |
|---|---|
| Cons: | Slight handling issues, slight image quality issues |
Canon's SX series of PowerShot compacts has, for a long time now, offered advanced functionality in a small and affordable body, and for that reason have been popular with compact camera buyers. Currently priced just over the £200 mark, the SX220 HS promises to add to the range's reputation as it arrives with both an impressive specification and a host of features new to the range. But is it good enough to test the growing breed of travel compacts?
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS full sample image gallery
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS review - Features
The Canon SX220 HS features the kind of full specification that you've come to expect from the SX PowerShot range. The model features a 12.1MP CMOS sensor, which is paired with HS technology. The HS technology is aimed at providing extra assistance in low light image capture, and reducing the amount of noise appearing in these images, a process also aided no doubt by the presence of Canon's DIGIC IV processor.
The sensor is coupled with a 14x optical zoom, ranging from 28-392mm in equivalent terms, itself supported by optical image stabilisation offering, claims Canon, up to a 4-stop benefit. Another eye-catching feature of the camera in the 3in PureColor II G LCD screen - boasting a 461k-dot resolution, the LCD is one of the better on the market, although the fact that it's widescreen, with a native 16:9 resolution may not be to everyone's tastes.
Another element of the camera's specification which places it firmly in the travel compact sector is the presence of HD video. The SX220 HS offers 1080p HD capture which, as well as offering the facility to zoom during shooting, is also supported by dynamic image stabilisation while shooting.
The model also offers full manual image capture, alongside Program, Aperture and Shutter priority image capture modes, which will no doubt please those looking for extra control over the capture process. However, as with all good travel compacts, a bevy of functions are present to cater for the photographer looking for the camera to do the work. A ‘Smart Auto' mode features which has the power to recognise the scene your shooting from 32 separate shooting scenarios.
Have your say!
Latest comments
April 26 17:27
Panagiotis Pantos
Good: is one of the smallest digital cameras available with a 14x optical zoom lens Bad: The camera's battery life is lower than much of the competition Comment: Excellent !!! sample video in my channel youtube.com/user/ppantos100 and pictures in flickr.com/photos/ppantos
December 28 13:59
sonu
Happy with camera quality except battery life and just felt the 16x zoom would have been great instead of 14x
January 11 16:50
Tim
Doesn't charge of USB, but otherwise a great camera. One minor problem is that with the high sensitivity, the camera rarely requires the flash indoors making fast moving subject such as children hard to capture. I got round this by using the shutter speed priority mode.
April 21 09:20
Doni
Very good compact travel camera. Good handling ( haven't experienced any issue with the dials with my big hands), fast focus and nice colour rendering. Very good pictures in low light.It allows you to take full control of your pictures ( full manual, aperture/shutter priority,flash output graduation, etc.). The pictures are sharp and show a consistent high quality. I am very satisfied with this camera and I need to find some good excuses to buy a DSLR ( I own a Nikon SLR system).