Quick summary:1. I really like this camera, especially being able to take HD video and optically zoom while recording. I also really like taking 4 fps of continuous shooting.
2. You really need to read (at least skim) through the instructions. Some of the ease of use benefits of a point-and-shoot were compromised to give you some of the versatility of a digital SLR. I'm not too crazy about the "Control Dial" to select menu options. Over all, the software seems a bit less intuitive than other Powershots I've used in the past.
3. Using Quicktime on Windows to view the HD video might result in jerky motion. HD video is smooth in Quicktime on a Mac. This is a Quicktime/Windows issue, not a camera problem.
4. The camera is solidly built, but it's a bit heavy. It's not ergonomically designed for extended video recording.
5. Consider reading and viewing a video demo by a professional at
Long version:
I was very eagerly anticipating this camera. The key feature in the Canon SX1IS is the CMOS sensor used in the SLR product lines. I got really excited about a single camera with HD video, 20x optical zoom, 4 frames per second of continuous shooting, articulated screen, and standard AA batteries. I've owned several Canon Powershot models, and I've been very satisfied with them. I'm also an experienced 35mm SLR person. I thought that the SX1IS was going to be my perfect camera... or actually the perfect gift for my wife.
I am an amateur photographer whose primary subjects are my children playing sports. Since I work a lot, my wife actually ends up taking a majority of the photos. I was planning to get a digital SLR for her when I came upon the specs for the SX1IS. It seems as if Canon product managers have listened to everything I wanted in a digital camera. The biggest deals for me were
1. HD video with optical zoom enabled while you're filming
2. 4 frames per second of continuous shooting
3. 20x optical zoom
4. Ease of use of a point-and-shoot
Here are my series of reactions:
1. After the first set of photos and videos, I couldn't help but feel as if Canon has under-delivered on the promise of a nearly perfect camera for amateurs or perhaps my camera was defective. This was my review of the first batch of photos and videos: (please read on to the next section since my initial disappointment resulted more from ignorance and unfair expectations)
a. I wasn't getting anywhere near 4 frames per second.
b. In the AUTO mode, the photos seem to come out at a lower quality than my much cheaper Powershot A710 in AUTO mode. By lower quality, I mean that the color, contrast, and details appear not as good.
c. It is very cool to be able to zoom in and out while you are taking video, but the HD video footages came out jerky enough to be really annoying.
2. This didn't seem right, so I actually read the instructions and spent a few minutes googling for info. It quickly became clear that you really have to read the manual to use this camera effectively. The manual is not written especially well, but it contains the info you need. (FYI, I've NEVER read instructions on any of my other digital point-and-shoot cameras before, and I have been very happy with the thousands of photos I've taken.)
a. Getting 4 frames per second: I learned that you cannot shoot 4 frames per second in AUTO mode or SPORTS mode. SPORTS mode can only take continuous AutoFocus photos which is about 1 frame per second. Most of the other modes support fast 4 frames per second continuous shooting. In the 4 fps continuous shooting, only the first shoot will be in focus, the others will be out of focus if the subject moves towards or away from your camera.
b. Comparing photos from SX1IS with A710: I realized that I was taking photos at high zoom that the Powershot A710 was not even able to get, so this was not a fair comparison. For apples-to-apples outdoor photos, SX1IS does take superior photos, but indoor photos does seem grainier at similar zoom levels. However, the difference is really minor, and there are many many adjustments on the SX1IS that can more than compensate.
c. Jerky HD video playback: This is a really a problem with Quicktime on my Windows Vista (on 2.5GHz Quadcore CPU with 4GB of RAM & ATI Radeon 512MB graphics card, so not a hardware issue). I saw similar jerky playback with Quicktime on Windows XP. However, the videos play smooth and perfectly in Quicktime on a Mac OS X. By reading this review, I hope you don't get upset when your first HD video looks really bad because of the jerky motion. I'm sure that this is a temporary problem: either Apple will improve Quicktime playback on Windows, a better MOV player will be available, or software will be available to convert the MOV to another format that works better on Windows.
d. Further note: To make changes to a bunch of settings via the menu options, you have to use this ring on the function button (called the "Control Dial"). It's the knurled outermost concentric ring surrounding the FUNC. SET button. You rotate this to select the menu options you want. Well, maybe I'll get used to it, but right now, this ring sucks. It's easy to miss the your menu item because you rotate this ring with just enough force, but if you press a bit too much, you end up with different options. This will probably suck to another plateau when I'm in bright sunlight looking through the viewfinder.
Here are 3 other things you might want to consider before purchasing this camera:
1. The camera feels very solid, but this also means that it is a bit heavy.
2. The form factor is for taking photographs, so if you plan to use this primarily for the HD video, your hands/arms will tire out. It is a bit awkward to keep the camera steady for extended video. HD camcorder will probably be better for you if your primary motivation is to take HD videos.
3. See a professional review with a video demo at
I'm now having a great time taking lots of photos and videos with this camera. The 20x zoom, HD video, and 4 fps is worth the cost premium.
But the camera is not without a few problems. Coming from a Canon D-SLR, the image quality leaves a little to be desired. At 100% magnification, the images are a little noisy. However, most people don't look at pictures at this zoom-level, and at normal print sizes, the images are sharp and noise is not really noticeable in real-world shooting. I personally don't like the neck strap. Maybe I just need to wear it in, but at its current stiffness, it sometimes gets in the way of the camera controls. The video looks a little wobbly sometimes due to the design of CMOS sensors (Google "rolling shutter effect"). However, I only notice it when moving the camera quickly (such as panning). The battery compartment doesn't open the way you might expect (look in the manual before attempting it). The on-screen menu is a pretty good but could be better. The viewfinder is electronic and the colors on it appear washed out, but it gets the job done. Finally, there are no threads on the front of the lens to mount filters on, but there are third-party adapters that will let you do this (Lensmate makes one).
However, I'm still very satisfied with my purchase and would not hesitate to recommend the camera to others looking for this kind of hybrid camera. I'm going on a trip in June and it'll be the only camera I take.I've been waiting for the HD-video-capable replacement for the SX10IS for awhile, and I'm glad I waited. There is a lot of legitimate discussion whether this, the successor to the SX10IS, is a worthwhile replacement, and the answer is contingent on what you want to do with a camera and how experienced you are with photography.
First, this camera has an incredible zoom range. I stood from several blocks away and photographed an entire seven-story building in NYC using the SX1IS's widest zoom setting. From the distance I stood I could barely see that the top three floors featured terraces. I took another photo at maximum zoom and could not only see the terraces but see with reasonable detail that someone with a yellow short-sleeve shirt was having breakfast on their terrace. Needless to say, if you have a need for a fast, high-zoom-capable lens, the SX1IS has it.
In terms of speed, the camera feels very responsive. The lens itself zooms and retracts quickly with little noise (even while shooting video) and I was pleased with the overall responsiveness. The focus settings need to be played with somewhat, but overall the camera feels quick as opposed to sluggish or slow. Also, this (over the SX10IS) is rated at 4fps, which is mighty quick.
Picture quality, overall, is very good. There is definitely fringing on the edges of a shot where the barrel effect of a big, zoomed-out lens appears, but overall I'm happy with the results. There are some issues if you are taking a shot that will wind up on the side of a bus in an ad, but even 8x10 shots will come out wonderfully.
The camera is a bit heavy, but given the lens and the technology stuffed into this thing, I didn't feel like I needed a massage after working with it for a few hours. It's lots heavier than my snapshot go-to camera, the Canon 880IS, but that's like suggesting a Maybach is a lot heavier than a Kawasaki Ninja. Apples and oranges.
Overall, I think this is a good camera. It is a great tool for people who really know what they're doing -which frankly isn't me. However, I have a general idea of what I want to accomplish and I'm willing -and going to -take the time to learn how to get more out of this camera. It's fine as an automatic point and shoot -a bit complicated, perhaps -but it will definitely save me the trouble and bother of going the dSLR route. Unless the lens on this camera is damaged, there should be no need to upgrade because the wide angle is great and the zoom is incredible. The lens could be a bit better at high zoom, but I'm satisfied with the results.
The main thing that this camera offers over the SX10IS is the capability to do RAW images and HD Video. The former is for serious users -I haven't installed my packaged Canon software yet and haven't even explored taking RAW images or how to edit them with Photoshop on the PC -but the HD video results are pretty amazing. I'm not sure how often I'll use this to do HD video but I can say without a doubt that I'd kick myself in six months' time if I wanted to use it to take some video and had to rely on 480p or 720p instead of full HD video. The quality is stunning and accurate, and with stereo mics the SX10IS does better at video than some fully-dedicated video cameras from several years ago.
A word to the wise: if you are willing to take the time to learn how to use this camera or are very experienced, you will enjoy using this camera. It's a bit pricey but I think it's a great piece of equipment. If however you are looking at this as an improvement on a little snapshot camera like the aforementioned 880IS and all you want to do is take portraits and the like, don't spend the extra money, get a snapshot digicam.
I'd recommend this to people who are either experienced or have a decent knowledge and understanding of photography, and also for people who would like to explore the mechanics of taking a photo beyond just hitting a button. It does produce some great photos, but it can really be frustrating. Bottom line: between the expense, the size of the cam itself and the tweaking necessary, if convenience is first and quality is second on your wishlist, this is not the right camera for you. You should go check out the Canon G10. If quality and the art of photography are the two highest items on your digicam wishlist, buy it and happy shooting.
Four stars and not five because of the lens fringe, the manual pop-up flash and the focus issues I originally experienced before I read through the manual. I'd have given this bad boy an extra star for RAW recording but I also deducted a star because you need to install proprietary Canon 'ware (both an app and a codec) before you can manipulate RAW images in Photoshop or elsewhere.
Overall, one hell of a camera.Let me preface my review by saying this is the perfect super zoom compact for me (on paper). I love everything about this camera but its reliability.
I've been really pleased with the HD video performance; sharp videos with good out of the camera color rendition, with some CMOS "wobble" on fast pans (more a function of bad videography technique however). Was pleasantly surprised with how still images capture in such an extreme 20x zoom lens. Is it a little soft at extreme aperatures? yeah. Is there chromatic aberation in the corners? sure. But this is a compact camera we're talking about here. ISO 400 is about the limit for me in regards to noise, but this is about par for the course as I've never been happy above 200 in all other compacts i've owned. The articulating screen is awesome and battery life has not been an issue due to rechargeable AA accesibility. For a traveller, this is a huge plus. Those who don't travel may not understand or appreciate this feature.
Where this camera fails in epic proportion is durabilty. My first SX1 lasted 3 weeks before it gave me the following error: "lens error, restart camera". This was after 30 or so pictures, and 4 movies; we're talking about 1 hour of total use, tops. Camera was never dropped or mishandled. Upon investigating online and forums, this seems to be an issue with both Japanese and US versions of this camera.
Perhaps I am just very, very unfortunate to get this twice. Getting burned twice makes me shy about trying it one more time and I hope you have better luck than I did.I just returned (last night) from a 12 day MIT alumni safari trip in Tanzania. I've been a serious amateur photographer for 50+ years, and had planned to take my Rebel xsi and two zoom lenses. I bought the sx1 3 months ago to evaluate it, and after many hours of using it, shooting test shots vs. the xsi, and traveling with it, I decided to take only the sx1 to Tanzania. Four people in our group had quality DSLRs and big lenses; one had an HD DVR. I am VERY happy that I chose to take the sx1. I got many more very good stills and HD videos than any one else. The DSLR people did get some exceptional stills that are better than anything the sx1 could do, but I knew that would be the case. My sx1 was always with me, always a second or two away from taking a quick shot, and even mixing stills and HD video simultaneously. I love that you can zoom while shooting video. I used Energizer "ultimate lithium" non-rechargeable AA batteries. I got 800 stills and 45 minutes of video on the first set before the "low battery" warning.
For me, reviews that point out that the sx1 image quality is not quite as good as a DSLR+lens that are 4x bigger and heavier are not helpful. It is true, and should be obvious. The big lenses are also better in dim light. In good light and mid-distance scenes, I can't tell the difference in 8x10 images from my best DSLR and my pocket Canon SD970.
I had a choice of taking the sx1 on safari, with a total weight of 1.47 pounds including batteries, or the xsi plus a canon 17-85 and a sigma 50-500 zoom, total weight 7.05 pounds without cases and charger. The sx1 was more than worth the image quality tradeoff, and the ability to shoot HD video was a real bonus. I'm fairly new to video, but using PowerDirector I'm integrating stills and video, all 1080 HD quality, into a really attractive presentation.
I found that the Tamrac 5230 case was best for the sx1 on safari. I wore it on my belt, with the top unzipped (it has velcro and snap closures as well as the zipper). I put the spare batteries, lens cleaner, etc. in a big zip-lock bag and folded that in the bottom of the Tamrac, under the camera. The Tamrac would fit into the zip-lock bag in a downpour. I got an adapter (LensMate, I think), and kept a 58mm skylight filter on the lens, with no lens cap. I could wipe the filter clean quickly without worrying about scratching the lens. I kept a tiny tripod in the outer pouch of the Tamrac, and I was ready for anything.
If you are considering a camera in this size and price range, and you want the 20x zoom and HD video, you will love the sx1.
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