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More…Canon has created a versatile, go-anywhere point-and-shoot with the $400, 10-megapixel PowerShot SX10 IS. The marquee feature here is a 20X optical zoom--a zoom range equalled only by the Olympus SP-570 UZ--that translates, in the film world, from an awesome 28mm wide-angle to a 560mm telephoto lens; the SX10 covers landscapes, portraits, and stealthy nature shots in one chunky little block of a camera.
Canon PowerShot SX10 IS
Pricing
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- Spec Navigator
- Digital Format
- Display
- Exposure
- Image Processor
- Included Hardware
- Included Software
- Lens
- Shutter
- Storage
- LCD Screen
- Exposure Controls
- Dimensions
- Power
- Flash
- Lens Features
- Connectivity
- Other Features
Image Processor
| Number of image sensor pixels | 10 megapixels |
| Image sensor | CCD |
| Maximum horizontal image resolution | 3648 |
| Maximum vertical image resolution | 2736 |
| Image sensor quantity | 1 |
| Image format | JPEG |
| White balance | 0 |
Lens
| Accessory Lens | Yes |
| Lens Model | Canon Zoom Lens 20X IS 5.0-100.0mm 1:2.8-5.7 USM |
| Telephoto Aperture Maximum | 5.7 mm |
| Wide-Angle Aperture Maximum | 2.8 mm |
Exposure Controls
| Maximum shutter speed | 3200 |
| Minimum shutter speed | 15 |
| Bulb setting | 0 |
| ISO equivalencies |
|
| Exposure settings | 0 |
| Exposure compensation range | 0 |
| Number of scene modes | 11 |
3.5
5 User Reviews Add your own »
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- Lab Tested
- How We Test Point-and-Shoot Cameras »
Pros
20x optical zoom lens
Swivel LCD viewfinder
Cons
No RAW mode
Menu dial is clumsy and fussy
Bottom Line
The SX10 IS--lightweight, with a terrific zoom and decent video--is a great megazoom to carry around.
Canon PowerShot SX10 IS
PowerShot SX10 IS Review, by Kathleen Cullen December 16, 2008
No, it won't fit in your pocket, but the SX10 is lightweight. It also has a wonderful swiveling and foldable LCD that's as handy for grabbing shots from unusual angles as it is for shooting video. Inverting the LCD panel and folding it shut is also a fantastic way to protect your screen.
The bulk of the camera comes from its grip, which makes for a secure hold and functions as a battery compartment. In an unusual move, Canon elected to power this model with four AA batteries instead of a rechargeable battery, a choice that may please some and irritate others.
However, the AA batteries do the trick when it comes to battery life. The SX10 IS fired off 425 shots in our PC World Test Center evaluations. That was good enough for a Superior battery-life rating, a shot count bested only by the Olympus SP-570 UZ, the Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1, and the Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd.
The layout on the back is somewhat minimalist, with a function dial covering most menu options. The top of the SX10 has a second function dial--large, readable, and sturdy--plus a flash/microphone control button and, of course, the shutter and zoom combo. The camera has a built-in flash, but, as an added bonus, it also has a hot shoe. Operating some of the camera's dual-function buttons and the menu dial can be a bit confusing, so I recommend spot-checking the manual for the features you plan to use before you go out for an afternoon of shooting.
Settings on the function dial include aperture and shutter priority, auto and manual, a programmable mode, several scene modes, and video. You also turn on image stabilization via the dial; enabling it is highly recommended, especially when you're using that 20X optical zoom. The thumbwheel dial on the back of the camera accesses manual focus and exposure, as well as white balance control, ISO, and image quality. However, I found the wheel finicky; its response is unpredictable because no "click-stops" are built into the dial. Often I would scroll back and forth for far too long, trying to land where I wanted. A similar wheel was implemented on Canon's G10, but with stops, making its operation far less irritating.
Otherwise, the SX10 performed very well in the field. Its focus was quick and responsive, and its lens makes zooming delightfully smooth and silent. I found good, sharp results from my tests at either end of the focal length. Macro shots of flowers looked tack-sharp, and when I zoomed in to the max, I saw very little aberration around the suspension cables in photos I took of the Golden Gate Bridge. The camera performed equally well with wide-angle landscapes, but sometimes it erred toward overexposing highlights. However, a change in metering options (when I used spot metering, for example) helped with that problem.
Alas, this camera has no RAW mode to provide you with extra latitude when you're touching up your photos. Noise entered the picture at ISO 400 and progressively worsened at the camera's maximum ISO of 1600. However, in reasonable light, I found some shots at ISO 800 were acceptable, without too much color noise.
Image quality earned an overall rating of Good in our subjective tests, but it fell short of the quality we've seen on other Canon cameras. Color accuracy and exposure levels were both weak spots, but the SX10 IS did fare well in terms of image sharpness and lack of distortion.
I also shot some high-quality video with the SX10 IS; the grip and rotating LCD made it easy to use as a camcorder. It also has stereo audio recording. I was a bit disappointed that it didn't offer HD quality: 640 by 480 pixels at 30 frames per second is its finest setting. But the SX10 handled the balance of zooming and focusing very well, producing better videos than I've shot on more-compact cameras. As I've come to expect, video quality shot indoors was not the best: plenty of noise, but quite comparable to what I've seen on other point-and-shoot cameras.
Overall, the SX10 IS should appeal to plenty of enthusiasts for its reliable, high-quality performance and its laudable ability to mimic a video camera with its swivel screen, not to mention its advanced controls. This is a very competent camera and a good value considering its feature set.
--Kathleen Cullen
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PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
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79
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81
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88
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Point-and-Shoot Cameras
79
85
81
77
See a full Comparison Chart of These Point-and-Shoot Cameras »
Performance
| Battery Life (minutes) | 232.75 |
| Battery Life Score | Superior |
| Image Quality Score | Good |
| Image Quality, Color | 50.1 |
| Image Quality, Color--Adjusted | 51.7 |
| Image Quality, Color--Auto | 48.5 |
| Image Quality, Distortion | 59.2 |
| Image Quality, Distortion--Noise | 35.6 |
| Image Quality, Distortion--Noise Reduction | 54.1 |
| Image Quality, Distortion--Sharp Interpolation | 77.3 |
| Image Quality, Exposure | 49.3 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Flash | 45.5 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Normal | 50.9 |
| Image Quality, Overall | 45.7 |
| Image Quality, Sharpness | 48 |
| Number of Batteries | 4 |
| Number of Shots | 425 |
User Reviews
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: jslopez1014A
Strengths: Takes very nice pictures; light weight; uses AA batteries so extra batteries and a charger are not necessarily required to take along. Pictures with 20x zoom and digital zoom are awesome!
Weaknesses: Lens error
Overall: I've had the camera for just about 5 weeks. I haven't used it much because when I zoom with the camera I get a "lens error, restart camera" message. The camera shuts down and does not turn on right away. Several good shots have been lost due to the camera error. I have returned the camera to Canon for repair or replacement. We'll see what happens. If it wasn't for the lens error, I would highly recommend this camera and would purchase again.
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Reviewed by: jprizzo
Strengths: High quality pictures. Great zoom with fine clarity and color retention. Easy to use and carry
Weaknesses: Not capable of RAW images.
Overall: I feel this camera is an excellent choice for any enthusiast. If you just take picture without much photo editing, RAW images is no concern. But if you like to shoot RAW and then edit, you will be disappointed.The IS works well, and the 20x zoom is phenomenal. I also use a Canon D20, and I find myself looking at the SX10 as the "go to" camera.
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Reviewed by: QuigleY1873
Strengths: Fantastic pictures. Color reproduction and clarity are incredible. Lens versatility is outstanding from wide angle to 20X being crisp and clear. The image stabilization is also very affective.
Weaknesses: The included lens cap's a bit on the cheap side. Get a 52MM cap and keeper. As mentioned by others, the camera has no provision for filter attachment. Hope some outfit comes out with an adapter.
Overall: Both my wife and I have one of these cameras and together, on our recent trip to the Grand Canyon, took well over 2000 shots. Yep, over 9 gigs worth and I'll put must of them up against the postcards you can buy of the canyon any day. I've got stills of Condors in flight so clear that you can see the veins of their feathers and the radio tracking transmitters on their wings. Does every picture you take give you what you want? No of course not, but it's not the camera necessarily but the shooter. That's why we took over 2000 shots. Having said that, most of them did indeed turn out quite well. The features of this camera are far too numerous to cover here and can be quite intimidating to a novice shutter bug. However, this camera can be left on auto for newbies and it will do you proud. Happy shooting.
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Reviewed by: kimbrough_sd
Strengths: easy to use after reading the documentation, and rereading it again after using the camera for a few days. Takes 52mm Filters.
Weaknesses: feels like I am going to break it -- light and very plastic.
Overall: After getting the camera I sat down and read the manual -- got the PDF off the the Cannon site. Because this has so many automated settings, and some settings don't always work with other settings as "I" expect them to, I spent the time try'n to understand the diagram in the back that shows how they all interrelate with each other, then after a few days with the camera, spent time with the book again! Happy my Cannon flash works with this camera (it cost about as much as this camera too). and my little pile of 52mm filters work well -- the SX10 does not really deal well with some of them (some B/W filters like the deep Red, it try's to white balance it!!? Poor thing, So I am still play'n with the B/W filters just to see if they are worthwhile to pack with the SX10; so far: not.) But, of course I have a UV-Haze on the camera now, a polarizing and natural density filters in the pouch on the strap. So for a Sub $300 camera that takes very good pictures and acts like a Cannon when it comes to accessories -- this is a pretty great buy.
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Reviewed by: ronjon5196
Strengths: Optical Zoom, ease of use, variety of settings
Weaknesses: None
Overall: I have been a Canon owner for over 30 years. I have the S3is and now the SX10is. Very similar but the increased megapixels and optical zoom of the SX10 make this a great upgrade. Using a different neck strap makes the weight of this camera go away, the thin neckstrap that comes with the camera is not good. I use a monopod when I am hiking and that makes a huge difference in the picture taking. This is a great camera for a reasonable cost and all of the features, when you play with them and get used to them, are a nice addition for the novice photographer. I would recommended this camera to anyone.
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