Buy Canon PowerShot SX10 IS Digital Camera - Black (10MP, 20x Optical Zoom) 2.5 inch Vari-angle LCDCanon PowerShot SX10 IS Digital Camera - Black (10MP, 20x Optical Zoom) 2.5 inch Vari-angle LCD Product Description:
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
60 of 60 people found the following review helpful.
By P. Stephens
I've had this camera for around four months now, and my conclusions are that while it offers fantastic versatility, the pictures are a bit disappointing.The 20X zoom and very effective image stablisation means that you can take everything from wide-angle interiors to 500mm (equivalent) hand-held shots, all without swapping a lens, which is great. It's quite slow between frames at full resolution though (it really doesn't feel like 1.4fps) which, combined with fairly slow autofocus, means it isn't a great action-capturing camera. The video and sound quality are superb, much better than any £100 solid-state camcorder, so it's like having an extra device thrown in (tip - use a free program such as Any Video Converter to compress the giant .MOV files down to MPEG AVIs).The SX10 is heavy in a good way - it feels solid and well-made, and the controls (well, most of them) have a quality feel to them. The exception is the thumbwheel, which is terrible (sometimes turning it has an effect, sometimes not). Thumbwheel aside I think it's easy to use for a camera with so many options, but there is a learning curve and the lack of a printed manual is unforgiveable - how are you supposed to consult a PDF when you're miles from home? The hinged LCD screen is brilliant, great for low- and high- level shots or even self-portraits.Everything has its good and bad points, and so far the SX10 is ahead. So what's the probem?Basically the pictures it produces are good, but not *that* good. In a review of another camera, the writer says that with the rush to cram ever more megapixels onto sensors, pictures are actually getting worse. I think the SX10 may be an example of this, with the problem compounded by the rush to 20X zoom.Focus can be a big problem on my SX10, especially in poor light and/or long zooms (and the low-res viewfinder and terrible thumbwheel make manual focus pretty much a non-option unless you do it purely by distance). Colours tend to be a bit flat, and it has a marked tendency to overexpose in bright conditions. Meanwhile low-light performance is average at best, with serious, blotchy noise at ISO 800 and above. Occasionally it can produce really great pictures, but most of the time it doesn't, whether on auto or manual.My previous camera was an Olympus C3020 bridge from 2001. It was much more limited (3.1Mp, 3X zoom, ISO 400), but within those limits it produced consistently better pictures - sharper, better colours, overall a more natural look. I always felt that the Olympus made me seem a better photographer than I actually was, whereas with the Canon it's the other way round. For versatility though it's excellent value for money.Additional item: I forgot to mention that the battery life is really excellent. A fully charged set of NiMHs seem to go on forever (certainly into the 300-400 stills range). Video doesn't seem to drain them too much either.
146 of 148 people found the following review helpful.
By N. Butt
I am not a camera expert, more of an enthusiastic amateur, and I am sure that much more qualified people will, given time, publish reviews for Canon's latest UltraZoom. However, reviews are pretty scarce at the moment, so I will share with you my first thoughts on the SX10.The camera is neat, and sits comfortably in the hand. It is not as light as some, but exudes the impression of quality with a solid look and feel. For those who are familiar with Canon, the immediate impression is of familiar controls and menu options. For those new to the brand then I don't think that you will feel 'at sea'. I had read some comments that the instructions with the camera are not very good, but I would disagree. The quick start guide is mimimal but adequate, and the accompanying CD does include a manual that runs through all of the features, how to use them, and when you might want to use them. It is not a teach-in to photography, but certainly acts as a useful reminder.And what a set of features this camera has. It has the very latest DIGIC 4 processor that is only just coming in for Canon's top end cameras, and this gives the SX10 a very comprehensive set of functions. For example, face detection is an absolute gem. If there is a face in your picture then the exposure and focus lock to it. The little focus square just follows the face around the picture. Even better, you can set the autotimer so that the cameras takes the shot when a face, or even an additional face, comes into frame. That is powerful processing.Of course, all is lost if the optics and sensor are not up to the job. After a bit of experimenting, I am satisfied that Canon are onto a good thing with this camera. At full optical zoom, and heavily into the digital zone, you can take image stabilised shots that are crisp and without a trace of the chromatic aberrations that plague this type of picture. With a 28mm equivalent wide angle capability. this camera offers both ends of the spectrum.So who wants this camera? I am sure that SLR enthusiasts will continue to state that the optics are compromised compared to interchangeable lenses. The point and shoot brigade will continue to buy tiny pocket cameras. However, for those who want to explore their photography then the SX10 might just be the right camera for you. And remember, it's a Canon so it is never going to be a bad choice.
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful.
By Mateyboy
Having previously owned Fuji and Sony cameras of similar type and having used this camera for the past two months I would overall say that this is a very good camera. The zoom is terrific. Picture quality is first class.However It has one or two features that Canon need to address. As other reviewers have said the lens cap is far from satisfactory, I lost mine within a week and now use the old one from my Fuji camera. The lens hood too is unsatisfactory. Shots taken on wide angle have the corners of the lens hood in the picture! I'm a bit puzzled by this as some shots do and some don't. Haven't worked that one out yet.My biggest criticism is of the menu function. This camera has a lot of features (far too many for the average user) and the menu is not user friendly. Out in the field if one is not sure what to do one has either to hope for the best or come home and wade through the manual on CD. This contains about 280 pages! A couple of examples: 'AF-point zoom' options on or off. What does this mean? 'Auto ISO shift' Options -on or off. Again what does this mean? A little more information on the menu highlighting what these features do would go a long way to making this a 5 star camera.
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