Customer Reviews

Canon Powershot SD20 5MP Ultra Compact Digital Camera (Silver)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just bought the SD20 and it is excellent. The design works perfectly for my needs. I wanted to be able to carry my digital camera and get excellent pictures where ever I go. I was maticulous in my selection and my research paid off in this camera. Initially I was going to go sony for their design and memory stick capability. But, I wanted the Canon quality that people spoke of in their reviews. The solution: The Canon Powershot SD20. Now I leave my Canon Rebel SLR at home, and don't miss it much. I love the built in zoom, the point-and-shoot, the cristal clear quality and numerous shooting modes. Usually I don't need the full 5MP and I set the camera at a convenient lower setting so no resizing is neccesary when I load the pictures onto my computer. This makes it very easy to send my friends the pics by simply selecting the file from my desktop as an attachment. I love this thing! I can't wait for the holidays to come around so I can take tons more great pictures with this super little camera!

This is a perfect second camera for someone who takes lots of pictures and already has some prosumer model. It also would make an excellent camera for the casual photographer. The camera is tiny, really really small but takes great pictures. Despite size of camera, alll controls are easy to use. Complex menus are Canon-easy-to-use but you could also just point and shoot and never worry about the menus. Only fear about this camera is losing it. Thought of getting the SD300 but who needs the zoom really for the use this camera will be seeing? And lack of zoom apparently makes picture quality better as camera is optimized for the fixed focal length lens.

I recently purchased this camera for a ski trip out to Sun Valley, Idaho. I was concerned that the camera was so tiny that my hand would shake, and the images would come out blurry. But despite the small size, I took hundreds of pictures, and they've come out beautifully.

I transferred them to my Apple IPOD Photo, as well as my Apple Imac computer, and have even printed them through Apple. Now don't get me wrong....I know I sound like I'm writing a review on Apple, but once I printed the pics, I was astonished at the clarity and the amazing details from the pictures once I received them.

The big "con" of the camera is the small screen on the back. There are so many new small point and shoot cameras that now have 2-inch to even 2 1/2 inch screens on the back of the camera. And there's no optical viewfinder on this camera, nor an optical zoom - but it's all really unnecessary when you have a camera this small.
Those are the tradeoffs. BUT, this is a camera that you will certainly want to carry along with you everywhere! It's not bulky, and you never even notice that you have it in your pocket. I went down the ski slopes with it, and even stuck it in my jeans pants pockets. It never bothers you with its weight, and you'll see that you'll always pull it out to snap some photos of friends.

Advice: Buy a backup battery!! Buy a big SD file card. I got a 1GB card, and on superfine mode, and the highest resolution, it allowed me close to 400 pictures!

Great camera, and highly recommended.

I did some research before i bought this camera. I had heard that Canon made quality products and i liked the specs of this camera so i decided to go with it. Sure there are cheaper 5 megapixel cameras out there, but they do not capture true to life color in their pictures like this camera does. Go to the canon website and download a full resolution picture that was taken with the SD20 if you dont believe me.
Pros:5 megapixels
True to life color
Very detailed pictures
User friendly yet also has advanced features
Tiny, tiny compact size
Easy to take anywhere(i take mine with me everywhere)
Video has decent quality
Camera is beautiful
Comes with a leather case
Bundled software is fun to use
Battery life is awesome(i've gone 3 days before recharging)
Charging time is only an hour to hour and a half

Cons:I still havn't found any. An optical zoom might be nice but i havnt missed it.

This camera is great. It looks beautiful and everyone around you is going to want one. More importantly though it is a quality product in a small compact case. If you plan on taking this with you on vacation though, i would recomend a bigger memory card. It comes with a 32MB card which will allow you to store 20 pictures on the highest resolution but i bought a 512MB card which allows me to store 350 Pictures at the highest resolution. Hope this review helped!

If you are looking for an easy to use, point and shoot camera, with great picture quality, that is ridiculously portable and stylish - this is it! The camera easily fits in (almost) any pocket and even the smallest of purses. It's about the size of a small cell phone. I constantly get comments on the color and the size of the camera. And the matching camera case-color just adds to it!

But enough about aesthetics - the camera provides excellent picture quality in really any type of setting (although i haven't tried underwater)- as do all canons. And the menus and features of the camera are very user friendly. You can read the specs yourself - but the main features I use regularly are the various shooting modes (nightime, indoor, auto, etc.), quick shot and video.

For the cons, the camera doesn't have optical zoom, the LCD is fairly small (a little over an inch square) and there is no optical viewfinder. The lack of optical zoom is the biggest drawback in my opinion. However, with 5MP - I can zoom and crop to my hearts content without losing much if any clarity/quality - particularly when you are talking 4x6 photos or online photos. I imagine the small LCD can be tough if you don't have great eyesight - but hasn't bothered me at all. The lack of an optical viewfinder is tough when you are taking pictures in a dark area (like at a nightclub) - you really can't see anything. In the second when the flash goes off you can adjust a little if you are pointing in the completely wrong area. Which goes to my last thought on cons. In a review I read before buying someone warned that if you have big hands, or unsteady hands - the camera is so small it can be a little unwieldy to hold still. And this can result in blurry pictures. I've only had this happen once - when a waiter was taking a group picture for me. Disappointing - but in the year I've had this camera has only happened once. In fact, I've tried to take blurry pictures by shaking the camera while shooting, and the pictures still come out clear....can't really figure that one out.....

Overall, I really like this camera. I was looking for a small stylish camera that I could take anywhere easily but that would also take great pictures. I hate carrying things around, so if i couldn't fit it in my pocket or my tiniest purse, I knew i would never end up using it. I was aware of the drawbacks to this camera before I bought - but for my point and shoot and portability needs decided it would work for me. And I've been very happy with it.

The lack of optical zoom/viewfinder may drive some people crazy - if so I might recommend the canon sd400. It's only slightly bigger than the sd20 (but only comes in silver), and has expanded features. It's slightly heavier also. But still, a very portable camera.

I use a Nikon D100 for most of my digital pics, having gone digital completely 2 years ago. As I was a die-hard 35mm fan, it was a tough choice then- and when I decided I wanted a more compact camera to keep in my purse, pocket etc, I was incredibly picky. Looks counted, I won't lie - and this camera is just adorable! I find the buttons easy to work with and the quick power on is really great! We recently went on a ski trip and I took this camera in my ski jacket to get the best shots on the slopes of my entire family and the scenary.

The only disappointment is the flash can be a bit harsh on indoor shots and even with red-eye reduction on, you'll still get an annoying red-eye most times. Work with the camera, figure out how to avoid these things with ambient lighting and other camera settings for your personal style and you'll be fine.

This one won't disappoint - the price is great and the size is even better! For moms on the go, this one is light and VERY easy to use. Go for it!

The SD20 is a super cool, super compact, super amazing digital camera! In order to give everyone out there an easy to follow and easy to understand review, I wont get into all the details, but some important features about this camera are; 1 - its size! The camera is ultra small and very lite! It puts my older S200, which I had always considered to be small and lite, to absolute shame! Throw it in your shirt pocket and head out. Just be sure to remember you brought it along or you may forget its there. That's how small and lite it is. The image quality is amazing! Just like all the other Canon cameras I've had, the SD20 is no diferent. The pictures are sharp, crisp and very clear. This is one of the best point and shoot 5 Megapixel cameras on the market today! No doub't about it and if you're shopping around, don't look any further! Its packed with great features even to please the most stringest photographer, if not amaze them! Take my word on this one, this is one awesome camera! The one drwaback, well its not a drawback, being that it packs 5 Megapixels of punch, you're going to need a nice sized CD memory card to store all those great pictures. I opted for a 1GB. With a 1GB card at full 5 Megapixels and Super Fine quality, you can store around 400 images. At Fine quality still at 5 Megapixels, the storage bumps up to 700 images. Drop the image quality a bit more, and 1GB card can hold thousands of images. It's your best bet! So don't wait around, get your SD20 today and see why I and so many others are praising it!

I've been using this camera for about 4 months and after adjusting to a few little things ( flash, complicated viewing procedure, short movie mode) my only real complaint is that it is really slow not just on but firing with or without a flash. no doubt i love this camera, i own a canon 20d but don't want to take that with me every where and this tiny guy can take some incredible pics and won't weigh down your pants. better than most 5meg small cameras, sony can't touch it, casio is close. i highly recomend this camera to anyone who wants a portable powerhouse, i'm constantly amazed by this thing and i'm really not impressed easily.

This camera was purchased for my wife who doesn't have patience for too many controls or settings. She loves this camera and uses it readily. She has allowed me to try it out some and I like it too; although I don't think it gets quite as good results as the 5 MP Konica that I regularly use. The Konica seems a little better on indoor/flash shots and the autofocus rarely misses. I think that with a little experience with the useful range of the flash, the Canon should meet our needs nicely, however. It fits so nicely in a shirt pocket that there is little excuse to leave it home.

I've used this camera in some of the worst conditions you can imagine. Being deployed to Iraq, I've used this in 20 Degree to 130 Degree heat, sandstorms, being banged around, etc.

I have no major complaints about this camera at all, it's very good, and the pictures come out crystal clear. Even the movies come out clear, which is suprising for a P&S Camera.

Only flaws I noticed about the camera, is it sucks for shaky hands and vibrations. For instance, in a gun-truck going down the road, or if your hands are shakey. Also, the flash causes red-eye alot, but you can touch it up in photoshop.