Blue SX200 IS 12.1MP Camera with 28mm Wide-Angle 12x Optical Zoom and 3" LCD per

by Canon

Product Description

mfr: Canon

Image resolution up to 4000 x 3000

4x digital zoom

720p HD movie shooting capability plus HDMI output for easy playback of video and photos on HDTV

Smart AUTO intelligently selects the proper settings for the camera based on 18 predefined shooting situations

Blink Detection alerts a shooter after a shot has been taken that a subject had closed eyes

DIGIC 4 Image Processor has evolved Face Detection Technology that tracks the faces of moving subjects and lets the shooter enter the frame seamlessly with the Face Detection Self-timer

Uses SDÖ/SDHCÖ and MMC memory cards

Includes rechargeable Li-Ion (NB-5L) battery and charger USB/AV cables and wrist strap L 6.5000 W 6.4000 H 5.8000 This item cannot be shipped to APO/FPO addresses.  Please accept our apologies

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• ASIN: B0021ESJ4W
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (228 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

727 of 752 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rebutting the Cons, April 3, 2009

By 

Jacqueline Buemi "Be the Light you Wish to See" (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Canon PowerShot SX200IS 12 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)

***Updated 10-7-11****
After 3 years of use, this camera is still awesome and I'm literally gonna wait till it breaks or there is a an iphone with a high megapixel to match before I get rid of this. I've taken it to the sandy beaches of California, farms of Ohio and Water parks of Wisconsin. This camera still works great. I've had to have it cleaned (due to my rough use on it). I've dropped it, left it in a the sand during a windy time of day, and let my 3 year old take pics with hit. Nothing has ever broke and I'm very happy with the battery life. Some superficial/light scratches on the screen but none I"m worried about. I am not sure how long it lasts but I charge it maybe every couple of months - and I have now taken nearly 8000 pictures (that I have kept on iphoto) and perhaps more that I deleted. So happy! :
Now the original review-

This review is based off of several days of use and a THOROUGH review of the manual. If you are interested in seeing specifications and actual pictures of this camera (which I suggest you do) I recommend visiting websites that offer extensive these types of reviews [...]First, lets review what seems to be common CONS to the camera.

POP UP FLASH. Contrary to some reviews, this camera is not hard to handle/hold nor does the pop up flash get in the way or feel flimsy. Notice Canon has made three designs to combat this problem (e.g. indented thumbprint above controls on back of camera, curved body on right side of camera, and about 3/4 inch space to place finger behind the flash. As I right this review, I am playing around with the flash and notice it feels sturdy; not flimsy. Also, the further the distance between the flash and the lens allows for a better red-eye reduction.

NO VIDEO (optical) Zoom. This camera offers excellent video quality for a "point and shoot camera". It is 720 so expect that quality - no more no less. As for the zoom, it only has a digital zoom (i.e. less quality than optical). Nonetheless, it should not be a deal breaker - unless you are in the market for a digital videorecorder. I recommend a stand alone video recorder at this point. Would it be nice to have a zoom, sure, but honestly, this is not a big deal.

NOISE - Indoor use. PLEASE believe me when I say I find very little if any noise on indoor shots (when using the camera correctly (e.g reading the manual!!!). There are many ways to adjust this camera - MANY ways! Again, I am reviewing pictures I just shot today inside my local library and find them very pleasing and no noise!

FIT/FEEL of Camera. This camera does not feel flimsy. This I think I can promise you. Actually, when I got the camera in my hands, I was suprised to feel and see it was thicker than I thought - but not too thick. Still able to put in pocket (although not if you are wearing tight jeans). If you are looking at this camera, chances are you doing so because of the aesthetic body - and you are right. When/if you put it in your hands, you'll understand that it is, well, sexy and fashionable.

I have put forth what I saw as potentially "deal breakers" to some people and find all of these supposedly negative points not so negative. After thorough research and an extensive review of the manual, I find this camera to be excellent.

Finally, let me try to state what I believe to be the absolute best features of this camera.
1. Quality. The only way to defend this point is to recommend doing research. Many websites have posted pictures this camera has taken - many of them stunning. I even saw a side by side comparison with the SX200IS rival - the TZ7. It was a picture of a night time view of a major city. This camera won hands down. And as for video quality, I was happy with the quality - if you expect 720 and not blu-ray quality. It honestly is great- oh yea, and I notice that when shooting with video, the image seemed to have little or no shake I was suprised about this).
2. Function. You can immediately use this even if you never used a camera before. Thank canon for the "easy" function which lets you only hit the shutter button: it does ALL the work for you, and has hints/tips on the screen as you shoot. Or if you are not so novice, you can turn this camera into a complete manual function and create your own aperture, shutter, and ISO values. This is the reason I bought this camera; so I could go more manual while my wife could just point and click).
3. After having this camera, I have noticed that CANON has not marketed this camera well enough. It has LCD image brightness control that changes on screen depending on how bright it is where you are shooting. Very nice to view the lcd. Also, the LCD has been layered with a scratch resistant coating!
Finally, in my opinion, this camera's best feature is its versatility. What I mean by this is that it takes excellent pictures and allows you to grow with the camera - this point needs to be emphasized.
I suggest that you truly do your research (as you are doing!!:) and you may see as I did that no matter how many cameras I reviewed, I kept coming back to the SX200IS. I am glad I have it.
One final point. If you do get this, please review the manual. It is your bible and will really help you understand the camera if you want to turn it into more than a point and shoot. I wrote this review because I was SHOCKED at the criticisms this camera received. I agree that this camera can be fine tuned (longer battery life.....etc...) but these are by no means deal breakers. Don't worry, whatever camera you get, it will be soon outdated - all cameras get their annual tweaking. Having said that about camera's getting outdated, note that I chose this camera for the features it has for the price it is. Having taken it home, I realize that I am more than getting my money's worth. I am honestly concerned about answering any questions you may have. I wish I could ask people questions before I buy things, so please feel free to comment and/or ask. Best wishes.

***Updated 4-6-08****
For those interested in comparisons, I have recently compared the SX200IS vs the Panasonic TZ5 [...]. Unbelievable, I was able to find same scene shots taken by these two different cameras. This is hard to find. Plus, being that the TZ5 is really the main competitor to the SX200IS, it makes for an interesting comparison. If you do review this website, particularly notice the "city night shot" and ISO 400 setting. In my opinion, the SX200IS is much clearer and offers a more accurate picture. Again, the SX200IS is a winner to me!

***Updated 7-26-09***
After 4 months of extensive use, this camera is now having power issues. When the camera is turned on, and then turned off, it automatically turns on when I do not want it too! : It will go back to be fixed. So in terms of reliability, I am a little disappointed. Nonetheless, given the quality and features of this camera, I will GLADLY keep the camera and GLADLY have it fixed. Even with this electronic issue, it is still the best camera out there.

144 of 147 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I really like this one!, April 2, 2009

By 

E. Goldblatt "Clearsky" (LA, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Canon PowerShot SX200IS 12 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)

Canon SX200

Well - I read in another post that someone likes to try the latest camera - me too! Check out my other reviews as I'm always in the market for a P&S that take at least 720HD Video. I've been using the Sony T500 and Canon G7 for most of my pic/vids until now! Since my last review, I've tried at least 6 other cameras and camcorders - all where returned for one reason or another; let's see - there's the: Samsung HZ10, Panasonic TZ5, Sanyo 1010, Leica D-Lux4, Leica Clux3, Sony CX12, various other cameras at the local store. I have great news! This new Canon SX200 will be my "go to" camera - at least until something better comes along (my trusted T500/G7 will be laid to rest). I'm giving it a 5 Star rating - is it perfect however! No, but for MY needs, it great.

Pro's:
1) Great picture quality - generally speaking indoor pictures are pretty good, noise low on anything below 400ISO, comparable to my Canon G7, much better than my Sony T500, as good - if not better than my old Panasonic TZ5. Outdoor - outstanding - what you would expect from a Canon, sharp, clear, good color, nicely exposed. Have not fooled around with manual settings, but nice to have.
2) I like the design and find it easy to hold (no slippage in my big fat fingers!). Other cameras make it easy for you to hold your finger over the mic or flash, but not here.
3) Flash - I do not mind the pop-up. No big deal for me! Works good too!
4) Menu's are pretty easy to navigate - no problem here.
1) HD Video - I really like the quality of the video, nice wide screen playback on my 40" Samsung HDTV and looks great on the desktop. Playback is easy and smooth, no problem. (not diggin' the digital zoom - see my cons). Codec actually works with my Windows Media Player without any hick-ups or wiggles. It's not perfect (like "Sunrise Earth" HD quality), but pretty nice for taking shots of the kids and grandkid, etc. Again, plays nice on the HDTV. Sound quality is only mono, but SOOOO much better than the Panasonic TZ5 (my deal breaker for the TZ5) it's no comparison. The Sony T500 beats them both for sound quality - it's stereo! Remember, during video you can NOT optically zoom this camera, but you can digitally zoom - it's not great, but will get you a little closer if you need.
6) IS - works great
7) Zoom nice and smooth - focus is fast and accurate.
8) Battery - pretty good - seems to last me the day - I bought an extra just in case.
9) Auto Focus works like a charm, even in low light - no problem here.
10) Macro looks great - took some beautiful shots of flowers and roses in my backyard.
11) Easy to carry around - not to big, not to small either - just right!
12) Overall quality and "feel" is nice! Seems well built and should hold up to many outings with the kids and hiking around.

Cons:
1) No optical zoom with the Video. If this camera was able to optically zoom, it would be as good as it gets for a point and shoot with HD Video! Come on Canon - what's up with that!!!! Panasonic can do it -why can't you! Do you want your customers to jump ship when the new Panasonic TZ7 comes out??????? If SOMEONE could.......please, please, please, hack this and help me. Maybe Canon will do some kind of firmware update and allow optical zoom. I can put up with the motor noise of the zoom for this ability!!!!!!!! While you're at the firmware hack - if you could disable the flash pop-up that would be nice too!
2) Indoor shots a bit soft, but just about all P&S's are, the SX200 is pretty darn good though.
3) In the Auto mode, the camera automatically (hence "auto" mode) picks the setting it thinks it needs for the best shot. For example, if you real close to an object, it will automatically switch to Macro, then turn back to other modes if you take another shot - this process takes a little time (maybe a second or two) to switch. I do not mind because that is what is supposed to do, it just takes a "learning curve" understand what is happening.

Anyway, these are just the things that really stand out. Of course there are other functions that I really like and others that I will rarely use.

Just one camera geeks opinion, I've read the above folks comments and agree with some, disagree with others. Each piece of tech has it's quirks (like the flash popping up when the camera is on; or it feels slippery; or whatever). It's hard to try something new, but with all of the cameras I've tried, I can tell within a few shots (I have my test shots all picked out for comparisons) if I'm going to like it or not. The SX200 was the first in long time that kept me inetested, testing, and ultimately claim this one as a keeper! Interested in your opinion - just me nice!!!! Oh, and one more thing - PLEASE don't tell me to go and get a DSLR and a dedicated HD Camcorder - been there, done that!

122 of 124 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great overall digital Camera, March 31, 2009

By 

Eric "Home Purchasing Agent" (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canon PowerShot SX200IS 12 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)

I received this before a weekend trip and it turned out to be a very well rounded camera. It's not as small as an Elph but it's still just small and light enough to carry around in your pocket or purse for easy access. The 12x zoom lens is terrific and in well lighted situations even the digital zoom creates clear, sharp pictures. The offset is that you lose the f2.8 aperture of other 3x camera's.

I tried most of the scene settings and they all produce slightly different results. The AUTO setting uses a higher shutter speed and ISO setting than Portrait. In Program mode you can set the ISO setting to 80 or 100 and have the camera adjust the shutter speed. The foliage setting does enhance the greens. If you have enough light the indoor setting works better and uses a faster shutter speed while Night snapshot uses a slower shutter speed and produces a better overall shot in lower light. In all but the low light scenes the camera does tend to over expose the shot slightly so I ended up using the exposure adjustment at - 1/3 or -2/3's to compensate.

I really liked the ability to adjust the settings to get a well exposed picture out of a range of situations that you can't always get with an Elph and the zoom lens allows you to frame a shot from just about any distance. The pictures are clear, bright and on par with other Canon camera's in it's class. There's plenty of features to play with like face detect and blink detect and the Image Stabilization works very well.

If you are ready to step up from a point and shoot camera to one that provides more control, has a better zoom but is still pocketable the SX200 IS is well worth putting on your list to check out.