All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 12 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 3Mb.
The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS produced images of very good quality during the review period. The 1/2.3 inch, 12.1 megapixel sensor recorded noise-free images at ISO 100 and 200, with ISO 400 also looking good, although there's slight loss of saturation. ISO 800 shows more noise and some very obvious softening of fine detail, and ISO 1600 is even worse, looking as though someone has smeared vaseline on the lens. The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS dealt extremely well with chromatic aberrations, with limited purple fringing effects appearing only in high contrast situations. The built-in flash worked well indoors, with no red-eye and adequate exposure. The night photograph was good, with the maximum shutter speed of 15 seconds allowing you to capture plenty of light. Anti-shake is a feature that sets this camera apart from its competitors and one that works very well when hand-holding the camera in low-light conditions or when using the telephoto end of the zoom range. Macro performance is amazing, allowing you to focus as close as 0 cms away from the subject! The images were a little soft straight out of the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS at the default sharpening setting and ideally require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera setting.
Noise
There are 6 ISO settings available on the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting.
ISO 80 (100% Crop)
ISO 100 (100% Crop)
ISO 200 (100% Crop)
ISO 400 (100% Crop)
ISO 800 (100% Crop)
ISO 1600 (100% Crop)
Sharpening
Here are two 100% Crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a little soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can also change the in-camera sharpening level to suit your tastes via the My Colors menu option.
Original (100% Crop)
Sharpened (100% Crop)
File Quality
The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS has 2 different image quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.
12M Fine (2.60Mb) (100% Crop)
12M Normal (1.14Mb) (100% Crop)
Chromatic Aberrations
The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS handled chromatic aberrations excellently during the review, with very limited purple fringing present around the edges of objects in certain high-contrast situations, as shown in the example below.
Example 1 (100% Crop)
Macro
The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS offers a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is 0cms away from the camera when the lens is set to wide-angle! The first image shows how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.
Macro Shot
100% Crop
Flash
The flash settings on the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS are Off and On, with Flash Mode (Auto, Manual), Flash Exp. Comp, Flash Output, Safety FE, Red-eye Correction and Red-Eye Lamp settings available via the Flash Settings main menu option. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.
Off - Wide Angle (28mm)
On - Wide Angle (28mm)
Off - Telephoto (336mm)
On - Telephoto (336mm)
And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the On or the Red-eye Correction settings caused any red-eye.
On
On (100% Crop)
Red-eye Correction
Red-eye Correction (100% Crop)
Night
The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS's maximum shutter speed is 15 seconds, which is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 15 seconds at ISO 80. I've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like.
Night Shot
Night Shot (100% Crop)
Anti Shake
The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS has an anti-shake mechanism, which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras. To test this, I took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the same settings. The first shot was taken with anti shake turned off, the second with it turned on. Here are some 100% crops of the images to show the results. As you can see, with anti shake turned on, the images are much sharper than with anti shake turned off. This feature really does seem to make a difference and could mean capturing a successful, sharp shot or missing the opportunity altogether.
Shutter Speed / Focal Length
Anti Shake Off (100% Crop)
Anti Shake On (100% Crop)
1/15th / 28mm
1/15th / 336mm
Sample Images
This is a selection of sample images from the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS camera, which were all taken using the 12 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.
The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS is an excellent first attempt at a travel-zoom camera, but ultimately it can't quite match its main rival, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7. Starting with the positives, the SX200 IS's main point of differentiation is the PASM creative shooting modes, which will instantly grab the attention of the seasoned photographer looking for a pocket camera that they can really control. All of the other competitors in this category are purely point-and-shoots, so providing Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority and Manual modes is a big advantage for the SX200 IS. The 12x zoom lens is also a real highlight, with an incredibly versatile focal range of 28-336mm that will cover virtually every photographic situation that you'll encounter. It's not quite as wide as the DMC-TZ7's 25mm lens though, exhibits a little more distortion at either end, and is substantially bigger in size, making it less well-suited to more candid photography. The same can be said of the SX200's general dimensions, being bigger and heavier than its rivals - maybe only by a few grams and millimeters, but important none-the-less in an area of the market where size is everything.
The SX200 IS does lead the way in the megapixel wars, with a 12 megapixel sensor that produces the usual quality images that we've come to expect from Canon. ISO 100-400 is a usable range for most photos, on a par with most of its main competitors, with the rather soft and desaturated ISO 800 setting best reserved for emergencies. The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS dealt extremely well with chromatic aberrations, macro performance is an amazing 0cms, and the image stabilization system really makes a big difference when hand-holding the camera at slower shutter speeds. Video is another story though. Although you can record 1280x720 pixel HD footage, it quickly fills up your memory card thanks to the space-hungry Quicktime format, suffers from the usual muffled mono sound, and worst of all doesn't allow the zoom to be used during recording. The HDMI port makes it easy to connect the SX200 to a HD TV, although we would have liked to see a suitable cable included in the box. Overall, it doesn't compare well to video shot with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7.
Unfortunately for the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS, this is also true of quite a few other key areas too. The 3 inch LCD screen has a lower resolution, the continuous shooting speed is over twice as slow, the lens is a little slower, the flash inexplicably pops-up for every shot, and Smart Auto Mode isn't quite as smart as Panasonic's Intelligent Auto mode. Which leaves us with a still very capable camera that will particularly appeal to the more experienced photographer, but also a camera that comes a clear second in the race, rather than occupying the top spot on the winners' podium.
Ratings (out of 5)
Design
4
Features
4.5
Ease-of-use
4.5
Image quality
4.5
Value for money
4
Review Roundup
Reviews of the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS from around the web.
Canon’s PowerShot SX200 IS is a 12.1 Megapixel compact with a 12x optically stabilised zoom and a 3in screen. Announced in February 2009, it’s Canon’s first attempt at a pocket super-zoom and directly targets Panasonic’s enormously popular travel-zoom series. Like Panasonic’s latest Lumix TZ7 / ZS3, the PowerShot SX200 IS packs an impressive 12x optical zoom range into a relatively pocketable form factor, while keeping up with the latest gadgets and features.
Read the full review »
The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS ($349) is a compact ultra zoom camera with a 12X wide-angle zoom lens, image stabilization, full manual controls, HD video recording, and a 3-inch LCD display. That sounds an awful lot like Panasonic's ultra-popular Lumix DMC-TZ5 -- easily the best camera in this class in 2008 -- though that camera is soon to be replaced with the even more impressive DMC-ZS3 (also known as the TZ7). Regardless, the SX200 is a pretty nice step-up from the SX110 that came before it.
Read the full review »
Up until about 18 months ago, if you wanted a pocket-sized compact camera with a decent zoom range, you had a simple choice; either a Ricoh R-series or a Panasonic Lumix TZ-series. The latter especially proved to be very popular, particularly the excellent TZ5, helping to place Panasonic at the top of the compact camera market and prompting several other manufacturers to try and get in on the "travel camera" action. Canon's first attempt was the PowerShot SX100 IS, followed last Autumn by the SX110 IS, both of which had all the right features and an affordable price tag, but lacked the TZ5's compact shape and robust build quality. Other rivals include the Olympus mju 9000.
Read the full review »
Canon did a good job selecting the features to put in this digital camera, giving a very flexible zoom range and a complete set of manual controls while avoiding the least used features such as a viewfinder and hot-shoe. Since the majority of consumers do not use those features, it is very reasonable for Canon to remove them from budget models and keep them in more advanced models such as the Canon Powershot SX20 IS.
Read the full review »
Specifications
IMAGE SENSOR
Type
1/2.3” CCD
Effective Pixels
Approx 12.1M
Colour Filter Type
Primary Colour
IMAGE PROCESSOR
Type
DIGIC 4 with iSAPS technology
LENS
Focal Length
5.0 - 60.0 mm (35mm equivalent: 28-336mm)
Zoom
Optical 12x. Digital approx. 4x (with Digital Tele-Converter approx. 1.5x or 2.0x and Safety Zoom ¹)². Combined approx. 48x
Maximum f/number
f/3.4 - f/5.3
Construction
11 elements in 9 groups (1 aspherical element)
Image Stabilisation
Yes (shift-type)
FOCUSING
Type
TTL
AF System/ Points
Face Detection, 1-point AF (fixed to centre or Face Select and Track)
AF Modes
Single, Continuous, Servo AF¹
AF Point Selection
Size (Normal, Small)
AF Lock
On/Off Selectable
AF Assist Beam
Yes
Manual Focus
Yes
Closest Focusing Distance
0cm (W) from front of lens in macro
EXPOSURE CONTROL
Metering modes
Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame), Centre-weighted average, Spot (Centre)
AE Lock
On/Off Selectable
Exposure Compensation
+/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments.
i-Contrast for automatic dynamic range correction
ISO sensitivity*
AUTO, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
SHUTTER
Speed
1 - 1/3200 sec (factory default)
15 - 1/3200 sec (total range - varies by shooting mode)
WHITE BALANCE
Type
TTL
Settings
Auto (including Face Detection WB), Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom
LCD MONITOR
Monitor
3.0” TFT, approx. 230,000 dots
Coverage
100%
Brightness
Adjustable to one of five levels
FLASH
Modes
Auto, Manual Flash On / Off
Slow Sync Speed
Yes
Red-Eye Reduction
Yes
Flash Exposure Compensation
+/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments. Face Detection FE. Safety FE.
Flash Exposure Lock
Yes
Manual Power Adjustment
3 levels with internal flash
Built-in Flash Range
50cm-3.0m (W) / 1.0m-2.0m (T)
External Flash
Canon High Power Flash HF-DC1
SHOOTING
Modes
Auto*, Program AE, Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual, Easy*, Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Special Scene (Night Scene, Sunset, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, ISO 3200¹, Color Accent, Color Swap, Stitch Assist), Movie
*with Scene Detection Technology and Motion Detection Technology
(L) 4000 x 3000, (M1) 3264 x 2448, (M2) 2592 x 1944, (M3) 1600 x 1200, (S) 640 x 480, (W) 4000 x 2248. Resize in playback (M3, S, 320 x 240)
Compression
Fine, Normal
Movies
(HD) 1280 x 720, 30fps, (L)640 x 480, 30fps, (M)320 x 240, 30fps
Movie Length
Up to 4GB or 29 min. 59 sec (HD) ¹
Up to 4GB or 1 hour (L, M) ²
FILE TYPES
Still Image Type
JPEG compression, (Exif 2.2 [Exif Print] compliant) / Design rule for Camera File system, Digital Print Order Format [DPOF] Version 1.1 compliant
Movies
MOV [H.264 + Linear PCM (monaural)]
Sound Files
WAVE (monaural)
DIRECT PRINT
Canon Printers
Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printers and Canon Inkjet Printers supporting PictBridge (ID Photo Print, Fixed Size Print and Movie Print supported on SELPHY CP & ES printers only)
PictBridge
Yes
OTHER FEATURES
Red-Eye Correction
Yes, during shooting and playback
My Camera / My Menu
Start-up image and camera sounds customisation (Pre-Installed items only)
Hi-Speed USB (MTP, PTP) dedicated connector (Mini-B compatible)
Other
HDMI Mini Connector. A/V output (PAL/NTSC)
MEMORY CARD
Type
SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus.
SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEM
PC & Macintosh
Windows XP SP2-3 / Vista (including SP1)
Mac OS X v10.4 - 10.5
SOFTWARE
Browsing & Printing
ZoomBrowser EX / ImageBrowser
Other
PhotoStitch
POWER SOURCE
Batteries
Rechargeable Li-ion Battery NB-5L (battery and charger supplied)
Battery life
Approx. 280 shots ¹
Approx. 300 min. playback
A/C Power Supply
Optional, AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC30
ACCESSORIES
Cases / Straps
Soft Case DCC-1000
Flash
High Power Flash HF-DC1
Power Supply & Battery Chargers
AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC30
Other
Canon HDMI Cable HTC-100
PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Operating Environment
0 – 40 °C, 10 – 90% humidity
Dimensions (WxHxD, excl. protrusions)
103.0 x 60.5 x 37.6 mm
Weight (body only)
Approx 220g
Zoom
¹ Depending on the image size selected.
² Digital zoom available for still image and standard movie modes only. Optical zoom may not be available during movie recording.
AF Modes
¹ Some settings limit availability
Modes
¹ Recording pixels fixed at 1600 x 1200.
Continuous Shooting
¹ Under conditions where the flash does not fire.
² Depending on memory card speed / capacity / compression setting.
Movie Length
¹ The following Speed Class memory cards are required for maximum record time: 1280 x 720, 30fps Speed Class 4 or above. 1920 x 1080, 30fps Speed Class 6
² Depending on memory card speed / capacity / compression setting.
Battery life
¹ Using the batteries and memory card format supplied with the camera (where included), except where indicated.
* Standard Output Sensitivity / Recommended Exposure Index.
According to ISO 12232:2006 (20th April 2006) which specifies the method for assigning and reporting ISO speed ratings for digital still cameras.
All data is based on Canon standard testing methods (according to CIPA Standards) except where indicated.
Loading comments…