Canon PowerShot SX120 IS
Manufacturer: Canon USA Part number: 3634B001
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Exp. date: 12/31/2009
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- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Canon's SX120 IS pocket megazoom falls behind the competition in every aspect except photo quality.
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CNET editors' review
Canon PowerShot SX120 IS price range: $199.00 - $255.00
- Reviewed by: Joshua Goldman
- Reviewed on: 09/11/2009
- Released on: 08/19/2009
The good: Easy to use; best-in-class photo quality; manual and semimanual controls.
The bad: Fewer features, slower performance, and bulkier design than competitive models.
The bottom line: Canon's SX120 IS pocket megazoom falls behind the competition in every aspect except photo quality.
Canon seems to have an "if it ain't broke" attitude when it comes to its PowerShot SX series. The SX120 IS is the latest version of the company's 10x pocket megazoom and is nearly identical to its predecessors, the SX110 IS and SX100 IS. The SX120 IS gets a resolution bump--it's now 10-megapixels--and uses Canon's Digic 4 image processor, which along with enhanced battery life adds advanced face and motion detection features and improved red-eye correction. It's not much of a step forward, just offering a little bit of new technology for the price of 2008's SX110 IS. You also get the same excellent photo quality, which is nice, but ever-so-slightly slower performance, which is less nice.
| Key specs | Canon PowerShot SX120 IS |
| Price (MSRP) | $249.99 |
| Dimensions (WHD) | 4.4 x 2.8 x 1.8 inches |
| Weight (with battery and media) | 10.4 ounces |
| Megapixels, image sensor size, type | 10 megapixels, 1/2.3-inch CCD |
| LCD size, resolution/viewfinder | 3-inch LCD, 230K dots/None |
| Lens (zoom, aperture, focal length) | 10x, 10x f2.8-4.3 36-360mm (35mm equivalent) |
| File format (still/video) | JPEG/Motion JPEG (.AVI) |
| Highest resolution size (still/video) | 3,648x2,736 pixels/ 640x480 at 30fps |
| Image stabilization type | Optical and digital |
| Battery type, rated life | AA (2, alkaline included), 130 shots |
Though it's bulkier than similarly featured models from Panasonic and Kodak, the SX120 IS will fit comfortably into a jacket pocket or uncomfortably in a jeans pocket. It's not lightweight either; the optically stabilized 10x zoom lens and two AA-size batteries are responsible for most of its 10.4-ounce weight. The SX120 IS is large enough that it should be easy to hold securely, and despite the body being slippery, the right-hand grip seems improved (but that may be all in my head). Encased in plastic, the SX120 IS nevertheless feels quite solid and sturdy. A door on the bottom covers an SDHC card slot and battery compartment. Unlike many AA-powered megazooms that use four batteries, the SX120 IS is powered by two, and battery life feels relatively short. You'll want to pick up some rechargeable NiMH batteries, which will triple the shot count from alkaline.
The controls on the back are pretty much the same as those on the SX110 IS. Face detection, display, menu, and exposure compensation buttons are above and below the navigational scroll wheel to the right of the 3-inch LCD. The wheel surrounds a Func./Set button and has top, bottom, left, and right pressure points for ISO sensitivity, focus (manual, normal, and macro), flash, and timer. The wheel is a touch too responsive, but it's only a real problem in Special Scene mode as it's always activated for either changing scene types or exposure compensation. The PictBridge button that was relegated to the far left corner above the screen is gone, while a playback button sits between the right side of the LCD and the slight indent of a thumb rest.
| General shooting options | Canon PowerShot SX120 IS |
| ISO sensitivity (full resolution) | Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1,600 |
| White balance | Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom |
| Recording modes | Easy, Smart Auto, Program, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual, Portrait, Landscape, Special Scene, Indoor, Kids & Pets, Night Snapshot, Movie |
| Focus mode | Normal AF, Face Detection AF, Macro, Manual, |
| Metering | Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot |
| Color effects | Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Custom |
| Burst mode shot limit (full resolution) | Unlimited continuous |
For the SX120 IS, Canon throws the more common scene-shooting modes (Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, Indoor, and Kids & Pets) on the actual Mode dial and keeps more specialized scene types (Sunset, Snow, Fireworks, Foliage, Aquarium, Beach, and ISO 3200) under an SCN spot on the dial. Also crammed onto the Mode dial is a full complement of manual and semimanual exposure modes; Canon's Smart Auto option that picks an appropriate scene type based on the camera's analysis of faces, brightness, colors, distance, and movement; and an Easy mode for fully automatic shooting with no access to menus whatsoever. There is a Movie mode on there, too, but it maxes out at VGA-quality without use of the optical zoom while recording and only mono sound. That's just sad.
Though the SX120 IS gets decent marks overall for speed, it does have some borderline performance issues that earned it some ratings demerits. It wakes and shoots in 2.5 seconds, which is typical of megazooms. Its shutter lag for high- and low-contrast scenes--0.6 second and 0.7 second, respectively--are typical for this class, too. However, shot-to-shot times are noticeably slow at 2.6 seconds without flash and jump to 6.1 seconds once you enable the flash. Continuous shooting is unimpressive, too, running at 0.8 frames per second.
If there was a reason to pick the SX120 over a competitor it would be for photo quality, but it doesn't win by much. Noise starts to show at ISO 400, but up until that point photos are relatively clean and sharp, with very good detail. At ISO 800 photos have a mottled look, but loss of detail is still fairly minimal. Even ISO 1600 photos are usable as long as you can overlook some color change from increased noise levels. Characteristic of megazooms, the lens has some barrel distortion--a surprising amount, given the relatively narrow-angle lens. There's magenta and purple fringing, noticeable mostly in shots with extreme contrast and also pretty typical of megazoom cameras. Colors produced by the SX120 are bright, vivid, and generally excellent, and exposure is consistently good, though not without clipped highlights.
The Canon PowerShot SX120 IS is a serviceable pocket megazoom camera. Its feature set, design, and performance are lagging behind models like Sony's H20, Panasonic's ZS1, and Kodak's Z915. And while Canon still tops them in photo quality, the difference is getting smaller and smaller and less significant if your prints aren't larger than 8x10 inches or just for viewing on a computer screen, TV, or digital photo frame.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
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Time to first shot | |
Typical shot-to-shot time | |
Shutter lag (dim) | |
Shutter lag (typical) |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test digital cameras.
User reviews
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A great price for this Camera!!
by 1377jchrist on November 21, 2009
Pros: I have had a regular digital camera for almost a year, after our baby being born we started shopping for a step-up camera with a meagzoom (10x or more). This camera is a bargain in comparison it costs less but provides at least the same quality.
Cons: I haven't had it long enough to have any complaints, if you're looking for a mid-range camera buy this one over the Nikon or Sony!
Summary: You won't be disappointed with this camera, worth every penny, we got it for $199. There are regular digital cameras that cost the same price that don't do ...
Summary: You won't be disappointed with this camera, worth every penny, we got it for $199. There are regular digital cameras that cost the same price that don't do half what this camera does. If you have a budget over $300 then you can find quite a few cameras that are way better than this one, but for us this is a very professional style camera for the price!!!!
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Love this camera!
by akmusicgirl on September 18, 2009
Pros: Very easy to use. A person can very quickly start taking professional quality photos. The optical zoom is amazing. I was shocked at how clear pictures were when using the optical zoom. Most other camera end up being blurry.
Cons: I really haven't found any cons. My knowledge of cameras is limited so for what I was looking for, this camera is perfect.
Summary: This is my 3rd Canon Powershot and I just can't believe how simple this camera is to use. I appreciate having a manual mode so I can be more ...
Summary: This is my 3rd Canon Powershot and I just can't believe how simple this camera is to use. I appreciate having a manual mode so I can be more creative. If you are a more experienced photographer, I think you'll really like this camera for taking snapshots. It is kind of a bulkier, bigger camera but that never bothered me. I guess it's all in what you're looking for.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Surprisingly Better than Great Point & Shoot
by irocjbl on November 22, 2009
Pros: Full manual control. Excellent Auto shoot mode. Wonderful flash photo work. Big Bright 3" Display screen. Excellent Base ISO Photos with the flash indoors.
Cons: No HD Video.
Summary: I bought this camera for my wife thinking it was going to be a normal point and shoot average photos but I was wrong. I used it indoors at night ...
Summary: I bought this camera for my wife thinking it was going to be a normal point and shoot average photos but I was wrong. I used it indoors at night at first and was totally surprised with the image quality. The flash did not over expose the image like other Point and Shoots I've used. I then used it the next morning with natural light coming in through the windows and was blown away again. It will never be able to match the quality of my Canon 5D or 7D but for a point and shoot I am totally impressed. I can't wait to take it outside as I know it will rock because it does so well indoors.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Size and Excellent Image Quality.
by khmer2rulz on November 15, 2009
Pros: This camera, when left in auto or put into manual mode can produce some stunning photos. I dare say that in daylight it can be comparable to an entry level DSLR (i used to have the sony a230 DSLR). at night the image quality is very good
Cons: purple fringing is an issue in a contrast scenes, no HD video recording and slow flash recycle time.
Summary: great buy if you can overlook the purple fringing issue.
Summary: great buy if you can overlook the purple fringing issue.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very easy to use - no special batteries needed
by 3wheels on November 20, 2009
Pros: AA batteries. Rechargeables work great in this camera. User interface very easy to use. Very easy to figure out how to make the camera work and do different things.
Cons: Easy to your finger in front of the flash or over the speaker. Easy to put your finger over the red eye light as well.
Summary: Best camera purchased for 200. Very easy to use. Very easy to figure out different features.
Summary: Best camera purchased for 200. Very easy to use. Very easy to figure out different features.
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Excellent,love it !!!
by drsivasailam on November 18, 2009
Pros: photo quality, affordability..
Cons: everything is fine except for bulky ....
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Great camera and extremely capable in manual mode
by bga123 on September 19, 2009
Pros: Easy access to features like white balance (incl manual set), exposure adj, & variable power flash. The LCD screen is bright & in using double AA batteries they are easily replaced. Good continuous auto-focus tracking. great Image Stabilization.
Cons: Wish it came with a decent camera bag. Manual focus well designed but hard to discern in bright light. The exposure adjustment works well but is slow to show the effect of adjustments on screen (~3/4 sec).
Summary: The auto-white balance is very easy to use and the auto feature along with image stabilization makes for excellent day light shots.
Summary: The auto-white balance is very easy to use and the auto feature along with image stabilization makes for excellent day light shots.
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Absolutely stunning...
by mamreoaks on September 12, 2009
Pros: Ease of use, crystal clear picture quality, unbelievable zooming, Great depth of field in auto mode also.
Cons: Battery life..view finder is not there...
Summary: The main thing is about the lens quality..it is just as good as SLR.Plus you get all the great zoom.even 10x zoom i could be able to ...
Summary: The main thing is about the lens quality..it is just as good as SLR.Plus you get all the great zoom.even 10x zoom i could be able to take study and clear pics.Thanks for the Image Stabilizer..it is truly working!!
I Love every bit of this camera...The images are so vivid and stunning, i felt there is no need of Light room and Photoshop. Except if i need some artificial effects.
This camera will outsmart any point and shoots and will chase the SLR closely.
The Manual Mode is slightly better than the auto mode, but takes time to adjust every bit of it...
Moreover, the cost..if you want any camera with this quality picture, there is a 20% more price is waiting for you.
Luckily i have visited the canon image lounge in Bangalore..canon guys are friendly and very knowledgeable than the Bangalore Sony fellows. -
Not at this point happy with the changes from the SX110
by Parkersspace on September 12, 2009
Pros: No pros at this point. I will post if the pictures are truly the same quality now that I can't choose to photograph in Superfine as that was a lost feature int he upgrade. If the photo quality is there I will keep it. If not I'll look for a SX110 .
Cons: No super fine picture quality. I will compare to 110 and see if quality is there still. No setting the left pictbridge button to a feature (it's gone). No manual sold with it, read the online manual to discover the EV lock etc.
Summary: I purchased the SX110 5 days ago as a rep for my 5 year old konica minolta Dimage z20. It took nice pictures. Anyhow, after evaluating hte pictures for 5 ...
Summary: I purchased the SX110 5 days ago as a rep for my 5 year old konica minolta Dimage z20. It took nice pictures. Anyhow, after evaluating hte pictures for 5 days, over 300 I decided it took decent pictures but I found a sensor or development flaw and had to return it. I couldn't get the SX 110 now and had to buy an SX120 else where. I just got it home, took 40 pictures on my way home (i'm a fanatic). There is no superfine quality setting for taking pictures now. Big disappointment. I will compare the pictures and see if the quality is there still. Not impressed so far, i seem to have lost details. I was very disappointed when I opened the box and the nice detailed manual that was included with the SX110 was now gone (. Hopefully it's on the included software disc, but not as nice as carrying it around to double check things I might forget how to do or where to find. Looks like night scene will insist a tripod be attached. I take many night scene pictures placing my camera on a sturdy outdoor stump or what I can find. Now I will do it with manual controls but it shouldn't be required to attach a tripod for the option to show. So far, I'm leaning on returning the camera and looking for last years again. If the picture quality is really here I will keep it, but I have not evaluated the pictures I took yet. They do seem at a glance blown out, i took alot of back lit shots and it's a very bright day. I believe there's more fringing then was evident on my SX110, but that could be the day being so bright. The macro shots I took were crisp clear and well exposed. I'm still disappointed at the loss of the superfine shooting quality though.
To add to above, I took the camera back. The pictures do not have the detail of the SX110. This makes sense due to the lowered quality of the save. I took several of the same pictures with the SX120 as I had taken with the SX110. The saved 10MP file of a painting in my room is 2.0 MP to 2.2mp (took 4). The 4 I took with the SX 110 save at 3.1 to 3.5 MP. Same iso's , same settings. so the new pictures, though larger MP's (10 now, 9mp on the old one), save at a quality of 2/3 of the SX110. It shows when you compare the detail level of the photos at 100%. The detail I loved is gone. The noise appears to possibly be marginally improved, but I can smooth a noisy picture at the cost of detail any time, I can never bring back detail that was never there. Poor choice on Canon's side to downgrade a good product to this point. I still gave it 2.5 starts (considered 2.0), as maybe if I had never used the 110 I would think okay, a point and shoot with a zoom at the cost of photo quality.
Updated on Sep 13, 20090 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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jgreat zoom but mediocre photo quality
by amielp on October 6, 2009
Pros: Optical zoom is nice for concerts, sporting events, nice size screen; very affordable
Cons: bulky, all indoor pictures have a distinct yellow tinge, poor photo quality in low light, lousy video quality
Summary: I've had half a dozen canons and keep coming back because I like the ease of use and have been very please with the photo quality. when I saw ...
Summary: I've had half a dozen canons and keep coming back because I like the ease of use and have been very please with the photo quality. when I saw this camera on sale in the mid 200's I assumed the photo quality would be great. I was wrong. For some reason the phots don't look as crisp as my $100 canon i bought last year. the indoor phots are all yellow, the noise is evident in any flash phot and the video quality is crazy bad. Its better than nothing in a pinch but if I had it to do over I'd pay more attention to video quality. Its odd how often I use video for short clips in this era of You Tube. I always assumed I'd use my HD camcorder but guess what. I don't take that with me everywher the way i do a camera. The zoom is fairly amazing. You really can get some good shots of a performer even in the n ose bleed section. So I guess you get what you pay for. But I was really hoping for more.
0 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Canon USA
- Part number: 3634B001
- Description: Ideal for family days out, the 10.0-megapixel PowerShot SX120 IS brings distant subjects into view with a 10x image-stabilized lens. Smart Auto and Easy modes allow all the family to take great shots.
General
- Product Type Digital camera - Compact
- Width 4.4 in
- Depth 1.8 in
- Height 2.8 in
- Weight 8.6 oz
- Enclosure Color Black
Main Features
- Resolution 10 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- Optical Sensor Type CCD
- Total Pixels 10,300,000 pixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 10,000,000 pixels
- Light Sensitivity ISO 80, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO auto, ISO 3200 (2Mpix)
- Digital Zoom 4 x
- Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
- Shooting Programs Snow, Beach, Indoor, Sunset, Foliage, Aquarium, Fireworks, Landscape, Kids & pets, Night scene, Portrait mode, Night snapshot, High sensitivity
- Special Effects Sepia, Vivid, Neutral, Black & White, Custom Effect
- Image Stabilizer Optical
- Max Shutter Speed 1/2500 sec
- Image stabilizer feature Optical stabilization helps prevent blurry pictures, especially for handheld cameras at slow shutter speeds or when using high optical zoom.
- Min Shutter Speed 15 sec
- Exposure Metering Spot, Evaluative, Center-weighted
- Exposure Modes Manual, Program, Automatic, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority
- Exposure Compensation ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
- Face Detection Yes
- White Balance Custom, Presets, Automatic
- White Balance Presets Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent, Tungsten light
- Digital Video Format AVI, MJPEG
- Still Image Format JPEG
- TV Tuner None
- Video Capture AVI - 640 x 480, AVI - 320 x 240
Memory / Storage
- Flash Memory 128 KB Flash - SD Memory Card
- Supported Flash Memory MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card
- Floppy Drive None
- Image Storage JPEG 3648 x 2736, JPEG 2816 x 2112, JPEG 2272 x 1704, JPEG 1600 x 1200, JPEG 640 x 480, JPEG 3648 x 2048
Camera Flash
- Camera Flash Pop-up flash
- Flash Modes Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Slow synchro, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction
- Red Eye Reduction Yes
- Effective Flash Range 1.6 ft - 13 ft
- Features AF illuminator, Flash +/- compensation
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 6 mm - 60 mm - F/2.8-4.3
- Focal Length 6 mm - 60 mm
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 36 - 360 mm
- Focus Adjustment Manual, Automatic
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Min Focus Range 19.7 in
- Macro Focus Range 1-50cm
- Lens Aperture F/2.8-4.3
- Optical Zoom 10 x
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
- Lens Construction 9 group(s) / 10 element(s)
- Features UA lens, Built-in lens shield
Additional Features
- Self Timer Yes
- Self Timer Delay 2 sec, 10 sec
- Additional Features AE lock, AF lock, FE lock, Safety zoom, DPOF support, Direct print, Audio recording, Contrast control, Histogram display, Resizing an image, Sharpness control, Exif Print support, PictBridge support, Saturation control, In-camera red-eye fix, USB 2.0 compatibility, Digital image rotation, Digital tele-converter, RGB primary color filter, Face Detection Self-timer, Face Detection AF/AE/FE/WB, Scene Detection Technology, Motion Detection Technology, Camera orientation detection, I-Contrast (Intelligent Contrast Correction) system
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type None
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 3 in - Color
- Display Form Factor Built-in
- Display Format 230,000 pixels
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type None
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
- Microphone Technology Electret condenser
- Microphone Operation Mode Mono
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x USB, 1 x Composite video/audio output
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card
Software
- Software Canon PhotoStitch, Canon ImageBrowser, Drivers & Utilities, Canon Remote Capture, Canon ZoomBrowser EX
System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support MS Windows XP, MS Windows Vista, Apple Mac OS X 10.4 - 10.5
- Peripheral Devices USB port, CD-ROM drive
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Wrist strap
- Cables Included A/V cable, USB cable
Battery
- Supported Battery AA
- Supported Battery 2 x AA Alkaline battery ( Included ), 2 x AA NiMH rechargeable battery ( Optional )
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Canon USA
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Canon USA products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://estore.usa.canon.com/
- Address:
One Canon Plaza, Lake Success, NY 11042 - Phone: 516-328-5000
- Email: mediacontact@cusa.canon.com
