Canon PowerShot SX200 IS (black)
Manufacturer: Canon USA Part number: 3509B001
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Exp. date: 12/31/2009
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- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- More than just a point-and-shoot pocket megazoom, the Canon SX200 IS improves upon its forerunner, but not by much.
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CNET editors' review
Canon PowerShot SX200 IS (black) price range: $269.95 - $379.95
- Reviewed by: Joshua Goldman
- Reviewed on: 04/28/2009
- Released on: 03/01/2009
The good: Compact body with wide-angle lens with 12x zoom; manual controls; very good photo and video quality for its class.
The bad: Mixed performance; no optical zoom in Movie mode.
The bottom line: More than just a point-and-shoot pocket megazoom, the Canon SX200 IS improves upon its forerunner, but not by much.
The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS is remarkably equipped for what's ostensibly a point-and-shoot camera. Sure, the wide-angle lens with 12x zoom in a reasonably compact body is the big draw; but there's also the HD video recording abilities and the full manual control over shutter speed, aperture, and focus, in addition to a glut of other shooting controls. This is namely what separates it from its main competition, Panasonic's Lumix DMC-ZS3. Well, that, and the fact that the Canon's zoom lens is locked while shooting video.
If you're after a more pure point-and-shoot experience and want to take full advantage of the zoom range whether you're shooting stills or video, the ZS3 is probably the compact 12x megazoom to go with. Want more control over exposures? The PowerShot SX200 IS is what you'll want in your pocket.
| Key specs | Canon PowerShot SX200 IS |
| Price (MSRP) | $349.99 |
| Dimensions | 4.1 inches wide by 2.4 inches high by 1.5 inches deep |
| Weight (with battery and media) | 8.6 ounces |
| Megapixels, image sensor size, type | 12 megapixels, 1/2.3-inch CCD |
| LCD size, resolution | 3-inch LCD, 230K dots |
| Lens (zoom, aperture, focal length) | 12x, f3.4-5.3, 28-336mm (35mm equivalent) |
| File format (still/video) | JPEG/MOV (H.264) |
| Highest resolution size (still/video) | 4,000x3,000 pixels (4:3)/1,280x720 at 30fps (16:9) |
| Image stabilization type | Mechanical and electronic |
| Battery type, rated life | Lithium ion rechargeable, 280 shots |
The SX200 IS is attractive, if a little odd looking, because of the long, wide-angle lens in front. Available in three colors--black, blue, and red--its style is a definite improvement over Canon's previous pocket zooms, the SX100 IS and SX110 IS. Despite having a longer and wider lens than those models, the SX200 IS is more pocketable. It's not necessarily lightweight, though.
Unfortunately, it's not without its design quirks. The biggest of these being the motorized flash, which automatically rises from the top left of the chassis and can't be retracted. This makes pinch-gripping the left side a little difficult and it's not helped by the overall slipperiness of the camera's body. Second quirk: the dime-sized Mode dial on top has no fewer than 13 selections on it. Five of them are scene modes that can be eliminated by sticking them under the SCN selection. That would've allowed Canon to make the icons a more easily readable size.
Controls on back are pretty standard: four buttons and a directional pad. There's a scroll wheel around the outside of the pad for faster menu navigation as well as for working with the manual settings. But (quirk number three) the left side of the pad comes so close to the raised edge of the LCD that it prevents larger thumbs from easily pressing that side of the pad or smoothly completing a revolution of the wheel. Lastly, the camera feels fairly sturdy with the exception of the right side, which is capped by plastic with part of it being a door covering the mini HDMI and USB/AV port.
On the upside, using the SX200 IS doesn't take much effort--even if you're taking advantage of all its shooting options.
| General shooting options | Canon PowerShot SX200 IS |
| ISO sensitivity (full resolution) | Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1,600 |
| White balance | Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom |
| Recording modes | Auto, Easy, Program, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual, Portrait, Landscape, Super Macro, Indoor, Kids & Pets, Night Snapshot, Special Scene, Movie |
| Focus modes | Face Detection AF, Center AF (Small, Normal), Manual |
| Metering | Evaluative, Center-weighted, Spot |
| Color effects | Vivid, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Custom |
| Burst mode shot limit (full resolution) | Unlimited continuous photos |
Where the SX200 IS outdoes Panasonic's ZS3 is with its shooting options. There are two Auto modes: Canon's scene-recognizing Smart Auto that picks from 18 specially defined settings depending on what's in the frame, and Easy, which basically locks down all options and controls. Then there's the opposite end with Program, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, and Manual modes with varying amounts of control over exposures. Changing shutter and aperture settings is easy, too, as it only requires you to rotate the scroll wheel. Manual focus is likewise done with the scroll wheel. You simply focus first and then adjust your other exposure controls. If you're an advanced amateur or hobbyist who enjoys fine tuning exposures, these controls are the one major reason to choose the Canon instead of the Panasonic. However, there is one thing missing that will be a deal breaker for some. The SX200 IS is capable of recording video up to a resolution of 1,280x720 at 30fps (as does the ZS3). Canon opted to cripple the optical zoom during recording, though, so all you get is a digital zoom, whereas Panasonic gives you use of its 12x zoom lens.
Keeping with the comparison to Panasonic's ZS3, both cameras' shooting speeds are mixed. The SX200 IS' continuous shooting can't match Panasonic's burst mode, snapping off 0.9 and 1.9 frames per second, respectively. The Canon is slightly better with shutter lag, though: 0.5 second in bright conditions and 0.8 second in dim lighting. But, the ZS3 is fractionally better with its shot-to-shot times.
Photo quality is very good for its class, but it has some faults. The Canon is technically sharper than the Panasonic, nevertheless the SX200 IS' photos are noticeably smudgy, so fine detail isn't as defined--regardless of ISO. Typical of point-and-shoots, photos are best in bright lighting at sensitivities below ISO 200. Noise starts to show at ISO 400, and at ISO 800 photos have a mottled look and everything looks soft. Characteristic of megazooms, the lens has some barrel distortion, but it's minimal. There's a bit of magenta and purple fringing, but it's most noticeable in outdoor shots with extreme contrast. Overall it renders excellent exposure, but not without some highlight clipping, and while color isn't as good as the ZS3, it's still great.
The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS is a solid pocket megazoom that offers more shooting flexibility than its main competition, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. I'm not thrilled with parts of the design, especially the mechanized flash, but none are so serious as to rule out the camera. Photo quality is very good for a megazoom as is its performance. Still, the lack of optical zoom while recording in Movie mode will no doubt steer some potential buyers away.
(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 solid megazoom with great images.
by tomserwin on July 11, 2009
Pros: A great optical zoom, manual controls, pop-up flash, great images, and a fairly compact size given it's large lense. It has fun and practical features.
Cons: May be too bulky for some users and some may not like the pop-up flash.
Summary: While very compact for a 12x optical zoom, it is still larger than other point-and-shoots on the market, especially when compared to something like the Canon Powershot SD780 IS. However, ...
Summary: While very compact for a 12x optical zoom, it is still larger than other point-and-shoots on the market, especially when compared to something like the Canon Powershot SD780 IS. However, it is relatively compact for what this camera does. it performs very well for a point-and-shoot and will out perform the smaller Canons. Personally, I prefer it over it's Panasonic competitor. Overall, it's a great camera.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This camera is great for almost anything you want to do
by Malafe6925 on June 10, 2009
Pros: Great auto feature, cool color accent, great video recording with barely any noise filtering, fast working zoom, 2 second start up... battery is so so, lasted pretty long
Cons: A bit bulky, manual doesnt help much you figure stuff out on your own
Summary: this product is amazing, love it love it love it.. my favorite camera, compared to the the Panasonic its amazing. takes great quality pics it is worth every penny, i ...
Summary: this product is amazing, love it love it love it.. my favorite camera, compared to the the Panasonic its amazing. takes great quality pics it is worth every penny, i would recommend for trips and etc just make sure you get more than 8 gb of memory you would want to take a lot of pictures once you see the quality
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great pics for the family
by 808dad on May 14, 2009
Pros: beautiful pictures, great zoom, plenty of features
Cons: can be a little slippery
Summary: Overall, this camera is a little on the high end for those families that want a great camera to capture all of their family shots. However if you dont mind ...
Summary: Overall, this camera is a little on the high end for those families that want a great camera to capture all of their family shots. However if you dont mind paying alittle more, it's worth it when you see the picture quality. My wife and I love this camera!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Error message and the lens wouldn't retract
by lars364 on June 16, 2009
Pros: The camera took really great pictures, especially outside. I took a few at my daughters pre-school graduation that weren't so good. It was inside and from a distance, the pictures were very dark and fuzzy.
Cons: Error Message. Within a week of using this camea, I got a lens error message and the lens would not retract. I was finally able to get the lens to retract by pushing (forcing) it to close.
Summary: From my research about this fatal error message (Lens Error:Restart Camera), once you get that, your camera is on it's last legs. It's very expensive to fix ...
Summary: From my research about this fatal error message (Lens Error:Restart Camera), once you get that, your camera is on it's last legs. It's very expensive to fix and Canon won't replace the camera. Do your own research about the probelm before buying.
1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Pics, always broken
by cjs1974train on October 27, 2009
Pros: zoom is awesome
pics are great
you get to buy 2, one to use while the others being repairedCons: in the shop 5 times in 6 months-4 lens errors,1where the CanonRepairCntr broke the flash.
controls-scroll on the back is pathetic-manual settings are not user friendlySummary: I would say to avoid this unit, I had a Canon G9 that I loved, (stolen) I'm not anti-canon, i went for this b/c of the zoom etc, ...
Summary: I would say to avoid this unit, I had a Canon G9 that I loved, (stolen) I'm not anti-canon, i went for this b/c of the zoom etc, big mistake. the pics, controls, features, are good, but it doesnt do me any good sitting in the shop in Elk Grove. By the way the unit was replaced with a brand new one on the second repair, so it wasnt just a lemon, i got the same error on the replacement! I really wish this thing would work because i love the lens and it takes a great shot for such a small camera
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A very good general purpose camera.
by hetjwt on October 19, 2009
Pros: HD video function has been very useful. The numerous camera settings have actually been very useful, and fairly easy to operate. The 12x zoom has also been very good. Good battery life, even with lots of on/ off's and video shots.
Cons: The camera seems delicate (however, I haven't had any trouble yet). The pictures are not as sharp as they should be. Picture color is not always true.
Summary: I got this camera to replace both an aging Nikon point and shoot, and an old Canon camcorder used for family events and vacations. Typically, I shoot a lot of ...
Summary: I got this camera to replace both an aging Nikon point and shoot, and an old Canon camcorder used for family events and vacations. Typically, I shoot a lot of still pictures, along with a bunch of short videos describing where we are, what we're doing, etc. I run this camera with a 16GB card.
Overall, I've been very pleased with the video - the quality is great, and it performs well in daytime, nighttime (theme park settings), inside and outside. My camera can zoom with the video (several people apparently cannot do this), but the video quality becomes marginal.
The various settings are useful, and genuinely improve the photos. The combination of settings via the selector wheel on top and on screen menu, is fairly easy, but not fast to operate. Even functions like the Macro and super macro are very well done, with good results.
My overarching complaint is that the still photos are just not as sharp as they should be. Under good shooting conditions, my old Nikon actually gives sharper pictures with better color. The pictures are very good, but not great. The Canon SX200IS is still much faster, and does a much wider array of functions, so I'm still very pleased with the purchase. If I had to choose a camera all over again, I'd still choose the Canon SX200IS. -
Amazing photos, incredibly fast and reliable!
by Sparkliehrocks on July 14, 2009
Pros: Everything. Compact and light...very brilliant pictures.
Cons: None so far, another great one.
0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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truble with mine
by wes on July 1, 2009
Pros: good pics, nice looking fast zoom
Cons: zoom shooting not great ,( 2 times my lens would not go in and got a error message so i pushed it in and they wont do any thing at canon about that they say its not coverd by waranty so I warn every one stay away.
Summary: not built very good.I would recomend a panasonic dmc-zs3 I bought after ward and am very happy with no problems but I have to figure out what to do ...
Summary: not built very good.I would recomend a panasonic dmc-zs3 I bought after ward and am very happy with no problems but I have to figure out what to do with this faulty canon maybe sell on ebay a few bucks
0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Canon USA
- Part number: 3509B001
- Description: Creating gorgeous images is more fun than ever with the sleek, impressively equipped PowerShot SX200 IS. Capture close-up, wide-angle shots with stunning 12x optical zoom. Experience the unprecedented image quality and point-and-shoot convenience of Smart Auto, along with enhanced operability and an intuitive new menu. HD shooting at 1280 x 720 pixels with HDMI output lets you see all the beauty of your HD images and movies on your HDTV.
General
- Product Type Digital camera - Compact
- Width 4.1 in
- Depth 1.5 in
- Height 2.4 in
- Weight 7.8 oz
- Enclosure Color Black
Main Features
- Resolution 12.1 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- Optical Sensor Type CCD
- Total Pixels 12,400,000 pixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 12,100,000 pixels
- Light Sensitivity ISO 80, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO 3200, ISO auto
- 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, Stitch assist, Night snapshot, High sensitivity
- Special Effects Sepia, Vivid, Vivid Red, Color Swap, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Color Accent, Black & White, Positive Film, Darker Skin Tone, Lighter Skin Tone
- Image Stabilizer Optical
- Max Shutter Speed 1/3200 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 H.264
- Still Image Format JPEG
- TV Tuner None
- Video Capture H.264 - 640 x 480, H.264 - 320 x 240, H.264 - 1280 x 720
Memory / Storage
- Supported Flash Memory MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card
- Floppy Drive None
- Image Storage Normal, Fine JPEG 4000 x 3000, JPEG 3264 x 2448, JPEG 2592 x 1944, JPEG 1600 x 1200, JPEG 640 x 480, JPEG 4000 x 2248
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 - 10 ft
- Features AF illuminator, Flash +/- compensation
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 5 mm - 60 mm - F/3.4-5.3
- Focal Length 5 mm - 60 mm
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 28 - 336 mm
- Focus Adjustment Manual, Automatic
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Min Focus Range 19.7 in
- Macro Focus Range 2-50cm
- Lens Aperture F/3.4-5.3
- Optical Zoom 12 x
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
- Lens Construction 9 group(s) / 11 element(s)
- Lens Manufacturer Canon
- Features UA lens, Aspherical lens, Built-in lens shield
Additional Features
- Self Timer Yes
- Self Timer Delay 2 sec, 10 sec
- Additional Features AE lock, FE lock, DPOF support, Direct print, Built-in speaker, Histogram display, Resizing an image, Exif Print support, PictBridge support, In-camera red-eye fix, USB 2.0 compatibility, Digital image rotation, Digital noise reduction, RGB primary color filter, Face Detection Self-timer, Blink Detection technology, 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, 1 x HDMI output
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card
Software
- Software Canon PhotoStitch, Canon ImageBrowser, Drivers & Utilities, Canon ZoomBrowser EX
System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support MS Windows Vista, MS Windows XP SP2, Apple Mac OS X 10.4 - 10.5
- Peripheral Devices USB port, CD-ROM drive
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Wrist strap
- Cables Included 1, 1 x A/V cable, USB cable
Power
- Power Device Battery charger - External
Battery
- Supported Battery Canon NB-5L
- Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery ( Included )
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
Product series
-
Canon PowerShot SX200 IS (red)
Manufacturer: Canon USA
Specs: 12.1 megapixels, 12 x, 3 in LCD display
-
Canon PowerShot SX200 IS (black)
Manufacturer: Canon USA
Specs: 12.1 megapixels, 12 x, 3 in LCD display
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Canon PowerShot SX200 IS (blue)
Manufacturer: Canon USA
Specs: 12.1 megapixels, 12 x, 3 in LCD display
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
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