Manage updates with the Download AppCanon PowerShot SX230 HS (Black)
Manufacturer: Canon Part number: 5043B001AA
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- If you want a compact megazoom with manual controls, GPS, and excellent photo quality, the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS is a good place to start.
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Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS (Black) price range: $223.00
- Reviewed by: Joshua Goldman
- Reviewed on: 03/17/2011
The good: The Canon PowerShot SX230 HS has good low-light photo quality for its class; excellent color; shooting options that encourage experimentation; and great-looking video quality.
The bad: Its shooting performance, though good, lags behind the competition as does its GPS functionality. The battery life is short and the overall design could use some help, too.
The bottom line: If you want a compact megazoom with manual controls, GPS, and excellent photo quality, the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS is a good place to start.
User reviews
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Excellent tourist camera - purchased for trip to Italy.
by HoldemRFoldem on October 14, 2011
Pros: I was looking for one camera that would do it all and the Canon SX230 has come a lot closer than I thought possible to doing it all. Video and audio were extraordinary for this size and type of camera. The audio response was outstanding. 24 fps video i
Cons: 1. Dust. Dust accumulated on the internal lens elements. It appeared first as a fine dust on the extension tubes of the zoom lens. I don't think it was from my pocket or camera pouch because the dust didn't appear anywhere else on the camera. In hind
Summary: 1. This camera surpassed my expectations as a traveling camera. I saw many people struggling with their giant SLRs and lens cases and was quite happy and content to be ...
Summary: 1. This camera surpassed my expectations as a traveling camera. I saw many people struggling with their giant SLRs and lens cases and was quite happy and content to be carrying this camera (I've been there with SLRs and I don't intend to ever carry one again.)
Dust. Dust accumulated on the internal lens elements. It appeared first as a fine dust on the extension tubes of the zoom lens. I don't think it was from my pocket or camera pouch because the dust didn't appear anywhere else on the camera. In hindsight, I think it might be aluminum filings. It is my opinion that the operation of the zoom lens generates dust internally and on the extension tubes. It may be just something that only happens during a break-in period, but the dust remains in the internal lens structure and the quality of pictures is affected . I am sending the camera back to Canon to have the internal lens components cleaned. Hopefully, this is only a break-in period problem as the dust seems to have stopped accumulating. I suggest that owners of this camera be careful to wipe-off or blow-off any dust accumulation on the lens tubes when the camera first being used.
2. All the talk about short battery life is apparently due to the GPS feature. If I were roving about a National Park or sailing the deep blue seas, I would turn the GPS on and use it. Otherwise, it is just a gadget to be left off. I took well over 1000 pictures in 10 days, including video, and never used even half the battery life in a day.
3. All the talk about the flash being troublesome is nonsense. It took about 10 pictures to get comfortable with holding the camera so the flash doesn't pop-up. If it does pop-up, the lightest touch closes it. It is actually a kind of clever implementation of the flash feature - and I didn't find myself "flashing" in a single cathedral or chapel.
Updated on Oct 14, 2011
Updated on Oct 22, 2011My faith in Canon is restored! I called Canon. They provided me with a pre-paid UPS shipping form and the camera was returned on the third day following. No charge for shipping or repairs. It appears that the entire lens was replaced, so my camera may have just been a manufacturing exception.
After dealing with other retailers and manufacturers in the US, I gotta say that I am amazed at the prompt and effective response by Canon. Even with the problem, I would buy this camera again, especially because I know that the manufacturer backs it up.
There has been no dust accumulation on the repaired camera.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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One awesome all purpose camera
by Pigwifi on June 22, 2011
Pros: Extremely good in low light condition (photos)
Video recording in HD
Easy to use interface
14X optical zoom
It comes in pink:)Cons: 1080P video isn't at 30fps
A bit bigger than compact point and shoot
Flash popup location is akwardSummary: I'm not sure what the editor was talking about. I bought an extra battery just in case. I didn't really need it. The battery life was perfectly fine ...
Summary: I'm not sure what the editor was talking about. I bought an extra battery just in case. I didn't really need it. The battery life was perfectly fine for every eventual day on my vacation. I did tons of stuff with the camera in those 7 days and I didn't even cover a fraction of the camera's capability.
Let's start with the image from the cmos sensor (if you discriminate against cmos sensor, there is no need to read further, but you are missing out) produces extremely sharp photos. Unless you are a top professional protographer, you aren't gonna do better with a DSLR. The camera handles low light condition extremely well. I can take a picture in candle light condition and it'd look like day light. Why was this good for me? Well, if I turn on the flash, I will get a good focus on the subject, but the background will be dark. Without the flash, I will get a full picture of the subject and the background as if it was under day light!
I have seen some complaints about 1080P not doing 30 fps. That included me. Frankly, it really didn't matter much. It could be that I wasn't taking any action videos (tennis games maybe?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST1rB1-pNJE There....check that out yourself. If that doesn't look good to you, get a real video camera:)
(make sure you view it in 1080p instead of the youtube default of 360p, and make sure you have the bandwidth)2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Perfect for travelling
by GeithElliot on February 23, 2011
Pros: wide angle screen, great lcd resolution with 460k pixels and 14 x zoom makes it all the easier for taking photos
Cons: the video recording is limited to 24fps, could be improved
Summary: This one was a gift from my best friend, so its all the more special to me. With a 12.1 MP and 14 x zoom it is perfect for ...
Summary: This one was a gift from my best friend, so its all the more special to me. With a 12.1 MP and 14 x zoom it is perfect for vacations. A very interesting feature of this camera is the movie digest mode which easily combines all the photos of a day into a video. Apart from this their is a pretty cool option of this GPS tracker thing that tells the place date and time when the picture was taken. This camera has definitely made travelling more fun. so instead of my huge dslr I just have to make space in my pockets for this compact cam.
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Huge positive surprise! Perfect Pocket Camera!
by cdmikelis_2 on July 2, 2011
Pros: - Excelent in low-light: Camera avoids flash until it can
- Tons of effects, like HANHELD NIGHTSCENE, "tiltshift" effect, color effects
- Most of effect can be used with EXCELENT video. Rrealy great HD resolution (I have XHA1 and I'm saying that)
- QualitCons: - Zoom is jumpy, not so fast as I would like and it "ponders" for a second to start zooming
- DUST is enemy of this camera: I have it for a week and already have few dust particles INSIDE of lens! Lens rings are from harsh aluminium, and they collecting dSummary: This little Canon SX220HS (SX230HS with GPS) is neat little camera to have always in pocket. But be awarem that fron panel of lens can be bent realy easy, and ...
Summary: This little Canon SX220HS (SX230HS with GPS) is neat little camera to have always in pocket. But be awarem that fron panel of lens can be bent realy easy, and than shutter win not open. I just pulled plate out with nail (so thin aluminum). Perfect pisture in literally every situation you could imagine. For fist time with compact camera I did shots (almost) without flash in any situation. If my eyes saw it, camera capture it (resonably well). Night scenes, portraits, full 14x tooms; all without tripod and flash. There is for shure adequate mode for scene you want to capture. I bought non-gps model, investing in another battery. GPS is (probably) waste of effort for most of people. Reviewing and editing images in the camera is realy easy with a LOT of option, even for video. Video is something better I saw from any small cameras (even big ones like Fuji HS20EXR). It have absolutely NO visible jello effect even in full zoom handheld. Fucus stays firm even in lov light. Lowlight video is usable better than any action camera I tried (particularly from the most well know one!!). Zoom is rather bulky and jumpy, but in video is smooth like silk, not interfering focus. Image stabilisation is as great (or greater considering size), than my Canon XHA1 I have. I'm impressed. For PAL users 24p is almost good enough, but having 24p instead of 30p ensures no visible compression artefacts. Video resolution of full HD is (I dare to say) better than my HDV camcorder. VGA size 120fps video is still better than most of older cameras vhic VGA mode vas only video mode. It's usable. HIGH SPEED BURST is realy great. Most of people (like me) will actualy never need more than 3M pixel image. For printing it's optimum size. For large wall plots this is not camera to go with, for crooping - well It have moore than needed zoom, level marks (rulers) - for picture correcting - it's my first compact camera I do not need to correct pictures that I would be happy with them. They are just great like they are. I lived with Canon A400 for a long time, than with several FUJI cameras. This is far better. I need moore qulity and information at every pixel, not more pixels. So in next ten years I hope zoom and pixel count will not increase, but sensors and lens.
sorry for tons of misstyped letters and not perfect English.
Great camera recommended to all.
Updated on Jul 2, 20111 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great features in a small size, exceeds my expectations
by PhantomTeg on March 22, 2011
Pros: Small size for such a large zoom
Sharper image quality when compared to rivals
lots of features
GPS data logging
Great backup for the SLR loverCons: Where flash pops up gets in the way, need to adjust the way you would typically hold a point and shoot.
Littler thicker than most other point and shootsSummary: Has tons of features, takes great daylight and very good lower light shots, been the camera I've been waiting for to backup my SLR on trips has a large ...
Summary: Has tons of features, takes great daylight and very good lower light shots, been the camera I've been waiting for to backup my SLR on trips has a large zoom as well.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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O...M...G...
by SibilantOne on November 9, 2012
Pros: Extraordinary photo and video quality for a point and shoot.
Solid build quality and shock resistance.
Incredible optical zoom (way longer reach than one might think)
Comparable detail to our T3i SLRCons: Flash is definitely in the worst possible place.
Nothing else.Summary: Got this as a Christmas gift from my baby and I can honestly say it has been almost a year and I would not trade this camera for any other ...
Summary: Got this as a Christmas gift from my baby and I can honestly say it has been almost a year and I would not trade this camera for any other point and shoot. In fact, I love it's portability and amazing quality so much that when we purchased a tripod for our DLSR, I tried it out on this camera first! Just truly amazing how long the lens is and how detailed the photos are for something so compact. If you're on the fence, let me make up your mind for you...BUY THIS ONE! You will never look back.
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A very intelligent camera!
by djoberhe on August 13, 2012
Pros: Auto mode recognizes people in the image and selects multiple focal points, and adjusts exposure time if it sees the people move.
Well thought-out controls.
Very light and compact.
Exposures flawless.
LCD visible in bright light.
Zoom is ample.Cons: Zoom lens could provide a bit more of a wide angle when "un-zoomed."
Must remember to manually flip up the flash if I wish to use fill-in flash, and
When I hold the camera, the fingers on my left hand tend to unbeknownst close the pop-up flash.Summary: Takes consistently excellent shots, and it the controls are much easier to use than compact cameras with the LCD touch-screen settings.
I looked for a justification for buying an SLR, ...Summary: Takes consistently excellent shots, and it the controls are much easier to use than compact cameras with the LCD touch-screen settings.
I looked for a justification for buying an SLR, but the point-and-shoots do so much. I'm amazed how the Auto mode recognizes people in the image and selects multiple focal points, and adjusts exposure time if it sees the people move. I always found the Canon SLRs to have well thought-out controls that were consistent between models, and the Canon Powershot SX230 has the same control layout. The camera is very light and compact. I took the SX230 on a trip to the Greek Islands—tricky exposures what with sun drenched seaside and plaza scenes, and dark shipboard suites. The exposures were flawless. I held the camera over my head to shoot over crowds, yet I was still able to frame the shot using the LCD in bright sunlight. The ample zoom is very useful. -
SX230 I A MUST HAVE
by bujifon on July 21, 2012
Pros: i like this Camera too. the Sx230 is a very fine and easy camera to use. Moreover it is very portable. great zoom and wonderful image quality. i think it is a 4.5 rating.
Cons: i think it is a 4.5 rating.
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Just received my SX230 and so far I love it.
by turnbub on January 26, 2012
Pros: Sees almost like the naked eye and I assume it's the CMOS processor. The image stabilization is excellent. "AUTO" is INTELLIGENT in that if you shoot something very close it switches to close-up automatically, etc.
Cons: None so far - some say it's kinda thick for a point-and-shoot, but that is necessary for the LONG ZOOM. For myself, I find it kind small to hold .... or is that a "PRO?"
Summary: The SX230 will replace my old 6X zoom, and will be a very handy fit-in-my-pocket, go-on-trips camera when I don't want to take the big DSLR. I have found ...
Summary: The SX230 will replace my old 6X zoom, and will be a very handy fit-in-my-pocket, go-on-trips camera when I don't want to take the big DSLR. I have found CANON great to deal with and that was a big plus in choosing this unit.
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Easy, Fast, Durable, Feature-rich
by SamsungConvert on December 4, 2011
Pros: solid build, compact and smart design, feature-rich, great auto-focus, low light photos turn out great, battery life is actually really good, physical settings, manual mode is great for a compact, time between shots is quick
Cons: video shooting could be improved, i'm still getting used to the menu (formally used nikon cameras), color on camera was okay but i've seen better
Summary: great value (i paid around $200) for the number of features, especially the manual mode. also, if you don't like to mess with a lot of settings, the auto ...
Summary: great value (i paid around $200) for the number of features, especially the manual mode. also, if you don't like to mess with a lot of settings, the auto mode is the best i've personally used.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Canon
- Part number: 5043B001AA
- Description: The PowerShot SX230 HS takes great images anywhere with HS System, a 28 mm wide-angle 14x optical zoom and Full HD movies. GPS tags your shots and logs your journey making it the ultimate travel compact.
General
- Packaged Quantity 1
- Product Type Digital camera - Compact
- Enclosure Color Black
- Resolution 12.1 megapixels
- Optical Sensor Type CMOS
- Total Pixels 12,800,000 pixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 12,100,000 pixels
- Optical Sensor Size 1/2.3"
- Optical Zoom 14 x
- Digital Zoom 4 x
- Image Processor DIGIC 4
- Image Stabilizer Optical
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty 9
- Digital Video Format MOV,
iFrame,
H.264 - Image Recording Format JPEG
- Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080
- AV Interfaces HDMI,
Composite video/audio Exposure & White Balance
- Light Sensitivity ISO 3200,
ISO 1600,
ISO 800,
ISO 100,
ISO 200,
ISO 400,
ISO auto - Exposure Metering Evaluative,
Center-weighted,
Spot - Exposure Modes Program,
Automatic,
Shutter-priority,
Manual,
Aperture-priority - Shooting Programs Handheld night shot,
Snow,
Beach,
Underwater,
Stitch assist,
Foliage,
Kids & pets,
Low light,
Fireworks,
Portrait mode,
Landscape - Special Effects Miniature,
Vivid Blue,
Vivid Green,
Vivid Red,
Posterization,
Toy camera,
Vivid,
Fisheye,
Black & White,
Sepia,
Neutral,
Darker Skin Tone,
Lighter Skin Tone,
Monochrome,
Color Accent,
Color Swap,
Custom Effect - White Balance Automatic,
Presets,
Custom - White Balance Presets Daylight,
Tungsten light,
Fluorescent,
Cloudy - Max Shutter Speed 1/3200 sec
- Min Shutter Speed 15 sec
- Exposure Compensation ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
Lens System
- Type 14 x,
Zoom lens - 5.7 mm - 18.8 mm - F/3.1-5.9 - Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 28 - 392 mm
- Focus Adjustment Automatic
- Macro Focus Range 2 in
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
- Lens Construction 10 groups / 12 elements
- Features UA lens,
Aspherical lens,
UD glass,
Built-in lens shield Camera Flash
- Camera Flash Built-in
- Flash Modes Fill-in mode,
Slow synchro,
Auto mode,
Flash OFF mode,
Red-eye reduction - Features AF illuminator
- Effective Flash Range 2.5 ft - 11.5 ft
Additional Features
- Continuous Shooting Speed 0.8 frames per second,
1 frame per second,
3.2 frames per second,
8.1 frames per second (3Mpix) - Self Timer Delay 2 sec,
10 sec - Additional Features HS System,
Display brightness control,
In-camera red-eye fix,
Scene Detection Technology,
Face Detection AF/AE/FE/WB,
Smart Flash Exposure,
Wink Self-timer,
I-Contrast (Intelligent Contrast Correction) system,
Face Detection Self-timer,
Smile Detection technology,
Exif Print support,
AF lock,
DPOF support,
Built-in GPS,
RGB primary color filter,
Safety zoom,
Digital tele-converter,
Smile Detection Auto Shutter,
AE lock,
Histogram display,
Camera orientation detection,
PictBridge support,
1080p Full HD movie recording,
USB 2.0 compatibility,
Direct print Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type None
Display
- Type 3 in LCD display
- Display Features Built-in
Microphone
- Microphone Operation Mode Stereo
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Hi-Speed USB,
1 x Composite video/audio output,
1 x HDMI output
Software
- Software Canon ZoomBrowser EX,
Canon PhotoStitch,
Drivers & Utilities,
Canon ImageBrowser System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support Apple Mac OS X 10.5 - 10.6,
MS Windows XP SP3,
MS Windows Vista SP1,
MS Windows 7,
MS Windows Vista SP2 - Peripheral Devices USB port,
CD-ROM drive Miscellaneous
- Microsoft Certifications Compatible with Windows 7
- Included Accessories Battery charger,
USB cable,
Wrist strap,
Audio / video cable - Body Material Metal
Battery
- Supported Battery Canon NB-5L
- Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery ( Included )
Memory / Storage
- Memory Card Slot SD card
- Supported Memory Cards SDHC Memory Card,
MultiMediaCard,
SD Memory Card,
MultiMediaCardplus,
SDXC Memory Card - Image Storage Normal,
Fine JPEG 4000 x 3000,
JPEG 4000 x 2248,
JPEG 4000 x 2664,
JPEG 2816 x 2112,
JPEG 2816 x 1880,
JPEG 1920 x 1080,
JPEG 1600 x 1200,
JPEG 1600 x 1064,
JPEG 640 x 480,
JPEG 640 x 360,
JPEG 640 x 424,
JPEG 2992 x 2992,
JPEG 2112 x 2112,
JPEG 1200 x 1200,
JPEG 480 x 480 - Video Capture MOV - 1920 x 1080,
MOV - 1280 x 720,
MOV - 640 x 480,
MOV - 640 x 480,
MOV - 320 x 240,
MOV - 320 x 240 Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year
Dimensions & Weight
- Width 4.2 in
- Depth 1.3 in
- Height 2.4 in
- Weight 6.9 oz
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
Main Features
- Image stabilizer feature Optical stabilization helps prevent blurry pictures, especially for handheld cameras at slow shutter speeds or when using high optical zoom.
Product series
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Canon PowerShot SX230 HS (Black)
Manufacturer: Canon
Specs: Compact,
12.1 megapixels,
14 x,
28 - 392mm F/3.1,
1/2.3",
CMOS,
Optical -
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS (Red)
Manufacturer: Canon
Specs: Compact,
12.1 megapixels,
14 x,
28 - 392mm F/3.1,
1/2.3",
CMOS,
Optical -
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS (Blue)
Manufacturer: Canon
Specs: Compact,
12.1 megapixels,
14 x,
28 - 392mm F/3.1,
1/2.3",
CMOS,
Optical
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Canon products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Canon
- Address:
One Canon Plaza, Lake Success, NY 11042 - Phone: 516-328-5000
- Email: mediacontact@cusa.canon.com
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