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I have always loved Canons and this one is no different. I probably would have rated this camera excellent if it weren't for the lens cap problem. See below in CONS. The picture quality is wonderful. Macro mode and super macro mode is great. It takes great pictures in low light and love that it comes with a sun shield. CONS: the lens cap is hard to put on and keep it on. As soon as I bought the camera and realized that, I ordered more lens caps. I have a habit of losing them. The other thing I don't like, but some might like it; the flash does not pop up in program mode on its own. You must flip it up yourself. Which is good if you want the flash and the camera doesn't think it's necessary.
I am an advanced amateur photographer, having started taking pictures some 50 years ago. I have shot a great variety of cameras, going from small box cameras to large SLRs in 35mm. I went to the smaller digital models for more portability but was too often frustrated with the lack of ability of these point-and-shoots. I may have found my fit with this Canon. I have had it for about a month, so don't have it "down" yet, but I am happily learning its features and strengths. They are: good versatility, sharp focusing, great zoom, good handling, enough detail to work with in the cropping, decent flash,(though I miss bounce capability), and of course, video capability. The similar Nikon camera lost my vote by its 15x zoom and the microphone placement. The main weakness of the Canon is the lack of filter threads, as others have noted. I read the reviews of others before I purchased, and so far I concur with their comments and am not at all disappointed with my "toy" or the pictures it takes. This is a serious camera with advanced photo capabilities at a decent price! I am impressed with it thus far. I only hope it lasts as long as my good ol' Pentax Spotmatic SLR has!Read full review
The SX20 IS had one of the better quality 720p HD videos I've come across in a compact, and the zoom function of the lens is available. The ability of the camera to switch to video from whatever shooting mode you're in by merely pushing the movie button is a nice feature, and while recording you can always use the shutter button to take a still picture - the camera will take the shot and then continue video capture with the still image capture process incorporated as part of the video. Image Quality Default images from the SX20 IS were color accurate and pleasing as to sharpness. Canon's "my colors" palette is available for manual shooting modes and offers 10 color and monochrome shooting options in addition to the default setting of "off." Here are the off, vivid, neutral and positive film color options:Read full review
I purchased this camera a few weeks ago and even in that short time I have probably shot about 400 pictures. I am very pleased with the image quality so far. I have used some of the scene modes, landscape mode and program mode where you set the iso and the camera takes care of everything else. So far 99.5% of the pictures have come out really well. The image stabilization is a big plus - I actually took some shots from the deck of a large boat that was pitching and rolling and thought for sure I would have some blurred photos, but to my surprise, none came out blurry. In one instance I took a photo of a pair of bald eagles way up high on a cliffside(Arizona) and I could barely make out the two little specks way up there. I extended the zoom lens to full magnification(20X), focused and took the shot thinking whoa, this one isn't likely to be succesful. When I opened the photo, there was no blurring and the eagles could plainly be seen. With 12.1 megapixels I was able to enlarge the photo and see the eagles perfectly with no blurring still. It should be remembered that this is not a dslr camera and does not have a large sensor - I think the sensor is 1/2.3 inches which is quite small. This is a bridge camera, which means it has many of the control options of a dslr but does not have a large cmos sensor and lenses are not interchangeable. The two most significant factors that affect image quality are sensor size and lens quality, imho. That being said, this is an excellent camera for newbies and for intermediate level photographers who want respectable quality without breaking the bank. I am finding myself getting excited all the time when I take pictures that I don't think will look all that great, and then when I put them on my big screen monitor it's like - wow! - that really looks good! So far I have found no negatives with this camera - it's a big step up from a point and shoot.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I had a Canon A95 with swivel screen that I used to carry around, but it stopped working. So I wanted another camera with swivel screen, small enough to take with me everywhere (I already have a Nikon D80 with all the bells and whistles). Well, I got the swivel screen, but you surely can't fit the SX20 in your pocket. I also wanted an optical zoom bigger than the regular 3X or 5X of point-and-shoots. The SX20 comes with a very nice 20X optical zoom that covers most of my needs. One thing that dissapointed me is that 5 years after I bought the A95, this camera still has noticeable shutter lag, although I can live with that. All in all, it's a very good camera, a little on the bulky side as I mentioned before, but I'm happy with it. Image quality is fairly good, color reproduction is very good. If you're looking for something intermediate between a small point-and-shoot and a prosumer or pro camera, this is it. And you will love the swivel screen.Read full review
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