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PowerShot SX1 IS
18301
Overview
Evolved Technology for Stunning Photography.
Put your hand around the perfectly-shaped grip of Canon's sporty new PowerShot SX1 IS and you're ready for a shooting experience that's advanced in every way. Superb still images powered by Canon's DIGIC 4 Image processor, evolved Face Detection Technology and a wide-angle 20x optical zoom are only the beginning. You can also create Full HD movies and see every detail on your HDTV thanks to HDMI output. The 10.0-megapixel SX1 IS is the very first PowerShot equipped with a CMOS sensor, a hallmark of Canon's lauded EOS line.
PowerShot SX1 IS
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suggestion
i love the fact that it takes AA batteries, for when you're abroad and can easily buy any batteries anywhere, but the better tip is to buy Rechargeable AA batteries, 2 sets if you can, so you'll always have a charged set ready to go. Energizer and Duracell both make them. I use them and they last a while before they need recharging.
May 2, 2009
Its no DSLR but darn close
I love this camera.. it doesn't have the abilities of a DSLR but i wouldn't expect it to do so.. Compared to all the point and shoots Ive used this camera feels like a dslr.. I love the manual controls with my only grievance is the manual focus being a but hard to use with the turn wheel, its a bit notchy in the movement thru the focal length.
The zoom is awesome and the image stabilization is awesome as well at the large focal length. The manual controls along with the IS allow you to take some nice panning shots that a point and shot could only dream of.
The 1080p movie mode is amazing in clarity and the stereo surround sound is amazing as well
Image quality is very good even up to 800ISO but you do start seeing some noise in prints larger the 5x7.. But try putting a point and shoot at ISO 800 and you can see the superior quality of the SX1 IS. The photo stitch is a awesome feature as well. I have printed some panoramic shots i have stitched together of about 10x30" size and they came out good enough to frame and put on the wall.
The limits of the camera are when the light level get low, but that doesn't mean that you get bad photos, but rather the shutter speeds start to get slower so taking photos with movement are a but harder to attain without blur, this is where a nice tripod really helps this camera. Even with the struggles of lower light i have taken way more natural light pictures then i have had luck with our canon SX130 IS, which tends to want to use flash anytime the light gets dimmer as is the case with every point and shoot cameras. With the hot shoe and a quality flash with a diffuser you can take some awesome pictures that arn't bleached out like with a point and shot.
I have done quite a bit of night photography with the SX1 IS and have been amazed with the quality of pictures.. The best results i have seen doing this has been when in the night shooting mood, this allow a shutter speed of up to 15seconds... the only draw back is that in this mood you dont get a preview on the LCD like in other moods but a little trial and error gets you some amazing crisp and noise free shots as the the night mood is locked on ISO 80.
Since this is a small sensor camera the advantage you get is a extremely large depth of field the F8 is equivalent to about a F32 which you dont see in the lower end DSLR's. The draw back is the F2.8 is only equivalent to a F8 on a DSLR so getting those awesome shots with very shallow depth of field doent happen unless you use the macro mode..
The macro and super macro moods are awesome and take some amazing pictures as long as you have fast shutter speeds or preferably always use a tripod to get the best sharpness.
Battery life is good as long as you use some NI-MH batteries of 2500ma or higher. I like the heavier weight of this camera as it makes for a more confident feel on the hand compared to the canon SX10,20,30 or the new SX40 IS.
July 3, 2012
good video poor photo's
I was very let down on this camera. the photos are very grainy. no good at all for sports , average for scene photos
September 27, 2011
Exactly What I looked for
This camera isn't the best picture taking camera in the world but obviously that isn't its main function when it takes a 1080p video. It's stabilization feature works beautiful 20xoptically zoomed in and taking video.
If you weren't satisfied buying this camera, you should have researched more about the camera before buying it. If you want pictures and decent video look up Cannon Powershot SX 20 is
And the complaints about the battery life is legitimate, but when using recharable AA's it's actually quite long. 50+ pictures and 20 minutes of full HD video and still going!
March 31, 2011
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