Canon PowerShot SX200 IS

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The compact superzoom market was previously dominated by Panasonic with its TZ series, but recently other brands have been jumping on this bandwagon as well. Canon announced in February the PowerShot SX200 IS, a followup to the SX100 IS which was introduced nearly two years ago. The new 12-megapixel shooter sports a revamped design and includes nifty features such as a wide-angle lens and HD-movie capture to keep up with the current trends. However, while the image quality didn't go down well with us, we're sure Canon fans will still take to this point-and-shoot.

Design

The chunky profile lends a good grip on the Canon camera.
(Click for larger image)

As with most other compact superzoom shooters, the SX200 IS' footprint isn't small. Its chunky profile however, is justified if you factor in the large lens barrel. Nor is this Canon camera a lightweight player, but it feels solid in our hands. This characteristic also works toward its disadvantage because while it fits into most pocket, it will leave a distinctive bulge.

Speaking of size, shutterbugs with larger hands will find the SX200 IS comfortable to hold because of its slightly thicker body which arcs upward on the right end.

The flash mechanism on the SX200 IS. On the left is when the camera is powered down. When turned on, the flash pops up (right).
(Click for larger image)

One design aspect which we felt that Canon could have done better on is the electronically-controlled flash mechanics. When you turn the camera on, the flash automatically pops up and there is no way you can push it back down. We found this to be a slight hazard because it protrudes from the top of the snapper and could easily be easily detached from the camera. However, Canon said this issue can be rectified with a firmware update, though it didn't specify when this would be available.

On the top of the SX200 IS are the command dial and shutter button. The latter is surrounded by a zoom collar which has two levels of sensitivities so you can control how fast or slow you want to zoom. This is a great implementation for those who want to see how their shot looks like at different focal lengths.

The scroll wheel at the back of the point-and-shoot can be used to navigate menus. It also functions as a four-way directional pad to access commonly used options such as exposure compensation, flash, focusing modes and self-timer.

Tags: Firmware Update, Camera, scroll wheel, compensation, firmware

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