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Canon PowerShot SX1 IS

By Alexandra Savvides on 18 December 2008

The SX1 IS is really the ultimate bridge between a digital still and digital video camera. If you can bear to part with the cash, you won't be disappointed with the superb HD-video and image quality.

Editor's rating:8.2 User rating:8.7

Comments (29)

  • POWERSNOT gave a review on 08/12/2009 21:44

    • Good: Nothing. It doesnt work after 3 weeks of use. My old powershot A620 kicks it for images...
    • Bad: Its a piece of dog terd. Dont buy it. Buy a real camera instead. CANON, You suck...

    Its not worth the money. Its build quality is rubish and the view finder is junk.. Piece of poo..

  • RT gave a review on 20/09/2009 14:18

    There is RAW capture available in this camera

  • fetishgal gave a review on 19/09/2009 00:02

    • Good: no
    • Bad: many

    you awful people forget the art and beuaty. If you want 'perfection' ignore the human condition and embrace what you see.

  • chris of alice springs gave 9/10 on 04/09/2009 19:49

    • Good: CMOS sensor, 20 times optical zoom, an exceptional image stabilizer, full HD 1080i video with stereo audio, 10 mb. still images and a lot more.
    • Bad: 30fps PAL HD footage (where's the firmware update for 25 fps Canon??)

    This is an exceptional camera. Now don't get me wrong, it's not perfect. It's not the very best camera you can buy, but as an all round package I think it is simply unbeatable for the price.

    I think the evidence of how good it is, is that no less than 5 of my friends/aquaintances from all over Australia have bought it after seeing it's capabilities (and images)

    These are the facts. It has 20 times optical zoom, an exceptional image stabilizer, full HD 1080i video with stereo audio, 10 mb.
    still images, CMOS sensor and a lot more. Its lens is in fact equivalent to 28mm to 560mm. On my first night I went out and took a shot of the moon, hand-held (with optical image stabiliser on) at 1/15 of a second at 20 times zoom (560mm equivalent), It was excellent with great detail including craters! My background is as a Cinematographer but up till now I have had little to do with stills stuff. With my other hat on I am a location scout for feature films, TV commercials etc. and I needed something that was simple and could do virtually anything without any fuss. That includes the ability
    to take full-res HD video as many Directors now also ask for video footage. It's only issue is that it takes video at 30fps instead of 25fps which is a bit of a pain if you are planning to watch it on your PAL TV instead of your computer. It could easily be fixed if Canon issues a firmware update but so far all such requests have fallen on deaf ears. If it weren't for this I would have given it 5 stars just for its great quality and more importantly, all round versatility.

  • Coop gave 9/10 on 01/08/2009 11:08

    • Good: HD video is awesome on a big screen with HDMI cable, 20x zoom, 4 frame/sec continuous shooting, just about everything else
    • Bad: Picture quality could be better

    Advice & samples regarding videos here http://vimeo.com/groups/sx1

    The lens will take a 52mm thread but IT IS NOT an actual thread. You can get an adaptor which takes a 58mm thread: here http://vimeo.com/groups/sx1/forumthread:4257

  • sarge668 gave 9/10 on 19/07/2009 01:31

    • Good: Compact size yet feature packed, does just about everything
    • Bad: Almost too many functions to tinker with for the novice!

    This was my first upgrade from a entry level point and shoot to a 'serious' top end compact. Looks like I have lots to learn about, but so far this camera has taken some stunning pictures for me.

  • Napa gave a review on 05/07/2009 12:02

    • Good: Great Video, Great Photos, Easy to use
    • Bad: I would prefer Lit-ion batteries

    Great HD video, and Great still photos once you get to know the right settings for the conditions.

  • Hobbo gave 7/10 on 17/06/2009 10:20

    • Good: HD Video, 20x Zoom, Battery Life, HDMI straight into HDTV, Light Weight, Easy to Use
    • Bad: Average Stills, View Finder, Build Quality

    I was looking for a worthy replacement for my beloved Pana. Z30, this Sx1is it! Only let down by Stills on par with Z30.But I can live with that.

  • TallyV gave a review on 30/05/2009 23:30

    • Good: Awesome pictures and HD videos from 4 AA's
    • Bad: Little heavy

    HD Movies can record upto about 25 minutes in highest setting or an hour using middle setting. (which looks very, very good and all you need if you are only going to YouTube)

    At first, I thought it had bad artifacts, but I was using my old Windows XP computer. Once I pulled in the same video file onto my iMac 24, All Better. Plus, using the middle quaility settings made it fast and easy to review and upload to YouTube in minutes!

    Amazing that you get RAW support and fantasic Zoom. My son has Rebel XT DSLR, and while it's a great camera and would be needed it for Professional Portrait work and such, the SX1 IS is way more fun and easy to deal with.

    The 20 x optical zoom is fantastic, and you don't have to lug around a bag with all the big dollar lenses!!!

    Just keep a family pack of AA batteries in your trunk and you can shoot for hours without having to prep. I hate having to charge before hand. The flexiblity to shoot any time and on the fly is "Priceless"!!

    I upgraded to the SX1 to replace my old trusty Canon S3 IS AND my JVC (20 gig Hard Drive) digital camcorder. Two for one, such a deal!!

  • CanonLova gave a review on 02/05/2009 19:39

    • Good: EVERYTHING, JUST AN OUTSTANDING CAMERA
    • Bad: NOISE

    Great camera especially for beginners, just play around with this baby and you will learn all about DSLR. This camera is the pre-step into converging to DSLR!!

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