Canon Powershot SX230 HS (review, sort of)

http://images.gizmag.com/

I've been itching to get a new camera.  My old one (a 4-year-old Panasonic ZS1 given to me by my brother) already had that permanent scratch on the center that shows up on certain focusing levels, and the videos had vertical streaking issues because of the sensor (CCD - happens to all cameras with this sensor).  Other than that, I was pretty happy with it - 10x optical zoom, nice quality pictures, great video and sound, responsive user interface (UI), and sturdy design (I've dropped it a couple of times...).  It's been my buddy for quite a while, but I felt I needed something that suited my ever-evolving needs.

My requirements for the new thing:

1.  Manual controls - I don't want an SLR 'cause it's too big to bring around, and it's expensive, but many point-and-shoot cameras (P&S) nowadays have manual controls.  The ZS1 doesn't have it.

2.  ZOOOOOOOM - the ZS1 had great zoom, and I find it useful in a lot of situations - fieldwork, concerts, travel (no, not peeping).

3.  No vertical streaking in videos - so I had to go for something with a CMOS sensor, something only recently has been adapted to P&S cameras.

No zoom...

...14x zoom!

  After weeks of scouring the internet for reviews (I always start with CNET, then cross-check in other sites with Google) and checking availability in the Multiply Marketplace (one of the best places to go to for good prices in the Philippines), I was choosing between the Sony Cybershot HX7V (P11,500) and HX9V (P15,500), or the Canon Powershot SX230 HS (P11,600).

I've never owned a Sony before, but I was drawn to its Sweep Panorama feature and overall great quality pictures and video.  The HX9V in particular is consistently No. 1 in several review sites, but the price is just too steep for me.  There were also gripes on the sluggishness of the Sony HX7V UI, so I tried out the little brother of the HX7V - the H70 - in a local store and, yes, it was too sluggish for my taste.  Laggy operation is one of my pet peeves.  I hate slow phones, slow computers, slow cameras... But the overall build was good, it didn't feel like it was gonna break apart easily or inside my pocket.  Then I tried the Canon SX230, and it made a good first impression in those departments.

I love this shot

I finally purchased the Canon camera a few days ago, prior to a hiking trip in Bataan (in another post, hopefully).  My own first digital camera was a Canon Ixus i Zoom, which died in 2008, so I've had good experience with Canon.  Nothing beats testing a camera in situations that I am usually in - on the move in far-away places.  That is why the UI response is important, as it has to be quick in whatever situation I am in, and the SX230 played it well.  The click-wheel needs some getting used to (so play around with it for 10 mins) but it works well when you do get how it can be used for navigating.  The Mode dial requires some muscle, so it is not susceptible to accidental rotations - something that always happened with the ZS1 everytime I put it in or get it out of the case.

 

Taken in Auto mode while riding a FAST moving tricycle

The Manual controls are great, though I still need to get used to them (especially manually setting White Balance - though you can set it to Auto White Balance - I keep forgetting to reset it).  The Auto mode gives nice pictures, for those moments when you least expect to take pictures.  There are other modes (Aperture priority, Shutter speed priority, Program, "Easy," Landscape, Portrait, SCN mode, etc.) but I don't seem to use them a lot (not yet, anyway).  Under SCN (Scene) mode though, there's the "Handheld Twilight Mode."  It takes 3 rapid shots, so your hand must be quite steady or your subject must not be moving, produces a composite and produces a well-lit image.

Manual, iContrast

Landscape mode, iContrast off

The iContrast (for "intelligent Contrast") feature intrigued me.  The greens in the iContrast-enabled image looks artificial, but you can see the sky much more clearly.  Maybe use it if you'd like to emphasize the sky.

Playing around with Manual...FAIL.

GPS! Yes, GPS in cameras seems to be the in thing.  But I NEVER used it in our trip since I read how bad the battery life of the camera is (220 shots as rated by CIPA).  But throughout the hike and back home, the battery was still good (reaching 1/3 bars, after 187 shots with lots of zooming, some video, and barely no use of flash).  So I tried the GPS where we had dinner, and I guess there's really nothing so special about it, i.e. doesn't have maps showing real-time location (hehe), unless you want to tell the whole world where you are ALL THE TIME with some secret organization on your trail.

Video quality is good for a camera of its class,  It can shoot in full HD (1080p), 720p, 480p in MOV format.  If I had a gripe, I just wish it has a smaller file size (600+ MB for 3 mins of video! Must be the 20k+ bitrate!), but maybe that's because I'm a bit behind the times.  But still, that's quite a lot of space, especially if you have slowwwww internet and want to upload in Youtube.  But the sound is good - stereo sound adds so much more depth compared to mono.  But it's no full-fledged camcorder.  You can zoom while taking videos, but be careful with the focus.  It also has a little bit of difficulty focusing in low-light conditions.  It also has "super slow-mo" modes that allow you to shoot up to 240fps, albeit at a low resolution.  Just gimmicks, IMO.

Well, this post is getting long.  My first "review" ever, but seems more like highlights of what I found about the Canon Powershot SX230.  I'll just post whatever new things I find out about in my future escapades.  Life, after all, a continuous learning process.