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Canon PowerShot SX200 IS

The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS is the successor to 2008’s PowerShot SX110 IS. This mid-level compact digital camera differs from its predecessor by improving several features relating to image quality and usability. The SX200 IS features a 12.1 megapixel DIGIC IV image processor, a 12x wide angle optical zoom lens and a rechargeable Li-ion battery. This compact camera can also capture 720p HD video. This is a moderate improvement over 2008’s model, which featured a more limited 9 megapixel DIGIC III processor, a 10x optical zoom and no support for HD video recording. Less experienced photographers will appreciate Canon’s integrated “Scene Detection Technology,” which automatically selects optimum settings according to environmental conditions. This camera also comes with manual controls, allowing for more advanced users to precisely tweak their photos. Users looking for a compact digital with a range of user-friendly features plus advanced options should find the SX200 IS more than acceptable.

Where to Buy

Canon SX200 IS
MSRP $349.99
Release date March, 2009
Brand Canon
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Pros & Cons11
Reviews4
Details
Buy It10
Competitors10
Comments1
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
4 reviews
71
negative
mixed
positive
3 positive
0 mixed
1 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
•
12x optical zoom
+2agreedisagree

•
records video in 720p
+2agreedisagree

•
available in black, blue or red
+2agreedisagree

•
classic aesthetic
+2agreedisagree

•
accepts a wide variety of affordable, capacious storage (SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus)
+2agreedisagree

•
Provides Manual as well as auto/scene modes (The main competition, Panasonic TZ5/6/7 only provide automatic settings I believe)
+1agreedisagree

•
3 inch LCD for easy viewing
+1agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
•
Slow continuous shooting mode (less than 1 frame per second)
+2agreedisagree

•
Mono sound recording
+1agreedisagree

•
No optical zoom while recording video
+1agreedisagree

•
Popup flash always pops up even if flash is off
0agreedisagree


4 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!
See individual votes »

Details

Features

  • 12x wide-angle optical zoom
  • sensor: 12.1 megapixel CCD
  • image processor: DIGIC IV
  • 720p HD video (1280 x 720)
  • face detection and auto red-eye correction
  • 3.0" TFT LCD screen (230,000 pixels)
  • connectivity: HDMI Mini, USB 2.0, AV out
  • file formats: JPEG (Exif 2.2), DPOF 1.1, MOV [H.264 + Linear PCM (Monaural), WAVE (Sound Files)
  • storage: SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus
  • power: Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
  • dimensions and weight: 103 x 61 x 38 mm, 220g
  • aluminum casing available in black, blue and red

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This report was started February 20, 2009 at 1:29 pm by shadowtech
with the last edit occurring Wednesday, 1:11 PM by Yale
This page has been viewed 2676 times, with 53 edits by 6 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Canon PowerShot SX200 IS

• Canon PowerShot SX200IS 12 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD (Black)

• PowerShot SX200 IS Black Digital Camera

UPC: 013803107821

EAN: 013803107821

MPN: SX200IS Black

Competitors

Canon PowerShot SX200 IS is ranked 1st among it's competitors.  See the top picks in Digital Cameras »
Samsung HZ15W

Samsung HZ15W

MSRP  $329.99    Released  March, 2009
Pros
  • 10x optical zoom
  • high definition 720p video recording
  • HDMI connectivity
Cons
  • slightly too bulky
  • manual is a joke
  • body build quality does not match the price
ProSCORE
1 review
62
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Canon PowerShot SX200 IS   vs. vote Samsung HZ15W  
Ricoh CX1

Ricoh CX1

MSRP  $379.00    Released  March, 2009
Pros
  • 3" HVGA LCD with large resolution (920K dots - double the resolution of the R10)
  • solid, quality construction
  • advanced 9MP CMOS sensor (improved image quality and speed over the R10)
Cons
  • optical zoom is slightly inferior to some 10-12x zooms found on comparable devices
  • does not record video in high definition
  • no RAW support
ProSCORE
1 review
67
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Canon PowerShot SX200 IS   vs. vote Ricoh CX1  
Samsung WB1000

Samsung WB1000

MSRP  $379.99    Released  September, 2009
Pros
  • cool aesthetic - modern & retro aspects
  • captures video in 720p high definition
  • 3" OLED display
Cons
  • OLED display has a limited resolution (480 x 360px - 172.8K dot)
  • poor picture quality for the price
  • mediocre zoom
ProSCORE
1 review
77
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Canon PowerShot SX200 IS   vs. vote Samsung WB1000  
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1

MSRP  $349.99    Released  August, 2009
Pros
  • optical image stabilization
  • shoots video in 720p high definition
  • face detection, smile detection
Cons
  • utilizes less well known, less capacious and more expensive proprietary Memory Stick Duo / Memory Stick PRO Duo flash storage
  • non-standard PC connection
  • fairly noisy in low light - despite claims
ProSCORE
1 review
62
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Canon PowerShot SX200 IS   vs. vote Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1  
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ6

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ6

MSRP  --    Released  --
ProSCORE
0 reviews
N/A
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Canon PowerShot SX200 IS   vs. vote Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ6  
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7

MSRP  --    Released  --
ProSCORE
0 reviews
N/A
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Canon PowerShot SX200 IS   vs. vote Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7  
Nikon Coolpix S630

Nikon Coolpix S630

MSRP  $349.95    Released  February, 2009
Pros
  • 7x zoom
  • available in silver, black, red and amethyst
  • easy to use
Cons
  • expensive for what it is - a little more money could get a much better camera
  • zoom control is not very flexible
  • picture quality is poor - high noise, vibration reduction doesn't work
ProSCORE
1 review
50
Vote! (1 vote)
vote Canon PowerShot SX200 IS 100% vs. vote Nikon Coolpix S630 0%
Nikon Coolpix L100

Nikon Coolpix L100

MSRP  $299.95    Released  February, 2009
Pros
  • 15x optical zoom
  • 3" LCD screen
  • face detection
Cons
  • powered by AA batteries
  • doesn't like certain SD/SDHC cards
  • does not work with cheaper rechargeables that drop below 1.2V after light use
ProSCORE
1 review
70
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Canon PowerShot SX200 IS   vs. vote Nikon Coolpix L100  
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5

MSRP  $349.95    Released  April, 2008

The third generation offering in Panasonic's TZ line, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 maintains the 10x Leica ultrazoom lens and optical image stabilization offered by its predecessors and brings an upgrade in sensor resolution to the table. This small, if not entirely lightweight, camera offers over 20 scene modes, but does not offer manual exposure...

ProSCORE
0 reviews
N/A
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Canon PowerShot SX200 IS   vs. vote Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5  
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90

MSRP  $299.95    Released  April, 2009
Pros
  • affordable price
  • records video in 720p high definition
  • available in silver, black, pink, brown and blue
Cons
  • 90-day limited warranty
  • uses harder to find, slightly more expensive and less capacious MS Duo flash storage
  • battery could last longer; had to spend $38 for the Sony infolithium battery
ProSCORE
4 reviews
73
Vote! (1 vote)
vote Canon PowerShot SX200 IS 100% vs. vote Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90 0%

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Comments

1.  avatar Squibbles said:

A note about the flash. It DOES pop up regardless whether it is needed. However, if you just hold your left index finger in the natural place (top left, over the flash) you can hold it down. The camera seems to understand this and if you push the flash down it does turn it off for you. It won't stay down (you have to keep your finger there) but for the rare time when it actually makes a difference it doesn't seem too inconvienient. Obviously it would be nicer if it just popped up when needed but it's not as big a deal as some people have made it out to be in the reviews I've seen around the web.

Oh, and you can let go and it will pop up then you can push it down again if you need to.  The camera even helpfully displays "flash disabled" or "flash auto" on the LCD as appropriate.

 

About the video recording: It records 720p HD using h264 codec (I think).  Unfortunately windows movie maker does not recognize this codec so if you want to string together some pictures and videos from a vacation it's going to take some work (or some money for a non-free video editor that can handle this codec). 

Jul 08, 2009 9:59pm
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Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

Squibbles

avatar
July 8, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
70
negative
mixed
positive
7 pros
3 cons
love itlove it
have ithave it
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • 12x optical zoom
  • records video in 720p
  • available in black, blue or red
  • classic aesthetic
  • accepts a wide variety of affordable, capacious storage (SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus)
  • Provides Manual as well as auto/scene modes (The main competition, Panasonic TZ5/6/7 only provide automatic settings I believe)
  • 3 inch LCD for easy viewing

Cons

  • Slow continuous shooting mode (less than 1 frame per second)
  • Mono sound recording
  • No optical zoom while recording video

Comments

"

A note about the flash. It DOES pop up regardless whether it is needed. However, if you just hold your left index finger in the natural place (top left, over the flash) you can hold it down. The camera seems to understand this and if you push the flash down it does turn it off for you. It won't stay down (you have to keep your finger there) but for the rare time when it actually makes a difference it doesn't seem too inconvienient. Obviously it would be nicer if it just popped up when needed but it's not as big a deal as some people have made it out to be in the reviews I've seen around the web.

Oh, and you can let go and it will pop up then you can push it down again if you need to.  The camera even helpfully displays "flash disabled" or "flash auto" on the LCD as appropriate.

 

About the video recording: It records 720p HD using h264 codec (I think).  Unfortunately windows movie maker does not recognize this codec so if you want to string together some pictures and videos from a vacation it's going to take some work (or some money for a non-free video editor that can handle this codec). 

"
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Yale

avatar
March 20, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
5 pros
0 cons
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • 12x optical zoom
  • records video in 720p
  • available in black, blue or red
  • classic aesthetic
  • accepts a wide variety of affordable, capacious storage (SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus)

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Competitors

Yale prefers Canon PowerShot SX200 IS over Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90, Nikon Coolpix S630
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

BSweeney125

avatar
March 25, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
5 pros
0 cons
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Brewskie

avatar
August 25, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
0
negative
mixed
positive
0 pros
4 cons

Pros

Did not agree with any pros

Cons

  • Slow continuous shooting mode (less than 1 frame per second)
  • Mono sound recording
  • No optical zoom while recording video
  • Popup flash always pops up even if flash is off

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

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This product is also known as:

SX, 200, SX200