Used Canon PowerShot SX20IS Bridge Camera

I think this is a VERY excellent camera and I highly recommend it to anyone. I will admit though that like with most cameras if you don't know what you're doing you can end up with some crappy shots. It's like how a professional photographer can usually take much better pictures than someone who does it just every once in a blue moon. I will admit when I first got this camera it intimidated me a bit. It's a bit big and then the features it has? Can be very overwhelming. But if you take the time to learn how to use it properly and experiment you can wind up with some really excellent shots. I own three different digital cameras now and out of all of them? This Canon has to be my favorite. This camera has a ton of excellent features. My favorite being the 'Custom' mode because then I can create my own custom settings and take shots using those settings instead of just using the Auto mode. Another nice feature is how it allows you to take a picture while you are shooting a movie/video. The 20x optical zoom also comes in handy for when shooting far away subjects such as animals, people, etc. Man I could go on for days about all the features this camera has. Another good one is articulating LCD screen. I love how you can move it in all sorts of directions. For me personally that is one big feature that absolutely sold me on this camera. It's nice not having the LCD screen just being stuck in the back but instead be movable. This camera takes AA or rechargeable batteries which I think is a HUGE plus too over those proprietary type batteries that a lot of other cameras use. It makes it so much easier to find and get replacements because most places carry at least AA batteries if not rechargeable ones too. Though I will admit since it takes FOUR batteries it does add some weight to the camera (this camera isn't light at all imo). Battery life? Superb. Overall I highly recommend this camera. I think it's an excellent camera for people who are willing to spend a bit more on one and willing to learn the features on it/how to use it or already are pretty good at photography. It's also I think a good replacement over more expensive DSLR cameras with all the features it has and what excellent image quality it has.

I'll emphasize one point first - the same that I did with the SX10 - this is NOT a camera for the rank amateur or for someone who thinks that "point and shoot" applies to this camera. You can point it, and you can shoot, but if all you're ever going to do is use it in the "Auto" setting, you're wasting your money. This is such a versatile camera that using it on "Automatic" will get you average pictures. Of course, for some people, "average" is better than you've done in the past, so... I've had the SX10IS for almost a year, and have shot well over 10,000 photos. The SX20 has some improvements, and I thought it was worth the price to make life a little easier. In the past week, I've shot over 1,000 pictures with the SX20. All of these have been of birds, bugs, butterflies, bunnies, bees, scenery, and a few dogs. It's what I do. People aren't half as interesting. I leave those to my brother who has a Nikon Something-or-other and 30 pounds of lenses and junk that I no longer want to carry around. I will take pictures of my grandkids, but they're just that, snapshots. When I take pictures of wildlife with the SX10 or 20, it's photography, a hobby I've had for 65 years. Comparison with the SX10 and an Evaluation: Some things become apparent immediately on the plus side: (1) the wheel on the back is easier to use, faster, and more precise. So far, it doesn't change settings just by brushing up against clothing. (2) the viewfinder adjustment is more precise and spot on. (3) It is easy to use although the instruction manual has not improved. I urge anyone using the SX10 or 20 to read the manual. (4) The weight is fine and, even though I have a relatively small hand, it is comfortable and not at all bulky. Others must be comparing this to the Elph. That said, after four hours of shooting, even 18 ounces can feel like 8 pounds around your neck. I suggest, while keeping the camera around your neck, you lift it with one hand for a little while before it becomes a literal pain in the neck. (5) Battery life is still great. I do wish that Canon had added an ACCESSIBLE battery meter so that I could tell how much batter life I have left when I leave with a camera. Then I would know before I leave home whether or not to take an extra set with me which I now do as a matter of course since I never know when they'll die. The battery warning indicator leaves you with four or five photos that can be taken if that. Odd though it may seem, I chose the SX20 over the competition because it takes AA rechargeable batteries. While those may add a little weight, it's rare that I can't find regular AAs in a store, and I can always keep an extra set in the car if I happen to be driving to a location. What has not changed: (1) The camera is simply not made for low light situations, no matter what settings you use. "Low light" for me is a bird under the canopy of a tree even on a bright summer day. (2) The ISO has changed so that even at 80, you'll experience noise, This is worse than the SX10. At 800 and above, the noise is simply unacceptable. I keep the ISO at 200 or 100, and shoot almost exclusively at Av, Tv, or M. (3) I NEVER use digital zoom. If a bird is off some 200 feet, using the digital zoom may get you the bird, but it will be blurred no matter what the linear bar says. (4) Canon hasn't attached a cord to the lens cap since the S3 or S5, and I wish they'd bring it back. I USE the lens cap, and would prefer not keeping it in my pocket or even my hand while shooting. (5) I haven't found much use for the lens hood, and often feel that Canon added it to make the camera look "more professional" for those who feel inferior next to those using 1000mm lenses and carry 35 pounds of gear. (6) The SX20 is just as slow as the SX10, and that's fairly slow. "Continuous" is not like having a motor drive, and if you can get three shots off in 5 seconds you'd be doing very well. Birds, however, do not move for your convenience and three shots in a second would satisfy my needs. This does not. Even taking pictures of a kid running the bases is going to be missing something no matter what setting you use. Fortunately, I have the philosophy that what I miss today, I might get tomorrow. That does not apply to children at play although it might at Aunt Martha's 95th birthday party where nothing is going to move that fast. The SX10 has the same buttons on the back, but I always seemed to be pushing them by mistake. That, for some reason, hasn't happened with the thousand photos I've taken with the SX20. And I reiterate, the thumb wheel on the SX20 is much faster and precise. I can set the exposure - speed and aperture and even override the normal settings - in half the time as with the SX10. The macro settings on the SX20 became much easier and faster, though SuperMacro is just a pain to use. Supermacro must in my opinion be used with the LCD. You won't do much with the viewfinder at a distance of 5mm. It works, however. I rarely use it except for very small insects, but I imagine if you have a coin or stamp collection, it could come in handy although lighting will always be a problem at that (lack of) distance. Otherwise, I like the macro because the zoom works well with it. Of all the features that takes practice, it is the macro. This is my fifth digital camera going back to 2000. Four of the five have been Canons and, if I didn't need the focal length for what I do (nature photography of everything from raptors to dragonflies), I would have stopped at the A620, perhaps the finest all-round P&S camera Canon has made. But, if you want to take a photo of a dragonfly or bird and can get within 15 feet of it, this is the camera for you...unless you like changing lenses, calculating for various conditions, and carrying all that stuff around with you. What I fear most is that, having now bought the SX20 is that Canon will come out with another P&S that moves us closer to DSLRs and the need to have at least two lenses. After 50 years of using SLRs, I want easy, not complex. In fact, I might have told Canon to leave off some things from the SX20. I don't need fancy. I need accuracy and clarity. And I don't need automatic features with 30 different scenes. Because there's so many extras, superfluous extras added to the SX10 and 20, I can't say that the controls and menus are easy. Knowledge makes things easier, but the best knowledge is knowing what works and what you can do without. I use perhaps 40% of the functions of the camera. Oh, before I forget, the date stamp would have been very nice if the print was smaller and if it was in the lower right corner at stated in the manual. Instead, it's about a half-inch above and to the left of the lower right hand corner, and can ruin a shot that cannot crop out the date. I would suggest leaving the date for software. Remember, once you use the date stamp on a photo, it can't be undone. I emphasize that you set the Date Stamp to "No." The LCD is still a great plus. There have been many times when I need it to "see" over a wire fence and the only way is with this articulating LCD. Other than those circumstances, I exclusively use the viewfinder, The LCD is primarily to see what I hope will be clear when I download to my computer. I'll repeat something else I said about the SX10: The Viewfinder on this camera is the best I've ever had! It can be set by use of a knurled ring on the left and, if you wear glasses, can make the picture you see through the viewfinder sharper than if you used glasses alone. It's five times better than using the LCD. For the viewfinder alone, I would buy this camera! I know that many people have bought this because you can now shoot HD movies. I used the SX10 for movies twice, and probably won't do much with the SX20 in this regard either. Even with an 8GB card, a movie of a green heron chick catching a dragonfly in midair can take 6-8 minutes, and that's a lot of MBs in the process. However, if it's your son or daughter running the bases, it's great! It is possible to take one frame out for printing, but the resolution and size will be smaller than a "normal" shot. Still, this camera is capable of an awful lot, and you might as well use it. All and all, I almost love this camera. If it were faster and could shoot in low light on a foggy day, I would love it. Overall, 4 to 4½ stars. Considering that I've published as many with the SX10 and 20 as with my 35mm SLR, I'd say that my patience and the digital point-and-shoot have improved mightily. I compared this camera to four others (Olympus, Panasonic, Sony, and Canon), and I still ended up with the Canon SX20. The fact that they went to 12.1 MP means very little. The two extra MP doesn't make much difference, and they kept the 20X focal length of the zoom. However, I used the 24X zoom of a competitor, and there was so much noise at the upper end that I thought it was digital rather than optical. This camera was also more comfortable, albeit a little heavier, and I am really partial to AA batteries. It certainly is something to consider. (See my review of Eneloop batteries.) I rarely recommend anything to anybody. If I recommend something as "sophisticated" as this to someone who points and shoots and still cuts off heads and feet, then I'm to blame. If someone buys the camera because s/he sees what I can do with it, they often forget that I've been a semi-pro for almost 50 years and have had a 35mm since 1953. Would I recommend THIS camera? Yes, but with several caveats which will soon be forgotten. Postscript: For a number of very good reasons, I will not upload photos taken with this camera. All of my photos can be found on my Web site.

With fine art and industrial design as background, needless to say I've taken a picture or two begun decades ago in the analog world in which no small amount of cash went into camera equipment. Having had a decade or more laps before deciding to look through a lens again, it was obvious spending a large amount on equipment would not be a wise choice (digital equipment this time). I'm more than pleased with the Canon PowerShot SX20IS. It's an incredibly capable camera. It replaces an analog professional body Minolta plus two zoom lenses (28mm to 300). Comparatively the SX20IS added 200mm (total 500 optical zoom) with good image quality likely aided by its image stabilization; allowing hand held telephoto shots at photo speeds impossible with analog. That's impressive at less than a quarter the size and weight of the Minolta plus lenses. The result is it travels when the analog gear would have stayed home. After approximately nine months of ownership it has begun to sink in there are enormous advantages to a capable digital camera combined with a change in field approach vs. analog. The impressive analytical software of the SX20IS encourages your photographic eye by automatically replacing the extensive technical analog camera-information needed to attempt to make photographs appear the way you see the scene. The only down side has been learning the new lingo AKA software based controls instead of analog buttons, dials etc; wish it had fine incremental zoom control. It's not a professional camera, but its capability combined with software frees you to just seeing what's begging to be photographed. If it fits your hand grasp reasonably and you're willing to discover its abilities, you should enjoy this camera. (The SX10IS won't discourage you point and shooters either.) Side notes 7/2010: SX20IS (and SX10IS) do not have treaded lens rings to fit lens filters (hard to figure). The unapproved solution can be found from Lensmate (SX10, SX20 & SX1 Filter Adapter 58mm), approx [...] shipped [...] which uses the SX20IS lens shade mechanism to attach 58mm filters. You can then attach a clear filter to protect your lens - Hoya 58mm UV (Ultra Violet) Multi Coated Glass Filter $22.35 - FREE Super Saver Shipping http://www.amazon.com/Hoya-Ultra-Violet-Coated-Filter/dp/B00009R9A1/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1277819958&sr=1-3 plus a $4.95 Zeikos ZE-LC58 58mm Plastic Snap On Lens Cap (Black) FREE Super Saver Shipping http://www.amazon.com/Zeikos-ZE-LC58-58mm-Plastic-Black/dp/B001LMXMD8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1277820244&sr=1-1. Add a HOYA 58CIR 58mm Circular Polarized Filter for those great outdoor scenes for [...] FREE Super Saver Shipping http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006HOAQ/ref=oss_product and for under [...] have lens protection and enhanced outdoor photo capability. (It is definitely faster to have the Polarizer filter already attached to a second Lensmate adapter.) (There is a blog comment about the weight of a lens filter and the lens zoom drive-mechanism. (Opinion) it wouldn't say much for Canon engineering quality if the miniscule weight of a filter turned out to be too much, long term, for the drive system on this camera. It's more likely normal use would have someone scratch or otherwise degrade the front optics (lens); virtually now replicable for [...].) If you're not spent out yet; two (one) other products: a good monopod can be much more usable than a tripod (unless you're taking pictures of yourself). The Vanguard monopod is solid as a rock, extremely fast to extend and contract and is light weight enough with an added Vanguard ballhead (total combined cost $212.70), it often goes where the camera goes; extending dim light (i.e. under heavy foliage) photography options significantly. The SBH-300 ballhead is serious quality; the SBH-100 is likely the same. (Get Vanguard before the prices go up.) Vanguard ELITE CP-364 Carbon Fiber Digital Camera Monopod [...] ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016HTVL0/ref=oss_product Vanguard SBH-300 Large-Format Magnesium Alloy Ballhead with Two Onboard Bubble Levels [..] ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016D3H1O/ref=oss_product Or the SBH-100 is likely more easily used and lighter vs. SBH-300: Vanguard SBH-100 Small Magnesium Alloy Ballhead with Two Onboard Bubble Levels $69.99 + Free Shipping (not Super Saver) http://www.amazon.com/Vanguard-SBH-100-Magnesium-Ballhead-Onboard/dp/B0016D1I0G/ref=pd_cp_p_3 You've just "double" the price of the camera (adding $303.35 7/2010), but have a true go with you much more often piece of work instead of "wish I brought the camera". Thought of another way; it's approximately the same cost as a Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm alone; no zoom from 55mm to 500, filters, optics protection or monopod; and may more pictures taken because the gear goes with you and photographic options have increased.

I received the camera a few days ago. I wanted a good quality camera for all-around, basic shooting. The main features that attracted me were the wide angle/zoom lens and the video option. I am not an expert, or even an experienced amateur. I just want to be able to point, shoot, and take decent pics and some occassional vidoe. In my opinion, the best eye-pleasing pictures are those that show the vibrant colors and color variations - all other things being equal. I've experimented with various settings and taken the same shots with those various settings, and compared shots taken with Auto, Landscape, Portrait, etc. against the Foilage setting [SCN/Foilage], and the Foilage setting is by far the best for bringing out the colors (which it is meant to do anyway). Compared to those pics taken using the Foilage setting, the ones taken in the other settings are dull - not that they aren't decent pictures in the other settings, just compared to the Foilage pictures they are dull(er). So for basic shots, I will probably use the Foilage setting most of the time for all-around shooting - the pictures are beautiful. One problem I expect with this, is to get to the Foilage setting, you must use the top dial set to SCN, then using the free-spinning dial on the back, select foilage. Problem is, after taking shots and letting the camera hang against your body, the free-spinning dial may be prone to be moved to select another setting... One of the issues I do have, is not being able to choose to set the Auto-Focus frame to the center of the screen for many settings - such as Auto... I'm not crazy about the "smart focus" which chooses which subject(s) that it thinks is the main subject(s) - in my case of shooting mostly non-people so far, this "smart-focus" has been wrong. I think most of us non-pro photographers usually center our subject anyway, and even if we don't, we should still have the option of keeping the AF frame in the center... One other thing that hasn't worked for me is connecting it to HDMI on my TV. I'm going to take it to Best Buy and try it there. If it still isn't working, I hate to send it back because it is a good camera, but I would like the HDMI feature to work to see my videos in true HD. In summary, the wide-to-zoom feature is great, takes very good pictures (especially in Foilage), takes excellent video. The video option is excellent - you can take pics while filming, and you can simply press the video button in the back to start taking video even if you're in a picture-taking setting - very nice feature. If you're not a pro photographer and want to have a great all-around camera, this is definitely a good buy. I hope I can get my HDMI/TV feature to work so I can keep my camera...

I think it is a good compromise camera. No point and shoot is at the level of a decent DSLR. They all have limitations. High zoom lenses are more prone to purple/green fringe. I do notice the CA in back lit trees and even on fallen brown leaves when taking photos of the forest floor. So with a zoom lense probably comes a tad more fringe. At least in this price range. The 12.1MP on a small P & S camera does introduce some noise. To minimize noise under low light shooting you will want to use the manual settings. I notice out of Box the SX20 takes washed out photos. It is best to shoot manual and customize your colors. Essentially all cameras have internal software today. So you can also increase sharpness and contrast. Hit Func set button, then scroll down to custom colors. I maxed contrast, left skin tone as is, left blue and green as default, bumped red up 1 notch, maxed saturation, & maxed sharpness. After I did all that, the pictures where sharp and vivid. I do get noise even at 200ISO when taking 10sec or 15 sec exposures. Noise comes into play anytime one increases ISO and/or uses long exposures. Shooting 1/60 shutter speed at 200ISO is fine, but sec exposures and noise creeps in. It can mostly be removed by processing in photo editing software later. Any camera in the SX20 price range has some CA and noise. The SX20 will take sharp photos ones you customize the settings. I use a plugin the mostly eliminates purple fringe. So most of the photos taken at 4000 x 3000 can be poster sized to 13" by 19" after some software editing. As far as the HD video. I didn't buy the camera for that, have not used it much. Indoors with out the best lighting, when I panned around, the camera seemed to go to both sides of focus before it found the sweet spot. So a second here or there was out of focus. The zoom is basically useless during video shoots as the camera will be out of focus thru the zoom and come back in focus after the zoom. I think its a decent camera with a lot of flexibility. My thinking was I wasn't quite ready to go the DSLR route yet. Every year the camera bodies keep improving and you keep getting more for the same money or less. This camera is to tide me over until I get s DSLR. One feature I wish this camera had is a remote shutter jack. I would sometimes like to take exposures longer than 15 secs. The zoom lens does get a lot of flare from lights at night. I tried taking some night scenes of a downtown city from a parking ramp. The more you zoom, the worse the flare gets. For these types of scenes only about 10X of zoom is useable.

So what to choose - a point & shoot, superzoom or a full blown DSLR? That was the question I needed to answer and the Canon SX20IS was the answer. I do a lot of hiking and wanted a camera that had better zoom capability and some ability to manually control settings like exposure, aperture, and shutter speed. I didn't want to carry 10 pounds of optic lenses to go with a DSLR so identified the Canon SX20IS as an option. I've used the camera for a month now and have had the opportunity play with it a lot. I really like the use of AA batteries as I can get these anywhere and they are also what I use for my other hiking devices i.e. GPS & flashlight. I'm using Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable NiMH and the camera goes forever with these batteries. The flip LCD screen is great and also provides for its own protection by turning it in on itself when stored in its camera bag. The camera has a viewfinder which is becoming very rare these days in all but DSLRs, trust me in bright sunlight the viewfinder is a blessing to use. I have used the video feature of the camera and was very impressed and would rate this feature as excellent, I managed to zoom in and out very smoothly videoing my daughter competing at a horse show jumping. Why buy and carry a camcorder when you have it built into your camera? So what are the pictures like? Truthfully I have had mixed results and trust me I have played with a lot of the settings and some filter combination's. In the auto setting I have some great pictures including some at 80x zoom (20x optic and 4x digital) taken hand held...they could issue this camera to FBI and CIA agents for great looonnnggg distance pictures. However, in some pictures the auto exposure badly exposed some areas when taking pictures while out hiking in the forest with sunlight streaming through the tree canopy. In addition the auto focus seemed to have a mind of its own and I had to often trick the camera to move the focus point of the camera. It may be that I just need to play with the settings to "learn" some new tricks and settings. However, in comparison with my point and shoot Sony DSC-W120 my Sony wins in the auto setting picture quality. But for portrait scenes the wide angle lens of the Canon SX20IS is great. In summary, this camera has a lot to offer and I'm very happy with my purchase from Amazon....the price was a steal!

Years ago I carried and VHS video camera with separate recorder as well as an SLR. Even after video went to the 8mm tape and camera were much smaller I gave up the video and concentrated on stills. I went through the 640 x 480 digital cameras and found the images horrible, digital would never replace film. I've since packed away my film cameras and concentrated on DSLRs. I carry a pocket digital camera for convenince but turn to the DSLR when I plan on taking photos. Recently I was viewing photos taken by a friend on his SX10 IS. I was intrigued by the features, the quality of the photos, and the video capability. When I went to Amazon.com to check on the price of this camera I saw the SX20 IS slated for release. After viewing the features I decided to wait for this camera. I'm glad I did. I received this camera on the day I left for a trip to Walt Disney World. While I took the DSLR with me I thought this would be a great opportunity to learn about the SX20 IS. Since I have many Disney World photos I left the DSLR behind most of the time and carried just the SX20 IS. Recently I took photos with the SX20 IS and my Canon XSi DSLR and compared the photos side by side. The results were consistent with the reviews I've read. In bright daylight the photos are comparable. As the lighting deteriorates the XS20 IS tends to show more noise. It's not unacceptable to me, just not as good. Also, the DSLR focuses more quickly and accurately most of the time. However, to get the focal length on the lens I'd have to carry more equipment for the DSLR and I still wouldn't be able to take video. I'm not a video expert but I think the quality on this camera is excellent. It is much sharper than that footage from my old video cameras. Being able to use the zoom while shooting is great. Being able to snap a still while shooting the video is also a big plus in my opinion. The articulating LCD really proved beneficial. When behind a crowd or in a tight situation it's nice to be able to move the camera and still be able to compose the shot without guessing. It's also helpful when just trying to change a perspective on a subject without having to stnad on something or lie on the ground. Self-portraits are also easier, just make sure you look at the camera, not the LCD, when you finally push the shutter. Will this camera replace my DSLR? Not for situations where I consider the quality of the photo or quick focus critical. However, for situations where I just want to enjoy an outing without carrying an entire camera bag this is a great choice. The still photo remains my preference but I can see me shooting video much more frequently. Now all I need is some extra batteries (the NiMH variety seem to work fine) and spare SD cards. The external flash from the DSLR works on the SX20 IS and helps the noise issue. However, I usually leave it behind to cut down on the bulk. I got what I expected with this camera. As I learn more about its different functions I'm sure I'll appreciate it more. One piece of advice. When storing the camera or carrying it in a backpack, etc. use the articulating feature to face the LCD toward the camera body. It protects the LCD screen. I was in sich a hurry to use the camera I forgot to do this and now have a minor scratch on the LCD, a situation I could have avoided.

Just a brief review of the 3rd Canon I have purchased. I started w/ the S5IS, then the S10IS and now the S20IS. I bought this one because it recorded video in High Def. The extra zoom and extra pixels are nice for cropping and the pop up help captions reviewing the manual functions were very useful. I am not an expert photographer, however based on the comments of many who review the pictures I keep they are amazed. I kept with the canon's because all of the accessories are compatible, very little learning curve. I never run out of fresh batteries, and the other family members love when I upgrade. It is an awesome point and shoot camera. I made the decision that we will look allot more at stills than sitting down to watch videos. So I concentrated on the picture taking and I am glad that at any second I can push the video record button and almost as much control of the video, zoom etc., as a real video camcorder. The video is more than good enough for family movies and fun caught on the spot. So if you like taking allot of pictures and your family isn't interested in learning all of the manual controls associated with this camera, this would be a great buy. I have tinkered with many of the manual settings and have caught many awesome pictures. My only beef is that the lens cap isn't connected. I fixed that myself.

We travel alot, and the Canon PowerShot SX201S 12.1 Digital Camera takes amazing pictures. It is light and very easy to use. I would definitely recommend this camera.

Picture quality is good

Jadoooore! Facile a utiliser pour les debutants!!

For starters no instruction manual and most important no lens cover and I am so far not able to find one. It takes pictures but I cannot get the view to be clear or right color. It seems it is missing a key ingredient in the actual picture taking process. I am not impressed at all but will download a manual and go through it one step at a time. I had met a lady with spectacular photos from this camera and why I purchased it but I cannot come near that quality as I cannot see what I am taking a photo of properly. It is a guessing game if the photo is good or not and good thing I do not have to pay for processing. Most likely it will go in a box never to be looked at and I am out the $200.