PowerShot SX 210 IS Review
Buying a digital camera is actually quite simple these days with all of the top manufacturers making some impressive models. As long as the price is reasonable for the consumer and if the model is the latest in the series, the camera should meet his or her expectations. But with every manufacturer so competitive, the challenge is more on making the best decision with the money available.
There are so many compact cameras that are priced very close to each other. Similar priced cameras can part different ways too. Take the Canon PowerShot SX 210 IS for example because it has that premium price but it looks stripped compared to the cheaper PowerShot SX 130 IS.
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Design
The PowerShot SX 210 IS is one of the simplest looking cameras in Canon’s high-end category and that is a good thing because some photographers prefer lighter digital cameras for easier travel. It is slightly bigger than the stylish ultra-slim PowerShot S95 but the SX210 comes in trendy gold and purple colors in addition to black.
The LCD display is one of the more unique displays as it makes great use of available space on the back of the camera. Not only does the display measure 3-inches diagonally but it also happens to be a widescreen display. Previewing 16:9 ratio pictures look very good and the low 230,000-pixel resolution does not bring it down either. Like the PowerShot SX 130 IS, it has a pop-up flash so it can get out of the way when it is not needed.
Usability
The 3-inch widescreen display is not a touchscreen so Canon had to squeeze in some controls on the left of the display. Fortunately, just about all the main controls can be thumb-operated. The mode dial is on the upper-right corner while there are two buttons below which toggle the video and image browsing respectively.
The spinning dial handles the menu navigation without any major issues. The dial can be sensitive at times so be careful when changing settings. So far, the PowerShot SX 210 IS is a typical point-and-shoot performer but it hides some surprising secrets.
Image Quality and Performance
Canon really knows how to crank up the image quality in their cameras and recently, the company is getting more involved with improving its slim designs. Users of the older PowerShot SD 1400 IS will be pleased to know that it takes good images too. The colors are exceptional and the Vivid Color mode adds some spice to all the right spots.
Taking outdoor pictures look great and the DIGIC 4 Image Processor gives the PowerShot SX 210 IS some nifty speed advantages. Using higher ISO levels process a little bit more noise on the images but doesn’t serve as a true downside since just about all compact digital cameras suffer from this issue.
14 is the magic number of the PowerShot SX 210 IS as it has a 14.1 megapixel 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor and a 14x optical zoom which is amazing for a slim body. This is a great combination since zoomed photos look better on the screen and on paper when there are more pixels available.
Compared to the newer models that use the HS system, the low light performance lags behind so the pop-up flash needs to take care of those limitations. The good news is that the PowerShot SX 210 IS is more focused on the optical zoom and Canon even went as far as integrated a highly reliable Image Stabilization function.
Video Quality and Performance
The Image Stabilization is best demonstrated when recording video. It is this feature that eliminates those jerky movements and wobbly frames. It also shows how good the Auto Focus works while recording. These major pluses mean that the lack of 1080p support does not matter too much. 720p HD video still looks good on large screens and the mini-HDMI port makes it simple to show off those videos.
Bottom Line
The PowerShot SX 210 IS is being superseded by the PowerShot SX 230 HS but the SX 210 IS is still on Canon’s page and it continues to be sold in many places. If low-light performance is not a really huge issue, the SX 210 IS remains as an excellent deal because it has style and functionality with good performance. It also does not suffer from the same battery woes that the SX 130 experienced.
With plenty of options to try out and a reliable optical zoom feature, the PowerShot SX 210 IS is made for creative photographers on the go.
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