Canon SX220 - does just about everything, costs next to nothing
The last bracket of cameras I haven’t chosen for their breakthrough technology, but for breakthrough practicality. In a previous post, I described the search for the perfect go-anywhere-catch-any-scene-fits-in-your pocket-doesn’t-cost-a-fortune camera, and said it's a lot like the search for the perfect woman: neither one exists. In both cases, it’s a matter of finding a model you can happily live with.
Canon popped out two new models that looked interesting: the IXUS 310 HS and 510 HS, respectively with 8x and 12x zoom lenses. For reasons only Canon can explain but cannot, these cameras are called Elph 310 and 510 in the US of A. The 310 is attractive because it’s really quite small, and getting an 8x zoom lens into this little body is quite a trick.
Slick as it is, 8x zoom isn’t quite enough for travel camera, so the IXUS 510HS looks a better bet. It’s another sleek design but pretty much the same size as the SX220 which costs over $100 less ($250 at online shops), and has full MASP controls - the IXUS range is all auto. The HS sensor is most likely the same. The SX220 delivers far more than you’d expect at its price point, and offers a superb combination of IQ, versatility and portability. So it ends up being my pick.
The body of the SX 220 HS is just a fraction smaller than the smallest of the EVIL cameras, the Sony NEX C3. The problem with the Sony and other EVILs is the big lenses: by the time you put even a modest a zoom lens on one of these bodies, they’ll no longer fit into your pocket. Interchangeable lenses are terrific except on a go anywhere camera, and this is where the Canon scores with an 18-260mm lens that collapses into the little body.
Even expensive DSLR zoom lenses are compromised from a design point of view, usually showing some distortion at the wide end and losing sharpness at the long end, and then there’s Image Stabilisation of varying effectiveness. You’d expect a 14x 18-260mm tele zoom in a $250 digicam to show all these problems and then some. Frankly, Canon has worked wonders with this lens and the new High Sensitivity 12 mp backlit CMOS sensor. IQ is better than with the Canon S95 I owned for a short and disappointing time.
There’s a touch of barrel distortion at the wide end, and some purple fringing on occasion, but it’s sharp right across the long zoom range. Even at 260mm, it returns pretty sharp images, and the IS works better than it has any right to given its small size and weight (bigger cameras are easier to hold steady).
As always, please click on any image to see a larger file.
These two shots were taken with the zoom lens fully extended. Image Stabilisation also helps with low light shooting, which is OK to ISO 800 and even 1600 in emergencies - as in the shot below which is remarkable for this class of camera.
The SX 220 has full manual controls, and a lovely 460k screen, and the usual simple Canon controls and menues plus a host of special modes. The camera starts in a instant, and focusing is pretty snappy. Shot to shot times are a bit more tardy but choosing continuous shooting mode is one way to get around that problem. 2.5 frames/sec isn’t all that fast but it’s fast enough to catch some action.
The range of the lens is f/3.1 - 5.9 so it gets a bit slow at the tele end (as do most tele zooms). One thing missing is a RAW shooting option, which will disappoint some. I'm happy with the JPEGs the Canon turns out. Another weak spot is a battery that's barely good enough for 200 shots. Curiously the SX230 uses the same battery as my old IXUS 960IS, so I have a spare already.
Build quality is a mixed bag as well – strong metal body but flimsy lens closure (the blinds that cover it) and covers for the connectors and flash. The flash spoils the show by popping up when you turn the camera on – Canon, what is this stupid feature doing on a camera like this? And why not give the camera a shape that fits better into hands? I use fingers on top and thumbs on the bottom to hold it. Battery life is poor, with 200 shots max.
These grumbles soon fade when you look at the images the camera produces. Yes, you can get creative as well. Also check the image gallery – the link is in the right hand margin.
The SX 220 won DPReview's travel camera shoot-out recently (the SX230 with the GPS bump actually but they're identical every other way), sharing top honours with Nikon's S9100. The Nikon is another full auto machine so it didn't make my shortlist.
DP Review said: ‘Images from the SX230 are amongst the sharpest and most consistently well-exposed of the cameras in this group test. … considering the breadth of its zoom range, sharpness is impressively uniform.’ They added: ‘The new sensor and processor deliver excellent image quality in just about any situation we tested the camera in, and when you add excellent optical quality and video performance into the mix, the SX230 HS is a very compelling camera.’ http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/q311travelzoomgrouptest/page3.as
Kim