Canon Powershot SX10IS 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom: Customer Reviews & Product Details

I'm an experienced photographer who grew up with SLR, medium format, and view cameras while working as a pro in the military and commercially afterward. Today, I shoot only for some business and recreational needs. This is a really good compromise camera for someone wishing to avoid the bottomless cost of and SLR, along with the additional weight. My one beef is the electrically powered zoom, which reacts way too quickly. My last camera was a Minolta Dimage, which is no longer made. It, too, was a super zoom, but the lens barrel had to be manually twisted to zoom in/out. This allowed much, much finer adjustment of the zoom at a speed of the users choosing. As an all around compromise camera, this is a good value. There is always some degradation of image quality that's a given with a superzoom camera, and that is evident in this product.

This is my 6th digital camera and 3rd from Canon.
This camera is not for everyday using (size and weight).
This is "weekend-camera". :)
General characteristic is in the title.

I bought this camera 2 months ago, I had another point and shoot Canon, powershot sd 1000, which I still like, but I was interested by the powerful zoom.
Overall, the camera is a bit of a disappointment, and I think I take better pictures with better contrast with the sd 1000, especially in low light situations.
you really need a tripod with the zoom at maximum power or with low light, or most of your pictures will be blurred, I should have spent a little more and bought a digital slr, but I will keep this camera, it is versatile enough, has a lot of features and is easier to carry around than a SLR with its different lenses.

I originally bought this camera when it first came out. I was a strong Canon fan due to two other Canon digital point and shoot cameras in our household.

This time I was ready for a more DLSR camera and shooting experience. I was hesitant to invest thousands of dollars like I had with a film based DLSR years ago. One of the things that lead me to get this camera was that I remembered I did not often use my DLSR since it was a logistical hassle bringing all the lens, flashes, and equipment around. Once I realized this self truth, I looked to see what my options were. So when I saw the impressive specs on this camera, I had to try it out. Good choice on my part.

I could not believe how much of a powerful and clear zoom lens this camera has! This camera is pretty fast in terms of frames/second and startup time for such an "entry level" camera.

The macro capability was quite impressive, as was the depth of field capabilities. These were two features that I was missing in other point and shoots, and I could not be happier with the quality in this camera.

Dark environments are usually well captured, and I find that most pictures in the 400-800 ISO range to be quite usable as long as there is reasonable room lighting and no extremes of motion.

An added bonus was the video camera with stereo sound. I did not buy the camera for this feature, but I was delighted to find it so excellent. It easily equals my old Sony DV camera in all ways except night vision capability.

Unfortunately, my wife tended to use it so much that I felt she should have it. I bought a replacement camera that did not work out quite as well as this Canon PowerShot SX10 IS camera. Even though the replacement (Nikon Coolpix P90)was similar in feature sets and functionality. The Nikon P90 is a very nice camera, but having both in our household, I just like the Canon considerably better.

I ended up buying another PowerShot SX10 IS to replace my replacement Nikon P90. After using this Canon camera for awhile after using the Nikon, I will simply state that I am a full=fledged Canon enthusiast.

Reasons I like it (and why I think it is better than my Nikon Coolpix P90):
* Better (and more natural) clarity and color
* When using auto-focus, I find the pictures quite Good!
* The telephoto can be used in all lighting environments (even if it is grainy at high ISOs)
* The macro feature is really tremendous
* Stunned by how good the NTSC 640 x 480 video and sound is (just wish it was HD)
* Slightly more intuitive menus and functionality
* Better flexibility with LCD screen (though the Nikon is a nicer screen)
* Much fewer blurry pictures in various manual modes and/or auto modes
* Image stability function is better on this camera

This is one person's impression. Is it a perfect camera? No, but I truly believe that the Canon PowerShot SX10IS is a truly GREAT camera for new or experienced photographers, who want good flexibility, convenience, and excellent image results.

When it gets RAW capability and true HD video (1080p) then it will be perfect (for me) and called the "Canon PowerShot SX30IS", or the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS minus $100.

I have bought pocket size as well as 35-mm based digital cameras through the years. After a friend bought the Canon Powershot SX1 and was raving, as well as showing some fantastic prints she had created, I did my own research and determined the few features that were different between the SX1 and the SX10 were minute and not anything I would need for almost $200.00 difference in price. Also some of the reviews had the SX10 having less noise or graininess in the zoom shots. So, after much debate, I bought the SX10.
I am so pleased with my decision. So far, I have only just "played" around with it, but I have taken shots in low-light, bright light and distance and each one has all the quality I could ask for.
After going on vacation in July, and forgetting my Sony's battery charger (and spending quite a bit of time locating a replacement charger - finally found at a Radio Shack), it is nice having a camera that takes AA batteries. Available everywhere!
I have only just begun to examine all the features, but the real test is coming -- in December we're going to DisneyWorld! Unless you have some extreme need for the high quality video feature (I buy cameras for photos, not video) this is the best buy.