Upholsterer’s Review Canon Powershot SX20 IS – Updated

I’ve just purchased Canon’s new Powershot SX20 IS. The photo above is the first furniture photographed with the SX20 for my upholstery website. With the wide angle, I was able to capture two matching chairs set quite a ways apart. The camera is kind of a hybrid, in between the pocket point and shoots and a DSLR. For me, there were two main features that caught my attention: HD 1280×720 video and a 28-560mm lens, which means wide angle to 20x optical zoom. I have an older iMac G5 and unfortunately, the HD video will not play from the memory card or from the Desktop. HD video only works with Intel Macs. But I can import the HD video into iMovie and then export it and it will then play on the iMac G5. You can even zoom while using the video and it records audio in stereo. Video and audio quality is very good. The 20x zoom is amazing. The camera calls for a tripod quite often while zooming. If you know your way around shutter speed, aperture and ISO, you can use the cameras manual setting to compensate for a tripod.

Overall I like the camera. The more photos I take, the better I like it. I upgraded from a three year old Canon Powershot SD700 IS. That camera could easily fit in your pocket. The SX20 is quite a bit bigger than the SD700, but smaller than a DSLR. So I’m still trying to get use to the bigger size. I suggest getting either an 8GB or 16GB SDHC memory card. HD video eats up space. So get enough. I also suggest getting four AA NiMH rechargeable batteries. Canon sells the batteries and charger in a CBK4-300 kit. I bought the camera and accessories at a local camera store called Orleans Camera and Video. I can go back and ask a thousand questions if I need to. Canon has packed a ton of features into this $399. camera. To see all the specs, visit the Canon website. Feel free to leave a comment and PLEASE remember, this and all my blogs are copyright protected!

Update
I’m finding that in low light, the SX20 can give you photos that are both noisy and soft. This happens most often when using the auto modes where the ISO is set by the camera at 400 ISO and above. And this happens often. It takes very low light for the flash to fire in most cases and that’s where the ISO seems to be in the 400-800 range. Those pictures lack detail and are noisy. Using the the AV, TV, or manual modes, gives you the ability to keep the ISO below 400 and you can get some nice photos. So be aware of the auto mode and low light situation if you plan on purchasing the SX20. A more professional review about the Canon SX20 IS from photographyblog.com has confirmed my findings.