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.

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.