Canon PowerShot SX1 IS user reviews

seamus 25 May 2009

Good: Video, particularly sound quality

Bad: Quality of photos

Comment: Waited some time for a hybrid camera of this spec. Canon got everything right except the quality of the photos. I only had use of camera for 5 days, returned for faulty lens. The video is exceptional and on a par with most non HD camcorders. The stereo mics do work well particularly in reducing wind noise when using in open landscape. The focusing in video mode is also very good with no discernable noise when zooming which is also very smooth and holds focus better it seems than cameras such as TZ7. The killers for photographic quality are noise and CA. The quality is slightly better in RAW mode. Colour rendition is very good reporting an accurate spectrum in dull conditions but saturation levels in good lighting conditions can be poor, showing processing when viewed at even 50%, blacks are also poor when using flash. Handles red eye particularly well with no problems in any photos taken. Quality of photographs are clearly better in bright sunny conditions with less obvious noise in shadow areas. A Canon fan for 30 years but comparing the results from the SX1 against my PRO 1 (8 Mega Pixel launched in 2005) the PRO 1 quality is superior in every respect. Also compared SX1 against Canon 720 IS and preferred the results from the 720. SX1 promises much but I feel fails to deliver on the quality of photos it produces. Too many will require excessive editing if you want prints larger than 10X8.