Canon PowerShot SX200 IS Digital Camera - Black (12.1 MP, 12x Optical Zoom) 3.0 inch LCD

Canon has managed the tradeoffs between form and function well in this camera. There are some small things I would have done differently, (zoom control and flash) but I can live with them the way they are.
On the plus side:
Firstly, one has to comment on the massive optical zoom in this tiny body - 12x optical in a compact of these dimensions is a rare achievement. Most compacts are in (or below) the 5x range, so this is something special. The zoom has wonderful reach and the Image Stabiliser handles most camera shake well, even at long zooms. The build quality overall seems solid and what you'd expect from Canon.
At 12.1 Mpix, you can print photos the size of bath towels and have them look sharp, so there is more than ample MP for most uses.
Another seller for me is the inclusion of HD video, something Canon was slower than the competition to put into their cameras, but great that they've done it now. One thing to note - you can't use the optical zoom in video mode - only digital. This is great because zooming is completely silent, but not-so-great because you only get 4x zoom, so be sure to adjust your optical zoom before you start your video recording. Video quality is good, it uses loads of storage space though, so get a huge SD card (or 2) when you buy this camera. Oh, and make it a fast card too, an Extreme III for example - it makes a big difference to overall camera performance.
Lastly, there is no optical viewfinder, but the large LCD screen makes up for it, and does well even in bright light.
Otherwise, the camera is typical Canon, menu structure and controls are well laid out, the scrolling wheel is new, and helps to navigate menus and options, I still prefer the good old directional click, which is still available, but I can see the scroll-wheel being important for some people. Face recognition is nice to have, and works well. There is no RAW recording capability here, but I see that canon has released RAW for some other cameras in the SX series, so, who knows, maybe in a future software release. I've been able to achieve some nice effects with the camera, the images are sharp, sometimes a little too saturated, and it delivers decent bokeh, mainly due to its zoom ability - the lens is not an especially fast one (f/3.4 - f/5.3), but then again, that is not to be expected in this class of camera, and it's fast enough, even for most low light conditions.
On the negative side:
I don't like the flash implementation in this camera - well, specifically the way you can't control the flash pop-up. When you switch on the camera, the flash comes up and that's it - there's nothing you can do about it. I hold it down to keep it out of the way. There are rumours that Canon will fix this in a firmware update, and I hope they do, it's a significant design fault in my view. Also, on occasions where the camera is in use and the flash takes a bump - I can see it snapping off, or getting damaged - it's not especially sturdy, and I take good care not to damage it. (all the more reason to have it only show up on command)
The other niggly thing is the grip on the zoom control - I find it hard to get hold of, especially when I need to make fine adjustments to zoom length, this is a minor gripe, but adds a lot to the usability of the camera. I would like to see the zoom grip more prominent on the camera - there is space for it in the form factor and within the design too.
Overall - a lovely camera, powerful, functional, long battery life and should do well in most circumstances. Delivers good quality images, HD video and new features like face recognition and some others not mentioned here do a good job. If a versatile compact is what you're after (and that zoom!!) and you can live with an unruly flash and fiddly zoom grip, I would strongly recommend this camera.

I bought this camera as a replacement for my Canon Powershot A720 because I wanted a compact that had support for HD video but kept the same features. Originally I had my eye on the Panasonic Lumix TZ7 but it lacked manual controls for low light conditions - Something that auto mode usually fails at when flash isn't used so, I decided on this camera in the end.

PROS

+ World time setting allows you to set time easily when travelling.
+ Wide angle 28mm to fit more scenery into landscape shots.
+ "Auto" adjusts lens very quickly including to macro setting.
+ Large 3.0" LCD screen previews up to 100 photos at once.
+ "i-Contrast" for slightly more dynamic range.
+ Fairly good 720p HD movie support.
+ AV, 720p and 1080i HDMI TV output.
+ Full manual controls.
+ 1cm "Super Macro".

Powering up the camera for the first time, you're asked to set the time and date. Interestingly enough, this camera has dual time support and I think this is a great little feature for those who love to travel and don't want to spend time adjusting it in every country.

The large wide angle 28mm lens manages to squeeze in more scenery than the common 35mm most compact cameras come with. Shots taken at 12x zoom are also very sharp and the two stops on the zoom dial makes it very easy to zoom in on subjects slowly or quickly.

The quality of the 720p HD Ready videos are stored in H264 Quicktime MOV format and don't look too bad on a Full 1080p HDTV. Details are a little bit blurred but clear enough that it won't bother you too much so long as you don't pay attention to textures. The mono sound mic doesn't seem to have any filter to block out the camera's mechanical hum or to minimise the sound of the wind blowing over it unfortunately.

Of course, other movie modes are available such as standard definition 4:3 640x480 MJPEG, AVI format.

The CCD sensor itself is nothing special at the small size of 1/2.3" which is very common with compact cameras but there is an "i-Contrast" feature that helps to artificially increase the dynamic range (range of lighting between dark and light areas) just a little bit more - Nothing that can't be done yourself in Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop. Unlike the Noise Reduction feature, this can be toggled on or off.

If you don't have access to a PC and browsing through the photos on your camera is the only option to view them, you'll find you can do this easily thanks to the big 3.0" screen. Up to 100 photos can be previewed at once so navigating to the one you want is quick and easy.

CONS

- The pop out flash.
- Photos seem to be softened with the noise reduction algorithm.
- No way to disable or adjust the NR feature.
- Doesn't include a mini HDMI cable.
- Cover to mini USB and mini HDMI interface quite hard to open.
- Second dial isn't very well utilised.
- Can't zoom during video recording and only mono sound.
- Stuck with Canon's short lived Li-Ion battery pack.

One persistent annoyance is the pop up flash light that is located at the top-left of the camera where your fingers would usually be to steady the camera. Many times you will find yourself preventing the light from sliding in and out of the camera when turning it on or off. It also leaves you with less finger room to hold the camera.

It wouldn't be so bad if the flash light didn't pop out when you didn't need it but it does anyway. At the time of writing, there is no way to disable it. To be fair however, you do eventually learn how to hold it to avoid blocking the flash light though.

Moving on, the SX200 has the addition of a second dial that the older A720 doesn't have. It helps to minimise the time spent pressing buttons and navigating menus but, I feel it can be put to better use. For example, it lets you flip through single photos but the circular buttons the dial encompasses already lets you do that so why have the dial perform the same functions?

For those of you who want to use this camera for video, you'll want to note you can't zoom while recording. You will have to adjust the zoom before recording.

On the bright side, you can record as long as your card has room (or anything up to 1 hour) while most compact cameras including the Panasonic Lumix TZ7 at the time of writing only have a small 10 - 15 minute restriction (Youtube's limit) for HD movies.

Photos seem to be a bit too much on the soft side when viewing them at 100%. Reducing the photo resolutions so that there is less lossy JPG compression doesn't seem to help so I am putting it down to the Noise Reduction feature which is used to minimise the graininess in photos. Digital cameras handle noise differently by making post adjustments after a photo has been taken and in this case, I think Canon decided to use some sort of blur algorithm to get rid of the noise. It's a pity I can't confirm this because there is no way to adjust the strength of the NR feature.

Furthermore, the camera doesn't hesitate to shoot at 800 ISO when in Auto mode to minimise "camera shake" and I'm sure that as all photographers know, anything above 400 ISO creates some grainy photos - Especially in low lighting. The only way round this is to select one of the manual modes or one of the other more suitable auto modes when shooting.

Also, while this camera does have support for HDMI output to view them in their glory on your modern HDTV, you will have to look around for a mini HDMI cable which isn't included.

The shiny plastic cover that covers the mini USB and mini HDMI port is quite hard to open compared to the rubber cover the A720 has. This meant I have resorted to a dedicated card reader when transferring photos off the memory card.

Last but not least is the battery power. You will be stuck with Canon's battery packs and the 1120mAh Li-Ion here doesn't quite last that long offering only 9 minutes of HD video and 154 shots - Without flash too! For comparison's sake, the A720 provided close to 500 equivalent shots on rechargeable 2700mAh AA batteries. Best to recharge the battery before you go out.

CONCLUSION

If manual controls doesn't mean anything to you and you want a compact camera that will allow you to adjust the zoom while recording HD videos, perhaps going for something else such as the Panasonic TZ7 that also offers better stereo sound instead of mono, might be a better option.

If not then, this Canon Powershot SX200 offers sharp 12x zoom photos and manual controls that keen photographers won't want to lose. Even though the camera itself may have quite a number of short comings, most can be fixed with a future firmware update.

Before I brought the Canon PowerShot XS200 IS I did a lot of research and comparative evaluation against other models and makes. I also had them all in the hand to see how they felt - I had read a few unfavourable reports about the automatic pop-up flash on the Canon. I found within a few days you don't even notice it popping up; it certainly doesn't affect holding or shooting.

The Canon claims to be an all singing and dancing camera with both a generous wide-angle and powerful 300mm zoom lens. I was skeptical about the effectiveness of the zoom on full length, but my fears were unfounded, the camera gives great detail at full optical zoom producing crisp and well exposed images, even in low light.

Not only are the photo images excellent from this camera - but the HD Video is also fantastic quality.

There were essentially two features which for me gave Canon the distinct advantage over its competitors; they are - the vast choice of settings within the camera features - I am still finding more as I explore - and the additional choice of camera settings, such as those found on DLRS. These, include, shutter priority, aperture priority, full manual, program, etc... so for someone like me who typically shoots DLSR on a semi-pro basis, these features will be familiar to you, and will give you far more control of your images than any of the rivals out there.

All in all this camera does far more than it says on the tin....I would heartily recommend this camera with no reservations - but if like me you are extremely snap-happy you may want to consider an additional battery.