Canon PowerShot SX210 IS review

Superzoom qualities in a Canon compact

Bearing similar resemblance to its predecessors, the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS doesn’t appear as being particularly exciting. The design of the body is mundane and apart from the 14x zoom which is an excellent attribute, the specs reflect those of other high-end compacts on the market. However, this lack of obvious features doesn’t make the Canon SX210 IS a bad camera, as after using it for one day, your opinion will have drastically changed. 

The remarkable factor about the Canon SX210 IS is that it has something for everybody. For the novice photographer who requires a point-and-shoot compact, the Auto mode is extremely efficient and the majority of time produced great results selecting appropriate shooting modes. For the advanced photographer, full manual controls have been conveniently situated on the back panel in dial form. The aperture range is slightly disappointing and only varies from f3.1-f8, however everything else seems up to scratch. The ISO and white balance are all fully adjustable and obtainable at the touch of a button, meaning full control can be applied to each shot. For the more advanced photographer it would have been good to see RAW-format capabilities like some of the other Canon compacts, though this would have increased the price. 

Supporting a 14-megapixel sensor, which is large for a model of this calibre, the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS manages to produce some excellent images. Although results were to a high standard, occasionally the camera could not handle bright contrast surroundings and highlight blowouts were noticeable. While the 14MP file sizes are large to store, ultimately the PowerShot SX210 IS does produce good images. Across the spectrum colours are close to accurate – in some a slight saturation is noticeable, although not to any major degree. Noise levels only become an issue at ISO 800, and the flexibility of the Manual mode means images can be captured in many tricky lighting conditions. 

To power the SX210 IS, the On/Off button is situated on the top panel. The flash automatically pops up when the camera is switched on, which is rather irritating as it is not always needed, however a finger can be placed overhead to ensure it remains disengaged. 

Features-wise, this model has many hidden fun extras including a Monochrome mode, which can manually select one colour to be present in a black-and-white image. Other impressive features are the extendable 14x optical zoom teamed with the 28mm wide-angle lens. Image stabilisation technology has also been incorporated, meaning the SX210 IS is capable of achieving steady shots at full zoom. 

Canon compacts are renowned for being expensive, and this particular model is no exception. At £359 it is closer to the price of a budget-end DSLR. While a DSLR is tempting, not everyone will find this style of camera convenient and many forget the additional costs of extra lenses, etc. Also, after searching online, most companies sell the SX210 IS at a lower price of £280. This is still high for a compact model, though the quality of this camera needs to be taken into account. The SX210 IS is also likely to last much longer than some of its major rivals in the market, due to its solid build.  

The Canon PowerShot ?SX210 IS is a great compact camera that takes excellent images, while still being easy to use. There are plenty of exciting features on board, even if some are not so obvious to immediately source. For anyone, professional or novice, requiring a solid compact camera that performs at a good level all round, the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS will ?not disappoint.