When I did my recent review of 3 NextGen Compact Cameras I could not help wondering where were Canon and Nikon. Well Canon has answered in no uncertain terms with its new Powershot line up. The top of the line Powershot SX210 IS is particularly impressive staking NextGen highs for MPixels and optical zoom:
Canon Powershot SX210 IS – $350, 14MPixel, 14x zoom, 217 grams with battery and SD card
These are top of the line basic specs just under Samsung’s 15x zoom and leading all the NextGen compact cameras for megaPixels captured at 14.5. But Canon has packed a lot of other features into this slim and light compact. The Powershot delivers 720P video and bevy of camera shooting controls including manual, shutter priority and aperture priority.
In addition , the camera provides ISO 80 to 1600 settings, 4 automated focus methods, plus White Balance Color Control of high value. Like the other NextGen cameras the Powershot takes advantage of its on board image chip to provide Smart Shutter capabilities which include Smile, Wink Self-timer, Face Detection,Self-timer, Low Light, Color Accent, Color Swap, Fisheye Effect, Miniature Effect, Beach, Foliage, Snow, Fireworks, Stitch Assist. Lets examine just three of these.
How many times have you gone to the beach and found the shots not just a bit overexposed and/or color shifted on a perfectly sunny day. This is because of the glare caused by diffuse light reflections off the sand. Beach Smart Shutter corrects for these exposure shifts. But in dark lighting conditions, the camera has a Low Light mode that allows taking low-noise and sharper images. Finally, the camera supplies a circular Fisheye mode which adds fun and utility to cramped shots – where you want to catch the full spectrum of what is happening.
The Powershot has some nifty extras as well – a macro mode allowing images within 5cm about 2 inches to be taken – coupled with the 28mm wide angle or Fisheye mode – this makes for some creative macro image taking opportunities. In a similar fashion, the movie mode allows recording 1280 x 720p movies with stereo sounds with HDMI output so you can show on TV or You Tube your movie productions. In sum, the Canon Powershot, also available in mid-March, goes onto my list of now 4 NextGen Compact Cameras to try out this Spring.