A lot of digital cameras seem to suffer from the Goldilocks Syndrome: this one's big and too pricey; that one's small and doesn't have enough features; but nothing out there is just right. One camera that seems to be making a bid for the "just right" slot is the 14MP, 14x optical zoom Canon PowerShot SX210 IS. Indeed, the Canon SX210 digital camera hits so many sweet spots for consumers: it's small enough to take on a trip, has a long zoom with optical image stabilization and retails for under $400, it makes you wonder what Canon left out. In terms of design and image quality, not much: this is a great little camera that's the perfect traveling companion for any family vacation.
Look and Feel. Available in three different colors -- our test model was classic black with silver trim -- the Canon SX210 could easily be mistaken for a "style" camera but it has more horsepower than that. With dimensions of 4.2 x 2.3 x 1.3 inches (106 x 59 x 32mm) and a weight of 7.5 ounces (212 grams) with the battery and card, the Canon SX210 is easily small and light enough to fit in a small bag or a coat pocket. The camera's rectangle shape with smooth, rounded edges is also ergonomically pleasing, though its protruding lens housing might get snagged when trying to retrieve it from a pocket or bag. I particularly liked the shallow trough on the top and sides of the Canon SX210 which allowed for a firm grip on the camera.
Though it looks and feels solid, the camera is made of polycarbonate and aluminum, and is comfortable to hold and shoot with even if some of the camera's controls -- such as the zoom toggle -- are a bit small for my large hands. The round, metallic shutter button is a nice size for a camera this compact, though, and when you power on the Canon SX210, it feels ready to take pictures.
Speaking of powering on the Canon SX210, once the camera is engaged it loses it compactness, as the 14x zoom telescopes out. (Not surprising.) Depending on where you place your left finger, you may also feel the flash trying to pop up. Putting a little pressure on it will keep it down which is a big change from the previous model which always extended the flash when it was powered on, even when you didn't want it. One other thing you might notice about the Canon SX210 is its recessed stereo microphone on top for recording sound with movies.
Controls. As mentioned in the previous section, the controls, particularly the zoom toggle on top, are a bit small for people with large hands and fingers, but it turns out they're not difficult to adjust. Hitting the tiny recessed power button on top will extend the 14x zoom and trigger the pop-up flash if you need it. (Otherwise just press the small flash back down.) Moving the Canon SX210's little zoom toggle on top to the right zooms in on your subject while moving it to the left zooms out.
The knurled mode dial on the top right rear of the Canon SX210 is easy to reach with your thumb, though changing settings on it takes some force. A tight mode dial that locks in settings is preferable to a loose one which can be accidentally switched, especially when it lies under the thumb; it might have been made a little looser, but it's a minor point.
Conversely, switching between shooting photos and HD video on the Canon SX210 is a very fluid process thanks to the dedicated Movie button on back of the camera, which is identified with a red dot. Pressing the button almost immediately starts the video mode with the LCD screen switching from 4:3 to widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. This came in handy while photographing a concert as I was easily able to begin shooting a movie clip when the singer performed one of my favorite songs.
Pressing the Playback button to the right of the movie button calls up images or videos on the nice, large 3-inch screen. With 230,000 dots of resolution, image/video playback looks crisp on the LCD. To zero in on close-up detail of a shot, use the zoom toggle during image playback. Below the Playback button is a small Command dial which controls some settings and lets you scroll through images. In the center of the dial is a Function/Set button which calls up the function menu overlay on the left side of the LCD during shooting or playback. Below the command dial are a Display button for changing data read-out on the screen and a Menu button for calling up menus.
Lens. The lens on the Canon SX210 cranks the zoom even further than its predecessor, moving up from a 12x to an extremely versatile 14x optical zoom. That's impressive for a camera this small, offering the equivalent of 28mm to 392mm on a 35mm camera. (There's also an additional 4x of digital zoom, but we avoided using it because it degrades picture quality.) The lens aperture ranges from f/3.1 to f/5.9 which, as expected, moves to the smaller apertures (higher f/stop numbers) as you zoom. The result is slightly darker zoomed shots, but that's the price you pay in a camera this small with such a long focal range.
Overall, though, the lens produced excellent image quality with impressive sharpness in good light. If there were some softness in the corners of images -- both at wide-angle and telephoto -- it wasn't any more pronounced than you'd find with other compact cameras with shorter zooms. Even better, the camera's image stabilizer was very effective in maintaining sharpness when racked all the way out to 14x. Birders and nature lovers will find this camera more than adequate for getting decent shots of wildlife. (We got some nice shots of a shy robin hidden in the overhanging branches of a tree.) At the same time, the 28mm wide end of the lens is great for landscape photos or family portraits.
Where the lens falters slightly was in Macro shots. As was the case with the previous model, while close-ups of flowers and other plant-life looked sharp on the camera's LCD, when reviewed full screen on a computer monitor they were disappointingly soft. So while this may not be the ideal close-up lens, it succeeds it so many other ways with rich detail, accurate color and impressive sharpness, it's hard to knock it.
Modes. Canon doesn't skimp on the mode options for the SX210 IS, offering a slew of presets for beginners and enough manual settings to keep more experienced photographers happy. The main settings are available via the mode dial on the rear of the camera and include such standard options as Easy, Auto, Program, and the more popular presets such as Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, and a setting that optimizes the camera for Indoor shooting.
You can dig a little deeper by turning to SCN on the dial, which accesses the Special Scene modes including Low Light (max 6,400 ISO at 3.5 megapixel resolution), Beach, Foliage, Snow, and Fireworks. Even more unique is the Smart Shutter mode which gives you the Face, Smile, and Wink self-timer options. And if you really want to try something fun, there's a Fish-eye setting and a Miniature mode which mimics the effect of a Tilt-Shift lens on digital SLR.
While the Fish-eye worked well in creating fun, distorted close-up shots, we had less success with the Miniature mode, which deliberately blurs the edges of an image to create a very narrow plane of focus. As with true Tilt-Shift lenses, if you really want to produce the "toy" or "miniature" look with this mode, shoot down on a scene from above, preferably something with people or vehicles in it to "miniaturize." More seasoned photographers will appreciate that Canon's kept the Aperture Priority (AV), Shutter Priority (TV), and Manual (M) options on the Canon SX210's mode dial as well.
Menu. Canon doesn't take too many liberties with the menu options on the SX210 IS and even first-time users should be able to figure out the settings relatively quickly. In shooting mode, hitting the menu button calls up a two-tab layout with photography settings under the camera icon, and internal adjustments under the wrench/hammer icon. Under the shooting settings tab, you're given the option of adjusting the Continuous AF; AF-assist Beam, Safety MF, Flash Settings, Image Review duration, Review Info, and Display Overlay, among others. Scroll further down and you can adjust the IS (Image Stabilizer) mode, Date Stamp and assign custom settings for the Movie button. (Note that the menu appears in a wider format on the camera than it does in our animation.)
In the Playback mode, there are basic options to run a slideshow of your images, erase, protect, rotate or pick favorites. You can also do some basic image editing right in the camera including auto contrast adjustment, red-eye correction, trimming and resizing. The Playback menu offers a tab for basic printing options for your images directly from the camera. Under the wrench/hammer icon in playback mode, you can adjust some camera operations including turning on or off sound and adjusting sound options; turning on or off "hints & tips"; formatting your memory card; lens retract time; power saving modes; time zone adjustment; date and time setting, language selection, and other settings.
The Function menu lives under the Func/Set button. It's a modified version of the old Function menu that was a whole lot easier to use. This one looks more slick, but is a little more difficult to use. Menus roll like a slot machine wheel, and once you've found the item you want to adjust, you have to toggle right on the Multicontroller to select the next wheel to make your selection there. Not ideal. The Multi-controller itself has no silkscreened icons on or around it, but it still serves to access Focus, Exposure compensation, Flash mode, and Self-timer options. Just press lightly on the Multi-controller and an icon appears onscreen representing the dial. Not a bad idea for a camera which little room thanks to the very wide screen.
Storage and Battery. The Canon SX210 IS takes a standard SD memory card (2GB or less) which is loaded next to the battery in a slot on the bottom of the camera. The slot is covered by a locking, slide-out plastic door. The camera is also compatible with SDHC memory cards (more than 2GB, up to and including 32GB), SDXC memory card (more than 32GB) and Eye-Fi wireless transfer cards. When shooting at the 14-megapixel, Large (4,320 x 3,240) setting, a 4GB memory card in the SX210 IS can record up to 1,058 JPEG images. (There is no RAW setting.) A 16GB memory card can record up to 4,334 Large JPEGs.
The Canon SX210 uses a proprietary NB-5L Lithium-ion rechargeable battery with a CIPA rating of 260 shots per charge. The battery is stored in a slot on the bottom of the Canon SX210 next to the memory card.
