Canon PowerShot SX20 IS (Digital Compact Cameras)

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Canon PowerShot SX20 IS
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from £164.80

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Product Age Average review date: 17-02-2010

Rank 144 

alaScore 87

87100

1111 reviews

May, 2012

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Expert Reviews (59)

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User Reviews (1052)

Canon Powershot SX20 IS

By marc (reevoo.com) Read the full review

easy to use.stylist,eye catching,lovely camera

none

Apr, 2010 2010-04-24   4.5

Canon Powershot SX20 IS

By melanie (reevoo.com) Read the full review

easy to handle and good features

does not indicate the amount of betray left

Mar, 2010 2010-03-24   4.5

Canon Powershot SX20 IS

By Confirmed purchaser (reevoo.com) Read the full review

Well built camera from a well known brand

None

Jan, 2010 2010-01-24   4

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Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

By cameralabs.com          See video

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS intro

Oct, 2009

00:42

YouTube - Canon PowerShot SX20 IS - Video Session 4

By youtube.com          See video

Canon SX20 IS Video

00:28

YouTube - Canon PowerShot SX20 IS - Video Session 2

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Canon SX20 IS Video

Manufacturer's Description

With a 20x wide-angle zoom, the 12.1-megapixel PowerShot SX20 IS offers intelligent, versatile shooting power. Switch to Smart Auto mode for effortlessly great results, or shoot stunning HD movies.

More product specifications
Showing 1 - 10 of 26 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (33)

Review summary for the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

By (alaTest Reviews)

alaTest has collected and analysed 1111 reviews from magazines and websites. People are impressed by the image quality. The zoom also gets good ratings, whereas ratings about the flash and contrast are different. Many are negative about the features and shutter.

We analysed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Digital Compact Cameras the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 87/100 = Very good quality.

May, 2012 2012-05-16 alaScore 87 4.4

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Canon PowerShot SX20 IS review

By (expertreviews.co.uk)

This bulbous ultra-zoom camera looks and feels like a serious piece of kit. There's an accessory shoe with E-TTL support for automatic exposures using Canon flashguns. The hinged screen helps when shooting at awkward angles and flips right around for...

A classy camera that puts in a solid performance, but lacks the stand-out features to push it into the lead

Its 2.5in diagonal is on the small side, but the electronic viewfinder (EVF) is much bigger than other cameras’ EVFs.

Jun, 2010 2010-06-08   4

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Canon PowerShot SX20 IS review

By Lori Grunin (cnet.co.uk)

The Canon PowerShot SX20 IS is a solid superzoom for the money, but it's slower than its predecessor in some respects, and its picture quality doesn't stand out from the pack

Solid battery life ; Articulating LCD ; Comfortable shooting design ; Can zoom during movie capture ; Hot shoe ; Exceptionally close macro focus

Slower than its predecessor ; No raw support ; Images are soft and noisy as low as ISO 80

The SX20's photos aren't bad, but they no longer stand out from the rest of the pack. Even photos shot at ISO 80 look soft and noisy, except when viewed scaled-down -- it looks like the poor detail resolution typical of point-and-shoot cameras, since...

While the exposure and colour look very good, the slow lens can get frustrating when shooting at the telephoto end, because there never seems to be enough light. The HD movies look relatively good, although, like the stills, they're soft, and the...

Jan, 2010 2010-01-06   3.7

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Canon PowerShot SX20 IS review

By Elias Plastiras (pcadvisor.co.uk)

It's easy to not get excited at the prospect of reviewing yet another advanced compact digital camera, but as soon as we switched on the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS, we had a hunch that this digital camera would be fun to use. And we were right!

If you want an advanced compact camera that can do just about anything then the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS digital camera is the one to shortlist! It's great for macros. it takes excellent night time photography, it has a huge zoom and built-in optical...

Sep, 2009 2009-09-21   4.5

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Canon PowerShot SX20IS

By Elias Plastiras (pcworld.in)

This new Canon PowerShot has a huge 20x zoom and offers excellent low-light shooting

20x zoom ; f/2.8 aperture ; Excellent low-light performance ; Excellent macro shooting ; Very good video quality, e

Zoom is too jumpy ; Zoom lever too small ; Screen pops out toward the left ; Some chromatic aberration and lens distortion

If you want an advanced compact camera that can do just about anything then the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS digital camera is the one to shortlist!

  4.3

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Canon PowerShot SX20 IS review

By Lori Grunin (asia.cnet.com)

This megazoom retains its predecessor's useful features but the picture quality can be improved.

Solid battery life; articulating LCD; comfortable shooting design; can zoom during movie capture; hot shoe; exceptionally close macro focus

Slower than its predecessor overall; no raw support; images soft and noisy as low as ISO 80

The Canon PowerShot SX20 IS is a solid, but not standout, megazoom option for the money.

Dec, 2009 2009-12-24   3.7

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Canon Powershot SX20 IS

By Debbi Allen (digicambuyer.co.uk)

20x zoom, vari-LCD and much more…

Packed full of features, there's something for everyone onboard, although the price might be high these arguably justify it

Jul, 2010 2010-07-18   4

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Canon Powershot SX20 IS

By (gadgetheaven.co.uk)

The Canon Powershot SX 20 IS falls in the line of optical products. This is the latest camera off the predecessor of the SX series. The camera packs within itself, a superior 12.1 megapixel lenses, a 720 pixel High definition video capability, as well...

The camera moreover has a smooth plastic finish that adds to its appeal and beauty. The various external buttons have further improved the camera through enabling technical functions such as ISO sensitivity, white balancing, as well as various shooting...

It is compatible with the very latest technology. A closer analysis of the canon Powershot SX 20 IS showcases a two and a half inch monitor that not only rotates but also brings forth camera controls in full auto and manual modes of shooting. The...

Apr, 2010 2010-04-17   3

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Canon Powershot SX20 IS

By (cameras.co.uk)

This is one of the most fully featured super zoom cameras. Picture quality is up there with the best. You also get the bonus of High Definition movies. The lens offers wide angle as well as the more obviously super telephoto qualities. This is a very...

Picture quality - range of features

Fringing issues could be a problem with large prints

The Canon Powershot SX20 IS has plenty of features for the most demanding hobby photographer. It can take very crisp photos and should be on the shortlist if you are looking for a super zoom digital camera.

Dec, 2009 2009-12-20   4.2

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Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

By Hitesh Raj Bhagat (ld2.ciol.com)

Canon's latest salvo in the superzoom category packs in a 12.1MP sensor, 20x optical zoom and 720p HD video recording

Great lens ; 720p HD video

Poor low light performance

Dec, 2009 2009-12-08 No rating -0.1

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Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

By Nilofar Hadjanadjiboudine / Renaud Labracherie (digitalversus.com)

To take on the Panasonic FZ38, Canon has included a new Smart Auto mode on this bridge camera, a clone of the intelligentAuto feature offered by Panasonic on its most recent cameras. The SX20 IS analyses your photos (contrast, brightness, presence and...

720 HD video with zoom and stereo sound ; 20x optically stabilised zoom with 0 cm macro mode ; LCD screen rotates ; Image quality up to 400 ISO ; HDMI video output

Burst mode at 1.2 fps ; Lens does not admit much light in telephoto mode (f/5.7) ; Noise management can be improved above 400 ISO ; Cannot save photos as RAW ; Not a single byte of internal memory for saving photos

The SX20 IS is very small evolution of the SX10 IS, but the appearance of 720 HD video (including zoom and stereo sound) is very welcome, and makes this camera a direct rival to the Panasonic FZ38.

It's nothing revolutionary--most manufacturers already provide something similar--but it's a useful piece of technology that makes it even easier to get to grips with your camera.

Sep, 2009 2009-09-01   4

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Showing 1 - 10 of 22 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (21)
Review this product! Write a review

alaTest has collected and analysed 79 user reviews of the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS from amazon.co.uk. The user reviews were collected from Oct, 2001 to Dec, 2011. The average user rating from amazon.co.uk is 89 out of 100.

  75 Users positive 4 Users negative

More reviews from amazon.co.uk

alaTest has collected and analysed 6 user reviews of the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS from reevoo.com. The user reviews were collected from Oct, 2009 to Apr, 2010. The average user rating from reevoo.com is 93 out of 100.

Quotes

Canon Powershot SX20 IS

easy to use.stylist,eye catching,lovely camera none

Canon Powershot SX20 IS

easy to handle and good features does not indicate the amount of betray left

Canon Powershot SX20 IS

Well built camera from a well known brand None

Canon Powershot SX20 IS

I always buy canon, and i find the sx20 is just another good camera from canon ; i would recommend it,so easy to get used to. very good price Reviewer

  6 Users positive

More reviews from reevoo.com

alaTest has collected and analysed 36 user reviews of the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS from cnet.com. The user reviews were collected from Sep, 2009 to Nov, 2010. The average user rating from cnet.com is 76 out of 100.

Quotes

Amazing Camera

Overall it is a fantastic superzoom camera, very pleased with purchase. The picture quality needs some work but for the money it is great. Oh and if y

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

i am a fan of canon and i bought this camera and now sell it only because it has everything i expect but not image quality. body grip is almost perfa

good mega zoom camera with bad image quality from canon

i am a fan of canon and i bought this camera and now sell it only because it has everything i expect but not image quality. body grip is almost perfa

A fantastic camera"

When it came time for a new digital camera I ...  Picture Quality, The LCD, The lens, Automatic and Program modes The built-in flash is ok, I bought

  26 Users positive 10 Users negative

More reviews from cnet.com

alaTest has collected and analysed 22 user reviews of the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS from dpreview.com. The user reviews were collected from Oct, 2009 to Apr, 2010. The average user rating from dpreview.com is 80 out of 100.

Quotes

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

I owned a Canon 300d which I used for many weddings at the time, Fuji S7000, Sony F828(the best for me, still have it) and allot of others. I am fairl

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Good camera at all, but there is problem, bad image quality, too bad. Zoom motor of the lens making a noise, when I zoom in or out, specially when I

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

This is the worst camera I've ever had I changed it with a Fuji S 200 EXR and am quite pleased with. S200EXR excels SX 20 IS in almost every aspect.

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Excellent! Great value for the money ease of use great. I have been a photographer for over 40yrs and this is the top 5 regardless of COST. Good job C

  21 Users positive 1 Users negative

More reviews from dpreview.com

alaTest has collected and analysed 3 user reviews of the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS from pcworld.com. The user reviews were collected from Dec, 2009 to May, 2010. The average user rating from pcworld.com is 73 out of 100.

Quotes

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Missed a bunch of school reunion pics today because of no paper manual. I couldn't figure out how to get the flash to work. For 20 years, through seve

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

My main beef is with Canon themselves. Nowhere on the box or literature did it mention that it had no internal memory so imagine getting it home and I

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

A fine camera that can take a user from novice to just sub-DSLR levels of sophistication. The slow lens will surprise users, requiring higher ISO or

  3 Users positive

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alaTest has collected and analyzed 1 user review of the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS from cnet.com.au. This user review was collected in 2009-11-26, with a rating of 80 out of 100.

Quotes

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

I got this camera few days ago and i am still amazed by features and excellent zoom capabilities. HD movies are just amazing,and you can use 20X zoom

  1 Users positive

More reviews from cnet.com.au

alaTest has collected and analysed 32 user reviews of the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS from abesofmaine.com. The user reviews were collected from Oct, 2009 to Mar, 2010. The average user rating from abesofmaine.com is 93 out of 100.

Quotes

Best all around camera to use.

great photos of vacations, family photos & anytime. Good Image Stabilization,Good in Low Light,Great Zoom,Nice Body Color

Beautiful colors and creamy tones

The best thing about this camera is that it doesn't have interchangeable lenses. This limitation means that you don't have to travel with a heavy came

love it

I use this product now for volleyball tournaments. It is not to bulky to handle but has long enough zoom to take some good action shots. I got a nice

Better than expected

Have not been able to use it very much but everything has been relatively simple with good results. I've been especially pleased with the zoom feature

  32 Users positive

More reviews from abesofmaine.com

alaTest has collected and analysed 3 user reviews of the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS from dell.com. The user reviews were collected from Sep, 2009 to Dec, 2009. The average user rating from dell.com is 80 out of 100.

Quotes

after thinking, research, and comparing......sx20

awesome camera.had it for three weeks and took hundreds of pictures, i tried all shooting modes and settings and really enjoyed: 1)color swap! 2)colo

Good camera

Gives you the options to go auto but almost as much control (if you want) of a Digital SLR

Disappointed

Does not compare well with either of my S5IS OR SX10IS. This SX20IS seems to produce one good clear picture out of maybe four. Due to, self searching

  2 Users positive 1 Users negative

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alaTest has collected and analysed 2 user reviews of the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS from jr.com. The user reviews were collected from Jun, 2010 to Jul, 2010. The average user rating from jr.com is 90 out of 100.

Quotes

Super zoom.. Super cool camera..

Nice Camera with super zoom which can zoom with image stabilization.. Takes photos at a great quality.. HD video is at its best.. Good camera for all.

Excellent Camera for Novice Photographer

To Keep it Short n Sweet I would just say Fantastic Camera by Canon... Good Image Stabilization","Good in Low Light","Great Zoom","Nice Body Color","

  2 Users positive

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alaTest has collected and analysed 23 user reviews of the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS from newegg.com. The user reviews were collected from Sep, 2009 to Sep, 2010. The average user rating from newegg.com is 83 out of 100.

Quotes

Great in Broad Daylight

The camera also seemed to set the resolution on it's own. I could not figure that out but even with the lower rez and using a high speed (data transfe

Canon Powershot

I love this camera! Easy to use. Excellent quality pictures None

No completely satisified

It would have been nice for the camera to have had some amount of internal memory. Especially since the camera ships without a SD/SDHC card. As it is,

Camera not for me

If you are looking for a camera that will take very sharp and detailed photos keep looking.If you will be satisfied like my wife just taking snap shot

  19 Users positive 4 Users negative

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Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS: product specifications

Brand

Canon (See all Canon Digital Compact Cameras)

Audio Input
Microphone Operation Mode
Stereo
Microphone Technology
Electret condenser
Type
Microphone
Battery
Battery Form Factor
Standard form factor
Supported Battery Form Factor
AA
Camera Flash
Red Eye Reduction
Built-in
Type
Pop-up flash
Digital Camera
Digital Camera Type
Prosumer
Supported Flash Memory
MultiMediaCard / SD Memory Card / SDHC Memory Card / MultiMediaCardplus/MultiMediaCard / MultiMediaCardplus / SD Memory Card / SDHC Memory Card
Dimensions & Weight
Depth
8.7cm
Height
8.8cm
Weight
0.56kg
Width
12.4cm
Display (Projector)
Diagonal Size
2.5in
Diagonal Size (metric)
6.4cm
Display Form Factor
Rotating
Technology
TFT active matrix
Type
LCD display
Exposure Parameters
Shooting Programs
Aquarium / Beach / Fireworks / Foliage / High sensitivity / Indoor / Kids & pets / Landscape / Night scene / Night snapshot / Portrait mode / Snow / Stitch assist / Sunset/Landscape / Portrait mode / Stitch assist / Fireworks / Night scene / Sunset / Indoor / Foliage / Beach / Kids & pets / Night snapshot / Snow / High sensitivity / Aquarium
Header
Manufacturer
Canon
Model
SX20 IS
Packaged Quantity
1
Product Line
Canon PowerShot
Lens System
Lens Aperture
F/2.8-5.7
Max Focal Length
100mm
Min Focal Length
5mm
Optical Zoom
20
Type
Zoom lens
Miscellaneous
Colour
Black
Optical Sensor
Optical Sensor Size
1/2.3 / 1/2.3"/1/2.3"
Optical Sensor Size (metric)
11 mm ( 1/2.3 ) / 11 mm ( 1/2.3" )/11 mm ( 1/2.3" ) / 11 mm ( 1/2.3 )
Optical Sensor Type
CCD
Sensor Resolution
12.1Megapixel
Optical System
Built-in Optical Image Stabilizer
Built-in / Yes
Image Stabiliser
Optical
Storage Floppy Drive
Type
 None
Video Input
Digital Video Format
H.264
Digital Zoom
4
Face Detection
Built-in / Yes
ISO (Max)
3200
Light Sensitivity
ISO 100 / ISO 800 / ISO 400 / ISO 200 / ISO 1600 / ISO auto / ISO 3200 (2Mpix)/ISO 100 / ISO 1600 / ISO 200 / ISO 3200 (2Mpix) / ISO 400 / ISO 80 / ISO 800 / ISO auto
Shooting Modes
Frame movie mode
Special Effects
Black & White / Sepia / Neutral / Vivid / Custom Effect / Colour Accent / Colour Swap / Lighter Skin Tone / Darker Skin Tone / Vivid Green / Vivid blue / Vivid Red / Positive Film/Black & White / Colour Accent / Colour Swap / Custom Effect / Darker Skin Tone / Lighter Skin Tone / Neutral / Positive Film / Sepia / Vivid / Vivid blue / Vivid Green / Vivid Red
Still Image Format
JPEG
Type
Digital camera
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Colour Support
Colour
Viewfinder Type
Electronic

Manufacturer's Description


With a 20x wide-angle zoom, the 12.1-megapixel PowerShot SX20 IS offers intelligent, versatile shooting power. Switch to Smart Auto mode for effortlessly great results, or shoot stunning HD movies.

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