Canon PowerShot SX100IS 8MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)

This is my first Digital Camera, and I am very happy with it. Ive had it for about 2 months now. It takes extremely sharp detailed pictures, which can easily be cropped and blown up and still retain their quality. The zoom is great, 10x optical and 40x if you add the digital zoom, although i normally wont go past the optical unless there's good lighting. It takes great pictures both indoors and out, but when indoors you will have to use the flash very often, unless the room is well lit.The video quality is not the greatest, but a very nice feature to have. You can zoom optically before you hit record, but can only zoom digitally while recording. The battery life with AA Alkaline batteries is very poor but with NiMH Recharbales it's great. I only get about a half hour of on time and 30 pictures off of one set of Alkaline batteries. Take everyones advice and get 2 sets of NiMH Rechargeable batteries off the bat they work wonders. I get over 200 pictures and several hours of on time from one charge. I bought Sony Quick Battery Charger with 4 AA Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries as a pack and works great. The camera is very self explanatory and easy to use out of the box, and with a little reading the advanced options are easy enough to get the hang of. Some people were saying that when you change memory cards the batteries fall out, but that hasn't been an issue, if u get a large 2G or 4G sd card you wont have to change them very often, and just be careful. The one and only thing i don't like about this camera is the long delay between shots when using the flash. When using the flash it takes 5-8 seconds to recharge before you can take another shot. I don't know how long this recharge period would be on other digital cameras. However its not a very big deal and all of the other great things about this camera make up for it ten fold. A great camera well worth the money.

Bought this because all of the rave reviews I read here about the Canon SX100IS! First the good things: The few pictures that I took looked great and the zoom was wonderful. IS worked like a charm even after I shook the camera on purpose to TRY and create a blurry picture, but couldn't! Now the reasons I returned it: I hated the "wheel" on the back of the camera. While trying to spin it I would always end up clicking it and end-up somewhere else, total design flaw! I hated the feel of it. It felt like cheap plastic and did not feel sturdy in my hands. Always felt like it was slipping out! But the reason I returned it was because of the battery life, or lack there of. I used the batteries that came with it all of about 45 minutes. I then replaced them with re-chargable ones that came with the "accessory pack" ,that I bought from Amazon, and got about 5-6 minutes with those. Put the other set in and only got 2-3 minutes with those! Went and bought a brand new pair of lithium AA's and only got 20-25 minutes with those. WHAT GOOD IS A CAMERA IF YOU CAN'T TAKE PICTURES!!! Unacceptable. I returned to Amazon awaiting my refund! Bottom Line: This camera felt cheap and not sturdy in my hands. Battery life was a joke and not acceptable.

I pre-ordered this camera and paid full price because I couldn't find another camera with a similar features list at this price point. I haven't been disappointed. I've taken it on trips to San Francisco and China and it performed flawlessly. I took about 75 pictures before I had to swap the rechargable batteries I'm using (Energizer sells a nice 120/240V collapsible charger with 4 2300 mAh rechargable AAs for about $15). I haven't used all the features but made good use of the manual mode settings for night photos of the Golden Gate. I had to deal with camera shake at high zoom levels but that is a problem with any lens above 200mm. As expected, digital noise begins to show up at ISO settings above 400. If the lighting is good the processing time is short. However, processing is a bit longer in low light conditions. In general the controls are logically placed, the buttons are not too small, and the menus are easy to follow. I find the scroll dial on the rear a bit clumsy. Occasionally, I push too hard and make a selection by rocking the dial rather than scrolling. I added a SanDisk 2Gig Ultra II memory card with the USB feature and highly recommend it. I was looking for a camera that I could use in Auto when I don't have the time or desire to compose a shot but offered the option of manual controls. I found it. With the features, 8 meg resolution, and 10x optical zoom (36-360mm equivalent) this camera is only one step shy of a DSLR without the bulk.

I have used this camera for one month and will comment on my observations. First the zoom lens is superb. It works smoothly and is easy to operate. I use it all the time. The pictures at full optical zoom (10X) were crisp, detailed and clear. The color was bright, warm and true to life. I found myself saying, "Wow, wow, wow. I can't believe how great these pictures look ". They are superior to the ones I take with my Canon S2 1S. One brght and sunny day, I took some pictures of a near by river and pedestrians who were at least 100 yards away. I used the digital zoom to enlarge the pictures 40X. They were surprisingly good..again couldn't believe it. However, on a gray day this was not the case. The pictures were pixilated and of poor quality. However, the 10X optical zoom pictures were always excellent. The superb image stabilization system contributed greatly to the quality of the zoomed pictures. My Canon Powershot SD 1000 is a wonderful pocket sized camera but at times frustrated me because it only has 3X optical zoom without image stabilization. The macro setting of the SX100 IS is superb and easy to use. The picture quality caused more "Wow, I can't believe how good they are." Some of my most exciting pictures have been in the macro setting. The camera is small enough to fit in my pants pocket albeit with a noticable bulge. I have been carrying it this way for the past month even though I have a carrying case for it. I wanted a camera with a decent zoom lens to carry with me on most days. It works but it is definitely not as portable as the Canon Powershsot SD 1000. I don't mind the increased size because I love the zoom. Thus far the unprotected LCD screen has not been damaged in my pocket. The screen itself is good size, easily cleaned and scratch resistant. The screen in no way reproduces the fine quality of the pictures as seen on a computer or when printed out. The screen has fewer pixels than the SD 1000 screen. This is not a problem for me. There is no viewfinder but the screen works reasonably well for me in bright sunlight. The camera has a solid feel which I like and is relatively easy to hold steady for zoom shots. The battery and SD card cover at first felt a bit fragile but on repeated use it seems to work just fine. The movie function is average at best. The low resolution movie setting takes poor quality movie that are unacceptable to me. At the high resolution setting the movies are o.k. You can zoom during a movie but it goes out of focus. If I want a close up movie shot, I zoom first in the camera mode and then switch to the movie mode and shot the movie. The results are o.k. My Canon S2 1S zooms while shooting a movie which I like. I have not used the manual controls so I can't comment on them. I have use the programed shooting modes for evening and inside shooting etc and they work just fine. This is a great camera albeit not perfect. For me, the picture quality is it's greatest asset. It is a pleasure to give it a 5 star rating.

I have been searching for the perfect camera. Over the past few years, I have purchased digital cameras from manufacturers like Kodak, HP, and Casio. I used each of them a few times and I was never happy with any of them and eventually returned them all. I am a single mother, who does not have thousands to spend on a top notch camera. I purchase the Canon PowerShot SX100IS 8MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom online to make it harder on myself to return the camera if I was not happy with it. LOL. I thought I am just extremely picky, but with those purchases I felt as if I was losing out if I kept any of those cameras. That Friday night, I closed my eyes tightly and click on the final link to make the purchase of the Canon PowerShot SX100IS official and banned myself from going back into the order to cancel it. I was never so nervous about an electronics purchase. Three days later on Monday afternoon, I lifted the cancellation band and decided that I was going to check the order to see if it can be cancelled. Lo and behold, the item had already shipped that Saturday morning and was to be delivered the next day on Tuesday morning. I said to myself, "Rats! It's too late to cancel", but I can always return it if I do not like it. I studied the return policy just in case. However, since I have received the camera, I have taken over 1,300 pics. Yes, that was not a typo, I really do mean over one thousand three hundred pics. The camera is amazing. In all those pics, I would have to say I was not happy maybe 4 of the pics (no fault of the camera, might I add) and deleted them. You guys! Even my 7-yr-old use this camera. Now, I can finally get pics of my son as he grows and make money!!!! Yipee! I realized, in writing this review that I am not that picky, I just want the best that my money can buy and I will not give up until I get it. These days the economy is so bad. When I made this purchase, it was a big deal for me. I needed a camera not just for personal use, but also to start a business. I am tremendously happy with the outcome. Whichever camera you ultimately get, I hope it works great for you. I love to gamble at the casinos, but the one of the things I do not like to gamble with, is my electronics. Let me save you a lot of trouble in your decision-making process. I love this camera and will highly recommend it to you. The pics are crisp and clear not matter where (inside or out) I take the pics. Without a doubt, one of my best electronics purchases!! You'll be happy with it too!!!! I am not employed by Canon nor do I have any affiliations with Canon. Come to think of it, maybe I should send them this review of the camera and ask them for a check. LOL. Bet they would just love that. LOL. The link below is the same camera I purchased: Canon PowerShot SX100IS 8MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver) The link below is a package I wish was available to me at the time of purchase, I would have gotten it. To buy these item 'a la carte' (separately) would simply be outrageous. Canon PowerShot SX100IS 8MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) + Transcend 4GB SecureDigital (SDHC) Memory Card + USB Card Reader + NiMH Rapid Charger & High-Capacity Rechargeable Batteries + Padded Camera Case

Canon PowerShot SX100IS 8MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver) I purchased this Camera by looking into the positive reviews that every other site had. Here are the problems - This has just a reasonable picture quality. But this severely fails in dim light. Believe me, My Nikon coolpix 3200 is far more better in dim light. I also compared the shots with Kodak ZD 710 and Kodak is miles better than SX 100. - The color distinction is very poor. A blue object in low light looks like a black object. I tried with all possible night settings. But unfortunately nothing worked. - The camera performs superior than others in terms of focusing while zoomed and clarity of zoomed photos are better - The flash recharge time of 4-5 secs is unacceptable - The only advantages I see are battery life looks to be decent, and this camera does not need a lens cover and is 'relatively' compact I lose 10% restocking fee on return, still I would prefer to return this.

I bought this Digital Cameras about three months ago because of the good reviews particularly with the image quality.The camera truly produce very sharp and crisp images however I have noticed that the camera seems to have a problem with action shots.I have a eighteen month old baby girl who moves about quickly and I have notices that the camera struggles with fast moving objects. None moving objects come out very sharp even at 10x zoom. Video quality is also very good. This is unstandable for a Mega Zoom or non SLR camera. Summary Pros Very sharp crisp pictures Very compact 10x zoom Good image stabilization Good quality video Cons Problems handling action shots Not too great in low light

This is an excellent camera for the money. We were previously using a Canon PowerShot S30 (3.2 MP) for many years, and it was time for a new one. Of course, considering our old camera, any modern camera would be an improvement, but this one in particular is fantastic for many reasons. I have large hands, and hate the puny "cigarette pack" cameras with the tiny buttons. This one is large and the side grip (on the right side of the camera while holding it) is very comfortable and secure - even though it has a wrist strap I know I'll never drop it. Add to that that I've taken several photos and movies with it without even opening the instruction manual, I'm very happy with it. I believe after reading the manual I'll be able to do almost anything with it. Perfect camera for the casual, "point and click" user. More pluses: Uses AA batteries (I use rechargeables but you could use ordinary batteries if you get stuck on a trip for example), takes SD memory cards (very common, all modern PCs, printers, and even some TVs use them), takes great digital mini-movies (about 100meg per minute, with a large SD card you can take respectable home movies) On the minus side, obviously this is intended for the casual/novice user, makes a great family camera, but of course if you're a pro you'll want something more (and probably wouldn't be reading this anyway). It doesn't have a viewfinder, but I certainly don't miss it, the screen is large and bright. Also, if you're looking to put this into your pocket, it won't fit, so you'll need a small camera bag. The only real problem I had with this was when I made a movie of my son's ninth birthday party, the candles caused an odd reflection in the movie - probably something to do with the lens. He ended up with 9 little dots around his face, even though the cake was in front of him. Not a real big deal, it came out kind of cool. Bottom line: Strongly recommended for family use or if you're looking for a great value for the money. Having owned a Canon before this new one is great and I know I'll buy Canon again when it's time to replace this camera. Recommend going to a "brick and mortar" store and trying it out, then come back and buy it on Amazon - their price cannot be beat! And with super-saver shipping, it got here in 3 days!