I am looking to purchase one, of two, almost identical cameras.
The first one is the Canon Powershot SX20 IS, which is a next generation model of the Canon S5 IS that I bought in July 2008. It is 12.1 MP, has CCD sensor, 20X optical zoom, 720p HD (1,280 x 720 pixels at 30 fps) movie mode and records only JPEG. The best price I can find on this one today is $330.
The second one is the Canon SX1 IS. It is 10 MP, has CMOS sensor, 20X optical zoom, Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels at 30 fps) movie mode and records JPEG and RAW formats. The best price I can find on this one today is $518.
I have devoured the Consumer Reports ratings on both cameras and have read pages & pages of customer reviews...and I still can't make up my mind! I do like the fact that the SX1 IS shoots in RAW but not sure that it is worth the extra $$. Also, the CMOS sensor is supposed to be superior to the CCD as it is the sensor found in all DSLR cameras. The reviews are mixed and I'm mostly concerned about the ISO test that Consumer Reports put each camera through. They test for "maximum ISO with best quality" and, according to CR, the SX1 IS rates at 100 ISO. They rate the SX20 IS at 1600 ISO. That seems pretty significant to me and tells me that the SX1 IS doesn't do well in low light. I generally avoid using flash (don't like the "washed out" look it gives photos and, don't like to call attention to the fact that "hey, I'm taking photos"), so I do not like this bit of information on the SX1 IS. In fact, many of the customer reviews that I've read state that it does not do well in low light situations.
I have sent an email to my cousin, a professional photographer in Los Angeles, to get his expert advice. I know he'll say to buy a DSLR with all of the fancy high tech gadgets. (I think he has a Canon 5D.) I would SO love to have a DSLR but, it's not in my budget at this point.
So, if anyone out in blog land has experience with either of these two cameras, please take the time to leave a comment with your opinion. Thanks!
I have devoured the Consumer Reports ratings on both cameras and have read pages & pages of customer reviews...and I still can't make up my mind! I do like the fact that the SX1 IS shoots in RAW but not sure that it is worth the extra $$. Also, the CMOS sensor is supposed to be superior to the CCD as it is the sensor found in all DSLR cameras. The reviews are mixed and I'm mostly concerned about the ISO test that Consumer Reports put each camera through. They test for "maximum ISO with best quality" and, according to CR, the SX1 IS rates at 100 ISO. They rate the SX20 IS at 1600 ISO. That seems pretty significant to me and tells me that the SX1 IS doesn't do well in low light. I generally avoid using flash (don't like the "washed out" look it gives photos and, don't like to call attention to the fact that "hey, I'm taking photos"), so I do not like this bit of information on the SX1 IS. In fact, many of the customer reviews that I've read state that it does not do well in low light situations.
I have sent an email to my cousin, a professional photographer in Los Angeles, to get his expert advice. I know he'll say to buy a DSLR with all of the fancy high tech gadgets. (I think he has a Canon 5D.) I would SO love to have a DSLR but, it's not in my budget at this point.
So, if anyone out in blog land has experience with either of these two cameras, please take the time to leave a comment with your opinion. Thanks!
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