Shop For Canon Powershot SX10IS 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

I've been using this camera for about 6 months now. I wanted to replace my old Minolta F200 for better quality images. Honestly, it was not better if not worse. I was actually surprised that my old F200 was as good as this camera concerning image quality.

First, there was so much noise in the image. As a natural result, many of my pictures were not clear and I had to painfully discard them. I don't like grain in the picture and it was the main reason for replacing the old F200, but obviously SX10IS didn't satisfy me. Second, on ISO 80 in aperture priority mode (no zoom), I changed aperture from f/2.8 to f/8 and got blurrier image (surely I used tripod), which is counter-intuitive to me, because with f/8 and with its tiny sensor, theoretically, I had to get virtually infinite depth and sharper image. What's wrong?? Am I missing something?? This problem made me feel that this camera might have some fundamental flaws in its optic design. Third, focus is very bad. It is very difficult to auto-focus on anything including side view of face in medium or low light. Focus during movie taking is more terrible. It goes back and forth between in-focus and out-focus. Very bad.

Of course there are many good points (that's why I decided not to return it). I really like the full manual mode because finally I can apply many basic photography concepts. I also like the external flash mount, which most point-and-shoot cameras don't have. It is a big positive point for those who want to learn lighting. Finally, 20x zoom is a very good addition, because I don't have to purchase expensive and heavy lenses (the biggest reason I stay away from DSLR cameras) and I actually got some good out-of-focus images.

Overall, if you want much better image quality in a similar body size (at around $700, without 20x zoom, and potentially additional lens purchases), check out Panasonic G1 (micro 4/3). But if you don't really mind the picture quality so much (in fact, with a tiny little sensor, it is physically very difficult to get sharp images), this is a very good camera. Almost everything you can find in DSLR is in this camera without heavy weight and lenses. So, for those who are not very serious in photography but want many functions in an inexpensive body (like me), I recommend this camera.Get more detail about Canon Powershot SX10IS 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.