8.6 out of 10

Canon Powershot SX1 IS

10.0 megapixels, first seen: 18 September 2008

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from 134 sources in 27 countries.

Great Deal: $552.17

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User Score (246)

8.3
Expert Score (32)

7.7
Design (3)

8.6
Value for money (14)

8.1
Features (16)

9.5
Ease of use (17)

8.9
Performance (2)

8.6
Picture quality (14)

8.4

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Provantage	In Stock	(CS)	$552.17	SEE IT
	In Stock	(CS)	$599.95	SEE IT
Costcentral.com	In Stock	(CS)	$604.87	SEE IT
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	Check Availability	(S)	$529.99	SEE IT

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Pros & Cons

unique feature set, excellent 0cm macro mode, such as raw, great design and interface, is function works well

restart the camera, poor resolution evf, bad for dark scene, inconsistent still image quality, dslr price

Manufacturer's Description

Put your hand around the perfectly-shaped grip of Canon’s sporty new PowerShot SX1 IS and you’re ready for a shooting experience that’s advanced in every way. Superb still images powered by Canon’s DIGIC 4 Image processor, evolved Face Detection Technology and a wide-angle 20x optical zoom are only the beginning. You can also create Full HD movies and see every detail on your HDTV thanks to HDMI output. The 10.0-megapixel SX1 IS is the very first PowerShot equipped wi…

Specifications

Format

Compact
Max resolution

3648 x 2736
Low resolution

2816 x 2112, 2272 x 1704, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480, 3840 x 2160, 1920 x 1080
Image ratio w:h

4:3, 3:2, 16:9
Effective pixels

10.0 million
Sensor size

1/2.3 " (6.16 x 4.62 mm, 0.28 cm²)
Pixel density

35 MP/cm²
Sensor type

CMOS
Sensor manufacturer

Unknown
ISO rating

Auto, 80 ,100, 200, 400, 800, 1600

Release Date

First seen

18 September 2008

WikiFreak Description

Canon Powershot SX1 IS

The Canon Powershot SX1 IS is a full HD 10-megapixel digital camera that measures 5.02 x 3.48 x 3.45 inches (W x H x D) and weighs approximately 20.64 ounces. It is equipped with Canon’s DIGIC 4 with iSAPS technology allowing for enhanced noise reduction and high processing speeds. It is also equipped with a shift-type image stabilization system for reduction of blurs due to camera shakes.

The Canon Powershot SX1 IS is equipped with a 2.8-inch vari-angle TFT display that …

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Canon Powershot SX1 IS

The Canon Powershot SX1 IS is equipped with a 2.8-inch vari-angle TFT display that has an image aspect ratio of 16:9 and a pixel canvas of approximately 230,000 dots.

The camera can capture still images of up to 3,648 x 2,736 pixels and saves in JPEG format. It is capable of recording HD videos at full 1080p resolution. Video clips are captured at 30 frames per second and are saved in MOV format. It can record up to 4 gigabytes of HD videos which is equivalent to approximately 29 minutes and 59 seconds of recordings.

Still images and video recordings are saved in memory cards. Compatible types include SD, SDHC, MMC, MMC Plus, and HC MMC Plus.

The Powershot SX1 IS is powered by 4 AA alkaline batteries which can be replaced with 4 AA NiMH batteries. Using the supplied Alkaline batteries, it can take approximately 160 shots or last up to 720 minutes of continuous playback.

The camera connects to computers via Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and is compatible with Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Vista, and Mac OS X 10.4 or later. It also has an HDMI mini jack for connecting to other components.

Other features of the Canon Powershot SX1 IS include optical zoom of up to 20x and digital zoom of up to 4x. It features 25 different shooting modes and 12 different photo effects. Apart from these, it has an intelligent orientation sensor and red-eye correction functions. It also supports direct printing through Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printers and Canon Inkjet Printers that support PictBridge.

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Reviews of Canon Powershot SX1 IS

Expert Reviews

Reviewer: DP Review
27 March 2009

Overall 8

Value for money 7

Features 9

Performance 8

Picture quality 7

Lets start with the good. The SX1 IS is a nicely designed, easy to use camera with a very useful zoom range and an effective image stabilization system. This combined with the new interface and features that come with Digic 4, such as auto ISO, the slightly tweaked interface and fast shot to shot speeds, and also RAW mode (something rarely seen in cameras of this class) makes the SX1 IS a camera that has the potential to become one of your favorite toys. The use of CMOS... Read more
Canon Powershot SX1 IS

Reviewer: Neo Camera
22 March 2009

Overall 8

The Canon Powershot SX1 is one of two high-end ultra-zooms that Canon released last year. Both feature a 20X optical zoom lens with image stabilization and a sensor with 10 megapixels of resolution. While there are several subtle differences between the SX1 and the SX10, the main difference is the use of a CMOS sensor on the SX1. This gives it the ability to capture full 1080p HDTV videos at 30 FPS, compared to VGA videos also at 30 FPS. The CMOS sensor also allows for a... Read more
Canon PowerShot SX1 IS

Reviewer: CNET
27 April 2009

Overall 7

Design 8

Features 8

Performance 8

Picture quality 7

The bottom line: A top megazoom option, the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS offers a 20x zoom lens and HD video, which you can't get in a similarly priced dSLR, and delivers more features and slightly better performance and photo quality than the cheaper SX10 IS. Read more
Canon PowerShot SX1 IS Review

Reviewer: Digitaltrends
28 July 2009

Overall 7

The Canon PowerShot SX1 IS has a lot going for it, as well as some drawbacks. After testing it we really can’t wait for the 2010 version of this camera as Canon takes care of the issues we – and other reviewers – have detailed. In the meantime, this is an excellent mega-zoom for the photographer willing to learn its idiosyncrasies, take the time to master its capabilities, and spend $600. Read more
Canon PowerShot SX1 IS

Reviewer: infoSync World
16 March 2009

Overall 7

We can definitely say that Canon's upgrade to last year's PowerShot SX10 IS was a step in the right direction. However, the 10-megapixel Canon PowerShot SX1 IS left us with a few sour tastes in our mouths, particularly due to a few basic imaging flaws and the camera's inability to transcend a one-second shutter speed in Manual mode. We had to use a Scene mode to reach 15 seconds, and that means we couldn't shoot in RAW. Oh yeah, the PowerShot SX1 IS can shoot in RAW and... Read more

Read More Canon Powershot SX1 IS Expert Reviews and Problems

User Reviews

A point and shoot on steroids!

Reviewer: Abes of Maine
30 November 2009

Overall 8

Enjoying wildlife close-ups with the SX1. Amazing closeups! Lots of bells and whistles if your into that sort of thing like I am. Love experimenting with it. Poor quality in ISO 800 and up. Great video capability. Love the SUPER MACRO for flowers and such. Excellent face recognition and red eye reduction. Loving the camera. Don't expect DSLR quality but it's far above point and shoot. Read more
A DSLR without carrying a bag of lenses

Reviewer: J&R
29 December 2009

Overall 8

Great pictures right out of the box and easy to use the features. The 1080 video is great--we left the video camera home for Christmas and didn't miss a thing!!! Not a pocket camera, that is why we went to this model. The moveable LCD screen beats the fixed on the DSLR. Read more
SX1 1S, big bang for your bucks

Reviewer: Amazon
1 February 2010 See Product at Amazon ($519.77)

Overall 8

The bottom line--a great and functional camera with a lousy operations manual. Fire the technical writer and keep the camera! I bought this camera because lugging my Canon HD video camera and the EOS 50 with a couple of flashes and a tripod just does not work when hiking into backwoods areas. Since I am familiar with advanced Canon cameras, I did not find the operations of this camera totally unfamiliar. It does have some special bells and whistles in the automatic... Read more or see product
My Cannon Power SX1 IS Delivery

Reviewer: Newegg
18 March 2010

Overall 10

This is one of the few camera out there that is an HD with a Cmos sensor that can be used with Iphoto and Imovie. Most other HD use AVCHD or some other system that requires you to use final cut or a proprietary software. I have a G10 and the quality of this camera is on par plus stereo speakers, 20X zoom, articulating screen plus the ease of using video the same as the G1O in Imovie and Iphoto. What can I say its a Canon. Plus the shipping was $2.95 and it arrived in... Read more
Canon SX1 IS

Reviewer: Crutchfield
14 March 2010 See Product at Crutchfield ($599.99)

Overall 10

This camera is a great buy for the price. The sharp images, fast shutter response, long telephoto lens, really effective image stabilizing mode, continuous rapid photo sports mode, and built-in HD movie mode with the ability to take still photos at the same time, are the strong points for this camera. One would have to spend hundreds more for a SLR camera and multiple lenses to match and surpass it. Even a professional photographer would do well to have this camera for... Read more or see product