The Canon Powershot SX1 IS is a 10 megapixel digital camera with a 20x optical zoom lens. The lens has a focal length equivalent to 28 - 560mm. Extra zoom becomes available when shooting at lower resolutions. 4x digital zoom is a further option.

• Image Stabilisation
• Self Timer: 2 or 10 seconds, Custom or Face Self-Timer
• Hotshoe
• Remote Control
• Sound Memo: Up to 60 sec per image
• Red-Eye Correction: During shooting and playback
• Colour Effects: Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color, Color Accent, Color Swap
• Special resolution for widescreen television playback
• Stitch Assist: For panoramic shots
• CMOS Sensor Size: 1/2.3 inches

Manual focusing is available and you also have access to AF servo to track moving objects. Focus bracketing is another option you can use. For close up work the Powershot SX1 IS can focus from right next to the subject..

The LCD monitor is 2.8 inches in size. The screen is made up of around 230,000 dots. You can also pull the screen away from the camera body and twist it round to help with any awkward viewing angles.

The Powershot SX1 IS also has an electronic viewfinder. The viewfinder has Dioptre Correction. This allows you to adjust the viewfinder to suit your eyesight.

The flash modes are: automatic, on and off. You can also apply slow sync speed and red eye reduction. In addition flash exposure compensation and flash exposure lock are available. You can also adjust the intensity of the flash. Second Curtain Synchronisation is available too.

The maximum flash range is 4.8m. This falls to 2.6m when the zoom lens is fully extended. To increase the range of the flash unit you can buy an external flash - the Canon High Power Flash HF-DC1. The Powershot SX1 IS is compatible with a range of Canon speedlites.

There are a number of preset scene modes. These are: Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, Sports, Indoor, Night Scene, Sunset, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Long Shutter and Aquarium.

You can shoot short, HD quality movies with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The top recording speed is 30 frames per second. Sound can be recorded and zoom can be applied during shooting.

Among the more advanced features are:

• Exposure Modes: Program AE, Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual, Custom
• Burst Mode: 4 frames per second
• Continuous Shooting: Approx. 1.2 shots/sec until card full
• White Balance: White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash, Custom
• ISO Sensitivity: AUTO, High ISO Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
• Shutter Speeds: 15 to 1/3200 seconds
• Exposure Compensation: +/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments
• AE Lock
• Maximum Aperture: f/2.8 - f/5.7
• Bracketing: 1/3 - 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments
• Metering Modes: Multi Point, Centre-weighted average, Spot

All the necessary cables and software are supplied to attach the Canon Powershot SX1 IS to a computer, television set and compatible printer.

Description:	10 megapixels and a 20x optical zoom lens
Ease of Use:	7
Features:	10
Colour:	9
Macro:	9
Indoors:	9
Value for Money:	8
Style:	8
Movie Mode:	9
Image Quality:	9
Build Quality:	9
Total:	87
Verdict:	At the time of writing my review this is the most advanced compact digital camera on the market. Its fast burst rate and long lens make it a good choice for anyone who is interested in wildlife or sports photography. It takes a great picture and has a full set of manual exposure controls.
Review Date:	January 2009
Related Pages:	Canon Powershot SX1 IS Specification Canon Powershot SX1 IS Sample Images Canon Powershot SX1 IS Features
Comparisons:	Canon Powershot SX1 IS vs Sony Cybershot DSC HX1

	GBP 363.00
	GBP 364.99
	GBP 378.99
	GBP 396
	GBP 410.39
	GBP 413.88
	GBP 429
	GBP 437.54
	GBP 475.96
Click a flag for prices from other countries:

Camera	Rating
Fuji Finepix S200EXR	87
Panasonic DMC FZ38	87
Canon Powershot SX1 IS	87
Sony DSC HX1	85
Canon Powershot SX10 IS	85
Canon Powershot SX20 IS	84
Olympus SP-590 UZ	83
Nikon Coolpix P90	83

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Canon Powershot SX1 IS