The Canon Powershot SX120 IS is a 10 megapixel digital camera with a 10x optical zoom lens. It has a fairly compact body size. The Powershot SX120 IS includes manual exposure controls, a 3 inch LCD screen and image stabilisation.

The manual exposure controls are likely to appeal to the more serious photographer, but there is also a fully automatic mode for anyone who is looking for a point and shoot digital camera offering some extra lens power.

As with other Canon digital cameras the Powershot SX120 IS offers a bit more than many of its rivals. In this case it is a set of manual exposure controls. Picture quality is also hard to beat.

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
I like the overall look of this photo. Sun glare has been handled well with just a small amount of detail lost from the boat on the right. The shot has a crisp look to it and there is plenty of detail showing in the trees.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
In terms of the sharpness of the picture this is about as good as it can get from a compact digital camera when zoom is not in use. The clarity produced by the Powershot SX120 IS is some way above standard.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
If you blow the photo up to full resolution you will notice a small amount of purple fringing creeping in. Looking at this picture no other brand is able to match on a consistent basis the sharpness levels that Canon cameras manage.

Outdoor 4 (Building)
This is final confirmation of the way the Powershot SX120 IS manages to focus on more distant subjects. Not many digital cameras manage to bring out this level of detail right across the shot.

Outdoor Portrait
Just the right amount of pink appears in the skin tones. The colours look natural and I like the way the shot looks.

Indoor Portrait with Flash
One of the plus points with this picture is that there is very little light bouncing back off the face and into the lens. This reduces the amount of shine showing on the face. This is another good effort.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
This is one of the brightest attempts I have seen at an indoor portrait without flash. The camera does very well to inject this level of light into the picture. Noise levels are controlled well, without being perfect. As long as you can find decent light you should be able to take some pleasant window lit portraits.

Colours
The key point about the colours for me is how well balanced they are. When vivid colour is required the Powershot SX120 IS is able to deliver it. At the same time, when a little subtlety is called for the camera is able to produce that too.

Macro
This is another example where you would be hard pressed to come up with better quality from a compact digital camera. The camera is able to focus from 1cm away from the subject and is a good choice if you would like to try your hand at some close up photography.

ISO 400 and ISO 1600
The Powershot SX120 IS handles noise a little better than most cameras I test. This can be seen from the indoor portrait test. Even so you need to be realistic with any expectations if you plan to increase the ISO setting.

Overall
Picture quality is impressive from a compact digital camera. I encountered very few problems and I would be happy to take this camera around with me waiting for the next photo opportunity.

Both shutter lag and turn on times were a disappointment, especially when flash was used. My times were 0.43 seconds for a single shot and 12.67 seconds for five. With flash times were 2.33 seconds for a single shot and 25.50 for five shots.

To turn on the camera and take the first shot took 3.95 seconds.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

This is a fairly typical digital camera offering some extra zoom. There is a raised grip area on the right hand side and the flash pops up on the top. It is available in black.

110.6 x 70.4 x 44.7mm

245g

Two AA batteries. Canon suggests a standard set of alkaline batteries should be good for around 130 shots.

Canon supplies a 128mb SD card with the camera. That is more than enough to get you up and running. It should be enough for around 50 shots. The camera is also compatible with SDHC cards.

Click here to save money on SD cards..

Good. With some advanced features built into the camera you do not get the same ease of use as a basic point and shoot camera. There is an automatic mode you can use when you first buy the camera.

Photo quality - compact body - features

Shutter delay with flash

There are a few alternatives around for this type of camera. If you are interested in a camera with High Definition movies, but without the manual exposure controls then take a look at the Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ7.

If picture quality is the main buying point for you then you are likely to be very impressed with the Canon Powershot SX120 IS. Add in the manual exposure controls and it is hard to find a better camera of its type.

Front View

Back View

Top View

Sample Menu

Description:	10 megapixels and a 10x optical zoom
Ease of Use:	8
Features:	8
Colour:	9
Macro:	9
Indoors:	9
Value for Money:	9
Style:	8
Movie Mode:	8
Image Quality:	9
Build Quality:	8
Total:	85
Verdict:	In terms of picture quality this camera is difficult to beat in its class. It has a good range of features too. If this was the type of camera I was looking for I would be happy to own this model. Recommended.
Review Date:	October 2009
Related Pages:	Canon Powershot SX120 IS Specification Canon Powershot SX120 IS Sample Images Canon Powershot SX120 IS Features

	GBP 144.99
	GBP 155
	GBP 162.99
	GBP 169
	GBP 191.96
	GBP 199.75
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Camera	Rating
Fuji Finepix F70EXR	85
Canon Powershot SX120 IS	85
Panasonic DMC TZ7	85
Canon Powershot SX200 IS	85
Samsung WB500	84
Sony DSC H20	81
Fuji Finepix S1500	81
Olympus MJU 9000	79

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 SX120 IS