Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 67
 No manual = no camera. November 20, 2009
Scott Bringhurst (St. Louis)
1 out of 7 found this review helpful
I purchased this camera last week. I returned it yesterday. The camera only comes with a basic, printed manual. The in-depth manual, the one that any novice user is going to need is included on disk ONLY. This means that you have to lug your computer around if you want to refer to the manual while learning to use the camera. Who's doing that? When I called Canon to inquire as to my missing manual, they told me that I could print the manual from the disk. Yeah, right. On my dime. I already spent hundreds of dollars on their camera and now they want me to spend even more money (and time) to print my own manual? BS!! They said this was part of their "going green" program. Well, guess what? Canon ain't getting any of my green. I returned the camera and bought a Nikon P90 for the exact same price. The Nikon has two manuals the size of the Bible. One in English and one in Spanish. Viva Nikon!
It also appears as though the Nikon has more useful features for me. I own an eBay business and I can actually edit the photos that I take within the camera itself (cropping, borders, light, etc.). This will save me time.
Perhaps the Canon does the same, but I wouldn't know because they were too cheap to print me a manual.
I wish I could comment on the workings of the Canon camera but without a proper manual, I couldn't really learn how to use it. On the day I did attempt to use the camera, I kept having a problem with the macro auto-focus. The images were blurry 50% of the time. When I switched to manual macro-focus, the images were blurry and dark, plus there was a meter of some sort directly in the center of the screen which I couldn't figure out how to remove (or use). It was then that I sought out the manual, only to find it missing. Wading through the online manual was an aggravation that I simply did not want to hassle with, especially when I had work that needed to be done.
What if I hadn't been near my computer when I had some question about the camera's function? Tough luck, I guess.
Bottom line, this is not a camera for a novice and I would not recommend it to anyone. Heck, even if you're not new to digital cameras or photography, you still need to know how to use specific functions on a new camera. It is absurd to think that you must sit in front of your computer and learn, rather than take the camera into the real world and learn as you go.
 Indoor still quality lacking November 19, 2009
G. Smith (Orange County, CA USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have a Canon Powershot S2 IS. I needed 720P video, so I thought, this is a sensible upgrade and as long as the stills are just as good as my S2 IS, I'll be thrilled (I only need stills for the web). Megapixels are not very important to me, as even a 1920x1080 monitor only displays roughly 2 megapixels.
My S2 IS, even though it is only a 5 MP camera and has technology that is several years old, takes WAY better indoor shots than the SX20IS. I tried various settings, flash intensities, changing the ISO, etc., to no avail. The pictures are soft and slightly noisy and this is very noticeable on my PC's display (we're not talking about differences noticed only when printing poster-sized prints).
I also borrowed an S3 IS from a friend and found it was very comparable to my S2 IS as far as indoor image quality goes, which means it was much better than the SX20IS. Same exact shot, three cameras, one obvious loser.
Even if changing the settings worked, it would beg the question...why does my old camera do so much better in Auto mode?
I really had my hopes up for this camera, but should have listened to a few others here and on the Canon website regarding still quality compared to their S5 IS or S3 IS cameras. A lot of them were disappointed too. The stills are just not nearly as crisp as my S2 IS. Whether its the sensor, lack of 'superfine' JPEG compression, WHATEVER, it doesn't matter, the pictures are just not good enough for me.
I love the articulating display and can't imagine having a camera without this feature, which severely limits my camera choices (I hate having to use proprietary memory cards, so Sony is OUT.)
I love everything else about this camera. The battery life far surpasses my S2 IS. The 720P video is amazing. The zoom is incredible. However, I am keeping my S2 IS, returning the SX20IS and maybe I will get a dedicated HD video camera.
Amazon.com's return policy is fantastic, which is why I keep buying from them!
 Best Overall, every where November 19, 2009
RSique (Phoenix AZ)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was looking for a video camera and got a great still camera for free.
I've never shot video before. This weekend I took a video of a friend's wedding without looking at the instructions and it came out great. The mic's picked everything up and the shots in fading sunlight came out better than expected.
The still camera is a joy to use.
This is my 7th digital camera (2 slrs, 3 prosumer, 2 compacts) and this is the one I will probably use the most.
Buy it you will be happy
OK Picture Qulity, Great Video, AF not so good, November 18, 2009
C. Didato (Fremont, Ca USA)
Bottom Line if you want a camera that kicks butt at Long Range Video and can still take some good shots and allow for aperture control. This Camera is it under $800.00
Video is Great.
Lens Range is Great.
Auto focus is not so great (Compared to SD800)
The Full Auto AF with options is hard to find.
You'll need to read the manual to find the ISO 3000 setting (I haven't yet).
For Low Light pictures with out a Tri-pod. Forget it. Get a point an shoot like the SD800 / SD 780.
Honestly I think cannon could have done better, But I needed to have both a great lense range (For Soccer Video) and High Quality Video and it need to be under $600.00.
For the Money its pretty good.
My theory is this, I can buy twice as good a camera every 18 months, for the same price as the last one.
Awesome camera with a couple of setbacks... November 17, 2009
Michael Peeples (Pflugerville, TX)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this camera a couple of weeks ago to snap some great shots of my newborn. This camera takes some excellent photos once you get it out of the automatic settings. Using the automatic settings still allows you to take some great photos. High ISO setting naturally will add some noise to your pics when taking low light shots but this can be greatly reduced by using a tripod. Overall quality of the camera is great. It is heavy and well built. Battery life is pretty descent.
Here are my qualms- Canon did not make threads available for lens filter for this camera. You can buy an adapter for this from [...]but this takes away the option of using your lens hood as the adapter uses the bayonet where the lens hood and would normally attach. It also negates the lens cap when using the lensmate adapter. Canon should have included threads for filters. The Canon sx20is also does not offer remote shutter capabilites.
Overall this a great camera.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 67
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