Canon Powershot SX200 IS Review

Here you can see the new Easy exposure mode. This is a 100% automatic exposure mode. The only thing you can control is the flash, and that is because you have to manually raise it in order to use it.

The AUTO mode allows anyone, regardless of expertise, to use the SX200 like a simple point-n-shoot camera. The camera automatically selects the shutter speed and aperture allowing you to concentrate on framing your subject, not changing camera settings.

As you rotate the Mode dial, a brief description of the selected exposure mode will be displayed.

In Program mode the camera selects both the shutter speed and aperture like Auto mode, but now you have access to all of the same menu settings as in Av, Tv, and M mode (see FUNCtion and Menu screens below.)

Half-pressing the shutter release with get you an autofocus lock and the shutter speed and aperture values will be displayed.

FUNCtion menu (in P, Tv, Av and M mode).

Metering - Evaluative, Center Weighted Averaging, Spot
My Colors - Off, Vivid color, Neutral color, Sepia, B&W, Custom (Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation)
White Balance - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash or Custom
ISO - Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, or 1600
Flash Compensation - Adjust the output level of the flash +/- 2.0 in 1/3EV steps
Drive mode - Single, Continuous, AF Continuous
Image Size - L (4000x3000), M1 (3264x2448), M2 (2592x1944), M3 (1600x1200), S (640x480) and Wide (4000x2248)
Image Quality - Fine or Normal JPEG compression

In Tv (Shutter-speed priority) mode the user selects the desired shutter speed and the camera automatically selects the aperture value. If the shutter speed is too fast (or slow), the aperture value will be displayed in red (when the shutter is half-pressed) which tells you to select a different speed. Slow shutter speeds allow for moving objects to 'motion blur' and fast shutter speeds will 'freeze' fast moving objects.

In Av (Aperture priority) mode the user selects the desired aperture value and the camera automatically selects the appropriate shutter speed. Small apertures (large F-stop number) increase the depth of field (range of focus) whereas large apertures (small F-stop numbers) decreases the depth of field.

In Manual mode the proper exposure value is determined by changing both the shutter speed and the aperture values manually. You can visually see the screen lighten or darken as you change settings and the EV (exposure value) chart along the right hand side will help you achieve the desired exposure.

Record MENU (in P, Tv, Av and M mode).

AF Frame - Center or Face Detect
AF Frame Size - Normal or Small
Servo AF - On or Off
AF Mode - Continuous or Single auto focus
Digital Zoom - Off, Standard, 1.5x, or 2.0x
AF-Point Zoom - On or Off
AF-assist Beam - Enable or disable AF-assist lamp
Safety MF - On or Off
i-Contrast - Off or Auto
Review - Off, Hold or 2 - 10 secs
Review Info - Off, Detailed, Focus Check
Blink Detection - On or Off
Display Overlay - Enable or disable Grid lines, 3:2 Guide, Off or Both
IS Mode - Continuous, Shoot Only, Panning, Off
Date Stamp - Off, Date or Date & Time
Set Print/Share button - Choose a custom function to use while in record mode

You can record movie clips with audio at a variety of resolutions. The SX200 offers Standard Definition movies at resolutions of 640x480 or 320x240 as well as a High Definition mode at 1280x720. The frame rate for all three modes is 30fps. For those of you who are a bit more creative, there are also options for Color accent and Color swap. The optical zoom may not be used during recording, but can be preset before hand. These clips are captured in QuickTime format and saved as .MOV files.

Both the video and audio portion of movies can be replayed on the camera thanks to the built-in speaker. Full audio-video playback is also possible when connected to a TV monitor or a compatible PC after downloading. The SX200 is one of several models from Canon that offers HD video output via a HDMI port.

SETUP menu options.

Mute - On or Off
Volume - Adjust the volume of the different camera sounds
Sound Options - Choose the Start-up, Operation, Self-timer and Shutter sounds
LCD Brightness - Adjust the brightness of the LCD
Start-up Image - Choose the image to be displayed on power-up
Hints & Tips - On or Off
Format - Format the memory card
File Numbering - Continuous, Auto Reset
Create Folder - Create a storage folder for your images
Auto Rotate - On or Off
Lens Retract - 0 sec., 1 min.
Power Saving - Auto Power Down, Display Off settings
Time Zone - Set your home and travel time zones
Date/Time - Set the date and time
Distance Units - Focus distance in feet or meters
Video System - NTSC, PAL
Language - Choose from one of the 25 languages
Reset All - Reset the camera to the factory defaults

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