This camera is simply amazing. I have owned it for a few years now and currently there is a newer version out that has more megapixels but since is the one I use for my photography, this is what I will be reviewing. Simply put, the reason I chose this camera over others when I got it is that it was one of the best point and shoot cameras out there that did not require specific lenses. The models up from this one require lenses to be bought which are pretty expensive and since I am just an amateur at photography, this is the camera I went with.

12.1 Megapixel

This camera is a 12.1 megapixel camera and has a 12 times optical zoom. The 12.1 megapixels make the pictures taken come out very clear with amazing detail. Each picture I grab from the camera and put on my hard drive on the computer is anywhere from 3-5mb.  The lens of the camera is 28mm and is a wide-angle lens. This allows for greater space in each picture and looks a bit more professional. The optical zoom on this camera was more than I expected but I rarely use this feature when doing photo shoots.

Optical Image Stabilizer

This feature on this camera has come in handy many times. Optical Image Stabilizer automatically detects the camera shake which causes blurry shots and stabalizes it for you. This is not much noticed if you are zoomed all the way out but as soon as you use the optical zoom, the optical image stabilizer saves many of your shots and creates crisp clean images.

Movie Shooting and HDMI

This camera allows for (1280 x 720) quality movie shooting. I have found this great when shooting friends or in need of a quick camcorder. The quality is much better than a cellphone and since this camera can fit in your pocket, it is a fine feature to have. With this feature comes the HDMI port which allows you to plug it into a TV without loss of image or audio signal. It is always fun to hook this up to the 60′ TV and watch your movies or take a look at your pictures.

Blink Detection

The PowerShot SX200 IS comes with blink detection which is basically face recognition to see if the subject matter has their eyes closed. If this happens then you will get a blink warning and an icon will appear on the screen. While helpful, I have not seen great use out of this feature in the few years I have owned it as I take mostly nature shots.

DIGIC 4 Image Processor

When this camera first came out, this was Canon’s best image processor. What it did was find and track faces in the photo and when you are ready to shoot the picture, it would deliver great focus. This processor also takes flash and white balance into compensation so that you do not come out with washed out photos.

Correcting Red Eyes

This camera comes with three ways that you can remove red eyes from the subjects in the photo. The camera can be set up to automatically detect red-eye and correct it while you are looking over the images after you have already taken them. The second way is that you can have the camera auto identify red-eye and fix it as the pictures are being taken. The third and final way that this camera can remove red eye is that you command the camera to remove red eye manually when looking at the 3.0 inch LCD screen.

This is a great little camera. In the box it comes with the PowerShot SX200 IS, a lithium ion battery pack, a battery charger, a wrist strap, an AV cable, a USB cable, and a digital solution CD. I lost the writst strap right after I opened the camera so I have been making due with just a plain string that I found around the house and it still works fine.

Since I like this camera so much and am always shooting random pictures, you should stay tuned in the future as I may post more photos from this great piece of technology that I own!