We have purchase the Canon SX150IS PowerShot digital camera and to date, we are pleased.

My wife and I have owned the previous generation to this camera the Canon SX 110 IS and SX120 IS PowewShot cameras with much success. We do however beat our cameras up and drop them in sand and the sea. No camera does well by that but these have continued to take fine images far into their beat up lives.  Much of this review indicates my experience with this camera the SX150IS yet also includes information and comparison with the earlier products of this series that has developed as an even better camera over the years. This newest generation the SX150IS, that is built like the others but has grown in features, is the best to date.

Purchasing the SX 150 IS

My wife just treated us to the Canon PowerShot SX150 IS. It was on sale for $149 on Black Friday at $100 off. Expect to pay the $240-$290 price points otherwise. It's basically the same body style as the SX 110 and SX 120 but has a few new features built into it. It measures 2.9 by 4.5 by 1.8 inches. This is larger than many compact cameras but small enough for me to pop in my pocket. My wife likes the smaller body too not liking a bulkier body of SLR and four AA battery models by Canon.  

We were very pleased with the SX 120 with 9 mega Pixels.  The 150 offers 14.1 Pixels.

Amount of pixels have become more an more important in our lives because we now enlarge many more of the images we have taken on vacation to fill the walls of our home. My wife is also into making calenders as gifts which also benefits with better clarity when blown up. The extra pixels have resulted in better quality photos of images we enlarge. 

Another feature we were both very happy with on the 120 was the 10X optical zoom. It, in conjunction with the image stabilizer, makes for incredibly clear and sharp shots of objects from afar drawing them in. The SX 150 continues with that stabilizer system and it has even more range pulling in a 12X zoom. To my eye, it takes great images. It is that stabilizer in the SX150 in conjunction with the zoom that I give credit to for some of our photos taken at a distance.

There is a small difference though about the zoom. The SX 150 has a wide angle at 28mm, a new feature, meaning it zooms to 336mm. The SX120 has a zoom up to 360mm but lacks that new wider angle starting at 36. I prefer the newer zoom.  I was pleasantly surprised by the wide angle and certainly welcome it. It gives a little more diversity in making images both in landscapes and those times when I try to get everyone or thing into a photo at closer range.  

All in all we, none pros, are happy with the images we get. Most are outside shots in clear daylight. I have found indoor shots and those we take in less light are somewhat too grainy for us to enlarge. I don't know if this is what "noise" is in a camera but again, our outdoor full light shots make the cut for enlargements. I would say my artist wife, is more the stickler on final product, and she is the one who does most of our home decor featuring our travel photos. As I write this I am looking at a 15" x 19" photo of over one hundred full-dress Indians from the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo in dancing mode. It is bright, extremely colourful and sharp in image. That was with the SX 120. My wife went to our local Cosco Sunday and had some images enlarged using the SX150 and we agree, they look even better than the previous generation camera we have been fond of and highlight on our walls at home.

The 120-150 cameras both have 3" screens that are bright and easy to see, even in bright outdoor light.  Though the light used for it is no brighter, the new screen seems to have more clarity. Perhaps the old one is a bit beat up. But I do like the way the new screen looks. The images look bright in colour and sharp.

It's the Small Things That Make a Difference

Small things do make a difference to me. I like the battery case opening mechanism better than on the 120 which would take me a try or two at times. The SX 150 slides to the right along with the lock  switch instead of having the lock being pulled down and then to the right. I like that Canon changed something as small as that. It shows me they care about the consumer.

Another surprise is a setting for fish-eye photos. It seems a bit overly distorted but does offer another dimension to photo taking. I am happy to see this added feature that most cameras at this price point do not have.

The camera has a "Blink" detection that I don't even bother with. I can see right away what a portrait looks like also I have had the blink go off on me when in a museum shooting statues. Ha, those guys and gals had their eyes frozen open yet the camera says, "blink."

I also like that colour tone can be changed with the SX 150. I can shoot in Black and White and Sepia along with colour shots. That's very cool as those settings can make for dramatic images when used sparingly and in the correct setting.

...and Now about the Batteries

All this series use two AA batteries. The SX150IS camera comes with two AA Alkaline batteries. We like the simple AA battery that can be found any/everywhere. We use rechargeable NiMH AA batteries and always get a good days action even with flash and constant looking at results of our photos.  It's also easy to keep a couple of back up batteries nearby. We have a four battery charger. That means, when on vacation doing a lot of shooting,  two fully charged batteries are in the camera with two back-ups in our possession for the day while another four batteries are being charged back at our hotel room. 
It's VERY rare that we ever have to go to back-up batteries in a days time. We do change them so as to have more fresh batteries helping keep shot to shot timing to a minimum. More about that in a bit.

We were just on vacation with a friend who had a compact digital camera and forgot her special sized back-up battery. She lost photo opportunities for a good part of the day. If that had happened to us we could have easily picked up a couple of AA batteries in any local store. Of course the AA means more bulk in the camera but my wife and I are in agreement, we are comfortable with the size and weight of the SX 150 Canon PowerShot.

We do suffer on all the SX series, including the SX150, a long, sometimes much too long, shot to shot timing or or processing lag. I know we have lost shots because the camera just wasn't ready for the next shot soon enough after the first. In our case we also find it inconvenient. There have been many a time when we were getting group shots of us and our friends asking a stranger to take the photo. Too many times the camera was recharging itself for the next shot when the person was trying to shoot a second or third image.  I suppose the shot to shot timing would be the two star feature of the SX150 camera.

There is another series of Canon that we own that uses four AA batteries. It solves the lshot to shot time but unfortunately is bulky for both of us who like the more slim camera body.  We rarely use that camera. 

Shutter lag of the camera seems OK though there are times we have to wait a little longer for the camera to react than I prefer.

An icon built into the camera warns when the batteries are getting weak.
The new camera feels ever so slightly heavier and after checking it out, I see it is a few Gs heavier.

Simple or More Advanced

This camera like the old one has many different settings for those who want automatic and also if we want to change speed and aperture. I like that diversity though my wife uses it more than I do. It even tell those who need it to put up the flash when necessary.  That's what I like about this camera. It allows for growth being a basic point and shoot if wanted but much more diversity is available when learning more of what the camera can do.

The book gives basics on how to use the camera. It's the CD they give that offers much more depth in the cameras capabilities. It's my thought, that in time as we learn more and more of photography that we will take what we l;earn on these cameras and eventually purchase a digital SLR for those very special images we would like to capture. That said, we are hooked on the simplicity and smaller size of the SX 150 PowerShot cameras. 

The configuration of this series cameras is much the same as the old with macro and flash at the fingertips always. The Macro does a fine job for many close up photos we have taken. The subject is very clear with the foreground and background slightly out of focus.

The SX 120 had setting on the top wheel for different scenes including snow and fireworks. These are now found in the SX150 by going to the function settings. It's easy to find but a slightly different approach than what we were used too.
 We have used those settings and they do make for fine images. We have some excellent shots of fireworks from the previous SX 120. We have not yet used the SX150 for such but expect canon to continue to deliver in this last generation camera.

I have always been happy with the "movie" feature of this series and it seems the audio and video remain at the standards that are good enough for me for vacation images. I did do a 360 in our back yard with the SX150 to try it out. It's clear enough for me as a "memory" even if not super crisp in quality.  

Dang That Lens Cover!?!?

A problem we have had with this series of cameras and it seems it will be no different with the SX150is the shutter cover that closes when the camera is off. Due to the conditions of sand at the beach this sometimes gets stuck in a halfway open position. We have to manually open it the rest. Because of the constant problem with the old lens cover we simply had it wedged opened by a repairman keeping expenses down. The new SX 150 IS has the same system where the cover opens and closes automatically with the on/off button. We will simply live with it.

pops Last Thoughts

We have been very happy withe the SX 110/120 IS PowerShot series cameras made by Canon. I recommend them. The SX 150 IS has everything we had in those and more. It is still new so I cannot give full field results. So far so good though. We will be using it in earnest on a trip to Tennessee in January and in Jamaica in February. I will update again after hard, frequent use.

I expect more good things fromthis Canon SX 150 IS PowerShot camera.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 149
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts