- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How it compares
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS
- 12 MP
- 14x f/3.1
- 1/2" CMOS
- 3" LCD
Released February, 2011
Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)Other key features of the Canon SX220 include a 3 inch LCD screen, full 1080p HD movies with stereo sound, a range of hand-holding modes for beginners, and full manual controls for more experienced users.
Conclusion Check out the Canon PowerShot SX220 HS
First reviewed December, 2011
Features Key features of the Canon PowerShot SX220 HS
12 MP
1/2"
Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)In particular the use of a backilluminated sensor and addition of full 1080p HD movies makes the new SX220 a more than competent all-in-one camera for both photos and video.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 17.9 MP    | 20 MP |
PowerShot SX220 HS by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)The Canon SX220 HS also offers a full range of manual exposure modes for more experienced photographers looking to take control, 8.1 fps burst shooting at 3 megapixel resolution, and a Super Slow Motion Movie mode.
PowerShot SX220 HS by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)The Canon PowerShot SX220 HS is the latest travel-zoom camera to hit the market, offering a 14x zoom lens and a sensible 12 megapixel back-illuminated image sensor.
sensor size
PowerShot SX220 HS by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)The inclusion of full manual controls makes SX220 HS as well suited to more experienced users looking for a compact alternative to their DSLR as it is the beginner, although as you'd perhaps expect there is no raw format support to sweeten the deal further.
PowerShot SX220 HS by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)shots/sec. albeit only at 3.0 megapixel resolution, while the Super Slow Motion Movie mode offers a great way to dramatically slow down fast-moving subjects, shooting at either 240 fps at 320x240 resolution or 120 fps at 640x480 pixels.
wide angle lens
PowerShot SX220 HS by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)The Canon Powershot SX220 HS offers a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is 5cms away from the camera when the lens is set to wide-angle.
PowerShot SX220 HS by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)The Canon Powershot SX220 HS' 14x zoom lens provides a versatile focal length of 28-392mm in 35mm terms, as demonstrated below.
aperture size
PowerShot SX220 HS by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)Perhaps most usefully, the full extent of the 14x optical zoom can also be deployed when shooting movies, its ultra quiet transition meaning that the built-in microphone doesn't pick up operational buzzes - the usual reason for manufacturers disabling the zoom.
PowerShot SX220 HS by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)Now encircling the shutter release button is a responsive rocker switch for operating the zoom - a nudge to the right zooming in, to the left zooming out.
zoom range
| 0x | 20x   | 20x |
PowerShot SX220 HS by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)Judged on its own merits, the Canon PowerShot SX220 HS is a strong recommendation as a travel zoom camera that does it all with the minimum of fuss.
PowerShot SX220 HS by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)The Canon PowerShot SX220 HS camera is a new travel-zoom camera that replaces the SX210 model.
body size
106 x 59 x 33 mm
158 x 164 x 83 mm
113 x 73 x 46 mm
Performance Real world tests of Canon PowerShot SX220 HS
shutter lag
PowerShot SX220 HS by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)The Canon Powershot SX220 HS's maximum shutter speed is 15 seconds in the Long Shutter mode, which is good news if you're seriously interested in night photography.
PowerShot SX220 HS by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)Further hand holding is provided by the Smart Shutter mode that as it sounds allows the shutter to be controlled with a smile or a wink - increasing the overall user-friendly feel and handy for when you want to include yourself in the picture.
battery life
210 photos
1,500 photos
380 photos
PowerShot SX220 HS by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)Whilst the camera is bigger than your average compact, it still just about fits into your pocket and is reasonably light too at 215g even with the memory card and battery inserted.
Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors
pros
-
HD video -
f/3.1 -
14x -
For that film look -
HD video -
90% -
10.97 s -
Create slow motion video -
1/3200 s
cons
-
28 mm -
Feb, 2011 -
12 MP -
3.2 fps -
No automatic 3D -
3,200 ISO -
No automatic stitching -
50 mm -
No automatic HDR -
33 mm -
215 g -
106 x 59 x 33 mm
Reviews Word on the street
Video
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)This captures up to 4-seconds of the action before a shot is taken, then joining all the clips together from the same day into a single VGA movie, which creates a time-lapse movie overview.
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)Smart Auto is deployed in movie mode, though, the camera referencing 18 different presets to find the most appropriate.
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)A new addition to the shooting mode dial is the Movie Digest option.
Photography
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)The shooting mode wheel on the top right of the back plate features a plethora of options - 13 in total - with the sort of set up found on an entry-level DSLR in relation to its mixture of creative manual options, plus point and shoot modes for common subjects.
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)For the point and shoot brigade the SX220 HS has further easy access pre-optimised modes for portraits and landscapes, along with a kids and pets mode.
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)The build quality is the usual marriage of plastic and metal, with the PowerShot SX220 HS feeling sturdy enough when gripped in the palm to withstand the odd drop or knock in its inactive state.
Shutter
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)Over to the far right where it naturally falls under the forefinger of the right hand is the shutter release button.
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)In the Scene mode, users are presented with the Smart Shutter mode which as it sounds allows the shutter to be controlled with a smile or a wink - increasing the overall user-friendly feel and handy for when you want to include yourself in the picture.
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)The Canon Powershot SX220 HS has an anti-shake mechanism, which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras.
Lens
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)It may be larger than most compacts, but once you've become used to a camera with such a broad focal range that it's possible to frame up subjects near or far in pretty much an instant, it's a real drag to go back to your common-or-garden 3x zoom snapper, the usual 'family friendly' tool of choice.
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)Though it offers a very extensive lens reach for a compact, the front of the SX220 HS is clean and unthreatening.
Sensor
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2011)The employment of a back-illuminated sensor helps the SX220 to perform well in low light, with a usable ISO range of 100-800 and even the higher settings proving adequate for web use and smaller prints.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Canon EOS 1D X Largest sensor EOS 1D X vs PowerShot SX220 HS |
 | 3 | Canon IXUS 230 HS Fastest lens IXUS 230 HS vs PowerShot SX220 HS |
 | 4 | Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v 2-way tie: Wide angle lens Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v vs Canon PowerShot SX220 HS |
 | 5 | Nikon Coolpix S6300 4-way tie: Automatic panorama Nikon Coolpix S6300 vs Canon PowerShot SX220 HS |
 | 7 | Nikon Coolpix S9100 4-way tie: Shoots high speed video Nikon Coolpix S9100 vs Canon PowerShot SX220 HS |
 | 8 | Canon PowerShot SX150 IS 3-way tie: Best macro lens SX150 IS vs SX220 HS |
New duel?
Let the battle continue or dare to compare.
Unanswered Questions
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November 25, 2012
Low-light Prictures, Family Photos, Vacation
I'm shooting photos of my family, on family events, birthdays and on vacations, trips etc. I want to buy a high-end compact camera with greater DOF (just like in a DSLR camera which have nice...
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Answers September 27, 2012
Low light photos, Special effects
I like the fact that Sony has sweep panorama option, but Canon has fisheye and miniature efects aswell. I would use it for picturing landskapes, portraits, nights clubs, but I would like a camera...
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Answers May 2, 2012
Travelling, taking pictures with family and friends
I'm a beginner, my main concern is the picture quality when taking pictures of people (not so harsh on skin colour, etc.). Image stabilization, rich colours, decent battery life
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Answers 