- 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 SX230 HS
- 12 MP
- 14x f/3.1
- 1/2" CMOS
- 3" LCD
#3 in Canon travel zooms
Released February, 2011
Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (May, 2011)Other key features of the Canon SX230 include built-in GPS< 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 SX230 HS
First reviewed December, 2011
Features Key features of the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS
12 MP
1/2"
Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Nov, 2011)Announced at the beginning of the year, the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS is a 12.1MP compact travel zoom that packs a 14x optical zoom, along with a wide range of shooting modes and 1080p Full HD movie recording.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 15.9 MP    | 20 MP |
PowerShot SX230 HS by TrustedReviews (Nov, 2011)Canon’s flagship G-series has also seen a reduction in megapixels along with a corresponding boost in low-light performance.
PowerShot SX230 HS by Photography Blog (May, 2011)The Canon PowerShot SX230 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 SX230 HS by TrustedReviews (Nov, 2011)It’s also possible to record in 3:2, 16:9 and 1:1 although these options all take a crop from the sensor, thereby reducing maximum output at the largest file size to 4000 x 2664 at 3:2, 4000 x 2248 at 16:9 and 2992 x 2992 at 1:1.
PowerShot SX230 HS by TrustedReviews (Nov, 2011)This 100% crop at ISO 100 shows a clean, sharp image with good detailAt ISO 200 little has changed from ISO 100By ISO 400 some softening has occurred along with the first hints of noiseBy ISO 800 noise is becoming more noticeable By ISO 1600 the image is looking very soft with a marked loss of detailAt the top setting of ISO 3200 the image has degraded considerably.
wide angle lens
PowerShot SX230 HS by c|net (Mar, 2011)The PowerShot SX230 HS is Canon's top compact megazoom featuring a 28mm-equivalent wide-angle lens with a 14x zoom.
PowerShot SX230 HS by Photography Blog (May, 2011)The Canon Powershot SX230 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.
aperture size
PowerShot SX230 HS by TrustedReviews (Nov, 2011)Turning to the shooting modes that are on offer, photographers who prefer to work in fully manual mode will be pleased to note that the SX230 offers this option alongside the regular Program, Aperture-priority and Shutter-priority modes that, taken together, make up the creative PASM quartet that will be instantly familiar to regular DSLR users.
zoom range
| 0x | 14x   | 30x |
PowerShot SX230 HS by Robert-Dring (Nov, 2011)I wanted a reasonably small camera with high zoom, image stabilization, and decent low light pictures - and I got all that.
PowerShot SX230 HS by Victor-L.-Hudson (May, 2012)This fits my style perfectly for my daily use.Anti-shake works very well when hand-holding the camera in low-light conditions or when using the telephoto end of the zoom range.
body size
106 x 59 x 33 mm
104 x 70 x 80 mm
111 x 73 x 44 mm
PowerShot SX230 HS by Sylvio-Essucy-Gomes (Oct, 2011)The quality of the photos is impressive for the size of the camera.
PowerShot SX230 HS by smiley (Feb, 2012)With all the things I carry around while doing the touristy stuff, I really didn't want a heavy camera to weigh me down.
Performance Real world tests of Canon PowerShot SX230 HS
battery life
210 photos
380 photos
300 photos
PowerShot SX230 HS by c|net (Mar, 2011)The battery does not charge in camera and its life is fairly short, hastened by using the zoom, GPS, burst shooting, and capturing movies.
PowerShot SX230 HS by JES (Mar, 2012)amazing camera in small size!!!great picture with excellent resolutions ,great zoom !!the battery life is good ,and i love the blue color.
max continuous shooting
PowerShot SX230 HS by c|net (Mar, 2011)The SX230's burst mode is capable of capturing at 2.2 frames per second, with focus and exposure set with the first shot.
PowerShot SX230 HS by c|net (Mar, 2011)The camera also has a high-speed burst mode that can shoot 3-megapixel photos at up to 8.1 frames per second.
Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors
pros
-
HD video -
f/3.1 -
14x -
For that film look -
Records the location of your photos automatically -
HD video -
0.48 fps -
Create slow motion video -
Stitches together multiple photos into a single ultra-wide view -
82.61% -
1/3200 s
cons
-
28 mm -
Feb, 2011 -
12 MP -
3.2 fps -
No automatic 3D -
3,200 ISO -
50 mm -
No automatic HDR -
33 mm -
215 g -
106 x 59 x 33 mm
Reviews Word on the street
 |  
|
|---|---|
 | 
|
 |
|
 | Rated by 110 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by NCaliMama (Jan, 2012) Rated 100% by by abra--a-devoted-reader (Jan, 2012) Rated 100% by by abra--a-devoted-reader (Jan, 2012) |
Lens
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Rated 100% by by Red-Giant--Red-Giant (Feb, 2012)I also love its zoom feature, and I especially like its small size that is easy to take along on trips.
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Rated 100% by by JWH21 (Jan, 2012)It is quick, accurate, clear, great zoom and pixel definition.
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Rated 100% by by David-Heath--reader (Feb, 2012)The pictures are crisp and clean on all of the optical zoom levels.
Zoom
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Rated 100% by by G.-Gopal--eTech (Aug, 2011)It has great zoom for a little size.
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Rated 100% by by sonvig (Dec, 2011)I am a huge scrapbooker and love that I can zoom in and get great pics without having to go to a huge lens camera.
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Rated 80% by by N.-Alqurafi (Jan, 2012)Easy to use, The zoom is great,I would recommend this camera to anyone and everyone.
Image quality
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Rated 80% by by Leens1979Great quality pictures, great sharpness, contrast and shots in low light are awesome.
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Nov, 2011)While Canon’s IXUS range has always been the more obvious choice for younger, more style-conscious photographers, the workhorse PowerShot range rarely fails to deliver in terms of useful shooting features and fantastic image quality.
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Rated 80% by by Leens1979Lots of blurry pictures...I bought the camera to photograph my 5 month old daughter and she is blurry in half of them :(Fortunately when the picture comes out clear, the pictures are great).
Video
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Rated 80% by by montana (Sep, 2011)pro: very good low light picture quality, auto mode is awesome - real point and shoot, video quality also very good, love the 240 fps video mode, GPS works OK outdoors and on the streetcons.
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Rated 60% by by DS--DS (Dec, 2011)Photos/video. this camera does great in good light the 1080P video is very nice in full sunlight.
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Rated 75% by by c|net (Mar, 2011)It would be nice to have the option to create the movie or just store the clips as well as have it create a movie with the photos you took inserted between the clips.
Photography
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Rated 80% by by Dennis-MorganAt its widest setting the aperature opens from F/3.1 and goes up to around F/8.0...It's a nice camera for photography, but photography IS hard.
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Rated 80% by by scrapmaniac--ked (Jul, 2011)I am glad I got the camera months ahead of my trip to Spain so I can become totally comfortable and familiar with it before attending the family wedding there.
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Rated 60% by by Scott (Aug, 2011)I tested both outdoors and indoors with various subjects, lighting, objects etc and while some portrait photos looked great, everything else just didn't have that sharpness.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Canon ELPH 310 HS Fastest lens ELPH 310 HS vs PowerShot SX230 HS |
 | 2 | Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v Highest resolution screen Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v vs Canon PowerShot SX230 HS |
 | 3 | Canon PowerShot SX240 HS 2-way tie: OK contrast-detection focus points SX240 HS vs SX230 HS |
 | 4 | Canon PowerShot SX260 HS 2-way tie: OK contrast-detection focus points SX260 HS vs SX230 HS |
 | 6 | Canon PowerShot SX220 HS OK delay taking photos SX220 HS vs SX230 HS |
 | 7 | Canon PowerShot SX500 IS Most zoom SX500 IS vs SX230 HS |
 | 8 | Canon PowerShot SX160 IS Most shots per battery charge SX160 IS vs SX230 HS |
New duel?
Let the battle continue or dare to compare.
Popular Questions
May 3, 2012
Basic everyday pictures of family functions
Looking for a nice digital camera, not sure if I should go for a canon, nikon, or panasonic. I get so caught up in reviews, then end up very confused. I am replacing a panasonic lumix that is...
Beginner I
7
Answers 
Visitor
2
Answers April 5, 2012
General family children macro and landscape
Hi I have been looking at nikon coolpix p 300 and nikon p310 read your review vs 300 against 310 results did not please me as which magazine rated it highly. I have £175 to £250 and would like to...
Visitor
1
Answers Unanswered Questions
- 12 discussions
- View more
December 22, 2012
PowerShot ELPH 110 HS test footage
I bought one recently, here's a test footage using it http://youtu.be/kk_10zoyXzU <http://youtu.be/kk_10zoyXzU>
Visitor
0
Answers December 15, 2012
Underwater photography
Which one would be best to take pictures and make video's while diving ?
Visitor
0
Answers November 11, 2012
Concert photography under low/artificial light conditions?
All I want is a camera to bring with me to concerts, but can't find one that takes pictures under such conditions. Size is not important to me, just picture quality.
Visitor
0
Answers Community Find out what the Sortable community is saying about the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS
9
people have recommended the
Canon PowerShot SX230 HSTop Canon PowerShot SX230 HS experts at Sortable
aijus 
Beginner II
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10
- 14 MP
- 16x f/3.3
- 1/2.5" CMOS
- 3" LCD
2 more Sortable users recommended the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS over the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10.
View all discussions | View comparison 
Intermediate III
3
votes Which do you recommend and why? I think Canon makes the best P&S cameras and I'm a Nikon DSLR user. Unless you need the extra reach with SX230HS (14X), I recommend 300HS (5X) as others I...
- 1 comment
- May 4, 2012
- Reply to: Basic everyday pictures of family functions
