Canon PowerShot SX1 IS review

Full review at www.cameralabs.... . A 7.5 minute tour around Canon's 20x superzoom camera with full HD video, the PowerShot SX1 IS, by Gordon Laing, Editor of www.cameralabs.com. For my full review, sample images, results and current pricing, please click the link at the start of this text or visit cameralabs . com. If you have any questions regarding this review, feel free to post on the Cameralabs forum!

[@cameralabs]

I did upload an HD file, but for some reason, youtube isn't showing it here. The HD version can be seen on my review of the SX1 IS at cameralabs . com though.

[@cameralabs]

No worries! To be fair, the news about RAW on the SX1 IS is very new, and Canon UK actually only announced it a few hours ago. The update should be available in mid-March.

[@cameralabs]

I can assure you the current SX1 IS firmware DOES NOT offer a RAW option. But yesterday Canon announced the American version of the SX1 IS - expected in April - will support RAW thanks to new firmware. And this new firmware *should* be available for everyone else to download in mid-March. If this is correct, that's great news.

[@cameralabs]

Yes, there will be a program you can download in mid-March which will update the SX1 IS to support RAW.

[@cameralabs]

Hi Bob, good question, but sadly the answer is no - you only get one flash with the popup model.

[@TheGameCollector]

Thanks for the review. 😊👍🏻I am about to buy this second hand 10 years later for about 60 dollar. 😊 Even if it is 10 years old, I think it still holds up even today.

[@cameralabs]

Have fun with it, I'm glad you found my old review!

[@Bawkr]

I just got one as well $43 and the remote separately for $7. I'm hoping it's better than my phone at taking product photos. Pretty sure it will be. Respectively the 400D / Rebel XSi doesn't do video as well, has a proprietary battery I think & costs about %30 more, even more than it was comparatively back in the day. So this is a pretty good camera if you want something all in one although assuming this doesn't accept lenses as well as the 400D tier stuff. Love AA AAA batteries, it's a lot more durable of a setup than proprietary, aside the battery doors those do take a bit more wear but that's an easy fix vs a new USB port & new model matching battery.

[@cameralabs]

I know, and strangely, youtube is only showing an HQ, not an HD option. I'm not sure why, as the original file was HD and my 5D2 video was the same format and came up in HD - any ideas?

[@cameralabs]

Yes, the photos look fine on your computer. They only look smaller on the camera's screen becuase of its shape.

[@cameralabs]

As I understand the American version just adds RAW, and this will be available as a firmware update for everyone else in mid-March.

[@cameralabs]

I don't think it has an offical filter thread - just concentric rings. But some people have fitted a filter to it - see the SX1 and SX10 threads in the cameralabs forums...

[@scoutthedoggie]

Nice review and so I am gonna buy one of these, my old Powershot S3 took a direct hit last Sunday and its gone to camera heaven.. No Not the Playboy Mansion..

[@cameralabs]

Just to clarify, the SX1 IS sensor is exactly the same size and resolution as that in the SX10 IS. It's a 1/ 2.3in size, which is MUCH smaller than that in any DSLR, so there's still noise issues at higher sensitivities. So the SX1 IS may use a CMOS sensor, but it's still much smaller than in a DSLR. See the results pages of this review at cameralabs . com to compare the quality of the SX1 IS against the SX10 IS and the 450D / XSi.

[@cameralabs]

It doesn't come with a memory card - you need to supply your own, so it depends how big the card is. The video rate for HD is in the review, as are details on the exposure modes.

[@cameralabs]

Don't worry, it's an easy mistake! The really confusing part is the 1/2.3in measurement refers not to the sensor, but a circle which would go around it if it were an old tube camera!

[@cameralabs]

Thanks! I'm not sure what's happened to the HD version, as it's an HD file... hopefully it'll appear as an option soon...

[@norekos]

Hello, what camcorder do you use to record this HD videos? The quality is great!

[@atyl1972]

yes i am pretty sure that the photo when uploaded will be fully fitted to the print you're taking, although if not you can always use editing function with windows or a third party software editing suite

[@cameralabs]

@ChrisBowlas Yes that's right, but the SX1 IS has a special trick. When it's recording 1080p video, it only needs a 1920x1080 frame on the sensor. Normally it would double-up pixels for better sensitivity, but its teleconverter option actually just records a 1920x1080 frame in the middle of the sensor with spare pixels on either side - this effectively doubles the focal length without compromising resolution.

[@Appo501st]

Great Review! Although i do a have one question, about when you said "As a 16:9 model, theres still vertical black bars and a reduced display resolution when shooting in 4:3 mode" does that means that after you upload the photos on your computer it's full size? the picture's only smaller on the camera's screen, right? sorry im just a little confused.

[@migge65]

Nice review as always Gordon, I like to have your opinion on a dilemma I have. I have a nikon d5000 with a tamron 70-300mm in addition to the kit lens. I would like to have more zoom power and my dilemma is either to buy the canon sx1 or a teleconverter a 2x teleconverter for the nikon and tamron lens, wich solution would your recommend? I don't even know if the tamron or kenko teleconverter would work on the nikon d5000, have been trying to find answer on the internet but without success. ty

[@Jeesh]

Hi Gordon, I have been watching your reviews and browsed you website and I think this is the camera I want to get. I am however wanting to be able to use manual focus, you talked about it a little in the video but no in-depth information about it. I have seen a demo of it here on youtube and it looks quite cumbersome. please could you fill me in. I enjoy your reviews very much and your website is just great :) Thanks

[@stubones]

Hi Gordon, I phoned Canon and the woman said the camera currently supports RAW. Can you confirm this? The canon site (UK) says a firmware update may be required, but there is no firmware update for the SX1 IS. Cheers again.

[@stubones]

Hi again Gordon. What diameter is the lens? I have a 58mm circular polariser hanging about. I cant tell from any photos. I am selling my 40D to buy this for its video capability, but dont worry, I have a 50D too!

[@cameralabs]

Because a DSLR has a MUCH bigger sensor, so it needs bigger lenses too. You have to decide which is more important to you as you can't have both!

[@cameralabs]

It's been reviewed at cameralabs . com, along with lots of others you won't see here!

[@DougCameraMan]

Great review. The audio quality sounds great as well. I owned a Canon SX-110 with (10x optical zoom but only 640 video mode) until I dropped it and it developed a dark spot center frame shortly thereafter. My only complaint about it was the lack of HD 720 video and annoying swishing sound background noise in the video mode's audio. I bought a new SX-120, a new model 10x, and it also had the sound quality defect and STILL only 640 res. video. The audio noise was still there so I returned it.

[@spessu83]

Hey "Cameralabs" and Gordon Laing. I've got my SX1 IS and I'm struggling to play the .mov files properly. I saw you used Premiere CS4 to edit the .mov but my image is really laggy and I'm unable to make any good of it. So I'm wondering whatkind of codec packs you have installed... or is there another trick to make it work with Premiere? I'd be very thankful for any information of this!

[@TheStig000]

Yeah and this superzoom is an exception to the rule with sensors. It has a more serious sensor than most others. But I still put forth the point that no super zoom is going to be used in a professional setting. If your job really was on the line which camera would you depend on?

[@cameralabs]

It was laggy on mine too during editing, only smooth after I'd edited and converted it tinto something that's easier to play. We have a thread about this in the imaging software section on the cameralabs forums...

[@cameralabs]

You're getting confused, and I resent the suggestion that I rig anything. This video was filmed with EXACTLY the same Canon HV30 as all my recent HD reviews (audio with the built-in mic) and edited using the SAME Premiere Pro CS4 workflow. It was also exported using the SAME WMV settings before uploading. The reason it may look different here is due to YT's encoding when it was originally uploaded. So please don't make negative accusations in public against someone before knowing all the facts.

[@jeffhanson1]

I'm hearing that when it comes to stills, the new SX20 IS seems to be a little cleaner in lower light situations. I also think 720p is more than adequate for video.

[@savethelady]

hi Gordon. i really loved your review!!! I am really interested in buying one. however i would like to know, if when using the continues 4fps, if the flash works a swell? or if it only works when taking a regular photo? thanks! Bob.

[@arpanbhagat]

Hi Gordon, Does this camera shoot images while taking movie ?

[@cameralabs]

Yeah, it's a bit odd, but at least you can see it in HD at my site if you want to! The HD aspect on YT is also now out of beta, so hopefully all future uploads should work fine...

[@migge65]

Thanks for you quick anwer. Yes I want to keep the DSLR and use the Canon as a backup camera when I need zoom power (or to shoot video as it is more or less useless on the nikon). So you say I will get better quality image with the canon then with the teleconverter mount on the Nikon?

[@BaylovesPow]

hi! how did upload this video on youtube? are there settings you need to do for windows movie maker? HELP please!

[@Rolwhite]

Hi Gordon, I have a hv30...and I wanted to know if you had to choose between the hv30 or canon sx1 20x which camera would be our choice.

[@Likewoahomg]

Gordon, what do you think.. The Canon SX1 or the Sony HX1?

[@arroyo3rd]

sorry.. correct me if i'm wrong... Sx10 can too have a continous shot only at 1.4 frame per second while Sx1 can do 4 frames per second...

[@CliftonPhotographer]

I have the SX10IS and I'm thinking about selling it and going for a used SX1IS. My main reason is the 4fps and the HD video recording. I don't really see any reason not to,even after this video.

[@cameralabs]

You can't get an 80x zoom on any camera. You're talking about a digital zoom which reduces quality - just look at the optical zoom figure. As for DSLRs, go to the best buys section at cameralabs . com and read the 'should I buy a DSLR' article.

[@Shoyun81]

Hello Gordon I saw in ur test that u used a Sandisc SDHC Ultra II. I'm about to buy the 16go one, is it a good choice to record 1080p movies and take 4ips ? Thanks :)

[@stubones]

Hi Gordon, your site says the HD video is not yet ready :)

[@cameralabs]

Hi tezzofino, don't blame me! This video was rendered and uploaded in 720p in exactly the same way as my 5D2 and G1 videos, which show up fine here - it's youtube that's not showing an HQ or an HD option here for some reason. Want evidence? Take a look at the video page of my SX1 IS review at cameralabs . com - you'll see it in HD there.

[@nittin24]

Hi Gordon ...... Which handycam do u use to record ur videos ??

[@cameralabs]

It doesn't come with a memory card - you need to supply your own, so it depends how big the card is. See the verdict of my SX1 IS review to compare with the SX10 IS...

[@veivo]

how come, when you are turning the camera round to show us from the stereo mics to the dedicated video recording button, the power button is illuminated with a green light. i thought it was meant to be orange

[@cameralabs]

It's called moving house. All my reviews up to May 2009 were done in a room in my old house and all the ones after that were done in a room in a new house. The camera, software and editing workflow have not changed. I certainly have not downsampled any audio, nor have any reason to do so. I can't speak for what YT does to the videos after uploading.

[@cameralabs]

Sorry, I've not reviewed the Finepix S100fs and have no plans to at the mo...

[@usamajk]

great video.. is the sx1 IS the american version going to be only in america or it will be in europ as well ??

[@tombachyt]

Can you add an external microphone to this? And can you add a fisheye lens to this?

[@cameralabs]

I'll review the HX1 when Sony send me one to test.

[@stubones]

I got my SX1 IS yesterday. It looks nice, but it feels cheap IMO. The buttons feel fiddly too. Not good for a compact costing £400. I guess I have been spoilt by the outstanding build quality of the 40 and 50D's. The HD video is nice though, but low light shooting is a write off. I went through a set of batteries in 30 minutes playing around... Did you try low light video shooting? Bring on the RAW! Cheers

[@iglooo102videos]

As always CAMERALABS very informative. But, I always wanted to know the MIN temp where these cameras can function without any problems (e.g can function at -30C or -40C).

[@utilizator333]

I have 350$ budget. in this limit, what the best buy you recommend (with high filming and shooting capabilities)?

[@DatoFarid]

hey do u recommend this for home use.? i mean this ione instead of DSLR EOS etc.?

[@cameralabs]

I only briefly tried the manual focusing and it was more to see whta it was like with the corase EVF - see the features page of my review at cameralabs...

[@izzard]

Great review - thanks Gordon. I bought an SX1 recently online for £335 and I'm very pleased with it (I'm upgrading from a PowerShot G7). The main reason I got it was to have HD video in a single unit. I toyed with a couple of pocket HD camcorders to carry with my PowerShot still camera - but I realise now I was wasting my time.

[@Ravarooo]

Hey there I have watched this video and your video for The Sony DSC HX 1. I am stuck between the two or maybe you even have a better recommendation. I want to use the camera for mainly taking videos of live concerts and possibly making short films. I had the Sony point and shoot DSC T100 and the sound on that camera was amazing so that is why I was leaning towards Sony. Can you please help me out?? Thanks a lot and great reviews!

[@kurlis]

hey gordon do you agree with dpreview's hard review of Recommended (Just) on this camera i'd like to hear you thoughts on this

[@579093]

I have a question. I'm new to cameras. Can I put in other types of lenses on these? Or are those only on SLRs?

[@mvakleko]

Ok is it just me or is the video a lot better including the audio on the SX1 IS than the camera that Gordon uses to shoot this video.

[@TheStig000]

And that is the benefit of cameras like this. Which is why I called them good point and shoot cameras. Nothing too serious but nice to carry around everywhere.

[@baza210]

Excellent review, thank you. Would you mind telling me if there any limitations with respect to video length as there are in the Panasonic FZ28? The FZ28 also records HD .mov files (albeit 720p), and regardless of SD card size these files cannot exceed 2GB before recording automatically ceases and has to be restarted.

[@cameralabs]

The HD tours are filmed with a Canon HV30.

[@philliah]

excuse me, how long can you record video in full HD mode in one blow? or does it record in 30 min. segments? thanks for your time...

[@Wistbacka]

I've red on various forums that all though the SX1 iS has the CSMOS processor the image quality of the camera is not as good as the SX10 iS. Now is that true? Myself I'm very into shooting movies. but I also want best possible image quality. As a summary of what I've red on the internet, I should get me the SX1 for filming and Sx10 (Which I own) for stills. Now is this true? Does the SX10 have better image quality? Also can't one attach the 2x teleconverter to the SX10 Is?

[@DrumNBum]

wher was that foootage taken?? those mountains are beautiful.

[@turan86]

firmware is a software update. They say the sx1 will be have a firmware which allows to take pictures in RAW format which allows to modify the picture on your pc.

[@BlackHoleBeast]

What program should I use to edit the videos I take with this camera? I'm using adobe right now, but the video is overwhelming it and adobe is crashing. Please help, I really need to know.

[@cameralabs]

How about the Panasonic FZ28?

[@cameralabs]

Thanks, you're very welcome!

[@Wistbacka]

Does the SX1 have an external-mic-socket?

[@peeteey]

Hey Gordon, great reviews, very useful and well made. Thanks! Nice to see lots of Queenstown in your videos :)

[@usamajk]

so . as i understand... if i bought the sx1 with no RAW format capture .. they can fixe it with a programe software so it can capture RAW .. is that wright or not ?

[@grannysmiff]

is it possible to extend the exposure beyond 15 secs with a remote shutter control?

[@cameralabs]

Actually, this was filmed in HD, it's youtube that's messing up the quality! But if you visit my SX1 IS review at cameralabs . com you can see it in HD.

[@King_samm1]

Hey how did u get the wide screen when recording? On a powershotSX10 is Because when I post my yt videos it’s not wide screen

[@cameralabs]

It's been a long time since I tested it, so you'd be best looking in the manual.

[@cameralabs]

I hope so, but there probably won't be a video tour - only a written review at cameralabs . com.

[@alyssaEileen321]

can you add or change lens on this camera?

[@Tomas9308]

@utilizator333 the Powershot sx20 IS, of course... 720p HD at 30 fps... with 20x optical zoom and excelent image quality... also the price is around 350$

[@nyobzooos]

Hi, what is the maximum capacity for the SD memory can the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS can read or take? I looked everywhere or even read the manual, but it didn't state anywhere. I wonder if it can take 32gb. Thanks.

[@cameralabs]

A teleconverter will reduce your quality, but it depends if you want to keep using your DSLR or not - feel free to ask on the cameralabs forums...

[@musu0]

Hello Gordon, I can also take pictures fast you here ( 1:34 ) on SX10? I am thinking of buying an SX10 to take pictures of aircraft. Hugs

[@TheStig000]

The major difference isn't in zoom or shooting modes, it's in the sensor and noise handling. That is my distinction between a pro camera and a DSLR. My entry level D40 will shoot at 1600 ISO perfectly fine but you'd probably be lucky to hit 400 ISO with any super zoom and have the same quality.

[@c0n41r]

@kallsmom You need to change manually the Aperture setting (which u can do in M or Ae modes). When you're lowering the value (say f/2.7) it shrinks the depth of the picture that is in focus. Meaning if you focus the cam. on a person near you, the background is smudged (and vice versa). If you set the apperture to a high value, the focus depth is larger, making both the person and the background in focus (up to a point). You can do it with all the canon powershots...

[@stubones]

Let me revise my opinion after having spent some time using it. The SX1is a great little camera. The video quality (sound and image) is excellent. Well worth the money. Stills quality is adequate, but more than acceptable.

[@stubones]

For sure, the 50D. It might be ok to use the SX1 as backup in situations where ISO 80 - 200 would be the order of the day.. but also its lack of RAW mode is an issue too (the Panasonic FZ28 has RAW mode, but 720p)... still I will get one. Its perfect for holidays etc. Good stills capability matched to 1080p video. Its a fun camera but has high capability. Its not point and shoot, but its also not a DSLR..

[@cameralabs]

Yes, that's correct.

[@peteclement3801]

nice shot of Queenstown.

[@danielsogor]

is better than SX10 is??

[@kaky8a]

Hi, im trying to decide between the PowerShot SX1 IS or the PowerShot SX20 IS, can anybody help me with that? I mean, witch one has a better image quality? do they both have full hd movie recording system?

[@mattutubematt]

this is how i do it: i use sony vegas but export settings should be the same for anything export as WMV resolution of 1280x720 [any higher is useless since youtube only allows 720p as the highest] and for bit rate use Internet/lan and type in 6m for 6 mbs [per second i believe] and thats it :) hope it works out for u! oh and i love ur reviews btw ;]

[@Animacx]

Getting one this Sunday for free, is it still worth it?

[@cameralabs]

You tell me!

[@stubones]

I believe whats going to happen is Canon USA is going to release the camera with the RAW capable firmware already on it (in Mrach?). If you have an SX1 without the RAW capable F/W, you need (like me) to wait until the F/W update is available and then install it on your camera. Cheers

[@Rohhaut]

Can anybody help me please! Is it possible to attach additional filters or a macro lense to that camera?

[@stubones]

Firmware is a term sometimes used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs that internally control various electronic devices.

[@cameralabs]

Go to the features tab of the review and scroll down to the movie mode section.

[@cameralabs]

It's Queenstown in New Zealand's South Island!

[@cameralabs]

Hi everyone, I just updated my SX1 IS review at cameralabs . com with results for RAW files, following the firmware update.