Canon SX1 IS review : 560mm 20x optical zoom, 1080p HD video, DIGIC 4 - a power-packed PowerShot

- The wait is over. I have in my hands the Canon Powershot SX1 IS, finally a worthy successor to my Canon S3 IS. The S5 didn't really count, being more of an incremental improvement than the revolutionary leap I was looking for.

And revolutionary it truly is. The Canon SX1IS is a big leap forward from both the S3 and the S5 before it. Key distinguishing features include :

1. 20x optical zoom - a whopping 560mm equivalent, compared to the 12X (436mm) of the S3/S5.
2. 28mm for wide angle shots, compared to 36mm earlier.
3. Full HD 1920x1080 30fps video with stereo audio, compared to VGA 640x480 30 fps.
4. Next-generation DIGIC 4 processor with iContrast and face detection, compared to DIGIC 3.

Ultra-zoom digital camera users quickly appreciate the immense reach of a long, true optical telephoto zoom and the Canon SX1 IS raises this to a whole new level, bumping up the magnification quite a few notches. At extreme range, this new zoom level requires steady hands and really stretches your ability to do hand-held shots. Fortunately, image stabilisation (the "IS" in Canon SX1 IS) comes to the rescue in that regard.

At the other extreme end of the range, the 28mm wide-angle does its bit to help out in landscape and panoramic shots as well as the pretty common group photo scenario or in constrained shooting situations. A handy selector button toggles between 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios, quickly enabling you to choose between wide and normal shot mode for both photo- and video-taking.

And talking about video-taking. It's a quantum leap. To be sure, I have had my doubts. Do I really need full HD video? What about the processor, bandwidth, memory and hard disk space requirements? But after taking a few clips and putting them up on the living-room LCD TV through the DVI-to-HDMI output from my PC beside it, I've got to say now that there *is* a big difference. It's my very own Blu-Ray quality video camcorder. I can now understand why Canon seems a little bit reluctant to release the Canon SX1 IS into the American market and why American consumers are wondering when they can get into a bit of SX1 action like their European and Asian counterparts. The video quality in full 1080p HD is solid. Solid enough that you don't need a separate HD digicam.

And finally, the technological tour de force : the new, next-generation Canon DIGIC 4 image processor. It brings with it, among other things, a couple of new features : face detection and iContrast. Sure, some might call face-detect gimmicky but I find it useful enough to leave it on by default - and that's saying a lot from one who turns off these aids every time I encounter them - such as multi-zone AiAF (OFF), assist lamp (OFF), shot review (OFF).

The iContrast (Intelligent Contrast) is something else altogether. Finally, I can take photos in situations like this one without worrying about setting up the flash and worrying about flash distance, shot-to-shot timing, and under-exposure of regions in shadow :

Look at the face area, the shadow under my car, the folds on the bag, and the undersides of the trees. I was under a tree, in shadow, when taking this shot. In pre-DIGIC 4 times, these areas would have been pretty dark but now you actually get to see them. A technological tour de force indeed. And here's another sample photo - to those who say use fill-in flash to bring out the dark regions, try doing *that* on the sides of a building - NO WAY. So once again iContrast comes to the rescue :

Canon's iContrast technology is about as close as you can get right now to achieving "single-shot" HDR (High Dynamic Range) imaging without having to go through the hassle of multiple shots at multiple exposures (up to 8, sometimes 9 or even 10), and then putting them together in Photoshop or other specialized software. I really cannot tell you how many times I have struggled to adjust the +/- exposure, the shutter speed, or the spot focus, in order to achieve results that aren't even anywhere close to these. Call it hyperbole if you will but Canon's iContrast alone is worth the price of admission. Bundle it together with the rest of the package, and it makes for a most compelling buy.

To those who say the price encroaches on DSLR territory, yes I'd tend to agree, but if you want a DSLR which also has full HD video recording, together with a Canon EF 500mm lens, you would have to pay, let's say, about 10 times more. We're talking about a Canon EOS 5D Mark II (aka Canon 5D2) here. And in your hands, such a combination, even if you can easily afford it, would probably feel like it weighs 10 times heavier as well. Even if your wallet does not feel it your hands will :)

In short, the Canon SX1 IS gives you really awesome capabilities without having to go into DSLR territory. For the rest of the time (such as low-light situations), Biow's Nikon D40 with her 18-200mm lens covers things pretty well. The Canon SX1 lives up to its family name - it is a power-packed PowerShot. The new king of the PowerShot hill. All hail. Highly recommended.