-Hey, I'm Josh Goldman with CNET, and this is a look at the Canon PowerShot SX230HS.
Now, that HS in the camera's name refers to Canon's HS System that combines a high-sensitivity CMOS sensor and the company's DIGIC 4 image processor to produce better low-light photos, and it works.
The SX230 produces some of the best low-light photos I've seen from a compact megazoom.
Some of the credit though goes to the camera's excellent color performance, as well as Canon's ability to balance noise and noise reduction.
So, photos keep as much detail as possible at higher ISO settings where it usually gets destroyed.
If you take a lot of photos indoors, for example, I take a lot of pictures of my kids inside in less-than-great lighting?
The SX230 is a good choice for that.
Also, it's a
pretty fast camera.
If you're looking for something to take to sporting events or shoot kids and pets.
I've tested faster, such as Panasonic's ZS10, but the Canon does fine for the most part and the 14x zoom gets you pretty close to the action even from up in the stands.
Beyond the lens, the camera is packed with shooting options like manual and semi-manual shooting modes.
There are creative filters like toy camera and miniature effects, and it shoots full HD movies at the
press of a button.
The SX230 is also the first PowerShot to have built-in GPS for GeoTagging, and that adds elevation, longitude, and latitude information to your photos.
It's a good first effort, but other manufacturers do more with the GPS.
And even turning it on and off in this camera is a pain since it's buried in the menu system.
And other than the addition of GPS, the design is pretty much the same as its predecessor, the SX210IS, including the same annoying flash that's not only poorly placed but pops up every time you turn on the camera.
Lastly, you'll wanna pick up a second battery because the small pack that comes with this does not last very long, especially if you're using the GPS or doing a lot of burst shooting or a movie shooting, so yeah, it has its short-comings.
But its
photo quality and movie quality?
Some of the best I've seen from a compact megazoom.
I'm Josh Goldman and that's a look at the Canon PowerShot SX230HS.
