Digital Cameras Ratings: Canon PowerShot SX130IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom with 3.0-Inch LCD Review

Average Reviews:
4.2 out of 5 stars

(More customer reviews)For the last 2 years I've been searching for a camera to be a companion to my Sony DSC 7.2 megapixel (bought in 2005) which takes awesome pictures even when enlarged and the color is just phenomenal! I wanted something with zoom power, neat features to play around, and of course must provide awesome color.

I tried:
Panasonic ZS1...awful, awful pictures. So noisy/unclear it was unbelievable.
Sony DSC W290...noisy/unclear. Sony really went the way of the dodo on this one.
Sony TX5 ($350)...again, just not as clear as my old 7.2 megapixel.
Sony DSC H55...almost a keeper, but still not as good as my old 7.2 megapixel.

Finally I tried this Canon and I bought it as soon as it came out, before any reviews were posted. I was simply hoping that the technology this year would be perfected and I would not find the same noisy/low-light/poor-light performance problems that every camera I read about on Amazon seems to have had in the past 3 years. WELL I HIT THE JACKPOT!

If you buy this camera, this is what you need to do:
1) Print up the manual (at home, and trim it to size) then have FedEx/Kinkos spiral bind it for $8.
2) Set aside 1 to 2 full hours (completely undisturbed) and read the manual. It's a very good manual and pretty thorough.
3) This really is not a camera for people who just want to keep it on "auto" all the time and snap away.Because this camera really only shines when you learn how to work it and play with it's settings, which are easy to learn and numerous.This camera is fun and provides many, many fun options.
NOTE: I am not a camera pro, and at my age learning how to work and remembering new technology can be a task, but this camera makes me feel like a camera pro, and I must reiterate it is easy to learn/navigate. This camera has way too many cool features to cover, but I'll highlight some.

SOME FUN FEATURES/SETTINGS...DO NOT BE OVERWHELMED:
1) Takes photos automatically when someone smiles.
2) Has a "wink" self-timer.
3) Customizable self-timer. You can set the self timer to take as many photos as you want, at intervals of time, for example you can tell it take 30 photos in 3 second intervals, or whatever combo of numbers. Very cool feature!
4) Takes a photo when a "new face" enters the picture. So you can set it on a tripod to take pics of a gathering and when new faces enter the scene it just keeps snapping away.
5) SCENE OPTIONS: Lowlight, Vivid Colors, Poster Effect (old/worn look), Accent color (keep only one color and make others B&W), Color Swap (I changed my black appliances to my wood cabinets and vice-versa), Fisheye Effect (very funny), Miniature Effect (blurs top and bottom with a clear center), Beach Scene (for sunshine/good blues), Foliage (for vivid foliage), Snow Scene, Fireworks.
6) LIGHTING: You can set white balance, tell it the lighting around you like flourescent, daylight, cloudy, et al.
7) COLOR: You can set color saturation to vivid, neutral, sepia, B&W, positive (like silver-tape movies), light skin tone, dark skin tone, vivid blue, green, red, and even completely customize even more than this.
8) SHOOTING: It'll take one shot, or continuous shots.
9) FLASH: You can set your flash power. And you raise it manually or hide it if not needed.
10) QUALITY/SIZE: Obviously you can set size/quality of photos.
11) OTHER: You can set shutter speed, aperature, both together, ISO from 80-1600, AND SO MUCH MORE!
12) MOVIES: Very clear video recording...I was amazed!
13) MORE AUTO SETTINGS: Kids & Pets, Landscape, Portrait, Easy, Auto.
14) And "within" all of these setting mentioned you can do more things, for example, if you're on Auto or Easy or Portrait you can tell it to take continuous shots, or self-timed at intervals, and on and on.
15) And this camera still offers even more features than what I listed!!!

BEST FEATURE OF ALL:
1) With every selection, with every turn of the dial, every press of the button, a clear and easy explanation of what you are doing or selecting appears on the screen. You simply cannot make a mistake.

BATTERY LIFE:
It ate through my Duracells within hours. So I purchased Sanyo Eneloop Rechargable Batteries and they seem to be lasting longer and better.But it is nice to have the ability to buy AAs when needed and not need an outlet to recharge, so I liked that feature.

PHOTOS I'VE TAKEN:
At sunset of people in backyard: Clear and vivid and picked up green palm trees, tan skin, etc.
At 1am of people on porch: Clear and vivid and picked up everything as though it was daylight.
In dark living room: Clear and vivid and picked up wood chest, painted wall, everything as though the lights were on.
Landscapes during the day: Just awesome!
Pool/foliage during the day: Again, amazing color and clarity...and did I mention amazing color!

DO NOT BE OVERWHELMED OR INTIMIATED BY THIS CANON CAMERA AND ITS FEATURES.
Here are the errors I always find I make:
1) Can't find a "setting," it's because I forget to turn the dial to "SCN" which will then allow me to pull up the menus I'm looking for.
2) Can't access the ISO Speed, White Balance, Tone/Color Change, I forget to turn the dial to "P" which then gives me the menus for those.
3) Not getting a flash, I forget to manually raise the flash bulb. Yes, you just flip it up with a finger, or flip it down to hide it.

If you read the manual, this camera will make you feel like a professional photographer and provide endless enjoyment and fun making memories!

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Product Description:
Creative Memory Making.Smart, sleek and creative, the PowerShot SX130 IS is the perfect companion to all your good times. Now you can capture every detail of special moments in crisp, stunning 720p HD - even while using the high-powered 12x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom! You'll record in stereo sound, then play back your videos instantly on you computer. The SX130 IS is all about creativity, with fun new scene modes like Miniature Effect for Movies, and Fisheye Effect for artistically distorted stills. While you're having fun creating, the camera's Smart Flash Exposure and advanced Smart AUTO systems are ensuring that every image is the best it can be. Add the DIGIC 4 Image Processor, 12.1 Megapixels and Canon's Optical Image Stabilizer, and you've got the ideal camera for making the good times last.

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