Canon PowerShot SX210 IS

The not-so-popular pop-up flash

Although a widely criticised feature of the previous model (the SX200), the SX210 still features a pop-up flash that shoots out as soon as you switch on the camera. I find this incredibly annoying, and all the more so because you don't always even need the flash. But unlike the SX200, the SX210's flash can be pushed back in manually. Another nasty surprise awaits though, as the flash is located right where you'd typically put your index finger to hold the camera, so it pops out and hits you each time you switch it on. Surely it would have been easier just to build it into the camera body? Let's hope that's what Canon's got planned for the next version.

UPDATE 07/07/2011: In line with our new, tighter test criteria, the SX210 now gets four stars in the 'Picture Quality' section rather than five. Some competitors can now match the quality of its lens and the CCD's sensitivity has been scored more harshly. The camera's overall four-star score, however, remains unchanged.

UPDATE 19/10/ 2010: the overall score of the Canon SX210 IS has been brought down to four stars. In line with our newly tightened test criteria, its 230,000-dot screen, limited battery life and photo-to-photo turnaround time cost the SX210 its fifth star.

The SX200 IS was a good camera, even if it was somewhat overshadowed by Panasonic's TZ7. Canon is now back with the new and much improved SX210, which the manufacturer hopes will fare better against Panasonic's new and much improved TZ10, not to mention the Sony HX5V. So, with its 14-Megapixel sensor, 14x zoom and 720 HD video mode, will the SX210 IS have what it takes to rival the best?

Handling

Canon's new super-zoom compact is an attractive camera. It has a more curvy design than the previous model and is available in champagne, pink or black. The finish is incredibly good, giving the SX210 the look and feel of a high-quality camera. It's a decent size and fits nicely in your hand. The buttons and dials have notably been reworked, with a scroll wheel for selecting the various exposure modes on the back of the camera, together with shortcuts to features such as video mode (customisable) and a control wheel for easily adjusting the settings. What's surprising, though, is that the control wheel is completely blank, with not a single icon or label in sight. That means it's only by fiddling around with this sensitive but temperamental control wheel that you'd discover it can be used to change the focus mode or the flash mode, for example.

The graphic user interface is stylish and practical to use. The 16:9-format screen is pleasant too, even if it only has a resolution of 230,000 dots. Surprisingly enough, this isn't a problem, as the contrast is high, viewing angles are wide, and the screen is smooth and easy to read even in low light, when the display inevitably become grainy but manages to remain smooth. In some way, the screen format pushes you to use the wide 16:9 picture format, as regular photos look a bit lost on the screen. This format could, however, be problematic for anyone who likes to print their photos out. The 14x zoom is ready to use in around 3 seconds and has a slow sync function. In fact, the two different zooming speeds come in very handy in video mode. On the downside, the zoom control lever is ridiculously small and not very easy to use (the previous model had a more practical dial-like control ring).

As with the previous model, the pop-up flash opens each time you switch the camera on, but unlike the SX200, you can now just push it shut again. The SX210 is a versatile camera that's suitable for beginners, with its automatic mode and scene detection, as well as more experienced users who'll be pleased to see SLR-style A, S and M modes. There's no programme shift for P mode and the autofocus mode is fairly limited, with just one central autofocus point and no face detection.

Our test model seemed to have a few problems with its battery and could barely make it through a whole day of testing. It kept running out after a few dozen photos and a few minutes of video capture.

Responsiveness

The AF function works well, taking under a second to focus in most situations. It's certainly not the fastest camera around, but it's still acceptable and offers similar performances to the Panasonic TZ10, even if the Sony HX5V is faster in wide-angle mode. The SX210's 14-Megapixel sensor makes for a photo-to-photo turnaround time of 4 seconds and a sluggish burst mode of 0.5 fps. Start-up time is pretty average, with the camera ready to use in 1.7 seconds.

Picture quality

The exposure is mostly fine in auto mode and the dynamic range is surprisingly good. There are, however, some slight purple fringes in highly contrasted areas.

Video