Customer reviews from usa.canon.com
Canon - PowerShot 12.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black
Average customer rating
4.5
(219 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 219 reviews
5 Stars
145
4 Stars
46
3 Stars
16
2 Stars
9
1 Star
3
87%of customers recommend this product.
(
191 out of
219)
Customer Reviews for Canon - PowerShot 12.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black
Customer Rating
5
Great investment
on August 10, 2010
Posted by: ari
from Alpharetta, GA
I've had this camera since February. LOVE it. It takes amazing quality pictures and is very versatile. The zoom is amazing-- it's like taking pictures through binoculars. No complaints, however, there are a couple drawbacks-- one being the size. It's not the kind of camera that you carry around with you wherever you go. You HAVE to have a camera bag. Going to a party? You're gonna want a smaller camera. Enjoying a night out on the town? For the ladies, we definitely want something we can throw in our purses or in a pocket. Also, the battery life is pretty poor. It's a good idea to get rechargeables or a battery pack. Playing videos or the picture playback drains the batteries pretty quickly, as does uploading to your PC. There are a lot of functions associated with this camera, so it's gonna take a long time to get used to all of them and figure them all out. It's well worth the time, and it's great when you accidentally stumble on an interesting new feature. A bit pricey, but well worth the investment if you plan on using it.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Its a good one
on August 10, 2010
Posted by: chas12
from S Central Kansas
We like the camera - so far the only complaints we have are: would really like a printed operator's guide instead of mostly on line: having trouble keeping lens cap on. It makes great pictures - hoping to learn enough to operate it with some skill. The view finder is what sold us. Trying to line up wildlife and flora pics on screen in daylight is a real pain.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
3
Not as good as previous versions
on July 27, 2010
Posted by: pguin
I had an S3 and a thief did away with it so I replaced it on a 1 year trip with the SX20. I am irritated at more than just the thief.
The camera is just getting to the point where it is too bulky and heavy and hard to find a small case that can fit in my fanny pack easily. It's continuous photo mode is very slow compared to the S3. I have lots of problems with getting vibrant colors and the images are not very sharp. Occasionally they are very, very good but I look at the photos taken with the S3 and they are so much nicer.
For goodness sakes, get a real lens cap on the thing! I had to make a lens cap out of the lens hood, a pringles cap, and electrical tape as I couldn't find a proper lens cap in South America in stock.
Battery life is pretty good, video is generally satisfactory. The features of the camera are quite good for the price (although they work so-so sometimes) however in almost all ways, I prefer my older camera. Yes, the SX20 has more pixels, but they are fuzzy.
The one thing I really, really like is the flip out screen. I use the self-timer a lot and with other cameras would be laying in the mud of a New Zealand rainforest adjusting it but the flip out screen is wonderful, so nice. It's also nice that I can take a macro photo of something on the ground without having to remove my full-size backpack (for me, this is more useful than you may know).
All in all, I am not very happy with the camera. I will consider it's successor in the future if they solve these problems and seriously, the only reason I would consider it is the flip out screen is that useful to me.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
3
not yet happy ... working on it
on July 15, 2010
Posted by: mary
from frederick md
just purchased this primarily because I really rely on the EVF (and they seem to be rare these days) but am already unhappy with a few things ...
-- the lens cap is NOT connected to the camera. You will need to put it in your pocket or hold it in your hand???
-- even in auto mode, I cannot have the camera default to flash ... without physically raising the flash. Guess I just got used to my old camera popping it up for me.
-- Although the User's Guide p75 says that I should be able to access certain drive modes by pressing the function set button, nothing I do enables me to select them ... ????
-- I DO like that I can take pictures WHILE recording video ... though unfortunately the video halts for the duration.
-- I DO like the ease of putting the image review into multi-mode.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Favorite Canon Yet
on July 13, 2010
Posted by: AppleGirl
from CA
First off, I'm an advance amateur photographer. This helped to get familiar with the buttons for the next set of DLRRs. I absolutely love this camera. I love how the screen flips, and you can take your picture seeing it's results already. It's quality is definitely stunning outdoors, or in any place. Images are SUPER clear, Easy buttons. I love the HD movie mode. All the greatest features out there all combined in this one camera- without the harsh price.
Pros: hd 720p movie mode, image stabilization, outdoor shooting, super macro, av aperture mode, price, quality, ease of use, pre-dslr kind of camera, everything!!!!!
Cons: tiny flash, unchangeable lens :(, no rechargeable canon battery
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Excellent Point and Shoot
on July 5, 2010
Posted by: MamaG
from Southern IL
I am pro shooter who wanted a small easily packable camera vs the 20 pounds of gear that I routinely have strapped to my back. I'm often in dense forest and brush "bushwhacking" and it simply is not always feasible to drag all the gear along.
After seeing a fellow photojournalist use this on a recent press tour I was impressed. This does super job and while I didn't expect the same image quality out of it as my 5D I was pleasantly surprised by how well it actually performs.
The biggest complaint I have is the inability to shoot RAW with this camera - I am sincerely hoping that down the road Canon will release some firmware that will make that possible.
I've been a Canon Devotee for 30 years and still use my first A1! This is another example of fine canon product.
After seeing a fellow photojournalist use this on a recent press tour I was impressed. This does super job and while I didn't expect the same image quality out of it as my 5D I was pleasantly surprised by how well it actually performs.
The biggest complaint I have is the inability to shoot RAW with this camera - I am sincerely hoping that down the road Canon will release some firmware that will make that possible.
I've been a Canon Devotee for 30 years and still use my first A1! This is another example of fine canon product.
Pros: good battery life, Good Low-Light Performance, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, durable, Bright LCD, Lightweight/Portable, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
Cons: no raw file support
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Fantastic Camera
on July 4, 2010
Posted by: maverick44
from Michigan, USA
Replaced a DSLR with interchangeable lenses and got more firepower than before. Easy to use with fantastic results - and I haven't even tried all the settings yet.
I've owned Canon cameras since 1968 and this has to be the best yet.
Pros: good battery life, Good Low-Light Performance, Nice features/settings, Lightweight/Portable, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Wonderful Camera!
on July 2, 2010
Posted by: racheltexas
This Canon camera is very well made and easy to use. I love all the different features and settings that this camera has. There is something for everything!
Pros: good battery life, Good Low-Light Performance, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, durable, Bright LCD, Lightweight/Portable, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com