Canon SX100 put it to the test and disappointed

Well, I hate to say it but I am very disappointed with this camera. I bought it because the powerful lens 10x and not because it has 8MP.

1- I could live with the fact that is very slow to process after shooting a shot, regardless of the size of the shot. But lets face it, it's slower than my A570

2- My biggest pet peeve is the Meter. I tried shooting using several modes AP, M, and somehow the meter (Evaluative) it does not balance out the reading, if one area is brighter than others, it will either read it only one zone and thusly my image turned out very underexposed or overexposed.

Yes, I tried to keep the shutter button halfway down in order to maintain the same reading and then tried to move the camera holding the shutter button down, but nothing.

3- Also the turning wheel where the Function Set button is, it gets on the way and accidentally I kept touching it, so I had to reset it single shot not multiple etc. very annoying.

4- I was going to take my A570 as a back up but wanted to travel light.

5- On the other hand, the Video Mode you can zoom, even though the Manual says you can't.

6- I found overall that the meter reading is very weak and it does not respond to well to the image that you are trying to shoot. Oh how I regret it, I wish I had bought the G7

7- The camera has a very sensitive settings, for instance somehow ( I agree it was operator's error) but somehow I had shot over 30 frames as Postcards and not full, and these were my best shots.

Well, I hate to say it but I am very disappointed with this camera. I bought it because the powerful lens 10x and not because it has 8MP.

1- I could live with the fact that is very slow to process after shooting a shot, regardless of the size of the shot. But lets face it, it's slower than my A570

Put the camera in continuous shooting mode and knock yourself out. Granted it's not available in full auto (green square) and 'stitch' mode, but it works in the rest of the settings.

2- My biggest pet peeve is the Meter. I tried shooting using several modes AP, M, and somehow the meter (Evaluative) it does not balance out the reading, if one area is brighter than others, it will either read it only one zone and thusly my image turned out very underexposed or overexposed.

Yes, I tried to keep the shutter button halfway down in order to maintain the same reading and then tried to move the camera holding the shutter button down, but nothing.

This is so you can pre-focus on something and then recompose and the camera will meter for the new composition.

You can override this with a feature called 'exposure lock' (AE Lock). You can use it in most of the creative modes (P, Av & Tv). Read about it on page 109 of your manual.

3- Also the turning wheel where the Function Set button is, it gets on the way and accidentally I kept touching it, so I had to reset it single shot not multiple etc. very annoying.

4- I was going to take my A570 as a back up but wanted to travel light.

Personal issues, but I agree that the button/wheel operation can be a bit tedious and clumsy.

5- On the other hand, the Video Mode you can zoom, even though the Manual says you can't.

I noticed this too. This thing does produce some nice videos.

6- I found overall that the meter reading is very weak and it does not respond to well to the image that you are trying to shoot. Oh how I regret it, I wish I had bought the G7

Not sure what you mean by weak, but I find the metering to be pretty responsive. Maybe you need to give it some more time and really try out all of the different settings available. More expensive cameras are more likely to have even more settings available, but I haven't tried a G7, so maybe it is more suited to you. I also have an A550 and (I know the A570 is better, but still from the same family) and the SX100 is far better for me. YMMV.

7- The camera has a very sensitive settings, for instance somehow ( I agree it was operator's error) but somehow I had shot over 30 frames as Postcards and not full, and these were my best shots.

Haven't had that happen yet, but I'm sure it's possible.

I took the SX100 on a couple different trips, one of which was a 9 day cruise and I reluctantly left my 20D at home. In retrospect, I'm glad I did and feel like the SX100 performed very well overall. The real only issue I experienced that I found difficult at times was the slow flash recycle times, but then again, I am used to using a 20D with a 580EX. I think I would have been frustrated with just about any P&S recycle times to some extent.

If I had taken my 20D and the equivalent focal length lenses that I own, I would have been carrying close to $4,000 worth of gear. The SX100 cost me a little over $250, took tons of very nice images, was far more portable and reduced my potential for loss on such a trip.

Here's one I really like:

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Hi Jeff,

Thanks a lot for reading my comments, and more importantly for taking the time to respond with very specific suggestions.

1- i appreciate the suggestion to set it on "continuous" no problem since i only shoot M, or AV,TV.

2- I guess I was half way, I thought I read it, in fact, I took the manual with me but let look at again.

6- Poor choice of words, I think I was trying to say that the meter at least to me didn't seem to respond as my 570 or my other SLR. I tried to let the meter average reading whenever I was shooing a subject with mixed lighting, and I either got too overexposed or under.

7- Granted I was glad that I didn't take my big SLR for practical and security reasons. I was traveling throughout Guatemala and some of the places were not safe at all. Hands down taking a small dig camera was a good decision. I wore a vest with small pockect and hid the camera when not in use.

8- Another thing even though I tend to shoot mostly RAW, this was a new experience shooing JPG. I took a couple of 4GB SD cards, and I had no need to use the second and didn't have to worry about emptying or transferring the images to another devices, very practical.

I was trying to upload a sample of one of my images but somehow the server is resetting so I might try later, again thanks

I had been thinking this camera would be the perfect kind to have that functioned somewhat like an S5 IS but smaller and more convenient. Then I found it did not have a viewfinder. I really use the viewfinder a lot for quick shots. I especially depend on it in my S5 IS because I get the real camera view in the finder and I don't need a magnifier to see the LCD screen. So for people like me who are old enough to need reading glasses I would say the S5 IS is a much better choice.

I absolutely never use my view finder...how funny! I was checking out a friends Nikon yesterday and she had her LCD turned off. I hated having to hold the camera TO MY FACE in order to get a shot. NOPE, Love my SX100IS....the more I learn the functions, the more I love about it. Plus, I think you can actually SET the SX100IS to where the LCD will show you the real camera view/print view/cropping.

Big Hands: I adore that shot you posted. I travel on mission trips to Venezuela (going to Panama in April) and that photo gives my insides joy at the thought of memories I will bring home on disk. (Do you have any idea what settings you were using? And where were you....you mentioned a cruise, but I'd love to hear about what country you were in Thanks!)

ddphotography wrote in post #4838908
I hated having to hold the camera TO MY FACE in order to get a shot.

As a dSLR user, I'm the complete opposite. I hate having to use the LCD to compose a shot. One major bum for my G9.

ddphotography, here are the settings according to the EXIF:

Mode: Landscape
Aperture: f/4
Shutter Speed: 1/160
ISO: 80
White Balance: AWB

It was taken in the Dominican Republic near Samana City.

Experiment with your settings, they all have their plusses and minuses. I find myself using the the usual Av, Tv, M & P, but also use 'landscape' and 'pets & kids'.

I added the HF-DC1 slave flash and it really helps in a wide variety of situations.

Thanks for the comments.

BTW: I'm also a rabid dslr user (pushing 50 and wear reading glasses), but have no problems with the SX100's lack of viewfinder. It's nice not having to watch things through a tiny hole. I also like using the grid overlay to compose my shots. It helps to keep things level and plumb.

Regards,
Jeff

ddphotography: you obviously are not at the age where you can no longer focus close up. Good for you; but when it happens to you, you'll really want a viewfinder to use, I am very sure; or else you'll have to carry some kind of magnifier to look at your LCD screen.

Big Hands wrote in post #4839437
I added the HF-DC1 slave flash and it really helps in a wide variety of situations.

off topic question:

can this be effectively angled for bounce? or does the light sensor lose "contact" with the camera flash?

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danpass: It could be angled to the side, but not up and down on the bracket while on the camera.

You can hand hold it or set it up off of the camera at any angle you want and it will still work most of the time.

Bodryn, I am of that age where I can no longer focus on things close up and I like not having to use a viewfinder. I think it's fair to say that it's more of a personal preference as to whether the lack of a viewfinder is an issue for you regardless of your age and eyesight.

After seeing my SX100, a friend (a year older than I and also wears reading glasses) really liked the fact that the SX100 lacked a viewfinder. He said he hates using them. Personal preference.

Regards,
Jeff

Very interesting; myself I absolutely love the LCD viewfinder combination. I don't wear glasses for distance and usually am not wearing glasses. So the viewfinder is the only way I find I can point and shoot and clearly see what I am getting. Presbyopia is not convenient, that is for sure. At distance I have better than 20/20 though.

Thanks big hands for the info on your trip and the settings you used. I am having alot of fun playing around with the settings, for sure. Didn't know about the grid...you've peeked my interest.

Bodryn: Thanks for joining in...
I wear glasses for distance and my up close vision is so focused it's almost scary. I can read the tinest of words. Having said that, it has nothing at all to do with my preference. I don't care if it has a viewfinder or not...but I would probably not use it if it did. I like using the LCD for several reasons in several situations.

On my macro pics I sometimes will put the camera on top of a box with all my goods inside the box. If it weren't for the LCD, I would be hunching over the box to look into the view finder to see where the products are.

For various other pics depending on angles I sometimes like to hold the camera at waist level and get a child's eye view or a different perspective. I don't use a tripod most of the time if it isn't a macro shot and the LCD keeps me from having to hunch down/squat to see what my view is before the shot.

It's just a personal preference I think. When and if I ever have the pleasure of a DLSR, I may change my mind. Playing around with my friends Nikon way fabulous. I did decide though that I am a CANON girl! Tried and True.

Don't kid yourself I am at an age that wear progressive bifocal and is no problem using the LCD. However, I'd like to share a new discovery during my recent trip.

I flipped the camera to shoot a vertical shot. I was wearing my prescription sunglasses, and darn it the LCD was totally black. I adjusted the aperture and I could see a slight change but not enough.

Well, I thought the camera was going bust. I then took my glasses off for whatever reason, and then I noticed that I could see the image on the LCD entirely. It appears that if you are wearing dark sunglasses it blocks the view on the viewfinder, who knew.

Has anybody experienced the same.

BTW I just reviewed my entire shoots over 700 shots, and those shots that I shot M,AV with ISO higher than 400 they showed a lot of noise that they are not worth printing larger than 4 x 6.

I tried different setting and it seems that P mode is the most reliable (to me), it usually chose ISO 80 125 and the images came out outstanding, but I have a whole bunch sending to the trash.

polarized glasses do that.

"this golf cart gps display is broken ... this one too"

Weird looks from the rest of the players .....

it was the polarized sunglasses lol


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