AdhamTech Network

The new PowerShot SX10 IS camera represents Canon’s first foray into the world of the 20x super-zoom, offering a lens equivalent to a massive 28-560mm focal length. Everything from wide-angle landscapes and group portraits at the wide end to unobtrusive candid snaps and wildlife shots at the telephoto can be covered with ease by the SX10. As you’d expect, Canon have included image stabilisation to help ensure that the majority of your shots are sharp, plus there are Ultrasonic Motor (USM) and Voice Coil Motor (VCM) technologies that promise fast, accurate and quiet zooming and focusing. The 10 megapixel PowerShot SX10 IS also features Canon’s new DIGIC 4 processor, full HD movie capture, full manual control over both aperture and shutter speed, a 2.5” vari-angle LCD II and an electronic viewfinder. Priced at £359.99 / €469.99 / $399.99, Gavin Stoker discovered if the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS can compete with the likes of the Olympus SP-570UZ and Casio EX-FH20.

Following on from last year’s chunky S5 model for, at the time of writing, some £50 less (a UK SRP of just £359), the new DSLR-styled 10-megapixel Canon PowerShot SX10 IS looks like even more of an attractive proposition. Especially when you consider the fact that this latest offering boats a 20x image stabilized optical zoom rather than the S5’s 12x, providing a broad 35mm equivalent focal range of 28mm to 560mm, and making it a direct challenge to the likes of the Olympus SP-570UZ and Casio’s newer EX-FH20. Continuous shooting of up to four frames per second may not sound great next to the FH20’s 40fps, but Canon delivers such speed at the maximum image resolution.

As with its forebear, the SX10 IS features built-to-last hard plastic bodywork with a larger than average grip offered, its size partly due to the four alkaline AA batteries required for power slotting into its base. While this contributes to overall weight as well as a feeling of solidity (at 560g), a matt black finish lends an overall air of sophistication, a point of difference being the metallic silver grey encircling the shutter button and left hand side of the grip (if the camera is viewed lens on). If you’re looking for a camera that will slot into a jacket pocket, however, think again. The SX10 IS’ dimensions are not much more compact than an entry level DSLR, so it’s case of attaching the provided strap for over-the-shoulder portability, or investing in a dedicated camera bag to protect it from the elements and prying eyes when out taking photographs.

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