Canon Powershot SD1200is Digital Camera Review

With just ten megapixels, one might argue that the the Canon SD1200is is getting a little dated and there’s better digital cameras out there to buy with more megapixels. It is true that it’s been over a year since the SD1200is was released and ten megapixel cameras are becoming more and more rare as the technology improves

But ten megapixels is still more than enough resolution for 13×19 sized prints from this small compact camera, so I wouldn’t worry too much about the resolution count as ten megapixels is more than enough for most applications that a small compact camera would be used.

There is also  a newer replacement for this digital camera from Canon, the SD1300is which improves on this model, but I wanted to review thi digital camera as it’s a perennial top seller for over the past year. If offers a street price of about $150, and unless you’re doing a side by side comparison of the SD1200is vs the  SD1300is, the SD1200is might just have the features you want at a lower price than the newer model.

Megapixels and price only make up part of your camera buying decisions and the other features round out this best selling digital camera:  Image stabilization is important as it  guarantees low light photography that’s blur free. When shooting in low light, the camera cannot see as well as the human eye, so to compensate it opens the aperture wider and the shutter speed longer. But the problem with  slow shutter speeds is that you have blur as it’s hard to hold a camera still completely for a long period of time.

With Image stabilization the Canon SD1200 as well as other canon digital cameras, compensates usually through gyro technology that eliminates camera shake. The result: you get sharp photos, instead of blurry photos.

The lens can be considered the most important part of the camera, and it does not matter how good a camera is, if the lens is of low quality you will get low quality and blurry photos. The lens on the SD1200 is is sharp canon optics and offers a zoom ratio of 3x which offers both a wide angle and telephoto zoom all built into the camera. The lens also retracts into the camera body to prevent damage to the lens when not in use.

If you need the bells and whistles, the Canon SD1200 does not disappoint and other standard feature such as red eye reduction, Face Detection and Smart Auto shooting mode allows you to concentrate on making great photos instead of worrying and fussing over camera settings.

The Canon SD1200is has a suggested retail price of$199.99, but with some smart shopping at Amazon, or Ritz, Adorama or B+H Photo you ca find the Canon SD1200is on sale for $150 or so from most online vendors.