Canon PowerShot D20 Digital Camera Review

Lens & Sensor

The D20 is built with an all-internal lens, shielded behind a glass barrier. It offers 5x optical zoom, ranging from 5-25mm (28-140mm equivalent). The maximum aperture is f/3.9-4.8, which is pretty narrow, even by tough-cam standards. The placement in the upper-left hand corner is sure to add some unwanted, wandering fingers into shots every now and then.

The sensor is typical for a current Canon point-and-shoot: 12-megapixel, 1/2.3-inch CMOS-type. Give or take a few megapixels, it's pretty similar to most other tough-cams, too.

Display(s)

The 3-inch, 461,000-pixel LCD is big and bright enough to be visible in bright daylight. It's a bit grainy in low-light, and there's a slight lag. Not the best tough-cam LCD we've seen, but it's about what we expect to see in this class.

Flash

The flash is built into the top-center of the front panel, out of the way of wandering fingers. It's effective to about 12 feet, give or take, which is fine for brightening up indoor shots, but not particularly powerful. Recycle time is pretty quick, almost keeping up with the D20's natural shot-to-shot timing.

Connectivity

Like most cameras today, the D20 has a USB and an HDMI port (both mini, in this case). Both are located behind a rubber-sealed door on the right side of the camera, designed to keep water out.

Battery

The D20's rechargeable lithium-ion battery is rated for 280 shots per charge. That's above average, though it's significantly shorter with GPS activated, especially if the GPS logger is activated. It charges in a separate wall-charger, like most Canon batteries do.

Memory

Surprising absolutely nobody, the D20 records to SD/SDHC/SDXC media cards.