Canon PowerShot SX1 IS

Viewfinder

The viewfinder of the SX1 is an electronic one; there is no direct path from the lens to the viewfinder. The viewfinder itself is acceptably bright, but the colors are rather flat compared to the LCD screen. It's also a bit awkward to use; the wide aspect of the viewfinder means that it is a little hard to take in the entire image if you wear spectacles; we found ourselves moving left and right to try and see the far corners. Canon claims that the viewfinder has 100% coverage, and we wouldn't disagree; from our brief tests with a unit at the PMA show, the image you see in the viewfinder looks identical to the one you see on the screen. 

The Viewfinder is an electronic one that is not comfortable to use

LCD

The 2.8-inch LCD screen is on a hinge that allows the screen to pivot; when this is in the outward position, it can rotate 180 degrees, meaning you can use it to shoot from above or below. The screen itself seems to have decent color and brightness, but is slightly smaller than the 3-inch screen on the Sony DSC-HX1. It is the same resolution, though; both screens have 230,000 pixels, and both looked pretty similar when it came to color and brightness. When the SX1 screen is not in use, it can be rotated to lie against the camera body, protecting it from knocks and scratches. It's also worth noting that the LCD screen has a different aspect ratio to most cameras; it has the same 16:9 aspect ratio as a HDTV. This is good when you are shooting HD video, but it does mean that you get black bars along the left and right side when you are shooting still photos in a 3:2 aspect ratio mode.

The rotating screen of the SX1 in its various positions

Flash

The small flash of the SX1 is located above the viewfinder and pops out on request. Canon claims a range of up to 15.7 feet with the camera in auto ISO mode, and a cycle time of under 7 seconds.

Lens

The SX1 lens is a sizable beast; pushing the lens into the telephoto end of the range extends part of the lens barrel some distance out from the camera body.

The lens of the SX1 protrudes from the camera body

 As you can see from the photos below, with the lens on its widest setting (top image) and on its longest zoom setting (bottom image).

When the SX1 is on its longest zoom setting (bottom image), the lens barrel protrudes soem distance from the camera body

Jacks, Ports & Plugs

The two main ports of interest on the SX1 are on the right side of the camera body, under a small rubber cover. The bottom port is the HDMI mini port, which allows you to connect the SX1 to a HDTV to play back the videos it captures in their full glory. Canon does not include the HDMI cable with the camera, though, so you'll need to budget for either a HDMI mini cable or a HDMI mini to HDMI adapter.

The HDMI mini port (at the bottom) and the USB port of the SX1

The other ports on the SX1 are less interesting, but still useful; there is a power port that allows you to run the camera off  mains power (this is not included with the camera) and a port that allows you to connect the SX1 to a standard definition analog TV.

Battery

The SX1 comes with 4 AA alkaline batteries, not the rechargeable lithium ion battery that most other cameras use. This is a double-edged sword; while AA batteries are available in most places, they aren't rechargeable and don't last as long as rechargeable ones. However, the SX1 can use optional Ni-MH rechargeable batteries, and these can also be recharged within the camera with an optional charger. A set of 4 Ni-MH batteries and charger will cost about $50.

Memory

SDHC cards are the medium of choice for the SX1, and it makes sense to invest in a couple of big cards; Canon claims that an 8GB card will only hold 24 minutes and 30 seconds of video at the highest quality and resolution.

The SX1 supports SDHC cards

Other Features

Face Recognition - The now ubiquitous face recognition features are included on the SX1. It can spot faces in the frame and prioritize on them for focusing and exposure. A new angle on this is the face detection self-timer, which allows the user to press the shutter and them move around to get into the shot; the camera won't take the photo until it detects the requisite number of faces in the frame.