Canon PowerShot SX120 IS

Resolution (8.70)

Our resolution score is based on three separate tests: distortion, sharpness and chromatic aberration. In our distortion test, we look at how much straight lines become curved across the zoom range. To test image sharpness, we look at how sharp a slanted line in the test image is. Finally, we look for chromatic aberration, the color fringing that some images show because of poor optics. Overall, the SX120 performed well in these tests: we found low distortion and good sharpness. We did find a bit of a problem with chromatic aberration, though; there was some fringing evident at the longest zoom setting.

As you can see from the example crops below, the images do get a little soft at both the mid and telephoto points of the zoom range, and this means that images will look somewhat softer than those shot at other points on the zoom range. More on how we test resolution.

Distortion (7.0)

We found only minor issues with distortion: the only point that we found anything significant was at the wide end of the zoom range, where images had some barrel distortion (around 2.7 per cent). This means that straight lines at the wide end of the range become curved inwards towards the center of the image. This is rather a lot of barrel distortion; much more than we would like to see, and definitely enough that it would be visible in images.

An example of the distortion we saw is shown below. The red line was added later, and shows what a flat line should look like.

Distortion Examples
The amount of distortion seen on the SX120 at the widest angle setting
Wide (6.0mm): 0.0% Pincushion Distortion

Sharpness (10.4)

We found that the images that the SX120 captured were generally nice and sharp. They were not perfect, though; we saw some problems at the telephoto end of the zoom range in particular. Here, the images got rather soft, with the sharp edges of our test chart turning into soft, blurry messes, as you can see on the examples below.

Chromatic Aberration (7.0)

We also saw some issues with chromatic aberration sneaking into images, both in the middle and the telephoto end of the zoom range. In both cases, there was a fair amount of aberration at the edges of the images, which can be seen as a slight color fringe to some sharp edges.

Quality & Size Options (6.83)

At its highest resolution, the SX120 shoots 10 megapixel images with a 4:3 aspect ratio. If you want to go widescreen, you also get the option of shooting in a wide screen mode with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Two quality settings are also on offer: Fine and Normal. Normal mode uses a much higher compression on the images, almost doubling the number that will fit onto a memory card.

Image Stabilization (12.24)

The SX120 includes an optical image stabilization system, where an element within the lens moves to compensate for camera shake. We found that this was moderately effective, producing a marked improvement in the sharpness of images with it enabled, although it was not as effective as the more aggressive stabilization of the Panasonic ZS3. There are several different modes for this feature: you can disable the stabilization, have it run continuously or just while shooting or put it into a panning mode. In the latter, the system will not try and compensate for horizontal pans, so the system doesn’t get confused between had shake and a panning motion. More on how we test image stabilization.

Stabilization Comparisons
Canon SX120 IS	Kodak Z950	Nikon L100	Panasonic DMC-ZS3
Stabilization Off
Stabilization On