Canon PowerShot SX1 IS

Shooting Modes (19.33)

The SX1 accommodates both experienced photographers and newbies, with extensive manual controls plus full auto and a variety of scene modes.

In program mode, the camera sets shutter speed and aperture values, while the user controls ISO, exposure compensation and white balance settings. Program mode settings can be shifted in tandem using program shift, maintaining the same overall exposure, by first pressing the exposure compensation button, then moving the control dial.

Shutter-priority mode (called Tv here, for time value) lets the user set the shutter speed and the camera sets the aperture, while in aperture-priority mode (Av) the user enters an aperture setting and the camera controls shutter speed. Manual exposure mode leaves it to the user to set both shutter speed and aperture: pressing the exposure compensation button determines which value will be changed when the control dial is turned.

The mode dial also has an easily accessible Custom mode, which can store a variety of record mode settings. In addition, a shooting mode function can be assigned to the print button, including white balance and light metering settings, i-Contrast and AE/ AF lock.

Auto Mode Features

Focus

There are three choices for autofocus framing: center, FlexiZone, which lets you move the autofocus frame using the four-way controller, and face detect. The autofocus frame size can also be adjusted, to normal or small size, when shooting with FlexiZone.

Focus can be set to continuous, which adjusts whenever you move the camera, and single, which only focuses when you press the shutter button halfway The continuous focus was much quieter than other cameras we’ve tested, though it will inevitably run down your batteries faster than single mode.

Servo AF will attempt to track a moving subject once it’s acquired, whichever focus mode you’ve chosen.

There’s a subtle yet effective green autofocus assist lamp. It doesn’t seem to be throwing off much light, but the camera certainly detects the illumination and responds appropriately. We found even in very dark rooms, autofocus was nearly as fast as shooting outdoors.

There is an AF Point Zoom function, which automatically enlarges the focus point on-screen when focus has been achieved. This might have occasional value if you want to get a closer look at a changing scene before pressing the shutter, but generally we found it distracting. Focus check is available during the image review after shooting, displaying both the full image plus an enlarged version of the focus point on screen. This strikes us as useful, particularly when evaluating facial expressions.

Face detect mode can identify up to 35 faces at once, with the four-way controller used to choose the most important subject.

Exposure

Exposure compensation is available in a ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV increments. Three-shot auto exposure bracketing is available, with a compensation range of ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV.

Canon calls its dynamic range adjustment system i-Contrast. There are only two i-Contrast settings while shooting, off and Auto. You can also jigger with dynamic range after shooting, with four settings available (auto, low, medium and high) in playback mode.

Metering

Evaluative (whole-frame), center-weighted and spot metering options are provided. Spot metering can either be locked to the center of the frame or set to the autofocus point.

Self-Timer

In addition to the standard 10-second and 2-second self timer modes, there is a custom timer which allows you to set a delay between 0 and 30 seconds, and then fire off anywhere from 1 to 10 shots when the chosen interval has elapsed. There is also a face detect self-timer, which will shoot between 1 and 10 shots two seconds after a new face enter the frame. Finally, you can set a delay time of 0, 2 or 10 seconds when shooting with the included wireless remote control.

Scene Modes

The four most common preset scene modes are available directly from the mode dial: portrait, landscape, night snapshot and sports. In addition, twelve special scene modes are available by choosing from an on-screen menu. These include night scene, indoor, sunset, foliage, snow, beach and aquarium. There is a Long Shutter mode that allows a choice of shutter speeds between 1 and 15 seconds, and an ISO 3200 mode that boosts the maximum ISO by a stop beyond the standard ISO 1600, but at a reduced 2 megapixel resolution.

There is also a panorama shooting mode, with its own spot on the mode dial. Up to 26 images can be combined, moving the camera from left to right, right to left, top to bottom or bottom to top. You can also shoot four exposures in a clockwise pattern for stitching. Whichever direction you choose, the previous image is displayed to help line up the next shot (though the on-screen images are pretty small, making alignment a delicate operation). The camera can’t stitch shots together internally — this job is left to the provided PhotoStitch software on your computer.

Picture Effects (3.50)

The My Colors menu offers ten color effects choices, as shown below. There is a also a Custom Color mode, which lets the user adjust contrast, sharpness, saturation, red, green, blue and skin tone values, each with five available settings. It’s not exactly a precision color control tool but, at the same time, it’s easy to use and effective for quick in-camera adustments, especially since you can preview the effect of each My Color setting live on-screen.

There are also two special modes for fiddling around with the colors in your final image. Color Accent lets you choose a color within the scene and have only that color appear in the shot, with the rest turned to black and white. Alternatively, Color Swap replaces a chosen color in the scene with another one. It seems odd to use these color changing controls while shooting, rather than as in-camera editing options, but at least you can choose to save both the altered image and an unaltered original simultaneously

Picture Samples
My Colors Off Vivid Neutral Sepia Black & White Positive Film Lighter Skin Tone Darker Skin Tone Vivid Blue Vivid Green Vivid Red More...

Manual Controls (9.40)

Manual focus is also available, by pressing the top of the four-way controller, then turning the control dial. A portion of the screen is magnified as a focus assist when using manual focus. This is generally the center of the screen but, if the camera is set to FlexiZone shooting, the most recent autofocus point is magnified. An unusual feature in manual focus shooting is focus bracketing, which will take three shots in sequence, one at the manual focus point, one nearer and one farther away (the bracketing amount can be set to three different increments).

In addition to auto white balance, there are six preset white balance settings — Day Light, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent (for warm-white or cool-white fluorescents) Fluorescent H (for daylight fluorescents) and flash. A custom white balance can also be set, using a quick and easy procedure.

Maximum aperture with the lens at its widest setting is f/2.8, not bad for an ultrazoom camera. At maximum telephoto it’s f/5.7, which considering this is the equilvalent of a 560mm lens on a 35mm camera isn’t bad either. The minimum aperture is f/8, though, which isn’t going to provide much depth of field coverage.

The slowest standard shutter speed is 1 second, the fastest 1/3200, which is quite speedy and potentially useful if you’re trying to manage depth of field while shooting on a bright, sunny day. There is no bulb mode for extended exposures, but there is a Long Shutter scene mode, which allows settings between 1 second and 15 seconds.

Drive/Burst Mode (6.00)

The SX1 delivered very good burst rate performance compared to most compact cameras, though not quite as impressive as Canon’s claimed 4 frames per second. In addition to the standard burst mode setting, two additional, slower modes are also available; one continually autofocuses during burst shooting, the other updates the Live View display for each shot.

Shot to Shot (5.65)

Shooting in the fastest available continuous shooting mode, we squeezed off 2.94 large JPEGs per second. The camera continued without slowing down for roughly 30 shots; in RAW mode, the speed slowed to a crawl after only two or three shots.