Canon PowerShot SX1 IS

Noise (8.74)

On balance, the SX1 results for image noise are respectable, though there are some caveats in our findings. The Nikon P90 and Sony HX1 posted significantly better results in the sweet spot around ISO 200. It’s at the high end of the ISO scale that the Canon outperforms the other tested cameras, but at this level all the cameras tested have substantial noise problems, with the Canon results not good, but less bad. More on how we test noise.

We test image noise at two lighting levels, a bright 3000 lux and a 60 lux, which is closer to subdued indoor illumination. For the SX1, the variation in lighting levels didn’t make much difference until we got to ISO 800, where there’s a notable convergence, with lower image noise in the shots under lower illumination. This may or may not be due to a change in the way the camera handles noise reduction processing: unlike the other tested cameras, there’s no user control over this function with the SX1.

The Olympus was the most problematic camera in our roundup when it comes to noise, the Nikon performed exceptionally well, and the Canon had weaknesses at lower ISOs and strengths at higher settings, as seen in the same-size crops from our test photos below.

Noise Comparisons
	ISO 80	ISO 400	ISO 800	ISO 3200
60 Lux
3000 Lux

ISO (7.50)

Available ISO settings range from ISO 80 to 1600. There is also an ISO 3200 setting, but this drops resolution down to 2 megapixels.

There are two automatic ISO setting modes, ISO Auto prioritizes image quality, while ISO Hi favors higher shutter speeds to capture motion without blur, even if this leads to higher ISO settings and more image noise. In addition, there’s an Auto ISO Shift function that can be turned on. If this feature is enabled, pressing the Print button when the shake warning icon appears will boost the ISO to enable a faster shutter speed and counteract camera shake.

High ISO noise reduction is applied automatically, and cannot be turned off by the user, an unfortunate lack of control in a camera that generally offers users a fairly sophisticated array of options.

In the chart below are same-size crops taken from shots of our still life at all available ISOs for each comparison camera. Note that the ISO 3200 example for the SX1 was shot in the special low-res, high ISO mode.

ISO Comparisons
Canon PowerShot SX1 IS	Nikon Coolpix P90	Olympus SP-590UZ	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1
ISO Low
ISO 80	ISO 64	ISO 80	ISO 125
Canon PowerShot SX1 IS	Nikon Coolpix P90	Olympus SP-590UZ	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1
ISO 200
Canon PowerShot SX1 IS	Nikon Coolpix P90	Olympus SP-590UZ	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1
ISO 400
Canon PowerShot SX1 IS	Nikon Coolpix P90	Olympus SP-590UZ	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1
ISO 800
Canon PowerShot SX1 IS	Nikon Coolpix P90	Olympus SP-590UZ	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1
ISO 1600
Canon PowerShot SX1 IS	Nikon Coolpix P90	Olympus SP-590UZ	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1
ISO 3200
Canon PowerShot SX1 IS	Nikon Coolpix P90	Olympus SP-590UZ	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1
ISO 6400
Canon PowerShot SX1 IS	Nikon Coolpix P90	Olympus SP-590UZ	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1

NOTE: The images above are not used in our testing or scoring, but are included here to show real-world examples of the differences between cameras at the various ISO settings.