Canon PowerShot SX120IS 10MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Images Stabilized Zoom and 3-inch LCD

I am a beginner and I got suddenly interest in taking great pictures. So I was looking for a camera that has high zoom, manual controls as well as auto controls. When I started searching for good camera reviews I shortlisted 4- 5 cameras that included canon sd1100,sd770, Sony DSC H20 and canon sx100 is. The first two were point and shoot and had all functionality that I was looking for other then some manual, but less optical zoom. Sony and canon both were good but I chose to go for canon as it has lots of shooting options. I was looking to buy sx110is (sx100is 's successor) and then I got a news that sx120is is released. I was not sure whether to take the older one or get the new one who has not been rated. But I bought this and I am happy with it. It is not that much heavier then other cameras with good optical zoom. though comparing to Panasonic's lumix, it is heavier. It has great functionality such as: *Easy to use. if you just want to say with auto selection then that also gives you best pictures. *face detection, that is very useful while taking self picture. Detects up to 9 face at a time. * continuous shooting , like taking 3 pictures simultaneously at fast speed. * iso 3200 * 10x optical zoom, 40x digital zoom. * 15 shooting mode * sunset,sun rise detection, * Great functionality in video shooting like zoom out, zoom in. * manual controls,you can set shutter speed, Av, Tv mode. * Image stabilizer. * Big LCD screen in which display picture rotates according to holders direction i.e while displaying pictures, if you are holding camera horizontal it sets picture automatically horizontal. * We can focus picture first and then can take pictures. the only thing is that it doesn't have a viewfinder. some people might not like it but it doesn't matter for me as far as I can see what I am taking , what is in focus through LCD. Also it requires AA battery that has its own plus and minus point, but it requires only 2 AA batteries and can take 200 to 300 snaps.That is good enough.The flash is not automatic. you have to fire it manually,it has its plus minus too.Too much auto pop of flash might frustrate some one, or some might want auto flash, but camera detects and let you know that this picture requires flash so you can raise the flash, not bad!! It can fit in pocket so not bad then any other point and shoot. I took some pictures from it while I was learning its functionality. I took some on low resolutions. That can not give justice to camera, later I got some great pictures by learning some mode. Here it is: [...] The camera is working perfectly till now. I will sure recommend this to any one. Good one for who wants to start exploring photography.

This camera is incredible for the price. I bought the SX110IS last year and get complements on my pictures/camera whenever people see it. I just bought two SX120IS for family members and they rave about this camera also. As point and shoot that fits in your purse/pocket, this camera has the best of everything. I am an amateur photographer who appreciates a good camera/great picture quality and this is hands down the camera for me. The picture quality from Canon is the same if not better than some DSLR models out there. The colors are so vivid and the picture looks like you are actually there. The 10x zoom with 40x digital zoom makes this camera so much better than the base DSLR models. A friend bought the Canon S5 and I could get better pictures because of my ability to zoom that much further. The detail in micro focus photos is very very good and you can see things that you don't even really notice with your eye. The SD card is wonderful because it is becoming so universal as well as the AA batteries. I bought a 8gig SD card and can get 3,000+ pictures at full resolution on it. I bought a set of 4 rechargeable batteries and am yet to have problems with not having them when I need them, which is what makes the AA more appealing than a battery pack. I get between 200-250 shots with the eneloop batteries I have from Amazon. Sanyo Eneloop 4 Pack AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargable Batteries w/ Charger For the price, picture quality, size, zoom, and universal components this camera has to offer, you cannot beat it.

I did a lot of researching on CNet, Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and several other places before I decided to buy this camera. I was looking for something that was simple to use, had a lot of zoom, had good-to-excellent picture quality, was for everyday use (i.e., I'm clumsy, so I didn't want it to break the first time I touched it), and was in the $100-200 range. I also wanted a camera that was nice enough and had the technology to last several years. Basically, for what I was wanting, I narrowed it down to three cameras: the Kodak Z915, the Canon SX120IS, and the Panasonic Lumix ZS3. The Panasonic had a wide-angle lens, which I was very interested in but which wasn't necessary, while the Kodak camera was (at the time of purchase) about $50 cheaper than the Canon. I decided I wanted something a bit more sturdy than the ZS3 and with better photo quality than the Kodak, so I decided to give this camera a try. As other reviewers have said, this camera has some good and bad to it. I've been playing with it for four months now, and I love it sometimes and hate it others. That said, the good things include: --excellent photo quality (by my standards and for its class) --versatility (the camera has settings for foliage, aquariums, snow, different indoor lighting, and a sunset filter) --the opportunity to have more control over IS, exposure, focus, etc., than a basic point-and-shoot --sturdy design. Because it's a bit larger than other cameras, it can't fit into a pocket, but it is also not going to fall out of my hands from strong winds or clumsiness. --The ability to take multiple shots is nice (I know other cameras do this, but it's the first time I've had the ability to play with it). This camera will take 3 shots at about 1 second per shot and will refocus on the subject between shots. --The flash is manually popped up when you want to use it so it doesn't accidentally go off when you don't want it to. You can also take pretty good pictures in most lighting without the flash. --The camera takes AA's, so if you run out of batteries in the middle of a trip or away from a plug-in, you can just buy replacements. Some of the bad things I've found: --If you want a good shot, you have to make *everything* hold still. My little brother shows cattle, and 6 out of every 10 pictures will be blurry if taken when the calf is walking around the ring. Once things are held still, though, the photos look very nice. -- The auto-focus and image stabilization don't always work as planned. Sometimes I will center something and try to take a picture of it, only to find that the camera was focused on something behind it (this may be due to impatience in taking the picture). --It takes about 5-10 seconds after you use the flash for you to be able to take another picture. I usually fix this by taking a shot with flash first and then closing the flash so that I get a faster turnaround. Also, I've been through 3 pairs of AA's since I bought the camera and have taken hundreds of pictures and used several hours of playback, so I would say that that is fairly decent battery life. However, I also take the 'dead' batteries out and they function in my tv remote, so the camera doesn't actually use all of the juice in the batteries, it just takes a lot of power to run. Overall, I really like this camera despite my inability to get it to take good shots of fast-moving objects. The quality of the pictures it takes correctly, the price, and the sturdiness/longevity of it make it a good value for the price.

The reason I purchased this camera was: 1) I didn't want to always lug around my large and heavy Canon D40, 2) I needed a camera the wife and kids could use with little fuss, 3) Came with the ability to take movies, and 4) Had the quality to take good photos at a low enough price point that if the camera were accidentally broken I wouldn't become upset. Prior to this camera I had a Canon Powershot S3, which I used extensively for a year or two before I received the "E18 Error of Death" (search Google). Considering that a substantial price investment in that camera, initially I was not interested in another Canon to replace the broken one (it would have cost more to get it fixed than purchase a new one). So I researched the other brands extensively, reading many review websites and forums. While no camera is perfect, for my needs and requirements this camera met the bill. I am writing this review a year after I purchased the camera and can firmly say I'm still pleased with my decision and have not had any problem with the camera. This is after extensive use (and perhaps abuse) from being used by three boys (12, 9, and 7). While I've taken the time to train them that this is not a toy, they do take good care of it - but kids will still be kids. All that to say, it has held up well. Lastly, the picture quality is not on par with more expensive cameras (and rightly so), I'm also very happy with the results. CONCLUSION: If I were in the market today, I would purchase this camera again without hesitation due to it's low price point and quality results and build.

This is a great camera except like most of its contemporaires these days, it doesn't have a view finder. That's okay on cloudy days but on sunny days it's difficult to frame a picture and nearly impossible to frame a moving object. If you plan on taking action pictures on sunny days you may want to reconsider buying this camera and look for one with a view finder. If that's not an issue, the SX120 is definitely 5 star.

It was not clear to me that the camera was used when I bought it. It had multiple scratches and dings and the thing didn’t even work. Changed batteries and still nothing.

I took Digital Photography in high school and found this easy to use. I also liked the picture quality. I wanted one myself because, I found some fitting subjects. I also wanted this because, I lacked the money a year or so ago. However, when I got it, I found that it was only available through third party sellers. It didn't help that almost nobody had one under $100 with the accessories I wanted. So, I ended choosing VKTechnology because, I just wanted the SD card and case. On that note, I followed their instructions, and contacted them. I specified which accessories I wanted then chose my case. Everything arrived after 2-3 weeks. I was excited to use it until I put in some batteries. It said low battery then shut off. So, I put some new ones after my dad returned due to his suggestion, and the same thing happened. He then said that we need a charger and that those things take a couple of hours to do. (That was upsetting to learn.) We bought some rechargeable batteries and the problem was fixed. On another note, I chose the 2GB SD card, which came devoid of pictures. I also chose the third case they offered me. The size was alright albeit it was a tight fit when I added the rechargeable batteries and charger. In addition, I chose the USB cable, which made it easy to upload pictures onto my computer. One last thing: I got the hand strap because, I was anticipating someone else handling it a convention. All that said, this is a small, lightweight camera that takes good pictures. It can also be bought with helpful, little accessories. And all under $70-80! Of course, I bought this a year or so ago, so I don't know if the price would be the same.

People rave about my photos, and I only use the auto and video functions. I can fire off shots fairly quickly. I tend to take a lot of shots, then delete a lot once they are downloaded to my PC. The camera is very portable. I can just slip it into my pocket which means it is also fairly rugged. The lighting adjustment is very good. The focus works perfectly. The shots are almost never blurry, thanks to the stabilization. The 10X zoom lets me get very close to wildlife. The macro lets me get very close inside flowers. People shots are great. I have used it as a scanner and the printing is clear. I also bought a 4 gig memory card for longer trips, and I never have to worry about running out of space. I really like Canon's AA battery feature because you can get AA's quickly everywhere and you don't have to carry around charging equipment or worry about foreign electricity. I thought I would miss my old viewfinder, but that has not been a problem at all. I did a lot of research for this camera and it paid off!