Review on 📷 Canon PowerShot SX260 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 20x Optical Zoom, Image Stabilization, 25mm Wide-Angle Lens, 1080p HD Video, and Vibrant Red Design (Previous Model) by Adrianne Jimenez

I received my SX260 last Wednesday and took about 700 pictures and some short 5 minute videos. Without writing a novel, here are the pros and cons of this block. In addition to this unit, I also bought a couple of aftermarket battery packs (and aftermarket AC adapters for about $5 each) for about $5 each and the batteries work fine. With the battery (original and non-original) I was able to take over 300 shots (50% flash) with zoom and playback and the battery indicator still showed about 25% charge. only 81x total (yes, 81x!) Image stabilization is excellent (much better than the DSC-HX9V); Even at 81x the image didn't blur, but certainly not as sharp. I still find it acceptable. Scenes - Multiple Scenes; I think Portrait, Sepia, B&W work really well (Portrait+ supposedly blurs the image a bit but I don't like it). It has multiple effects (fish eye, toy, miniature) which are very effective and can be fun in creative shooting. Automatic mode - it was almost always possible to choose the right scene type; It has simple mode and intelligent automatic. Not sure why they have easy mode but Smart Auto works great. Size/Weight - Very compact and weighs 8.2 ounces. I would prefer the lens to be flush with the block, but at 20x that may not be possible. Uniformity - the block doesn't look cheap and nicely curved; no sharp, jagged edges Grip - the right side of the camera has a nice plastic strip for better grip Control - the dial is extremely comfortable to use with one hand. The other buttons aren't a problem if you've used Canon before. Menus and settings are almost the same for all models. Screen - 3 inch TFT LCD screen, very beautiful; nuffsaid Processor - I didn't notice much difference between DIGIC 4/DIGIC 5 but compared to the DSC-HX9V this camera is like a Ferrari GPS - There is a camera but I've never used it and probably won't use it; At least for now. I'm more interested in a camera that takes great pictures. Video from Kona - Compared to the Sony DSC-HX9V, this Canon takes second place; If you plan on using this primarily as a VCR, look elsewhere. I think Sony has a great lens on their camera, but their processing technology is clunky, painfully slow, and unacceptable. While when shooting video, the Sony doesn't do any processing (not to mention it records at 60fps compared to Canon's 24/25fps). That's one thing I'm going to miss a lot. Change the shot as the flash is in the top left corner. A couple of times I kept my left index finger on the flash and the camera would throw up some sort of flash error message and I had to turn the camera off and back on to reset the flash. an everyday point-and-shoot camera that doesn't carry luggage around) interested in looking for a well-improved point-and-shoot camera but with the manual controls typically found in more expensive DSLRs (or cameras with to find a higher) is end point and recording) you need that! UPDATE 4/14/2012 - I paid $349 and today I found it was on sale for $299, 15% less than a month! I thought cars depreciated quickly. UPDATE 04/18/2012 - Live mode works great! For complex shots (e.g. indoor shots with fluorescent lighting and no flash), you can look at the screen and make adjustments on the fly. You look at what you want to capture, compare it to the SX260's LCD screen and press the shutter button.