Review on 📷 Canon PowerShot SX230HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera: HS SYSTEM & DIGIC 4 Image Processor | Red by Alan Singh

I decided to buy one of these to upgrade two cameras: Canon PowerShot A2300 and Canon PowerShot A3000IS. The budget was very tight and that didn't stop me. I took a few test shots and a few test videos, tweaking the settings to my liking over time, and I'm very happy with the quality of the photos. The BSI CMOS sensor that this camera is equipped with definitely works wonders in low light, producing about half the noise of the A3000IS, which uses a CCD sensor, at the same ISO. The a2300 would not have been able to capture those handheld low light shots due to the lack of image stabilization and even then would have performed worse in low light. As with the two A-series models, when shooting indoors under incandescent or CFL light, the white balance had to be set to tungsten. All delivered too yellowish results with automatic white balance. Outdoors in daylight or even overcast skies, this camera proves to perform very well, especially after adjusting the image settings to your liking. On cloudy days I found the auto white balance a bit too cool, as did the other two cameras, but changing the Cloudy preset fixed that. I've tested aperture priority, shutter priority and fully manual modes and found them. very easy to use and I was able to quickly find the right setting for the shooting scenario without any problems. This is a plus for those wanting to learn more about photography, and there are always Program and Auto modes to go back to. Both modes are also very easy to use. This camera is just as at home in Auto mode as it is in PASM mode. So far, the results in video mode seem promising. Compared to the A2300, which I used to record video with, it records audio in stereo rather than mono. The A2300 can only record 720p video while this camera can record 1080p video. This camera supports continuous autofocus and 14x optical zoom is also available during movie recording. The exposure seems to adapt very well to different lighting scenarios. Videos shot in low light have a bit of noise, but it's less than any of my A-series cameras. The same issues with auto white balance I discussed earlier also apply to video recording. The video and sound quality is very good, but does not come close to the quality of models from other manufacturers that record videos in AVCHD format. At this point I haven't used it enough to determine how good the battery life is. I know it's rated for about 210 photos on a single charge, or about an hour of video. I will soon learn whether these estimates are correct. Compared to the test videos and images I've seen with the SX 600 and 700 series over the past few years, I'd say this camera performs better at higher ISOs and the video produces a lot less noise in low light. The SX 600 series can be purchased new for $200-$300, while the SX 700 series sells for over $300. Available for under $200 pre-owned in 2017, the SX 230 HS is a great value compared to brand new stuff. Overall I am very happy with this camera. UPDATE October 30, 2017: Still working after a month of use. I had a chance to test the battery life and it seems pretty good for stills if you stay away from GPS. Battery life when shooting videos is a little short than we'd like, but 45 minutes is still a bit better compared to some brand new models like Nikon and Sony. Most of the photos I've taken over the past month have come out sharp, with just a handful of photos blurry due to lack of autofocus or camera shake. This is the best camera I've ever had.