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

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.

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.

I bought this camera after some research. The price seemed competitive for the features offered. After taking this camera on a a two week vacation, I have to admit it has wowed me. The good: There are a wide array of preset camera settings for different types of shots being taken. These really complement the various settings I encountered. When I was disappointed at the seeming lack of color of some sunset shots I took, I examined the camera and found a "Sunset" setting. The photos that were then produced were fantastic! It is important to adjust the camera for the setting preset for your situation. The ability to change so many aspects of the camera settings manually was an added bonus. The option to take macro shots also made my day when trying to photograph some of the local flora during my trip. The 10x optical zoom was a real boon, and even the digital zoom mode the pictures were clear and crisp. I took photos of flowers in trees as if I was 3 feet away from them when I was more like 20 feet away. The flash on demand worked extremely well and timing was perfect. The bad: Almost nothing. The automatic focus was a bit glitchy at very long distances/zoom levels. It wouldn't stay focused, but move around a bit, and so I sometimes had to time the shot for when it was most in focus. But again, this was only when I attempted to take shots at extreme distances/zoom levels. There were just a couple of times when I wished the camera had a view finder due to difficult lighting situations where viewing the large LCD screen was difficult. Conclusion: This is the Swiss army knife of point and shoot cameras, and made me feel like a pro (which I was at one time). The level of quality of this camera matches it's versatility which just wowed me time and time again. I did not expect to find a camera this good at this price range.

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.

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.

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.

I have been debating whether to get a point-and-shoot that is ok, or an SLR that is fantastic. I couldn't justify spending mega$$$ on an SLR because I'm not that sophisticated a photographer. But I have been unhappy with point-and-shoots that are so slow you miss the picture and that have only a "mini-zoom" feature. But the Canon SX120IS solved it all. First, it's a lot less expensive than an SLR. And with the image stabilizer and a really fast shutter response time, I can catch the action before it's over! It takes great close-ups, it has 10X optical zoom, and it has lots of other cool features I can't wait to learn how to use. Plus the LCD screen is large and the controls are easy to use. My only disappointment is that it has no view finder and in some bright light conditions it is hard to see the screen. But overall, I give it thumbs up! OK, now that I've used it a while, I have more comments. First the good: I could get it from Amazon and it takes really fantastic pictures in difficult lighting conditions, (see my uploaded images.) Then the not-so-good: it eats batteries, (which I think is true of any camera that uses regular batteries) and the lack of a viewfinder is a bigger pain than I thought. Now I'm reducing the rating and thinking I should have spent a little more and gotten the SX10IS or the newer SX20IS. They have viewfinders, 20X zoom and all the good features i like on the SX120IS.

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.