Canon PowerShot SX230 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 14x Image Stabilized Zoom 28mm Wide-Angle Lens and 1080p Full-HD Video (Black) (OLD MODEL)

This is going to be a review with a little difference. I have read almost all of the over 280 customer reviews of the Canon SX230HS camera on the Amazon.com Web site. AFTER THAT I ORDERED ONE. The following observations explain why.Like so many people that buy things from Amazon.com I rely heavily on the customer reviews before ordering things. I appreciate the time and effort reviewers take in trying to help customers make informed buying decisions, but the greater number of reviews the greater number of contradictions one must wade through. Here is what the reviews of the Canon SX30HS camera told me:1. Most negative comments were referring to the automatic popup flash feature. The reviewers carried on about where the flash unit was located and the fact the thing opened when the camera was activated and the only way they could stop that was to keep their finger on the flash while turning on the camera. Then they usually went on to say it didn't matter.2. Almost every review in the bunch said the battery drain in the Canon SX230HS was awful, but that is about what the manufacture implied it would be with the GPS and all. Give me a break.3. Another big complaint was with how the camera was difficult to hold and one needed to be careful in order to keep from dropping it. Well, gee people--is being careful with an expensive camera an unusual thing to keep in mind when using it?4. More than one reviewer admitted that they dropped their cameras and then described the resulting damage. I am not sure they were suggesting that Canon was responsible for that, but even mentioning how clumsy they were and then blaming the camera was a bit over the top.5. Some reviewers were critical of one or all of the user settings offered on the camera. Most of those reviews came from people who couldn't tell the difference between an ISO setting and a prune. After whining about the complexity of making manual adjustments they usually said pictures shot using the AUTO setting were great. When one buys a point and shoot camera then complains when not using it that way probably should have kept the Kodak Baby Brownie.6. The GPS doesn't work indoors. Yep, that is exactly what most reviews said. I guess it is true, but maybe that all depends on the `doors' one is in.7. The camera is heavy say some. How heavy could a thin four inch wide camera be?8. A wish that the camera made it easier to delete a bad photo might be a legitimate complaint and it appears in the reviews several times. At least it is possible to erase bad shots even if it takes a few clicks to do it.9. Not having a view finder on the camera was mentioned, but how many other little point and shoot pocket sized cameras have one of those?10. The reviewers all seemed to like the HDMI and HD features. I guess both have something to do with television and there is a special cable involved that isn't included with the camera (sold separately).The camera "experts" provided detailed lists of Pros and Cons which seldom did much too understandably critique the Canon SX230HS for non-experts. I guess other experts like to know that the white balance is good, the camera compares favorably to a NIKON S9100 or that the focal range is acceptable. Is this a point and shoot camera or what? Anyhow, those lists were sort of interesting albeit mostly esoteric comparisons meaningful to very few readers.Most of the Canon SX230HS reviews were very positive and told of how happy the owners were with the camera. The reviewers liked the high12 to 1 MP resolution, the anti-shake feature, the remarkable zoom and the excellent video capability. They liked the looks of the camera and many said it was generally the best on the market. Above all, most reviewers said the camera produced excellent photographs. But then there were a few that had very little good to say about anything. Go figure.Some hated the GPS feature unless they really liked it.Over and over the reviews contained grumbling about the flash, the short battery life and how hard the camera was to hold# Some of this is probably warranted, but none of it is likely to be a deal breaker.Then there were reviews that were silly or just plain picky Is it all that important to know the blue colored camera is actually a dark turquoise? Or, who wouldn't buy the Canon SX230HS because somebody thought the camera they received was poorly packed in the shipping box? "If you want more, pay more--If you want less, then pay less." I'll have to remember that one. A comment about how puzzling it is to open the battery compartment was hard to believe. Can that really be a problem?"The camera doesn't let me think." That could be a blessing. How about this? "I have big hands so the camera was hard to grip." Was that a criticism of the camera or the reviewer's large hands? Then there are the helpful gold stars. I presume that a half star is better than no star? But, by how much would that be? Is there a margin of error? One reviewer said this, "I gave it four stars because I don't think anything is perfect."What I finally determined from reading all of the reviews was not a big surprise. For references to the excellent qualities in the camera there was also a review or two that said the camera was terrible. FOR ALMOST EVERY ONE OF THE MANY COMPLIMENTS THERE WAS PROBABLY ONE COMPLAINT.I found many things in the reviews that were quite comical. The reviewers meant well of course. Here is a collection of direct quotes from the reviews of the Canon SX230HS that I found amusing:* "The price was just right, but it could be lower."* "14x zoom: It is really amazing how they are able to put a 14x zoom in such a small body?"* "The zoom on this camera is unlike any other small camera I have seen. It is better than binoculars."* "I like the camera, but since I am a senior citizen I have a hard time learning new things."* "I appreciate your concern regarding the Canon camera and it is deficient."* "My wife has been the family Digital Camera Photographer since we began having kids."* "I loved this camera when it worked."* "The camera came without strap# It should be a manufacturer's fault."* "I like the crisp sharp details the flash produced# Not sure if other cameras in this class have the same issue."* "This review may not be considered useful and provide info you care about."* "And, no, I did not read the manual."* "We have kids in sports, and we go to concerts and travel to Lake Tahoe and do cruises and Disneyland every couple of years.* "I almost never needed flash until the sun was completely gone."* "I wanted a small camera for my trip to Italy because my superzoom is too large."* "I have two small children and was sick of missing pictures."* "Don't Care about GPS don't use it / turned it off."* "It's a nice camera for photography."* "For the money though, the images are quite horrible."* "Not everything is for everyone."OK, I am finished with a review of reviews# Because most of the comments were exceedingly positive, I went ahead and ordered a Canon SX230HS camera from Amazon.com. When I get it I might even evaluate the thing as a reviewer, providing I find something new to bring to the long list of wonderful and helpful reviews already provided.=======================I received the Canon SX230HS three days ago and thought I would let you know that I am very pleased with it. I have put it through a lot of shake down paces. I have tinkered with a number of settings and taken lots of pictures with the camera set on AUTO or EASY which lets the camera do as it pleases. The resulting photos are outstanding. The camera takes great pictures in a variety of situations.I found the camera to be safe to hold and haven't dropped it yet. The flash gripe is way overblown. Holding the flash unit down while the camera boots up is simple, without effort and the camera doesn't suffer.I am old, but do not have trouble learning new things. Even so, messing around with the menus and dedicated settings required a little effort. The picture taking choices on this camera are many, but some are a bit inane. It remains to be seen how often I will venture into the world of self determined settings. I like the AUTO and the EASY settings and they like me.The GPS feature is still a mystery since I have not been able to connect with a positioning satellite so far. My Garmin GPS unit has a bit of trouble doing that too. I will keep trying to connect, but I am not quite sure why.The optical zoom combined with the anti-shake feature is fantastic. I was blown away with the zooming capacity. Previous reviewers were not wrong about this.I bought the black version of the camera and the color is actually black. I thought it might be dark gray. Just joking.I sound as if I like the Canon SX230HS? Ya think?LATER: After several months with the Canon SX230HS I continue to be impressed with it. I have taken pictures all over the place and it does a great job. I like everything about the camera. It is the best in this price range and I think it is the best "point and shoot" small camera on the market. There is a newer model of this camera, but I really doubt that it is worth the higher price.I can recommend the Canon SX230HS camera without hesitation.

Decided to purchase one of these used to upgrade from two cameras, a Canon PowerShot A2300 and a Canon PowerShot A3000IS. Had a very limited budget and that didn't deter me. Did quite a few test shots and some test videos, tweaking the settings to my liking as I went along, and I'm very satisfied with the photo quality.The BSI-CMOS sensor this camera has definitely works wonders in low light situations producing about half the noise at the same ISO setting as the A3000IS, which uses a CCD sensor. The A2300 wouldn't have been able to do those low-light shots handheld due to the lack of image stabilization, and would have been the worst performer in low-light situations even if it did have it. Like the two A-series models, the white balance had to be set to the Tungsten preset when shooting indoors under incandescent or compact fluorescent lighting. All of them produced results a bit too yellowish with the auto white balance.Outdoors in daylight or even in cloudy conditions, this camera proves to very capable, especially after tweaking the picture settings to my liking. In cloudy conditions, I found the auto white balance makes things look a bit too cool just like the other two cameras, but changing to the Cloudy preset fixed that.I have tested the aperture priority, shutter priority, and full manual modes and found them very easy to use and I could quickly find the right setting to match the shooting scenario without any hassle. This is a plus for those who want to learn more about photography, and there's always the Program and Auto modes to fall back on. Both of those modes are also very easy to use. This camera is as much at home in Auto mode as it is in the PASM modes.Results from the video mode so far proves to be promising. Compared to the A2300, which I was previously using to record videos, it records sound in stereo instead of mono. The A2300 could only do 720p video while this camera can do 1080p. This camera is capable of continuous autofocus and the full extent of the 14x optical zoom is also available while shooting video. Exposure seems to adapt to varying lighting scenarios very well. There is a bit of noise in video shot in lower-light situations, but it's less than either A-series camera I own. The same auto-white balance issues I discussed earlier are present while recording video. Both video and audio quality are very good, but won't match the quality that models from other manufacturers have that shoot AVCHD video.Haven't used it enough at this point to determine how good the battery life is. I know it is rated at about 210 photos per charge, or about an hour of video. I'll find out soon enough if those ratings prove to be true.Compared to test videos and images I've seen from the SX 600 and 700 lineup over the past few years, I'd say this one performs better at higher ISO's and videos produce much less noise in lower light situations. The SX 600 series cameras can be picked up for $200-300 new, with the SX 700 series retailing for over $300. The SX 230 HS can be found for under $200 used in 2017, and is an awesome deal for the money when compared to stuff you can find brand-new. Overall, I'm very happy with this camera.UPDATE October 30, 2017: Still going strong after a month's worth of usage. I have had a chance to test out the battery life, and it seems to be pretty good for still images provided you stay away from GPS. Battery life while shooting video is a little less than I would have liked, but still, 45 minutes is a bit better compared to some brand-new models from the likes of Nikon and Sony. Most of the photos I have taken over the last month have come out sharp, with only a small handful of photos coming out blurry due to the autofocus missing or camera shake. This is hands down the best camera I've ever owned.