A Day with Canon PowerShot SX210 IS at Universal Studios Singapore
Lately, I’ve taken a serious liking to photography. So I’ve been thinking about upgrading to either an advanced point and shoot or an entry-level dSLR. I really can’t decide! I’m in such a dilemma since I’m afraid I may outgrow a prosumer point and shoot, yet I cannot foresee myself carrying a huge, unglamorous bag full of lenses all in the name of artistic photography.
In the midst of my dilemma, Glenn from Ogilvy invited me to a blogger event to check out Canon’s latest line-up of cameras. Despite my hectic work schedule, I knew I just had to go. I mean, this event could potentially solve the dilemma of a lifetime!
So on Thursday, I found myself at the newly-opened Universal Studios Singapore. Canon introduced us to the zoom monster PowerShot SX210 IS, the sleek touchscreen-ed IXUS 210 and the pocket-sized IXUS 130. We were each given 5 hours with one of these to shoot around the theme park. The cameras were randomly given out. As a PowerShot fan, I was vying to test out the PowerShot SX210 IS. Thanks to Clauds, who offered to switched cameras with me, my wish was granted. 
Before I start, here’s a few disclaimers:
- This is a very long entry. If you don’t like text, scroll down for pretty pictures and HD videos!
- To showcase photo quality, no photos or videos were edited.
- Click on the thumbnail for the full photo to appear in a lightbox.
- For more photos, visit my Picasa gallery.
- 3 bloggers with the most creative photos will each win one of the latest line-up of Canon cameras.
The Features
Here’s a first look at the features shared amongst the PowerShot SX 210 IS, Digital IXUS 210 and Digital IXUS 130.
Color Swap: Painting the town pink!
Color swap switches one color for another. Here’s how it works: point the camera on a color from your viewfinder, select it, then select a color you’d like to swap the first with. It’s like a real life eyedropper tool. (You photoshopaholics know what I’m talking about!) For these shots, I swapped brown for bright pink to paint Universal Studios pink! I had a blast shooting in this mode. I had to chase down this little girl with a pink bag (who was quite far away) to get the shade of pink I wanted. I was glad I had the zoom monster or I’d have to physically chase her for it.
Color Accent: Gold highlights
Color accent highlights a particular color, while the rest of the photo is in monochrome. I’m not very good with this effect but I liked how my golden Shrek castle turned out.
Miniature Effect: Toy world
This is my favorite photo effect! The whole world looks like a giant toy wonderland! There are more at my Picasa but here are my favorites:
Fish Eye: Distortion extraordinaire
HD Video Samples
The new line-up of cameras also shoots high definition videos. Select 720p to watch in HD. 
HD video of Universal Studios Singapore
Here’s a 360 degree view of USS.
HD video of one of the rides
I was trying to keep this shot steady but it started raining heavily all of a sudden so I had to run for cover. 
HD video with PowerShot SX210 IS’ 14x zoom
Zooming in on the fountain. It gets shaky in the middle; I was zoomed in so close that every slight movement had a big impact on the camera.
HD video with Color Swap
Painting Universal Studios Pink – The Movie! Yes, I’m 24 years old and I still ride carousels.
HD video with Color Accent
You’re gonna have to tilt your head to watch this. I shot this in portrait mode thinking it would auto-rotate like photos. Oops!
Sample Photos
Here’s a few more shots in various shooting modes. Read the description in the full photos for more details.
My Thoughts on the Canon PowerShot SX 210 IS
This is a great camera for those who need zoom power and want to have the flexibility to switch between a very smart auto mode and full manual controls. I can’t give this a proper review since I only spent 5 hours with it but here are my general first impressions.
What I Like
- Fast shooting speed and amazing image stabilization: I shot while walking and no photo ever came out blur — even in poor lighting!
- Long battery life: I’m not sure of the industry benchmark but compared to my PowerShot A590 IS (which runs on lithium ion rechargeable AA batteries) the PowerShot SX 210 IS is so much better! I took 180+ photos and 8 movies. I barely turned off my camera over the 5 hours and the battery was still going strong.
- One button movie mode: It was a breeze to shoot movies thanks to the dedicated movie button!
What I Didn’t
- Stiff mode dial: The mode dial is a little stiffer than I’m used too. I guess it’s more dSLR like?
- No indication for arrow buttons: This is minor, but unlike my A590 IS, the SX 210 IS didn’t come with pictures to describe each arrow keys’ function. So I had to struggle to find the manual focus, the delete key and the toggle between aperture and shutter speed. I guess this is only frustrating when you only have 5 hours with a camera that’s full of functions. I don’t suppose it’ll be a problem if you own one though.
So, I thought this event would help solve my dilemma between upgrading to an advanced point and shoot or an entry level dSLR. Unfortunately, it’s just made my life more difficult since I’ve grown quite fond of the PowerShot SX 210 IS. Sigh, what a geeky predicament to be in!
Dilemma aside, I had a splendid time thanks to Canon and Ogilvy!
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Oh wow, the pictures looks awesome, and I REALLY love that minature effect! That sucks that my camera doesn’t have that!! Wow, and the video looks nicer than mine’s! =( I’m jealous. Haha. I also have a PowerShot, but it’s a little over a year old.
Thanks babe! I love the miniature effect!! It was so fun to shoot with it! I Every time I took a shot, I was like “omg! it really looks like a toy!!!”
Which PowerShot are you using? My current PowerShot is pretty old too. It’s the A590 IS.
I have the PowerShot SD1100 IS.
Seriously Nice pics. Check out mine.
Wow. Cool awesome chance on Canon Cameras !
Quite a few awesome photos and features , that i hope i can try on !
Fantastic pictures. I like all the different effects. Fortunately for me, a simple digital camera is all that’s required! Looks like you had fun!
Just bought this camera and it IS awesome, but I haven’t gotten around to exploring all the options yet – I’m struggling with all the buttons since I’m not familiar with Canon (used to be a Lumix user). Question: what battery did you use with the Canon though? My current battery runs out real quick and it doesn’t last through the day, since it’s a normal nb-5l. I was wondering if there’s a lithium-ion battery pack for this particular camera when I stumbled on your blog. Anyway your photos look great and have given me inspiration on how to use my camera, thanks!
Yes, this camera sure has lots of features!
I used the battery that came with the camera. For me, it’s more than enough to last 200 shots and 7 HD movies (average length: 15 seconds each). I used flash twice and the zoom less than 10 times. Do you use a lot of flash and zoom? That and cold weather tend to consume a lot of power.
Also, my standards for battery life may be quite low, since I’m comparing it to my current camera, Canon PowerShot A590 IS, which runs on AA batteries. With lithium ion AA batteries, the A590 IS lasts about 100 shots (no flash, barely any zoom). With the display turned off (it has an optical viewfinder), it lasts about 150+ shots. So, a camera that can take 200+ photos and a couple videos is good by my standards.
Glad you got some inspiration! You have to play with the miniature effect! It was a lot of fun to play with!
Haha I found out why my battery ran out so fast…turns out it wasn’t fully charged. You’re right, when it’s fully charged, it lasts a whole day of photo taking + movies, although just barely for me, as I’m very fond of playing around with the features, using the zoom and playing back photos, which takes up a lot of battery life. Used this camera when I went to Japan for a holiday, and I got great photos, exactly what I wanted. This is, so far, the best advanced p&s I’ve seen on the market haha. Gotta say though, this camera does better at cold colours ie blues and greens than warm colours like reds and oranges.
The additional features like the Miniature World, the Colour Emphasis, Colour Swap and the Fish Eyes (I especially enjoy the last two!) are really brilliant. It makes that camera a really exciting gadget.
I assume you have made up your mind regarding cameras? =)
You like the fish eye? Cool! You can do it with your dSLR too! (You just need to fork out the $$ to get a fish eye lens!)
Well, I haven’t decided yet but I’m leaning towards the advanced points & shoots for now. I really cannot see myself carry all those lenses!!
i really liked the pictures. Since quite some time i was debating b/w canon sx 210 n sony hx5. Was much confused from the difference of opinion from professionals reviews. But now i think i’ll definitely go for this canon sx 210. just waiting impatiently for it to launch in karachi pakistan .
Thanks, Adeela! I’ve never tried Sony cameras, so I’m not sure what to say about them but just checked out the HX5! It looks really interesting! I heard they are also coming out with micro 4/3rds called the NEX3 and NEX5.
If you are really interested in a photography, buy a camera that gives you a lot of control. Actually that is what makes DSLR much more interesting. I have the SX210. It gives me a lot of control over my shots and tends me to be more experimental. If you plan on buying a NEX-5, I will suggest you to get a real DSLR instead. All the after effects will come nigh with photoshop.
Hi Ivy, I’m Janna from Olive Group Consulting and I’m collecting some info about blogs in singapore. Can you email me at the address provided so that I can contact you? Thanks a lot!
I have a contact me page listed at the top of my blog.
This is a great review ivy, i have been looking for a camera to take with on my holiday this september, i have a nice fuji finepix s5800 camera that takes some nice shots but want something smaller to carry around, i was consurned about the battery life of this canon sx210 but from your review i dont think i’ll need to worry.
the picture quality looks great from your gallery it looks like you had a fun five hours with the camera.
Thanks, Peter! I’m happy with the photo quality. Wished I had a chance to try it out in low light though. For a more compact size, you should have a look at S90 too. There shouldn’t be a major price difference. I only played with it briefly so there’s not much I can say, especially with regards to batt life, but I was very impressed with image quality.
Hi Ivy, Wow!! Great review! I’ve been looking for reviews online with feature sample shots and found just a few. Photo quality is great! Thanks for this. You just helped me made up my mind.
[...] Ivy [...]
very good blog thanks!
anyway how come some pics bit dark, isit afternoon/flash off. but generally its very good
I have already ordered one of these camera’s should get it in the next couple of day’s .after seeing what you can do with it in a small space of time.it reassures me, that I have done the right thing. very good blog keep up the good work.
Steve
Very good blog tht convinced me to buy. I bought already 2 days ago.
i wanna know how to setting miniature mode
nice photos!
Thank you for this informational entry
Wondering how much is this model going for?
i am using this camera for last 1 month.
i got problem with nite shot.
seems normal mode(auto) is better in the dark.
anyone can share about nite mode? thanks
@nad: use scn mode..fish eye, miniature, swap color all there
It depends what you are trying to focus. Are you trying to focus people in close range or objects in distance. If it is people in close range you are trying to cover it should work cool with the night mode.
I just got the SX210is! But how, and where do you find out how to find these features on the camera? I’m interested in the Color Swap, Color Accent and Fish Eye… and for the life of me can’t find it on the camera or instruction book!
Hi! Thanks so much for reviewing this camera! I have a PS A590is & am upgrading in a few weeks (after I save up the money, LOL). I was agonizing between the SX210 & the SX20, but seeing the miniature effect has totally made up my mind. THAT IS SO COOL!
you can download a useful manual at the following website:
http://www.aeato.com/users-manual/canon-powershot-sx210-is-user-manual-guide-pdf.html/
(chose
escription: PowerShot SX210 IS PowerShot SX210 IS Camera User Guide
File: PSSX210IS_CUG_EN.pdf)
on page 58 of this manual you will find the instructions of how to use the fisheye lens.
Hi! & nice photos! I recently bought this canon powershot SX210IS & I am satisfied with its results. I could capture good quality images in night mode. Now, I am trying t ouse it in all possible modes & I am happy with it’s results. Its really fun to shoot with this camera. Thanks.
I’m thinking to buy myself my first camera ever. I don’t know anything about photography at this point so I tought to ask here that are these powershot sx210 is and ixus 210 basically the same camera? Which one should I buy of these two if they are much different? Thanks in advance.
Nope they aren’t the same camera. The SX210 is more advanced with manual controls. The ixus 210 is a basic camera with a touchscreen. Since it’s your first camera, i would suggest going for a basic camera so you won’t get overwhelmed by the features and buttons. The ixus 210 should be cheaper too. Alternatively, you can also look at the ixus 130. It’s smaller than the 210 but it doesn’t have touchscreen. Hope that helps!
hey..thanks a lot for the reviews.. it really helps me out to make a decision now..