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TIPA Camera Test Online: Canon SX150 IS
By TIPA
Cameras
10 November 2011 12:00
The new Canon PowerShot SX150 IS is a low-cost camera with a 14MP resolution, a 12x zoom lens, easy handling and good image results. The camera is able to record HD video (720p), has many scene modes and offers special image effects (e.g. miniature/tilt-shift-effect).
Comments on Handling
The Canon PowerShot SX150 IS is a very compact and light weight entry level camera with a 12x zoom lens that offers all standard exposure modes like P, S, A and M. However, some details of the camera prove that the most important feature in the development of the camera was a low price. The camera uses a large LCD screen (3 inches) which offers only the standard resolution of 230,000 RGB dots. Therefore it presents menus and images with clearly visible pixels and text elements with jagged edges (as you will notice in the shot of the rear of the camera above). An ELV or optical viewfinder is missing and the LCD screen can’t be swiveled, so taking photos in bright conditions isn’t very comfortable.
The camera has a 4 way cursor on the back for menu navigation. In addition this cursor field offers a setup dial which allows the user to browse speedily through all menu settings. A large mode dial on the top helps to setup basic settings like exposure modes, scene modes, Smart Auto and the video mode. The camera is able to record HD video with 1280 x 720 pixels. It supports the Apple iFrame-format for comfortable video editing.
The zoom lens starts with a standard wide angle setting of 28 mm (35mm film equivalent) - many other ultra-zoom lenses will offer better wide angle shots with 24 to even 21 mm. The maximum tele setting of 336mm allows the photographer to take images of small details or of distant subjects.
Test shots
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The Canon SX150 IS reproduced the model shot with a slight yellow touch. Skintones are fine, but the red of the t-shirt is coloured a little to orange.
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The standard test image proves the good quality of the lens system. Chromatic aberrations are low - only contrast lines in the image corners show thin magenta and green coloured halos. The saturation of the red spool is a little high which prevents better colour differentiation.
Comments on Image Quality
Colour:
The camera showed a slightly ambivalent behavior in colour reproduction because the white balance system showed varying results in our test images. The GretagMacbeth test chart was reproduced with a slight shift into the blue area. The standard test chart was reproduced with very neutral colours - the grey background of the box matches the real colour almost perfectly. Although the portrait shot showed a shift into the more yellowish colour areas, skintones are reproduced nearly perfectly and the overall level of colour errors is low.
Sharpness:
The camera uses a well-balanced ratio of anti-noise filtering and sharpness filtering. Therefore it gains a high resolution result in our test. The SX150 IS reproduced the ISO 12233 chart with 2894 lines per picture height which is a very good result for a camera with 1/2.33 sensor and a nominal resolution of 3240 lines per picture height. Nevertheless you will notice a little grain in our test images (taken with ISO 100 setting) and a few smoothing effects caused by the anti noise filtering. It is noticeable in the portrait shot and the standard test shot.
Noise:
Luminance noise is on a very high level even for a compact camera. The y-factor is nearly 1.0 even in ISO 80 mode. This causes some grain effect in images taken with ISO 80 to 200. In images taken with higher ISO speed setting colour noise will be noticeable and the images are showing anti noise filtering effects which causes a softening of contrast lines and other image details. The dynamic range results are extremely good in low ISO speed settings. The camera gains a dynamic range of 10.7 f-stops and keeps this high level up to ISO 200. In images taken with higher ISO speed settings dynamic range will decrease drastically. In ISO 1600 the dynamic range result is only 5.65 f-stops.
Opinion
Pros:
+ extreme zoom
+ light and compact body
+ easy handling for beginners
Cons:
- missing optical viewfinder or ELV
- low resolution LCD
- only 720p video instead of Full HD
- standard batteries supplied instead of rechargeable batteries
To download the PDF specifications sheet for the Nikon P7100 click HERE.
About TIPA
The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) is a non-profit oranisation made up of a worldwide family of independent photo & imaging magazines with the most expert editors.
TIPA uses BetterNet GmbH in Heidelberg, Germany to perform routine digital camera tests based on an independent and objective testing method. The TIPA sponsored tests range from small compact cameras to popular DSLRs and even up to high-tech medium format models.
For more information on TIPA, its members and the annual TIPA Awards, visit www.TIPA.com.