Canon PowerShot SX130IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom with 3.0-Inch LCD (OLD MODEL)

I used to keep an old HP camera in my purse that pretty much met my needs for candid shots, especially since it used a couple of AA batteries. However, with age, the old hands aren't as steady as they used to be so it was time to get a new camera with image stabilization.The four most important criteria for a replacement camera was it needed to fit in my purse (not too difficult since the old HP was a bit bulky), it needed to have image stabilization, it needed to use SD cards, and it needed to use AA batteries. The SX130 IS appeared to meet those needs. It is only a bit larger than the old HP, not enough to be a problem, uses SD cards, and uses AAs like I wanted (I already carry spare AAs in my purse). I also was fairly confident that, being a Canon, it would be a high quality camera like my SX10 IS has proven to be. Favorable reviews also reinforced my decision.This camera makes my old HP look sick (and it was a nice little camera; I gave it to a friend's son). Even when using one of the auto modes, pictures came out sharp and bright in good lighting conditions. When using the semiautomatic and manual modes, I can get surprisingly good pictures for a small point and shoot. Indoors, the flash is better than the old HPs flash. It also does better in low light without flash than the old HP or even my SX10 IS (and it's no slouch!). The 12x optical zoom was a bonus over the HPs 3x. Battery life is excellent. I use Sanyo Eneloops and it seems like I never have to replace them (of course, I do but I can go a long time between battery changes). It fires up quickly so I'm less likely to miss a shot. I've never had a problem with dust on the inside of the lens that some have reported. There is no limit on the size SD card I can use. The 8GB cards I use are actually overkill.One thing this camera is much better at doing than my old HP (or even my SX10IS) is using it as a portable scanner. As long as the light is fairly decent, I can copy documents, magazine articles, etc. without too much trouble. The "scans" aren't as good as a real scanner but they are quite usable and they sure beat a lot of note taking.I do have a few minor complaints. Not surprisingly, pictures are saved as JPEGS. While normally not a problem for a point and shoot, the compression is higher than it was for my old HP. That can limit the amount of editing that can be done. Fortunately, pictures come out so well, little to no editing is needed other than some cropping so the pictures will fill my computer monitor and 32" TV screens where I normally view them (I rarely print my pictures).The zoom can be a bit slow to react at times but not as bad as some people have reported. It hasn't been enough of a problem for me to worry about.The location of the tripod mount is a bit awkward. My tripod uses quick change shoes. I was able to trim a shoe slightly to allow it to fit permanently on my SX10 IS and still open the battery door but there was no way to do so on the SX130 IS. I rarely use the camera with the tripod so I just keep a shoe in my purse so I'll have it if I need it.The controls and settings of the SX130 IS are similar to my SX10 IS but there are some differences that are annoying since some settings on one does something slightly different or even opposite of the other. It's a pity Canon couldn't have standardized their settings between cameras. It wasn't too big of a problem once I got used to it but for a short while, it drove me nuts.The LCD screen on the SX130 IS is actually a bit bigger than on my SX10 IS. There is no view finder on the SX130 IS so the larger screen is nice (it's twice as big as the one on my old HP). The LCD screen sets flush on the camera body (actually, almost proud), unlike the slightly recessed screen on my old HP) which makes it more susceptable to damage when taking it out of my purse and shoving it back in (the fit is a bit snug). Since there isn't room in my purse to allow me to use a camera case (which would be a nuisance anyway), I had to use a screen protector to protect the screen. I'm on the third screen protector now and, so far, the screen still looks brand new. I've seen complaints about the lack of a viewfinder but I haven't found it to be a problem. I find viewfinders awkward because I wear glasses so I rarely used them anyway. The camera is small enough I can use my left hand to shield the screen and still maintain a good grip on the camera.None of these complaints are enough to dock any stars, especially since this camera does so exceptionally well otherwise for a small point and shoot that will fit in a purse or even a pocket. Many of the complaints I've seen for this camera appear to be because people expect too much from it. It's not a DSLR and it would be unreasonable to expect it to perform like one. It doesn't have an external flash so it isn't going to be as bright as one and recovery time is going to be slower. It's a small, easy to use camera for taking snapshots that are better quality than any camera phone is likely to ever take, especially if one uses the more advanced settings in adverse conditions (and how many camera phones have 12x zoom)? If I need better quality pictures or I have to take them in really tough conditions, I'll use my SX10 IS, the one that is too big to fit in my purse or pocket, even when I don't have the external flash attached to it.

I'll start by saying that I'm a Canon fan. Three out of four of my current digital cameras, including both my DSLR's, are Canon. When I was looking to upgrade my compact zoom, this unit caught my eye for both its price point and its feature set. For a sub-$200 compact zoom, this camera definitely leads the pack.Pros:* 12 megapixel image capture* Very good image quality* Full 720P HD video capture* Excellent low light performance for its class* Excellent image stabilization capability* Full manual control, including Av, Tv and full manual modes* Great zoom range, especially at the wide end* Excellent, fast and intuitive performance* Reasonable battery performance with rechargables (a MUST!)* Works with convenient AA batteries* Excellent flash for its class* Excellent color fidelity with no detectable image artifacts* Fast continuous shooting for a compact camera* Perfect size for a compact zoom, fits in a large pocket* Fantastic price/performance ratioCons:* No CCD cleaner that I've found* No flash shoe for an external flash* No external audio inputs for video capture* 10 minute video capture limit* No RAW image support* Terrible support for HD video codec* No optical/digital viewfinder / LCD display only* My unit got a speck of dust inside the lens, creating a spot on images/video for awhileIt's been a couple years since I've purchased a camera and I was a bit surprised to see how far the feature sets have come, especially on the lower-end compacts. I've now put this camera through the paces in many different situations and overall, I'm very pleased with everything about it so far.My criteria for this camera purchase was fairly simple. I wanted a compact zoom with decent optical range, AA battery support, excellent color fidelity, reasonable low light performance and a unit that provided full manual control. I'm an amateur/semi-pro photographer and I expect a lot from my cameras. After reviewing the options out there, this one was a clear winner.First, I'll speak to the image quality and zoom. I've been very impressed with both its color fidelity and the overall image quality. Images are sharp and its ability to provide vivid color and great dynamic range within images is fantastic. With the unit's lack of RAW support, this was very important to me. At the low end of the zoom, there is a bit of the wide-angle effect...but I really appreciate how wide this camera is able to go. At the far end of the zoom, the optical quality is still great and I haven't detected any weak spots within the optical range. I've never been impressed with digital zoom, and I nearly always avoid it...but as is typical with digital zoom, you'll get artifacts at the furthest end of the spectrum. For a compact, the macro mode is also quite functional, allowing a very short focus range of less than 1/2" - and the 2" focus minimum for normal mode is also quite impressive.Aperture performance was up to my expectations for a camera lens of this quality, if not even a little better than I expected. The range is from f/3.4 to f/8.0 in aperture priority mode, and I typically would want more on the far end, but as far as I'm concerned, this camera produces f/22 and above quality in landscapes. You're not going to get beautiful bokeh effects at the low end (f/3.4) but this is typical of compact cameras with inexpensive lenses. With that said, though, I was surprised to see any bokeh whatsoever...and it is possible to get a little.Low light performance is important to me as this is one of my strongest interests in photography. Up to ISO800, there is very little noise in the captured images and I've found that my noise filters will clean up what little there is quite well. ISO1600 starts to introduce a fairly strong noise characteristic, but I expected as much. There is no ISO3200 support, but personally, I feel like this is a waste in a camera at this price point as there's no way you're going to get good performance at such extremes. The image stabilization works well, especially when you're right on the edge of needing a tripod. The camera features an auto focus assist beam, which is a welcome addition within a camera at this price point. Low-light video performance was quite good, although it does take a performance hit in the noise department...but I was still very impressed that it performs as well as it does by producing very watchable low-light video results.The overall feature set for a relatively inexpensive compact is just staggering to me. All of the basic features are there for a person who appreciates some creative control, including full Tv, Av and manual modes. The automatic modes are great for those times when I don't want to put effort in and P-mode (full auto, except for control over ISO) was an absolute necessity for me. The time-to-live is quick and from an off-state, I can capture an image in less than 3 seconds. I've tested some of the newer, fancier features and I have to say, they're quite impressive. The smile detection blew my mind because it actually worked! The ability to auto-shoot portraits when new people enter the scene is also pretty amazing to me. Blink detection? I would have never thought of that, but it's actually worked for me in a couple of cases. The HD-video is a great addition to my camera lineup and I've started playing with it fairly extensively. I have noticed a bit of discrepancy between the image stability on the LCD screen and the actual result in the produced video, but then again, if I wanted super-stable video, I'd use a tripod. There is a 10 minute limit to video capture, which could be a deal breaker for some, but for my purposes it's just fine. It picks up audio quite well, which was surprising to me - although you're not going to get movie studio quality out of the thing.Physically speaking, the camera is very comfortable to hold and all of the buttons are conveniently placed. Anyone who's used a Canon camera will feel quite at home with it...and even if you're not, I wouldn't anticipate much difficulty. I haven't had any notable difficulty with the button placement, but have inadvertently turned off the camera when I was trying to capture a picture in a hurried situation. It's not exactly a sub-compact, but for a compact zoom, the size is perfect and exceeds my expectations. (It fits in a large pocket quite easily, but not well in smaller ones, such as most rear pockets.) The lens retraction is very nice and the lens portion only sticks out about 3/4" from the body when fully retracted.Battery performance met my expectations, for the most part. The use of rechargeable batteries is a must for any digital camera - it's no secret that ALL digital cameras suck up a lot of juice. (This is WHY most of cameras use proprietary NiMH batteries!) For me, I'm fairly heavily invested into NiMH AA batteries, so it was very important for this purchase to support them. I don't get the rated performance, but I never trust those values and I can certainly squeak 200+ images out of a set of 2300mAh batteries, without flash usage. Video use does suck up the juice, but I've still been surprisingly impressed with its performance as I expected a lot less. I wouldn't really consider using standard alkaline batteries in a digital camera for all but a pinch situation and if you expect good performance on alkaline batteries, you're not going to get it. I did find the camera did not like a couple of my sets of 2700mAh batteries, and wouldn't even turn on...and while that bugged me, it wasn't a deal breaker as it does work with 90% of my batteries. A quality battery charger/tester goes a long way, as you won't get good performance if your batteries aren't up to snuff and aren't properly matched according to actual capacity.I really only have a couple of complaints. Somehow my unit got a fairly large spec of dust inside the lens, and for awhile, all my images/video had a blurry spot on them - particularly in images with fairly strong light/midrange backgrounds. I'm a little concern about the seal and its ability to prevent dust from entering into the lens. Eventually, this speck of dust went away and my images are back to normal - but it's frustrating when you can't do anything about something like this. Additionally, the HD video codec that is used by this camera (H.264/Apple Quicktime MOV) is very frustrating to work with on a computer. It's just not well supported yet and takes a LONG time to open on my computer, even within Apple's quicktime application. (My machine is a quad-core 3.2Ghz proc, 4GB RAM...fast, for all intents and purposes - perhaps I have an issue with my computer's video codecs and I am willing to concede that possibility.) With that said though, I've found it best to convert it to a different format for editing...a step that I would rather avoid. These two issues prevented me from giving the product a full five-star rating.Overall, though, I'm impressed with this camera and it fit the bill perfectly for me. I hope you've found this review helpful!