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Question: Canon Powershot SX110 IS or Canon Powershot A590IS ? They both seem to be very close from separate reviews I have read of both. I'm unsure which one to go for - can someone who has used both let me know which one I should go for ?
Document: I'm a fairly serious hobby photographer and have used the previous model Canon SX100 in addition to the latest SX110. Everything about it is slightly better than the older model, so all the past reviews on the SX100 and praises still apply. The SX110 is like the cheaper version of the Canon G10 (minus RAW, wide angle, flash hotshoe, and build quality), but the CHDK mod could close the gap even more with advanced features.
This is not it. It's as good as the next camera, but that's not good enough.Final thoughts: Anyone considering this camera should at least look at the SX200 IS. When I bought this camera, I also considered the Canon Powershot SD990, but it doesn't have enough zoom for me. And I'm currently lusting after the Fujifilm Finepix F200EXR, which has a much larger CCD and should be better indoors; but it also has much less zoom (a barely-enough 5X) and has gotten mixed reviews.
After suffering with a Sony CyberShot and a short-lived Olympus, I read an enormous number of owner reviews of cameras before selecting this one. The pictures are superior, particularly in low light and taken by someone who relies on a good point-and-shoot camera. I must say that the battery life is just ridiculously short.
One of the things I hated in my older SD700 was the lack of a battery meter (it only notifies you when the battery is dead to replace it, no prior notice), and I was happy to see that since the release of the PowerShot SD1100 Canon added the battery meter so you always know how much juice you have left. I was looking forward for that on the SX110 as well... Well, I was wrong. Seems that Canon is unable to meter third party (AA) batteries!
My only negative would be the requirement to manually flip up the flash when needed. The camera does let you know when the flash is needed, but I'm used to having a total autoflash. Just something I have to get used to.Update:  I've had this camera for a year now and still love it more than ever.
I have this exact camera. It is sitting in front of me so I'm sure. I really don't remember what I paid for it, but I did NOT pay anywhere close to $688.00! I know that because I've NEVER paid that kind of money for a camera. I doubt I paid over $300 at a major retailer less than a year ago. It's a great little camera, but it doesn't have to cost nearly this much. I didn't buy it used and I didn't buy it refurbished.
My Canon Powershot digital camera rules. I bought the SX110 IS and it works great for action shots, and taking pictures of active kids (my nieces) and pets (our dog). It's a little on the bulky side, but it's a wonderful camera.
My Powershot S2 IS 5MP w/12x Optical Image was fabulous. It was stolen and I was torn between compactness of SX110 IS or the power of the SX10 IS. The SX10 is even larger than the S2 IS and not something that could be slipped into a moderately sized purse. Face it, when traveling, you want the least amount of junk to lug around.Every Canon I've owned produces superior photos with each generation.
I read a few reviews and I'm impressed by the features of this camera. It's not the smallest camera in the market but I didn't get it because of the size. All other features are just what I needed. One month with the camera and so far I'm really pleased.
Nice image quality outdoors. Zoom is nice.But for my purposes, the long waits between when the flash is ready is a showstopper. This makes it almost impossible to capture spontaneous moments. I generally respect Canon quality, but I'm afraid I'll be returning the SX110 IS to the store.
Answer: I think you should get the Panasonic TZ5 (or TZ4 if you don't care about HD video). The TZ's will jump to an Optical 16.7x@ 3MEGAPIXELS, and will be in the $200- 230 area vs. the much more expensive 12x...I have both the TZ5 and SX110. They are both GREAT cameras. The TZ5 is lighter and smaller, and you can take video with optical vs digital zoom (clearer video). I bought the SX 110 , because there is a CHDK modification available for it (Google CHDK). You can do timelapse, RAW format, extend the shutter speed to 64 seconds....but if you are using the camera for the day, I would go with the TZ4 or 5, but you better hurry- all of these cameras are discontinued!