The canon powershot sx20is 12.1 digital camera is a camera that is an upgrade to the canon powershot sx10 with added features A high-resolution, 20x zoom digicam that offers a wide range of adjustable controls plus 720p HD video recording with stereo soundtracks.

The sx10 doesnt have HD video mode recording so the sx20is gives it super zoom features a boost with HD video recording you can see the recording of about 10 minutes video that has been recorded in HD by a canon powershot sx20is digital camera and the quality is very good take a look after you have read this article.

There also some great features that upgrade from the canon powershot sx10 digital camera and here is a quick guide of them features

Optical zoom with a massive range of optical zoom that comes with stablelization that can be controlled on the settings at the back of the camera.

By pressing the function set button you change a list of options that are white balancing,

flash options,metering,video quality mode,still quality mode.

The HD video mode records 720 p mode that can be viewed on the screen at the back or streem through to HD tv with a hdmi lead that is stationed on the side of the camera.

The design of the camera is the same as the sx10 but is more greater with a 2.1 maga pixil more than the sx10.

The flash pack is also the same with a flip up light that is well up to the job or you can upgrade to a more exstirnal multi flash light that fits in the horse shoe fitting.

And the camera takes 4 AA batteries that you can get anywhere in the world.

The two and a half inch viewing screen has a more versitile option to taking photos from all angles if you turn the camera to its side the picture changes to a upright position and if you flip out the LCD screen and turn it outwards you can turn it to the horizontal position so you can take pictures from a low angle and still view the screen or change it the other way for over head pictures if in a crowd so the lcd screen has an edge over many other cameras with moveable lcd screen.

Here are some pictures taken by the canon powershot sx20is 12.1 digital camera and click here to go to my sales page.

Specifications Type of Camera
Compact digital still camera with built-in flash, 20x Optical/4x Digital/80x Combined Zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer System.

Autofocus System
TTL Autofocus
Viewfinder & Monitor Viewfinder
TFT color
LCD Monitor
2.5-inch TFT color Vari-Angle LCD with wide viewing angle
LCD Pixels
Approx. 230,000 pixels
LCD Coverage
100%

Image Capture Device Type
12.1 Megapixel, 1/2.3-inch type Charge Coupled Device (CCD)
Total Pixels
Approx. 12.4 Megapixels
Effective Pixels
Approx. 12.1 Megapixels
Lens Focal Length
5.0 (W) - 100 (T) mm f/2.8-5.7 (35mm equivalent: 28-560mm)
Digital Zoom
4x
Focusing Range
Normal: 1.6 ft./50cm-infinity (W), 3.3 ft./1m-infinity (T)
Macro: 3.9 in.-1.6 ft./10-50cm (W)
Super macro: 0-3.9 in./0-10cm (W)

Aperture and Shutter Maximum Aperture
f/2.8 (W) - f/5.7 (T)
Shutter Speed
15-1/3,200 sec. (settable in Tv and M)

Light Metering Method
Evaluative*, Center-weighted average, Spot**
*Facial brightness is also evaluated in Face Detect.
** Metering frame is fixed to the center/linked to AF frame
Exposure Control Method
Program AE, i-Contrast, Manual; AE Lock, Program Shift, Safety Shift, Auto ISO Shift
Exposure Compensation
+/-2 stops in 1/3-stop increments

Exposure Control ISO Sensitivity
Auto*, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 equivalent
(Standard output sensitivity. Recommended exposure index)
*Camera automatically sets the optical ISO speed according to shooting mode and subject brightness. The ISO speed also varies according to subject movement and camera shake when the shooting mode is set to Auto.

White Balance White Balance Control
Auto*, Preset (Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash), Custom
* The color of faces is evaluated in Face Detect.

Flash Built-in Flash
Auto, Auto w/ Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On w/ Red-eye Reduction, Flash Off; FE lock, Safety FE, Slow Synchro
Flash Range
1.6-22 ft./50cm-6.8m (W), 3.3-12 ft./1.0-3.7m (T) (when sensitivity is set to ISO Auto)
Recycling Time
7 sec. or less (battery voltage=6.0V)
Flash Exposure Compensation
+/-2 stops in 1/3-stop increments
Shooting Specifications Shooting Modes
Auto, P, Av, Tv, M, C, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Special Scene (Foliage, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Fireworks, Aquarium, Night Scene, Indoor, ISO 3200, Color Accent, Color Swap), Super Macro, Night Snapshot, Stitch Assist, Movie
Photo Effects
My Colors Off, Vivid, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Custom
Self-Timer

Wireless Control Activates shutter after an approx. 2-sec./10-sec. delay, Face Detection Self-timer, Custom Not available
Continuous Shooting
Normal: approx. 1.0 fps; AF: approx. 0.7 fps; LV: approx. 0.7 fps (Large/Fine)
Image Storage Storage Media
SD/SDHC Memory Card, MultiMediaCard, MMCplus Card, HC MMCplus Card
File Format
Design rule for camera file system, DPOF Version 1.1
Image Compression
Normal, Fine
JPEG Compression Mode
Still Image: Exif 2.2 (JPEG)
Movie: MOV (Image: H.264; Audio: Linear PCM (Monaural/Stereo))
Number of Recording Pixels
Still Image: 4,000 x 3,000 (Large), 3,264 x 2,448 (Medium 1), 2,592 x 1,944 (Medium 2), 1,600 x 1,200 (Medium 3), 640 x 480 (Small), 3,840 x 2,160 (Widescreen) Movie: 1,280 x 720 (HD, 30 fps available up to 4GB or 29 minutes, 59 sec.), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) available up to 4GB or 60 minutes

This capsule give you insight on how an SLR camera takes photos

These cameras have a unique viewing system which uses a mirror to reflect light from the lens through a separate optical viewfinder.

What you see in the viewfinder is the picture that will be taken.

In order to capture an image the mirror is flipped out of the way, allowing light to fall on the imager.

Since no light reaches the imager during framing, autofocus is accomplished using specialized sensors in the mirror box itself.

These type of cameras are purchased by professionals.