I too own this one and can’t say enough good things about it. In addition to not experiencing any of the problems others may have had, I can add that this camera takes the absolute best low light pictures of any camera I’ve ever owned. The zoom has been really handy and the settings are honestly way more than I even know what to do with. Great little camera.
If you leave the “tracking GPS” feature on it will drain your battery. You can leave the GPS on to embed in your photos, but there is an enhanced “tracking” GPS feature that can be enabled to keep a log of everywhere you go, even if you don’t turn the camera on. Just disable that function.
Other than that I have carried this exact camera around in my pocket everyday for the past 6 months. I’m on my third battery charge in that time. The camera takes outstanding images AND video. I am taking photography and videography classes in college this semester an my professors comment on what great images it produces.
I haven’t managed to scrape the case so I can’t address what is underneath, but then I keep it in a form fitting case and keep my keys out of the pocket I carry it in.
I selected this camera because it is a camera that pros carry around when they don’t want to lug their DSLRs.
I guess no cowboyDann, sdc100, etc.
quickly then, product page
Including manual:
and another review:
or this review:
or this:
or if you prefer video:
[youtube=39PYgRspKEo][/youtube]
[youtube=9ZcfeSgXDrw][/youtube]
[youtube=vmkP6pV3FN8][/youtube]
[youtube=JKHKM-2OjGA][/youtube]
[youtube=-rRITaeDtdY][/youtube]
Sorry, that’s all I can do tonight.
I don’t think we got samples of the Built NY cases so we’re not going to be any help. I guess look at the dimensions? Seems like some are for ultra compact cameras.
If you get this and want some extra batteries here is a link to a set. I bought a kit like this from the same company for a Canon SX40hs and was very happy with it. Amazon has other kits listed from different vendors that are cheaper but I have not dealt with them,they could be an even better deal if you know the seller
http://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Batteries-Powershot-SX-230HS-Potectors/dp/B002TW5A1Q
Two complaints, lots of good comments. Sometimes someone gets a lemon.
And I get REALLY nervous when I read images described as “blurry,” as in “Indoor shots would come out looking grainy or blurry…”
Camera shake? Subject Movement? Out of focus? Trying to shoot indoors with an f/5.9 lens (which is where the aperture is most of the time) will produce all of the above.
Based on dealing with 100’s of students, this often indicates the user has not spent time to understand the limitations of the camera and may have it set wrong for a variety of situations.
How does this compare to the ELPH or Axxx families of Canon cameras?
I have this exact camera, and love it.
And takes pretty nice shots at concerts. Video is decent too.
Here’s a video I shot with this camera, at Radiohead earlier this year:
[youtube=6kmDI9SrKh0][/youtube]
I have to put my two cents into this discussion. I’ve owned one of these for a year and a half and it’s been wonderful. You definitely need a minimum of two batteries, three is ideal. I would recommend leaving the GPS feature disabled unless you’re really into that.
I LOVE the flash on this. Some say it’s in an awkward place, but it doesn’t make things uncomfortable in my opinion. My favorite thing about it is that it is mechanically enabled/disabled. Leave a finger over it when you turn on the unit and the flash stays off. Flip it open when you need it. Saves you from lots of terrible washed out pictures.
I came from the DSLR side of things and find this thing very familiar to use with its M/Tv/Av/P modes, but it’s not a DSLR replacement.
I do find the camera tends to over-expose in the automatic modes, so keep the exposure compensation set down a tad in sunlight. On the flip side, it does a good job at night and indoors where other cameras would completely fail you–just be sure your settings are correct, or it will all be for not. This camera takes a bit of adjusting to go from full sun to midnight streetlights.
Video features are excellent, but tend to draw power faster than the batteries can deliver (they don’t die, they just can’t keep up with the demand). The sound is incredibly crisp and sensitive.
I’ve taken this camera on a 4-day trip to Disney World in July and it worked great in the 100-degree heat. I’ve also taken it to the Philippines for two weeks in their humid rain season. The thing runs great if you treat it nicely. Like any electronics, you can’t expect to be rough with it unless you paid for a rugged model.
I’ve had this camera since Dec '11 and love it. I have one spare battery, but hardly use it. By shutting off the GPS function you add a ton of battery life and lots of zooming in and out eats up the battery too. Here’s a couple pics I’ve taking with it that I pulled from facebook because I’m on my laptop.
My experience with the SX230 couldn’t be any different. We’ve had this camera for more than a year and used it extensively on family vacations, field trips, school events, both indoors and outdoors, sporting functions, still photos, you name it and it’s been absolutely amazing. It takes pro quality photos 85% of the time on just the auto setting. If you take the time to learn the various presets you can almost guarantee a great photo every time.
The video is also superb. The only three downsides in my mind - and we’ve owned losts of digicams - Canons, Panasonics, Fuji, Kodak - are:
(1) no AA batteries - our old Canon A570 and A40 both used AA’s so we had tons of rechargeables. This uses lithion ion. FORTUNATELY, you can find extra batteries for this camera for dirt cheap on ebay - I think we purchased a 3-pack of extra batteries for around $10-12 including shipping. So we now have 4 batteries. You really only need 2, maybe 3 if you’re taking pics all day and won’t be able to charge the batteries at night.
(2) although you can zoom in and out while recording video, the zoom motor is kind of noisy - you won’t notice it if you’re recording something where there is a lot of talking or other ambient sounds; however, if you’re trying to record, say some ducks in a quiet pond, you’ll hear the whirrrrr of the zoom motor when you zoom in and out. We use video quite a lot so this is a pretty big downside. However, many point and shoots don’t even allow zooming in and out while recording so given the option of noise or no zoom, we’ll take noise.
(3) The posts about the GPS eating up batteries are correct. We used that feature for a day or two and then shut if off. We’ve never turned it back on since and the camera has very respectable battery life. If it’s essential for you to have all of your photos GPS-tagged, then you should probably skip this camera. Turning the GPS on/off to tag a handful of photos is not a big deal and won’t kill your battery but leaving it on all the time for ease of use will only result in you getting completely frustrated with a lack of battery life.
This is a great camera in the pocketable superzoom category. If you’ve been using a digital camera with a 3 or 4x zoom, you’re missing out. You’ll never go back after you’ve used this. We don’t miss the lack of GPS tagging since we always know where we’re at when we take pics. 
Got the camera and I like it. Only down side is the flash is slow. Oh, and I got it at Staples for $120.50 on July 17th 2012
I love this camera. I paid the full MSRP when it first came out two years ago, and I’d do it again today. I dont know what that person was talking about their rant about how horrible the pictures are.
This camera takes the best pictures I’ve ever seen of a point and shoot. The single best feature is that it takes exceptional really low light pictures w/o the flash.
The zoom is phenominal and the image stablization works very well.
The shutter response time is great, but there is lag in taking photo from photo. That is the only real drawback of the camera.
I’ve used this camera everywhere from the grand canyon, to the atlatic coast to the pacific coast, to Alaska, to Europe. I love the photos it takes and I have quite a few of them blown up and hanging on my walls as artwork at 20"x30".
I highly recommend this camera.
I’ve had this camera for about a year. To echo others…turn off the GPS and the battery life is ok. There are other cameras that take better pictures, but expect to spend $400+. Unfortunately megapixels has taken priority over the camera sensors, which wins the advertising race (more is better, right?) but actually hurts image quality. Almost all point and shoot cameras take worse pictures than those from a few years ago IMO. I researched for months before getting this camera and have been very happy with it. A close friend, who is also a heavy researcher when buying things, ended up getting the same one. He’s messed with the settings more than me, and has really gotten some good pics. Get this camera, it’s a good deal, especially at this price.
The only thing i didn’t like about the camera (which is the reason i returned it) is when you play-back the video portion, you hear it when zooming in out out. It was so annoying. When you zoom in our out, you hear it clearly in the sound on the video. Nothing worse then taking a video of your kids and hearing that zoom sound. Not sure if that was an issue with my camera or all, but i know my old powershot didn’t do that.
I was a commercial photographer years ago, and I have one of these and use it 4-5 times a week.
The SX230HS is absolutely brilliant at what it does- it’s a small very flexible camera with a very broad rage of manual controls. It’s perfect for someone who wants manual control over focus, aperture shutter speed and ISO and be able to see what the effects of the changes are right on the screen before you hit the button. The lens is sharp enough for the sensor. The sensor is large enough for most things (although I’d rather see less pixels on a bigger sensor. But for <$200? Not many full size sensors for under $1000 much less $200).
The video is really pretty good (and limited to 4GB per clip) but this is a still camera. Shooting video at full HD will reach it’s limit as well as drain the battery in less than an hour. Sound is remarkably pleasant, most people would probably love it. (I usually use a little Zoom recorder for audio outside the studio)
It does have the now normal compliment of automatic program functions which I have yet to use. It also has a decent flash, which I almost never use. So while it can do the point-and-click grandma-at-the-birthday-party type stuff I don’t think that is its forte’. My daughter has used it a lot around the house (and just being silly with her friends) but seems to prefer her Sony Bloggie (sp?) or her cell phone.
Weight is ok for me: heavier than some other point and shoots, but less than an iphone. As the weight drops you usually lose the manual controls, which is the only part that I really want. (And for me, this is replacing a DSLR, not a point and shoot.)
Regarding battery life- and that is greatly up to the user. It has a proprietary battery and a good small charger. Full charge in less than 4 hours. If you turn the GPS off the battery will last much longer. Also this type of battery works much better if freshly charged- it will drain (very slowly)just sitting on the shelf. And if you leave it in the charger all the time it’ll kill it. So you really have to think ahead just a bit- it’s not the perfect camera to keep in the glove box and use every couple of months (get something with AA’s for that). I usually put the battery in the charger when I start my morning coffee and it’s done before I leave for work, less than 2 hours.
“How long does it last?”
“It depends”
-still photos/no GPS? = bajillions
-still photos/with GPS = about one day
-HD video (1080p) 20 minutes per clip, 2 or 3 clips
-720p video close to an hour
Can I put it on a tripod and just let it roll during my daughters 3rd grade graduation ceremony? No, probably not.
Is it just about perfect if you really want to learn to make better photographs with out spending the money for a DSLR? Why yes, yes it is.
Good luck, I hope this helps.
Did it do the fill flash by itself or did you tell it to?
Not sure how this was shot (not my photo, maybe the owner will pipe in) but the camera does have a fill flash mode. There is a normal flash, fill flash and manual flash as well as the ability to use the flash at one of 3 output settings and full manual exposure. (see pp 99-100 in manual)
You can also use the flash (on low power) to trigger an off camera strobe even though the camera doesn’t have a hotshoe or strobe connection.
I do like the fill flash setting on it.
Most cameras don’t zoom while shooting. I’m surprised his one does. Zooming is poison when used too much.