PowerShot SX260 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 20x Image Stabilized Zoom 25mm Wide-Angle Optical Lens and 1080p HD Video (Black)

I would characterize myself as a mid-level amateur photographer - I'm picky about good image quality and not satisfied with cell phone pictures or a basic point and shoot. On the other hand, I don't want to carry a lot of bulky equipment and I don't know enough about photography to mess with things like aperture settings. Between 2005 and 2009 I went through four or five digital cameras as the technology evolved trying to find one that fit my needs. In May of 2009, I got the first camera in this series, the SX 200, and felt that I finally had the camera for me. It just takes fabulous pictures, is so easy to use, and easy to carry around. It has 12 X optical zoom, which was unbeatable in a compact point and shoot at that time. I've kept my eye on the newer models coming out and haven't been tempted to upgrade until I saw that the SX 260 had a 20 X optical zoom. I was concerned that some of the modes I used regularly on the SX 200 (indoor lighting, landscape) didn't seem to exist anymore, and another mode that I used frequently (portrait) still existed but wasn't accessible through the dial, you have to go through the menu. After a few days of trying this camera, I am just blown away by the image quality. I experimented with different scene modes, but there's really very little need to use anything but auto. The camera just figures out what you want to do. I've gotten a number of incredibly beautiful flower pictures without ever leaving auto mode. If you want macro, you just zoom in on what you want and there it is. If you want pictures of people, it figures that out and adjusts accordingly. The 20 X zoom is phenomenal and, as others have stated, the image stabilization is flawless. I can take pictures one-handed while holding my two dogs' leashes in the other hand as they pull and tug to keep walking, and there's no blur or lack of focus whatsoever in the pictures (I will say this was also true of the SX 200). I've uploaded a couple of images if you want to look at them. Regarding video, I'm of the school that if you want video, use a video camera. I do have a video camera, but I don't use it very often. Generally I prefer still photographs. So, I would use the video in limited situations where something came up that I wanted to capture and I didn't have my video camera with me. I did a little testing of the video and did not hear the whirring and clicking that others reported. The video quality is very good. I did notice that the playback was atrocious using VLC media player - there was a very loud hiss and the images would pixelate and freeze during playback. However, when using Windows media player for playback, the hiss was only slightly audible and significantly reduced, and the video playback was flawless. For the limited occasions that I expect to use the camera for video, it's perfectly adequate for my needs. I've been so happy with the Canon SX 200 that I really hesitated a lot before purchasing the upgrade. Finally I decided to give it a try, knowing that Amazon would take it back if I wasn't happy with it. I'm so happy that I did - I'm extremely pleased with this camera. Oh, I got red, not black, and it's a little more pinkish than I would like, a darker red wold be nicer :) But who cares, a fun color is nice but what really counts is how it performs.

I am stunned that this camera has such high ranking feedback. I assume the picture quality is very good (I've yet to download and see my photos.) The issue is--TAKING THE PHOTOS! Good luck. There's multiple huge issues: The mechanical FLASH is placed exactly where most people hold the camera with their left hand. The shutter release button is right next to the Power on/off switch on the right side top of the camera. AGAIN? After All These Years!? How long have digital cameras been around now? I remember having this crazy-making issue (accidentally shutting the camera off rather than snapping the photo) on cameras years and years ago. After inadvertenly shutting the camera off, now you have the ten second restart cycle and the picture is gone. WHY HAS CANON NOT LEARNED THIS? (Yes, the power button is shaped differently. So what? When taking a picture, one's left and right brain are most likely occupied with the subject and the picture.) I'll tell you why the on/off button is next to the shutter--because the engineers put it there and do not care about what the consumers/users want or need. It's a classic example of "The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity"--This is a book written over ten years ago and available here on Amazon. BTW, I am an engineer with an MSEE---I know when I see tech decisions that totally ignore common street smarts. (I owned a Ford Explorer where the change holder was immediately next to the CD player cartridge door. Coins would fall into the player and destroy it. Ford's solution---they placed a sticker on the CD player which read: DO NOT DROP COINS INTO THE CD PLAYER--making it YOUR PROBLEM.) 'pretty bad, but it really gets worse. The brilliant, crack engineering team put the flash unit (which mechanically rises out of the camera) on the exact opposite (top left) side of the camera, where most everybody (symmetrically) holds the camera. Your right hand/finger are on the right at the shutter/power button, and your left hand/finger are now on the left side, covering the flash unit. SHAME ON YOU! So what happens? You're trying to get a picture off---you're lucky enough not to shut the camera off with the power button, then the flash struggles to pop up through your finger...then it jams. Not only is the picture lost---but it gets user-unfriendly WORSE from here. The camera's software now goes into an error mode. The flash can no longer be used with the camera. An ERROR MESSAGE comes up on the screen telling you that you must restart the camera before the FLASH can be used again. WOW!! I'm writing this from the floor. Really? Imagine if airline software or even automobile software was written this way. You'd have to pull off the road and restart the car because you didn't get your seatbelt on right. WHY can't the software itself reboot without your attention? BTW: Canon's solution to this: MAKE IT YOUR PROBLEM: In the instruction manual they tell you how you should hold the camera---palm down under the bottom. Really? Good thing Canon does not (re)design forks or knives. We'd be holding them in some foreign way. So now, again, you are in a power-recycle mode trying to get a picture taken. FRUSTRATING frustrating FRuStRaTiNg! We want to take pictures of our ACTIVE five year old. The reason I bought this specific camera after hours of research was because its response time was supposedly quick. We completely miss the shots with all this nonsense---and guess what? Its response time is miserable anyway---pathetic---even if you manage to get your fingers in all of the right places. Lastly (in the physically ridiculous department) the battery goes in MORE EASILY backwards. One needs to struggle to get it in correctly. It's easier to "plop" it in backwards. You only then know it's backwards because it will not seat the remaining 5% of the way down. YIKES again! I am so disappointed with this design-disaster. I believe the optical/electronic engineers did their job, but the interface engineers were out to lunch. Shameful---after years and years of people using cameras, they ignore how people use cameras and the booby traps that they so easily fall into. I want to cry or smack a designer after all of the time and trouble I put into choosing this camera FOR MY WIFE for Christmas. Rather than showing her how easy it is to use, I have to show her the many things to avoid, watch out for, and how to RECOVER from the problem once engaged. Sad.

I bought this as a father's day gift for my dad, as his old canon was dying (and very out of date!). The price was better than anywhere else, and shipping was quick. My dad loves the camera. 20X optical zoom means he can take photos from almost any distance. The image stabilization is very good, and surprisingly even at 20X the photos don't come out blurry. Mind you he has a very steady hand for photos, so a tripod is still recommended for high zoom photos. The wide angle is perfect for indoors, with very little bowing (fish eye effect). Overall very impressed with the camera. Canon certainly got this one right!