Canon PowerShot SX130: The Best Camera Under $200

If you’re looking for a compact camera that takes great pictures, check out the Canon PowerShot SX130 and SX230.  They're certainly not professional-level cameras, but for everyday use, or just a night out on the town, they'll definitely take quality pictures for you to share with friends and family.   No other point-and-shoot camera even comes close to the color and clarity of Canon’s SX line.  The SX130 is slightly larger than a pocket camera, but is still small enough to easily carry in a jacket pocket or a small purse.  It also comes loaded with fun features like: fisheye, color accent, and macro.  The picture below is a great example of the color quality, and latitude between the highlight and shadow areas.

The miniature effect mode creates a soft focus at the top and bottom of the frame.  With high angle shots, it creates the illusion that the subject is smaller than it appears to be.  With smart foreground and background compositions, it also does a great job of mimicking the shallow depth of field achieved by professional DSLR cameras. The result is an image that leads your eyes to the important part of the picture (it also looks just plain cool). Check out the image below.

 

If you have a larger budget, or want something with a pocket-sized design, take a look at the Canon PowerShot SX230.

At around $350, it’s a slimmer version of the SX130 with features that are slightly more enhanced, including a toy camera mode.  Canon also offers a waterproof housing for it, available on B&H for $189.  So, for about $539 (plus tax) you get Canon’s quality images in a pocket-sized camera, AND the ability to shoot underwater.  That’s not a bad deal at all.

Whether you go with SX130, or the SX230, you’re getting a great camera at a great price. 

- RA

(Photographs by Emily Espinosa)