The lens: The camera has an everyday though clearly weak light 20x telephoto zoom with a focal length of 28 - 560mm. The full light intensity can be used by only 2.8 maximum aperture at 28mm (wide-angle). The sharpness is good in spite of the open aperture, but a game with the depth of field and focus level is not possible due to the small sensor. The zoom is at aperture 4.0 of the Aperture ago just useful for enclosed spaces up to about 85mm. As early as 200 mm is to contrast greatly limited with Aperture 5.0. The camera has two macro modes. Super Macro and Macro. Super Macro allows the use of only 28mm, the minimum focus distance is approximately 1cm. The recoverable imaging scale can be forgettable at 28mm. It can in 28mm Super Macro mode Although interesting point of view to be taken, but is not the macro. More a function which is useful in technical documentation of any kind. The "Normal" Macro mode is sinnfrei. A minimum focusing distance of one meter at 130mm focal length, that has nothing to do with macro. The functions are just marketing. (A lens hood for the zoom ratio is. This is intended for use and is not intended to rot in a box.)
The Viewfinder: The SX20 features an electronic viewfinder and a tiltable display. However, both have a very low resolution. Individual pixels are clearly visible. To assess the sharpness of photos right in the camera is practically impossible. The time offset is kept within limits, and viewfinder screen hang my feeling after about 150-300ms reality behind her. The tilting display enables even in total darkness only a rather small angle, which limits the usefulness somewhat.
The Flash: The flash is quite powerful. Unfortunately, there is no proper automatic exposure control, so that the flash often kills everything. In order to still use it you have the camera in the "manual mode" and operated unfortunately can curb only in 1/3-step the power of lightning. The flash is folded out by hand, an advantage over many other cameras, the nerve with a pop-up flash.
The laity have a few additional programs on a soft flash, like fireworks, party, night portrait, certainly helped to bring the flash under better control. Required in the flash macro shots you have to come up with something. It can only be used due to the position.
Autofocus: Even with modest lighting conditions, the autofocus works very well. Roughly comparable to entry-level DSLRs. With a long focal length it is however restricted by the early faint lens. With an aperture of 5.7 it has clearly struggling. The speed of the focusing (focus tracking at or videos) is not absolutely fantastic, just holds the comparison with a good HSM or Ultrasonic to the DSLR was not. But for everyday use, it is sufficient.
Desirable a manual focus adjustment would have been. In short: But with the small sensor (= width = focal plane inaccurate AF sufficient) that the AF speed is not surprising really useful.
Surprising: The Gesischtserkennung works often and very good. Even with more than one person in the picture. The exposure can be changed to spot metering. This is one of the most important features to the image object of choice for the right light.
The case: A curved plastic landscape with not always ideal positioned buttons. Even those who, like me, has relatively small hands will accidentally press one or the other button repeatedly. Hot shoe, lens case and tripod socket / plate Winds are made of metal. The access doors to the card slot, battery / batteries and connections are made of plastic. These make, especially when the battery compartment, not 100% confident impression. A fall should not expect the device, as well as most other cameras. Wasserresistant or waterproofed is not the case.
Image Stabilization: The greatest misunderstanding in the history of photography. IS brings nothing when moving with long exposure time objects to be included, for example: Spielede children under the Christmas tree, concerts, parties, disco, etc. because it creates no blur in the true sense of the word but the outlines not blur due to the proper motion of the objects of the photographer , The time will come as a further dimension to the picture, so to speak. (The situations mentioned can often be overcome by flashing on the second curtain.) IS helps them only slightly, if they are a bit shaky or want to photograph architecture with long focal length at night. Short: IS really helps further only when stationary objects and relative long exposure. People you can not usually with exposure times under 1/50 1/80 sharply better photographing.
Photos: Sorry, we have little opportunity to influence the internal processing of the image data. Only: "Keep Details in shadow" allows in darker sections more details maintain. This function we recommend you activate. The noise of the sensor cleans the software mercilessly away even at ISO 1600. It is unfortunately sharpened dramatically, so that the results turn out very grainy. The results can, correspondingly reduced, but 800 to convince the PC screen quite well also to ISO. Shooting with ISO 400 seen in comparison to the previous generation despite 12 megapixels of something better. Here you can also on the computer are digitally nachgezoomt to scale 1: 2. In 1: 1, the granularity is too coarse. However, for my feeling, the 1: 1 utilization of images in a compact little case, not even at ISO 80 really useful possible. In flashed recording the color saturation has to be corrected as a rule, however, this is the case for most cameras. Strikingly, the lens could be a bit sharper in particular at the edges at longer focal lengths.
Video: Full HD unfortunately has to be dispensed with. HD-Ready, ie 1280x720, but provided enough storage media, feasible. On 8 GB you get just over 40 minutes of video material. Manual settings there are, apart from the focal length, unfortunately not. Interior, concert and disco recordings casters very grainy, just to krisselig. The autofocus does to follow moving objects difficult. In low contrast or low light, it happens that the AF reason embarks on the search for better focusing. Here you must get back in.
Conclusion: The bridge that will span the so-called bridge cameras for entry-level DSLR (for 150 euros more), well that is still clearly under construction. I compare the SX20 with my Canon 40D or Canon 5D MKII so evident that this class of camera is not much more than a toy but it is not a tool can his. A professional working with such a camera, despite hotshoe and Spot metering, just not in it. Even those who drauflegt again 200 euros more, and reaches for the Canon G11, gets no Compact with DSLR quality. In short, you can make very nice pictures with the camera under good conditions, but need to expect miracles.
