Canon PowerShot SX150: Conclusions

CONCLUSIONS
I only used the new Canon Powershot SX150 IS for a few days, but in my opinion it clearly qualifies as a "best buy" for budget conscious shutterbugs who want a lot of bang for their camera buck. The SX150 IS would be an almost ideal choice for a first digital camera, an excellent choice as a primary family camera, and a very good choice for travelers who want an inexpensive, feature rich, dependable and relatively inexpensive point-and-shoot that draws its power from universally available AA batteries. The SX150 IS's single major shortcoming - poor battery life with OTC alkaline AAs - can be easily remedied by substituting 2500 mAH NiMH rechargeables.

The SX150 IS lists for $250, but it can be found on-line for between $159 and $179 (an acquaintance found one on black Friday for $150) so the bottom line is that bargain seeking consumers aren't really going to be able to get any more (at this point in time) for their camera buying dollars than the SX150 IS provides.

Pros:

• Feature rich
• 12x zoom
• Relatively cheap

Cons:

• Poor battery life with OTC Alkaline AAs 
• Previous generation technology
• Some lens distortion

Individual Ratings: *

Image/Video Quality 
Features 
Design/Ease of Use 
Performance 
* Ratings averaged to produce final score