Another Step Closer

Last September, I wrote how the Nikon D90 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 were bridging the two worlds of compact point-and-shoot and the DSLR cameras. Today I stumbled upon yet another such pioneer -- the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS. This camera is not available in North America yet for some reason but its lesser sister, the PowerShot SX10 IS is.

I won't detail its features here. There are many reviews out there already. Basically however, this is one camera that I would seriously consider as a quality alternative to a low-end DSLR kit. Its 5-100mm focal length range is equivalent to 28-560mm on a 35mm. That is a wicked optical zoom factor and an awesome range. I saw some photos taken at the 100mm focal length, and with IS in bright light conditions, the photos turned out excellent, for a compact camera. Under certain conditions, it can outperform a low-end DSLR with a cheap kit lens. Check out the reviews yourself.

After reading the reviews, I started to think there is a new class of cameras: the hybrids. These hybrids are not exactly like the compact point-and-shoots. They are not really all that compact. This SX1 is rather bulky. It looks like a DSLR on the outside and is bigger than the truly compact cameras. This camera is a point-and-shoot but it has enough knobs to tweak to make it to work like a DSLR so it's not really a point-and-shoot -- and who is to say a DSLR cannot be point-and-shoot? I know some starters use their DSLR strictly as a super fancy point-and-shoot camera. I suppose we cannot use the expression "point-and-shoot" anymore to differentiate these two classes of cameras. It is not a point-and-shoot as we know it, but the SX1 is definitely not a DSLR by definition either, as it has no mirror inside. It does however have a fairly sizeable lens like those found on a DSLR although the lens is not removable. It does also have a hotshoe mount and has no perceivable shutter lag commonly problematic in many point-and-shoots.

The SX1 is a hybrid trying to define a new class as the world might consider it as an on-the-field emergency replacement for a broken DSLR, or even as a DSLR replacement for landscape and candid photography in bright daylight.

If you are an avid compact camera user who is thinking of trying a DSLR but does not want the heavy equipment and bulkiness of the DSLR, the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS is the camera for you. Wait until it arrives in North America -- don't buy its lesser sister, the PowerShot SX10 IS which goes for about $350 USD in the States. The SX1 is considerably more expensive but when it arrives (if it does), its price would have dropped significantly.