canon powershot sx10is lcd display not working in stock

I"ve got a good working SX10, wasn"t aware of such a problem - I like to use the LCD for tripod shots but only EVF handheld. To some extent uses and user preference matters most.

In case it"s your bridge that rotates displays (Disp button) between LCD and EVF, I"d take time to check settings and user manual to be sure that the LCD isn"t simply properly deactivated. If that"s not it, because it is a software switch, I"d try a Menu - Tools Icon - Reset All to take the camera back to its out of the box setings and try again. Only then would I look into hardware.

I have no idea about LCD replacement, but as above, would be leery of putting much money, time or trouble into a second-hand camera as old as SX10, that might have other problems, too.

Unfortunatly, when I opened it, I was NOT able to dismantle the menu-turning-wheel on the backside, hence could not take off the back cover completely. If more complicated work would be necessary in the future, I"d have to work out how to take that off. Could not find any screw or anything, and didn"t want to pull too hard... Any idea?

The time and date stamp need to be reset every time the camera is turned on. A notice may appear to change the batteries even after the main batteries are replaced.

Make sure the battery door closes tight and that nothing is blocking the door from closing. If the door will not latch closed use this replacement guide for changing the battery door.

Since it has a "twistable" display I would imagine the cable harness to the display has been damaged with all the movement and stresses the cable suffers. If you imagine a very thin wire and you keep waggling it about it will soon fracture and break.

This is what *may* have happened - it did happen to my A650. I managed to repair myself by getting a complete new cable assembley, it is no easy task since you have to strip the camera and handle very tiny screws afterall, I am an electronics engineer .... a job certainly not for a novice so to speak.

*Estimated delivery dates- opens in a new window or tabinclude seller"s handling time, origin ZIP Code, destination ZIP Code and time of acceptance and will depend on shipping service selected and receipt of cleared payment. Delivery times may vary, especially during peak periods.Notes - Delivery *Estimated delivery dates include seller"s handling time, origin ZIP Code, destination ZIP Code and time of acceptance and will depend on shipping service selected and receipt of cleared payment. Delivery times may vary, especially during peak periods.

Canon SX10 IS features a 28-560 mm F2.8-5.7 20× zoom lens. Lens has a good wide angle capability starting at 28mm and remarkable super telephoto reach at 560mm.

SX10 IS is equipped with Optical image stabilization system which is very handy especially at lower shutter speeds. Canon SX10 IS"s lens also has a Manual Focus Mode.

Canon SX10 IS has a 10.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor . You can shoot at maximum resolution of 3648 x 2736 pixels with aspect ratios of 4:3 and 16:9. SX10 IS has a native ISO range of 80 - 1600 but unfortunately, Canon SX10 IS doesn"t have RAW file support. If you need a DSLR-Like camera with a RAW support, consider or in the same price range.

Canon SX10 IS is not the highest resolution Small Sensor camera. GoPro Hero11 Black with its 27.0MP sensor is leading in this class. Check the comparison of Canon SX10 IS vs GoPro Hero11 Black or take a look at Highest resolution Bridge cameras list.

Canon SX10 IS has a Fully Articulated 2.50-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 230k dots. Articulated screens are more video oriented compared to only tilting or fixed screens. On the other hand, photography oriented users generally prefer tilting screens. At only 2.50", the screen is on the smaller side and 230kdot resolution is lower than most of the recent models in this class.

For those of you who loves shooting selfies, self or group photos, Canon SX10 IS will make your life easier with its Selfie friendly screen. Another group of users who will take advantage of SX10 IS"s LCD screen are Vloggers and any video creators who are working in a single-person setup.

SX10 IS has a built-in Electronic viewfinder, making it easier to shoot in direct sunlight and in other situations where it might be difficult to view the LCD monitor.Canon SX10 IS Connectivity, Storage and Battery

Canon SX10 IS features a Contrast Detection autofocusing system. The AF system has 9 points to choose from. Canon SX10 IS also features Face detection AF where it intelligently detects the faces in the frame and locks the focus automatically.

Canon SX10 IS has a score of 47 for Portrait Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Portrait is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Bridge Cameras for Portrait Photography list.

Canon SX10 IS has a score of 73 for Street Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Street Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 Bridge Cameras for Street Photography list.

Canon SX10 IS has a score of 47 for Sports Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Sports is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Bridge Cameras for Sports Photography list.

Canon SX10 IS has a score of 50 for Daily Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Daily is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Bridge Cameras for Daily Photography list.

Canon SX10 IS has a score of 24 for Landscape Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Landscape We strongly recommend you to check our Top Bridge Cameras for Landscape Photography list and consider these alternatives over theSX10 IS.

Currently, Canon SX10 IS has an Overall Score of 40/100 which is based on our evaluation of 69 different technical parameters. Our scores are dynamically updated whenever a new camera is added to our database or when we change our ranking algorithm and the maximum score is always 100. Canon PowerShot SX10 IS is ranked #80 out of 113 in DSLR-Like cameras (Top 20 Bridge), and ranked #704 out of 1255 in all Cameras (Top 20 Overall).

The Canon PowerShot SX10 IS sports a long zoom lens ranging from 28 to 560mm, which amounts to a 20x zoom that starts at f/2.8. Other vitals on the Canon SX10 include a 10-megapixel sensor, a 2.5-inch articulating LCD, and video recording on demand.

Canon"s PowerShot SX10 IS digital camera replaces the company"s previous PowerShot S5 IS model, and indeed both cameras share very similar styling cues. The Canon SX10 has grown a third of an inch or more larger than the S5 in all directions. The Canon SX10"s rear-panel controls have been totally overhauled, and the separate AF-assist lamp has been dropped from the camera"s front panel. On the inside, the Canon SX10 uses a slightly larger 1/2.3-inch CCD image sensor, and simultaneously boosts resolution from eight to ten megapixels, along with upgrading the previous model"s DIGIC III processor to a DIGIC 4 type that allows for servo AF tracking.

At the same time the zoom lens gains a lot of reach, being boosted from "just" a 12x optical zoom in the S5 to a whopping 20x zoom in the PowerShot SX10 IS. The added range can be found on both ends, with a useful 28mm wide-angle and a powerful 560mm telephoto. Thankfully, the Canon SX10 IS includes true optical image stabilization, a must-have for a camera with a lens this powerful. Maximum aperture is f/2.8 to f/5.7 across the zoom range. As well as the previously mentioned AF tracking, the Canon SX10 IS"s autofocus system now has improved face detection capability. Canon says the Canon SX10 will now recognize faces at most angles, and has included a Face Detection self timer which automatically takes a photo two seconds after an additional face enters the scene. The Canon PowerShot SX10 IS"s LCD display retains the previous 2.5-inch diagonal size, but its resolution increases slightly from 207,000 dots to 230,000 dots.

The standard ISO sensitivity range offered by the Canon SX10 is unchanged from the S5, with a minimum of ISO 80 through to a maximum of ISO 1,600. A new high-sensitivity scene mode allows this to be boosted to a maximum of ISO 3,200, however. Available Canon SX10 IS shutter speeds are unchanged, ranging from 1/3,200 to 15 seconds. Metering modes are unchanged, evaluative, center-weighted, and spot all included. Likewise, exposure modes are unchanged with the Canon SX10 including program, aperture- or shutter-priority, or a fully manual mode. Flash range when set to Auto ISO is rated at 1 - 17" (30 cm - 5.2 m) at wide angle, and 3.3 - 9.2" (1 - 2.8 m) at telephoto. And the Canon SX10"s hot shoe allows connection of most modern Canon flashes for much greater range. There are seventeen scene modes, and the SX10 also offers a new Intelligent Contrast Correction function.

Where the Canon S5 offered Motion JPEG AVI movies, the Canon SX10 IS opts for H.264 MOV instead, a newer format which generally offers significantly improved compression (and hence smaller file sizes) for equivalent video quality. As with the previous camera, sound is recorded along with movie clips. The Canon PowerShot SX10 is unchanged from its predecessor in storing its images and movies on Secure Digital cards, and offering both NTSC / PAL video and USB 2.0 High Speed computer connectivity. Power is likewise unchanged, coming from four AA batteries with alkaline disposables in the product bundle.

The Canon PowerShot SX10 IS doesn"t depart much from the feature set that has been common to Canon"s megazoom PowerShot line. In a nutshell: a new sensor, a new lens, a redesign of the control set, and no RAW mode. But let"s dig a little deeper.

The Canon SX10 IS maintains its SLR-style design and mentality; if you"re comfortable shooting with a digital Rebel, you"ll find that working with the SX10 IS is very familiar. While improved, the performance and image quality still don"t match those of a digital SLR. The Canon SX10 IS makes an excellent bridge camera, with a wide array of features that will appeal to beginners and advanced amateurs alike.

Look and feel. Like most superzooms, the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS has the look and feel of a digital SLR. Canon provides a sizeable right-hand grip with plenty of grasping space for your fingers; this grip houses the four AA batteries that power the camera. The Canon SX10, while slightly larger than the previous PowerShot S5, is actually 1/2 ounce (14g) lighter.

Canon has redesigned the control features of the SX10 IS. The S5 experimented with a lever and recessed switch borrowed from the Canon G-series cameras to turn the camera on and off and switch modes; clearly, this system wasn"t popular, as Canon went back to the drawing board.

The Canon SX10 features a conventional On/Off button, located just out of reach of a thumb or forefinger, on the top right-hand side of the camera. The button is slightly recessed so there"s little danger of it being pressed accidentally. Modes are switched by a conventional dial that looks like it came off a digital Rebel. Image playback is now accessed by another conventional button, located just beneath the On/Off button. It"s possible to enter playback mode without turning on the camera and extending the lens.

Users coming from the S5 will also encounter a redesigned layout of rear buttons; gone is the four-way controller by the thumb, and new to the Canon SX10 IS is a four-way directional pad beside the LCD screen. A rotatable ring surrounding the pad could be an homage to Canon"s pro-series of cameras, which allow the user to control a number of features by rotating the dial rather than pressing a button. The 2.5-inch LCD screen remains comfortably large, sweeping out 180 degrees and then rotating through a 270-degree axis to allow great flexibility in composing images and doing self-portraits.

The Direct Print/Shortcut button remains on left side of the viewfinder and can be customized for one-touch access to a number of different functions such as White Balance, Custom White Balance, Light Metering, AE Lock or AF Lock, among others. I found the Custom White balance setting most useful. The Canon SX10 maintains the Function button system, with the button in the center of the four-way directional pad. The button provides access to a menu of most frequently changed settings, is extremely convenient, and streamlines camera operation, eliminating multiple trips to the Canon SX10"s more extensive menu system. Canon"s tabbed menus are easy to understand and navigate, although the icons at the top of each tab can be a little cryptic.

Display/Viewfinder. Like all superzoom cameras, the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS is equipped with both an LCD and an Electronic Viewfinder (EVF). The Canon SX10"s LCD is articulated, which means you can flip it against the camera body to protect the screen, which automatically switches to the EVF when the camera is powered on. You can also swing out the LCD and rotate it to grab overhead and very low-angle shots without putting a strain on your neck, back, or knees. Or, if you prefer a more conventional viewing option, the Canon SX10"s LCD can be rotated and flipped up against the camera body with the screen facing outward.

The Canon SX10"s LCD hasn"t grown from that of the S5 IS; it"s still a 2.5-inch screen, but it has 230,000 pixels instead of the previous 207,000, which should make photos look just a little crisper. The screen itself is bright, clear, and easily viewed in bright sunlight. Tilting the screen also helps when you"re shooting outdoors at high noon.

The Canon SX10 IS maintains its flexibility in terms of what information can be shown on the display. The "Custom Display" menu allows the user to fine-tune the items that can be displayed, with two banks of settings for each of the EVF and LCD screens. Each press of the DISP. button brings you through to the next set of display settings, alternating between EVF and LCD. With these settings, you can make the displays as spartan or cluttered as you desire, filling the screen with items such as shooting information, grid lines, a 3:2 guide and a live histogram.

The EVF is useful, but no match for the articulated LCD screen. I didn"t end up using it very much, given that the LCD screen was very capable even under extreme light conditions. The viewfinder is equipped with a diopter for eyeglass wearers, and it was easy to adjust the EVF to my eyes.

Lens and Zoom. Canon continues to improve the design of this series of PowerShot, introducing a new 28-560mm-equivalent lens in the SX10 IS. The lens allows just a little bit less light -- its maximum aperture is f/2.8 at 28mm, as compared to the S5"s f/2.7 at 36mm. I don"t think most users will notice this difference in speed. Immediately noticeable is the difference in angle; 28mm is quite wide for this class of camera, so much so that lens flare can become an issue, and Canon has thoughtfully provided a lens hood attachment with the camera. The lens, benefitting from Canon"s Ultrasonic motor, moves smoothly throughout, and is absolutely silent when zooming at a standard speed. High-speed zooming creates a little bit of noise, but the lens movement still feels smooth.

The zoom performance deserves a bit more discussion. There are essentially five positions to the zoom dial, which is a dial that shrouds the shutter release button. Pushing the dial to the right zooms in, while pushing it to the left zooms out. There are two speeds of zoom, slow and fast, with the fast speed coming when the dial is turned to the extreme left or right. The slow speed is achieved somewhere in the middle. I found fine-tuning the zoom position slightly frustrating, as the slow speed wasn"t slow enough; what would be useful would be a third speed selection to allow for a slow, medium, and fast zoom speed. It"s certainly not a deal-breaker for this camera, but enough that I wished it could be just a bit more sensitive.

Optical quality. The Canon SX10 IS"s lens is sharp in the center at wide and telephoto, and remains surprisingly sharp out to the far corners, rare for a lens of this type, with only a very limited amount of softening that does not show up in all but the largest prints. At wide-angle, the Canon SX10"s 28mm setting shows moderate barrel distortion, but it"s not out of the ordinary for this type of lens, and is not a detriment to most photos. Impressively, there"s virtually no distortion in telephoto settings. The only real shortcoming of the SX10"s lens is the high and bright chromatic aberration that appears at both wide angle and telephoto, and extends fairly far into the frame. It"s noticeable in printed images at 8x10 sizes and up. Again, this is very common among extreme zoom lenses, and if it proves to be objectionable, it can be removed after capture with aftermarket image software.

Macro. The Canon SX10 IS"s Macro focuses dramatically close, capable of focusing from the surface of the lens. There is considerable distortion at this distance, however, so prepare to crop from the center and provide light from the sides rather than from the flash. Using the flash is pretty much out of the question in macro mode, as the lens itself shades the output of the flash. The SX10 IS"s hot shoe comes in handy here, as you could attach remote flashes and position them any way you wish.

Performance. Overall, the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS is fast enough for most shooting conditions. Start up is a little slower than the S5 IS (2.6 seconds compared to the S5 IS"s 1.3 seconds). There"s very little shutter lag throughout the focal range, though the SX10 IS is a hair slower to autofocus; in manual focus, however, the Canon SX10 IS"s shutter response is very quick, at just over a quarter-second. Prefocused shutter lag was just under 0.08 second.

The Canon SX10 IS"s shot-to-shot time in single-shot mode is still relatively slow, in fact, slower than the S5 IS. In single shot mode, you"ll wait up to 2.06 seconds between shots; this improves a bit if you disable post-shot image review. For continuous shooting, the SX10 IS can achieve 0.78 frames per second, which is actually slightly faster than the S5IS"s 0.75 frames per second, and that"s with AF tracking enabled. This improves to 1.42 frames per second without continuous AF, and the camera was able to shoot over 20 large/superfine frames at this rate. Still, the SX10 is no speed demon is this department. Performance tests were conducted using a SanDisk Extreme III SDHC card and it seems likely that some performance attributes will lag when using a slower card.

The Canon SX10 IS comes bundled with 4 AA alkaline batteries, which you should immediately relegate to another electronic device or to the junk drawer for emergencies only, since you"ll only get about 340 shots from alkalines, if you"re lucky. You"re much better off picking up 4-8 rechargeable NiMH batteries and a charger. The latter delivers, according to CIPA standard, about 600 shots per charge -- a much better deal indeed.

Canon"s Face Detection technology seems to be one of the better systems on the market and it works eerily well on the Canon SX10 IS in detecting faces. The SX10 IS will detect faces easily when the face is pointing directly at the camera, but it will also continue to track and detect faces when they"re pointing away -- a bit more than thirty degrees. The camera will place squares around detected faces, but it seems to want to stick to about three, even if there are more. This can lead to a confusing jumble of boxes onscreen, which you can attempt to reign in with the face detection selection button, allowing you to decide upon a single face to center autofocus results. While it"s a marvelous technology, I sometimes found it easier to simply move the AF point to my subject"s face.

Metering. The Canon SX10 IS offers evaluative, center-weighted, and spot metering options. All of these worked well to deliver generally even exposures, however the camera doesn"t hesitate to clip highlights. Colors were well-saturated, delivering the vibrant images that consumers have come to expect from non-digital-SLR cameras.

Flash output. The pop-up flash on the SX10 IS is actually a pull-up flash; you have to raise it with a finger when you want to use it. Flash coverage is uneven at wide angle, and even at telephoto. Manufacturer"s specs call for good wide-angle illumination when set to Auto ISO at 17 feet, which we found to be true at ISO 200, but the camera also made it out to 16 feet at ISO 100. And though the manufacturer spec called for good telephoto performance at only 9.2 feet at ISO 200, we found the Canon SX10 easily capable of 12 feet at ISO 100. It takes about eight seconds for the flash to fully recycle, which is just a bit slower than other cameras in this class, but not bad considering the power.

Optically stabilized. Typical for this level of zoom, the Canon SX10 IS"s optical image stabilization worked well. There are three modes: continuous, shoot-only, and panning, which are unchanged from the S5.

Shooting. I enjoyed my time with the Canon SX10 IS, finding it to be a capable camera with a wide variety of settings that appealed to me. The Canon SX10"s menu system, while getting slowly larger with each generation of camera, is fairly painless to navigate, and it"s fairly uncommon that you can"t find what you"re looking for on the camera"s quick-menu system.

While digital SLR cameras are starting to adopt live view, none of them are really as versatile as your average point-and-shoot digicam. And in this feature, the SX10 IS really shines with its adjustable LCD. It can be turned for viewing with the camera held above the head, at waist level, and for self-portraits; try doing that with your digital SLR. More traditional shooters can still use the electronic viewfinder to compose and review shots, though there"s no real advantage to doing so.

I"ve already noted my personal disappointment with the SX10 IS"s zoom system, controlled by a trigger-shrouded rocker, but handing it around to friends that are less picky than I, it didn"t bother anyone. Among my informal test audience was a S5 IS user, who liked that the camera now advised him when he should raise the flash.

The control wheel is the latest user interface feature to grace this line of PowerShot cameras, and in using it for a couple of weeks, I would have to say there are only a few areas where it is actually useful. Toggling between photos and modes is still most easily done with the four-way directional buttons, but features like manual focus which require continuous input are handled well with the control wheel, where you can get a very fine level of, well, control. In manual or aperture-priority settings, adjustment of the shutter speed or aperture setting is also handled by turning the control wheel. As with many Canon PowerShots that have such wheels, menu response is inconsistent. Turn too slowly, and nothing happens. Turn too fast, and you scroll past everything and around the other end. I usually just go back to the four-way navigator.

Movie mode. The Canon SX10 IS keeps its dedicated movie-mode button that dates all the way back to 2004 with the original S1 IS, meaning you don"t have to switch to a dedicated movie mode. The Canon SX10 IS"s high resolution movies (640x480 or 320x240, at 30 frames per second) include stereo sound and a wind filter, which means this camera also serves as a full-function camcorder with a 20x, image-stabilized zoom. Canon has moved from MJPEG compression to the more prevalent H.264 MPEG-4 compression in the SX10 IS. Movie quality is quite good, and the stereo sound isn"t bad either.

Summary.The Canon PowerShot SX10 IS offers much with its image-stabilized 20x optical zoom lens and well-rounded feature set that provides more than enough sophistication and manual options for advanced amateurs and prosumers, while providing less experienced photographers a solid set of automatic modes. Controls have been redesigned and repositioned, in an attempt to simplify the user interface. The camera"s internal hardware has also gotten a significant update, moving from the DIGIC III to the DIGIC IV processor, but even with this switch the camera"s performance hasn"t improved significantly. We imagine that contending with the increase from 8 to 10 megapixels, and better noise reduction technology, takes up some of that new processing power.

Large capacity SD/SDHC card. The Canon SX10 IS doesn"t ship with a memory card, so you"re going to need to get one. 2GB is a good first choice, but you"ll need a larger card, preferably a 4-8GB high speed SDHC card for taking advantage of high speed continuous shooting and long video clips.

This series of long zoom PowerShots has a faithful band of happy users, and it looks like it"s safe for that trend to continue. Though the lens focal length has nearly doubled to 20x, optical quality remains solid, with unusually sharp corners for its class. About the only notable problems are the bright chromatic aberration (which accompanies most extreme long zooms like this) and luminance noise at all ISO settings. Image quality is otherwise quite good, with good chroma (color) noise control even in incandescent light at ISO 800, likely thanks to the DIGIC 4 processor. The built-in Flash has good power for a long zoom digital camera, and the Canon SX10 has a flash hot shoe to allow use of Canon"s excellent external flashes, like the new 430EX II. Printed results really tell the Canon SX10"s story, with the camera"s output capable of making high quality 13x19-inch prints with ease, and even ISO 1,600 shots make a decent 5x7. A relatively fast shutter lag result rounds out the story, and if you learn to prefocus, you can get a shutter lag of 0.08 second. Overall, you can"t go wrong with the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS, a great long zoom digital camera that"s also capable of capturing video with stereo sound whenever the need strikes. Though we"re a little disturbed by the luminance noise at ISO 80, it doesn"t show up in prints until about 13x19 inches, and then only if you look closely. If you"re a pixel peeper, you might be bothered, but if prints are your main unit of measure, you"ll find the Canon SX10 IS a superb image-maker. It"s an easy Dave"s Pick.

The front of the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS is dominated by the large fixed lens, which projects out of the body several inches even when fully retracted. The 20x optical zoom lens boasts a focal length of 5.0-100mm and an aperture of f/2.8 - f/5.7. Just above the lens sits the pop-up flash. Between the flash and the lens are left and right microphones for stereo video recording. Just above and to the right of the lens is the auto focus assist lamp. The left side of the front is dominated by the hand grip, which also juts out from the main body of the camera.

On the back most of the space is dominated by the LCD, which was disappointingly small at only 2.5 inches in size. The LCD can be folded out and rotated. Above and to the left of the lens is a shortcut key that can be assigned to a function of your choice. During playback this doubles as the Print button. Directly above the LCD is the digital viewfinder. To the right sits a dedicated Record button for video capture.

To the right of the LCD are the main controls, a 4-way surrounded by a rotating dial. The 4-way gives you quick access to Manual Focus (up), Macro (left), ISO (right) and Burst Mode or Self-timer (down). Pressing in on the center select button will give you the Function Set menu, while the dial provides different setting controls depending on your current mode and menu selection. Below the 4-way sit the Display and Menu buttons.

The left side of the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS has an eyelet at the top to run one side of a neck strap through. This eyelet is mirrored on the right side. The only other feature on the left side is a speaker for video playback.

The top of the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS doesn"t have as many dials as the Canon G10 does, and is slightly different than the SX5. At the far left there is a lonely Flash/Microphone button. To the right is the hot shoe for adding your own flash. To the right of that is the mode dial. Sitting on the hand grip at the far right are the On/Off button near the back and the Shutter button with associated Zoom toggle near the front.

The electronic viewfinder sits just above the LCD. It"s nicely padded with soft plastic and is large enough that even those with long eyelashes should feel comfortable with it. The Display button toggle the view between the viewfinder and the LCD screen. There are two information display options for the electronic viewfinder, a relatively clean version or one overlaid with all the information you would get on the LCD, including a live histogram.

The 2.5-inch LCD on the Canon PowerShot G10 is significantly smaller than the three-inch displays we"re seeing on many high end point-and-shoot cameras and is unchanged from the SX5 IS. The combination of small size and mediocre 230,000-pixel resolution point to an area where we think Canon could have done better. We do like the way the display is mounted, though. The ability to pivot and swing the screen makes shots of unusual angles possible without a lot of bending, squatting or stretching, three of our least favorite things.

The most prominent feature on the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS is the 20x optical zoom lens. With a focal length of 5.0-100mm f/2.8-5.7 it"s a step up from the lens found on the SX5 IS. The lens is a good fit for amateur nature photographers, peeping Toms and others who want to get close to their subject without getting too close.

The Canon PowerShot SX10 IS"s connections are fairly standard. On the right side you"ll find two tethered plastic covers near the top. On the top, just below the neck strap tether you"ll find the cover for the AC in and A/V out. On the left and slightly below that is a separate cover for the mini USB port. We"re not sure why Canon didn"t just go with a single cover for all three ports.

The Canon PowerShot SX10 IS takes four standard AA batteries. The battery bay is found on the bottom of the device and has a secure switch to open and close it. According to Canon four alkaline batteries will get you through approximately 340 shots, while nickel-metal hydride batteries will let you take around 600 shots.

The Canon PowerShot SX10 IS supports SD cards, including high capacity SDHC cards up to 32GB. The memory card slot is found on the right side of the camera, inside it"s own door.

The Canon PowerShot SX10 IS is a consumer-oriented camera, and the relatively curved lines of the device reflect that orientation. Styled in a matte black the SX10 IS is most definitely not for those looking to slip a small point-and-shoot into a pocket. Instead, the large lens and hand grip are more reminiscent of an SLR.

The Canon PowerShot SX10 IS is a substantial camera. Measuring 4.88 x 3.48 x 3.42 inches (124.0 x 88.3 x 86.9mm) this is definitely one of the larger non-SLR cameras you"ll find. Still, the all-plastic construction does help hold down the weight a bit at 19.8 ounces (560g); given how bulky the camera is you"d expect it to weigh more. Speaking of expectations, you should expect to be carrying this camera around in a bag or on a shoulder strap.

As with other Canon cameras the SX10 IS has two menu modes. The Function Set menu can be accessed by pressing the center select button of the 4-way. From here you can make quick adjustments to a familiar array of options including white balance, My Colors, Bracketing, Flash, Video Quality and Photo Size. Interestingly there"s no option here for photo quality.

The main menu can be accessed by pressing the Menu button below the 4-way, which brings up a tabbed interface that will also be familiar to Canon users. The plethora of options available here are somewhat alleviated by the customizable fourth tab that allows you to add our own commonly used options.

The Canon PowerShot SX10 IS is a mixed bag in terms of ease of use. It"s definitely a camera aimed at the high-end amateur photographer, with a variety of manual controls and options. That said it"s easy enough to throw the camera into Automatic mode and just shoot to your hearts content without worrying yourself over things like ISO, aperture and shutter speed.

For more advanced photographers we found the SX10 IS is not as easy to use as a camera like the Canon G10, which has more dials and buttons for one-click access to important features like ISO and Exposure Compensation. Sophisticated photographers might find navigating a menu to change the metering mode, for example, an annoyance.

In Auto mode the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS does almost all the work. In the Function Set menu all you can change is the image size option, and your only ISO options are Auto and HI. This is even more idiot-proof than the Canon G10, and is indicative of the fact that the SX10 IS is more consumer oriented than that device.

The Canon PowerShot SX10 IS can capture video at a maximum resolution of 640 x 480 and 30fps. This is run of the mill for a consumer point-and-shoot, and we"re a little disappointed that no HD or widescreen options are available given the SX10 is at the high end of Canon"s consumer lineup.

Pressing down on the 4-way will bring up your burst mode settings. Your options here are Continuous and Continuous Auto Focus. According to Canon you can get 1.4 fps on the former and 0.7 fps on the latter, neither of which will get anyone"s pulse racing.

Hitting the Play button at the top right of the back will put you into playback mode. From here you can switch to the next or previous image/video by using left/right on the 4-way control. You can also use the rotating dial around the 4-way to quickly scroll through thumbnails of your images, although only three are shown on the screen at a time. If you get to a video hit the center select button on the 4-way to bring up playback options. Pressing the Display button cycles through playback displays with more or less on-screen information.

The image presets can be accessed using the mode dial at the top of the camera. On the dial itself you"ll find Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Super Macro, Night Snapshot and Stitch Assist. There"s also an option for Special Scene, which gives you access via the menu to several additional scenes that are not as commonly used. These include Foliage, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Fireworks, Aquarium, Night Scene, Indoor, ISO 3200, Color Accent and Color Swap.

Targeted at a serious amateur, the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS offers a good selection of manual exposure control options including Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Full Manual modes. There"s also a custom mode where you can save your own settings for future use. This sort of flexibility is a big plus on a point-and-shoot camera.

In Shutter or Aperture Priority modes you can adjust the respective setting using the rotating dial around the 4-way without any other button presses or intervening menus. In full manual mode you can also use the dial to adjust these two items, switching between them using the Exposure Compensation button at the top right. One item we noticed was not easily accessible even in full manual were metering options, you"ll still need to go into the Function Set menu to set that.

The Canon PowerShot SX10 IS has a focal length of 1.6 feet to infinity and offers both a standard Macro mode and Super Macro. One nice bonus that you don"t often see on many consumer cameras is a manual focus. You can enable this by pressing up on the 4-way, then use the rotating dial to adjust the focus.

The Function Set menu is also where you"ll find metering options, about halfway down the menu. You can set metering to evaluative (balancing the exposure to best fit the full screen image), center-weighted or spot. Unlike the Canon G10 there"s no dedicated button to quickly access metering options, and you can"t switch between metering mode in addition to aperture and shutter speed when making quick adjustments in full manual mode.

**The Canon PowerShot SX10 IS offers optical image stabilization to keep shaky hands from ruining your shots, especially when you"re using that 20x optical zoom.

The Canon PowerShot SX10 IS offers three quality options for still images: Normal, Fine and SuperFine. There are also six size options ranging from 3,648 x 2,736 all the way down to 640 x 480. A wide-screen mode is also available at 3,648 x 2,048, but unlike the Canon G10 there is no option to capture in RAW format.

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I’m fairly familiar with the PowerShot cameras so was keen to see a model with a maxi zoom lens. There is a lesser specked model — the Canon PowerShot SX120 IS — but I figured the adventurous might be curious about this more capable sibling.

Now get this straight: the camera is a bit on the bulky side, barely fits into a coat pocket and weighs nearly 600 grams, so it’s not heavy. But it’s sure got lots of …