{"id":12707,"date":"2026-09-20T00:17:50","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T00:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.analoggwerz.com\/canon-powershot-sx210-is-test\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T09:28:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T09:28:35","slug":"canon-powershot-sx210-is-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.analoggwerz.com\/en\/canon-powershot-sx210-is-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Canon PowerShot SX210 IS: testing the 14\u00d7 zoom by the water"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tested: digital compact<\/p>\n

Canon PowerShot SX210 IS: a 14\u00d7 zoom taken down to the water\u2019s edge<\/h1>\n

A 2010 compact with a 14\u00d7 zoom advertised on its front, a Breton river on a June morning, and a dog that won\u2019t wait. We took the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS out for half an hour, with no preparation, to see what it does when you use it the way people really use a compact: on the move.<\/p>\n

29 photos<\/b> unretouched \u00b7<\/span> 26 minutes<\/b> of walking \u00b7<\/span> By a river, in Brittany<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Canon
The Canon PowerShot SX210 IS resting on the river pebbles, back from the walk.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The setting: a river, a dog, and twenty-six minutes<\/h2>\n

No staging. A June morning, a path along the water, and Ta\u00efko, a black and white dog who chooses the route. The camera stayed in hand, switched on, and was used whenever something came along: a field of wheat, a bindweed flower, the bottom of the river, the dog crossing.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly the situation these cameras were sold by the million for between 2008 and 2012, and it\u2019s the one in which you can judge them fairly. The file timestamps set the pace: first frame at 9:58, last at 10:24<\/b>. Twenty-six minutes, twenty-nine photos.<\/p>\n

What the files say<\/h2>\n

The values below are taken from the EXIF data of the 29 images, straight out of the camera. Nothing has been retouched, nothing has been cherry-picked to flatter the result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Readings<\/th>\nAcross the 29 photos<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Sensitivity<\/td>\nfromISO 80 to 640<\/b>, six different values depending on the shade<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shutter speed<\/td>\nfrom 1\/60 s to 1\/1250 s<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Aperture<\/td>\nfrom f\/3.1 to f\/4.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Focal lengths used<\/td>\nfrom 5.0 mm to 15.3 mm<\/b>, i.e. 28 to 86 mm in 35 mm equivalent<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Flash<\/td>\nleft on auto, fired twice out of 29<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Framing<\/td>\n12 horizontal photos, 17 vertical<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
Key takeaway<\/b>The SX210 is sold on its 14\u00d7 zoom (28 to 392 mm equivalent). On this walk, the longest focal length used was 86 mm. In other words: we used just under a quarter of its zoom<\/b>, and it\u2019s the wide-angle images that hold up best.<\/div>\n

The 14\u00d7 zoom, and why we don\u2019t use it<\/h2>\n

That\u2019s the paradox of this kind of camera. The 14\u00d7 is what makes people buy it, and it\u2019s the part they use least. On a walk, the subject is right in front of you: the river, the grass, the dog three metres away. The wide angle does everything. The telephoto only comes out for a bird or an out-of-reach detail, two or three times per outing, no more.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s no criticism of the SX210: at 28 mm it\u2019s at f\/3.1, its widest aperture, and that\u2019s where its optics are cleanest. So the right reflex with this camera is the opposite of what its front promises: stay at the wide end and walk closer<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Landscapes<\/h2>\n

Eleven horizontal shots. Swipe to browse them, or click to enlarge.<\/p>\n

\"\u00c9pis
Ears of wheat at the edge of a field, wide open. The sensor keeps the green and the yellow apart.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Prairie
The whole frame at 28 mm wide angle. This is where the compact is most at home.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Fleur
A bindweed flower in the long grass. Close focusing locks on easily with a light-coloured subject.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Canop\u00e9e
Under the trees, with open sky in the frame: the contrast holds up and the branches stay well defined.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Clairi\u00e8re
The clearing and its wooden footbridge, in hard, direct light.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Pierre
A stone sitting in the current. The clear water shows the riverbed without turning grey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Arbres
Clear sky between two rows of trees.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Rivi\u00e8re
The foliage hangs down over the water. The camera keeps detail in both.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Chien
Ta\u00efko crosses against the light. His white fur doesn't blow out completely.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Ombelles
The umbellifers in the foreground, the river behind.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Pont
The bridge, and the walk ends where it began.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>