Best Canon Camera under $200 - 2010

A budget of $200 offers you a choice between 2 exceptionally good Canon Cameras. Canon is one among many of Japans Optics and Camera manufacturers. They produced their first Canon camera in 1935, the Hansa Canon 35mm focal-plane-shutter camera. I've been on the look these past weeks to find great digital cameras on a budget for people thinking about upgrading their current camera. If you are considering a new Canon digital camera to prepare yourself for the Holidays, be it Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas or only want to make a great gift, I have 2 great candidates for the best canon camera under $200. Criteria: easy to use, fast, great image quality and acceptable video recording.

The Canon Powershot SX120IS is the first camera I recommend from Canon as a candidate for the best canon camera under $200. It's not exactly a point-and-shoot camera as you wold expect, it is a bit bigger than a normal point-and-shoot camera but that's because it has a 10x Optical Zoom lens that makes it easy to get the inspiring, emotive close-ups that might become your favorite keepsakes. The big lens also means that it can take in more light, why is that good you might ask, well it means that you can shoot great photos even without using the flash every time there is low-light. It greatly fits in your pocket and shoots great photos on auto settings, though if you want more control, you can set every option manually according to what you want to achieve with your picture. It offers great noise reduction even at high ISO 800 and above thanks to the incorporated DIGIC IV processor.

Here are some details about the Canon PowerShot SX120IS:

• High-powered 10x wide-angle optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer
• 3.0-inch PureColor System LCD; Smart AUTO detects and analyzes faces, brightness, colors, distance, and movement
• Easy Mode takes all the guesswork out of the equation by determining the right shooting mode
• DIGIC 4 Image Processor;
  
• 10-megapixel resolution for poster-size, photo-quality prints
• Powered by AA batteries (included);
• Uses SD/SDHC memory cards
• It records video at 320 x 240 and 640 x 480

Probably this is the first type of camera you thought of when searching, a point-and-shoot, easy to use, high quality, fast, slim compact camera. And that's what the SD1400 actually is. It's the model I recommend from Canon in case you want a compact camera.

I recomend to stay away from SD780IS because it's known to have a constant noise while recording videos. I also recommend to think twice about buying a compact camera for over $250, like for example the SD4000IS. You can easily put some money aside and buy a professional one like a Canon EOS Rebel for $600-$700 or less if you take an older model, or a Canon G12 for around $500

Back to the SD1200is, It's smaller than the SX120IS, has more megapixels, 14.1 MP to be exact but a smaller lens and much lower optical zoom capabilities of up to 4x zoom. This is a point-and-shoot camera. It shoots consistently clear images even in places that are a little bit darker. And it has great HD recording capabilities (720p).

Here are some Specs of the Canon PowerShot SD1400IS:

• 14.1-megapixel resolution; 2.7-inch PureColor System LCD
• 28mm wide-angle lens; 4x optical zoom and Optical Image Stabilizer
• 720p HD movie shooting capability plus HDMI output
• Smart AUTO intelligently selects from 22 predefined settings
• New scene modes such as Miniature Effect and Fisheye Effect; Low Light mode for dimly-lit situations.