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Canon PowerShot SD20 (Digital IXUS i5 / IXY Digital L2)

Canon PowerShot SD20 (Digital IXUS i5 / IXY Digital L2)

167 reviews

Nov, 2024

Positive
design (9)
image quality (8)
portability (6)
performance (4)
color (3)

Negative
zoom (6)
viewfinder (5)
screen (4)
flash (2)
low-light (2)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 167 reviews of Canon PowerShot SD20 (Digital IXUS i5 / IXY Digital L2). The average rating for this product is 4.2/5, compared to an average rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras for all reviews. People really like the battery and portability. The performance and image quality are also appreciated. Some have doubts about the lens and durability.

design, image quality, performance, portability, battery

zoom, viewfinder, screen, durability, lens

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Digital Compact Cameras the Canon PowerShot SD20 (Digital IXUS i5 / IXY Digital L2) is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 85/100 = Very good quality.

See all Canon Digital Cameras

Review analysis

(Based on 167 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

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Show all 5 star reviews (31% of reviews)
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Features

design
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image quality
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performance
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zoom
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portability
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Showing 109 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews

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Showing 1 - 85 of 109 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (52)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Canon PowerShot SD20 (Digital IXUS i5 / IXY Digital L2)

alaTest has collected and analyzed 2 user reviews of Canon PowerShot SD20 (Digital IXUS i5 / IXY Digital L2) from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 5.0/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.co.uk.

100% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Nov, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Canon PowerShot SD20 (Digital IXUS i5 / IXY Digital L2)

alaTest has collected and analyzed 73 user reviews of Canon PowerShot SD20 (Digital IXUS i5 / IXY Digital L2) from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.4/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.2/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.com.

92% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Nov, 2024

Expert review by : Dan Wu (engadget.com)

Canon PowerShot SD20 review

Coming in either the standard silver or three other exotic colors (at least, exotic for Canon), Steve's Digicams has a review of the new PowerShot SD20, which packs in 5 megapixels of goodness in a stainless steel package, features a 1.5-inch...

Oct, 2004

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Expert review by (pcworld.com)

PCWorld.com - Canon PowerShot SD20

Although the Canon PowerShot SD20 earns our vote for style and size, this 5-megapixel camera loses some support for its omission of an optical ...

Feb, 2005

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Expert review by : Narasu Rebbapragada (pcworld.com)

Canon USA Powershot SD20 Garnet Digital Camera Camera

Although the Canon PowerShot SD20 earns our vote for style and size, this 5-megapixel camera loses some support for its omission of an optical zoom while costing upward of $300. Still, the SD20 takes remarkably good pictures compared with other...

The big problem is that the SD20 has no optical zoom, just a 6.5X digital zoom. Trying to zoom out too far, particularly in a landscape setting, yields muddy results. Smaller zooms, such as when you're framing people in an indoor shot, work fine

Feb, 2005

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Expert review by : Narasu Rebbapragada (pcworld.com)

Canon PowerShot SD20 Garnet Digital Camera (5.4MP, 2592x1944, 32MB SD Card)

Photograph: Rick Rizner

Feb, 2005

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Expert review by (pcmag.com)

Canon PowerShot SD20 Digital Elph review by PC Magazine

The Canon PowerShot SD20 Digital Elph is a sleek, attractive, and durable 5MP ultracompact that takes very good daylight pictures. ...

Dec, 2004

Partner Source

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Expert review by : Carol Mangis (pcmag.com)

Canon PowerShot SD20 Digital Elph

Considering the 5-megapixel Canon PowerShot SD20 Digital Elph (available in silver, garnet, midnight blue, or gray) takes up less space than a pack of cigarettes, the trade-offs aren't particularly surprising.

5 megapixels in a tiny package; durable stainless-steel body; long, slim shape makes for easy handling and shooting; intuitive, simple-to-use controls; excellent dynamic range and accurate colors in daylight shots.

Slow boot time; no optical zoom or viewfinder; falloff in flash shots, with uneven illumination; some purple fringing.

<back to Hip Digital Devices

Dec, 2004

Partner Source

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Expert review by : David D. Busch (cnet.com)

Canon PowerShot SD20 review

Canon Powershot SD20 (silver) When a manufacturer uses terms such as exquisitely compact and undeniably chic to describe its digital camera, you can expect an emphasis on form over function. The Canon SD20's tiny 3.5-by-1.8-by-0.7-inch metal body comes...

Easy operation; decent image quality; ultracompact; solid battery life.

No optical zoom or viewfinder; sluggish burst mode.

If you can live without a zoom lens or an optical viewfinder, this stylish ultracompact shooter delivers crisp results.

Oct, 2004

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Expert review by : Steve's Digicams (steves-digicams.com)

Canon Powershot SD20

Continue on to Features & Controls Powershot SD20 Specifications Type of Camera Compact digital still camera with built-in flash and 6.5x digital zoom. Image Sensor 1/2.5 inch Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) Total Pixels Approx. 5.4 Million Effective...

Oct, 2004

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Expert review by (imaging-resource.com)

Canon PowerShot SD20 Digital ELPH

Quite a bit smaller than most Canon Digital ELPH models, the Canon PowerShot SD20 realizes more of the advantage offered by the smaller SD card format than the ELPH that first entered the SD space, the SD100. Up until the SD100, all ELPH digital...

Jan, 2005

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Expert review by : Jeff Keller (dcresource.com)

Canon PowerShot SD20 Digital ELPH

Those colors are called Silver, Garnet, Midnight Blue, and Zen Gray. You can probably figure out which color I had

Very good photo quality ; Stylish, compact body; comes in four colors ; Manual white balance + slow shutter speed controls ; AF-assist lamp ; Optional all-weather case ; Impressive software package

LCD doesn't "gain up" in low light (or not very much, at least) ; No optical zoom; lens fixed at a not-so-wide 39mm ; No optical viewfinder ; Weak flash, major redeye ; Movie mode has low frame rate, short recording times ; Battery life isn't fabulous

All-in-all, the SD20 is a compact, stylish camera that you can bring everywhere. I wouldn't buy it as a primary camera but for something you can always have with you, it gets the thumbs up.

Dec, 2007

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