Timing & Performance
With the inclusion of the new Digic 4 processor the SX1 IS features much improved continuous shooting speed, at 4.0 frames per second (limited only by the card capacity if you shoot fine JPEG), although this is only without continuous AF. With continuous AF turned on the SX1 IS can only manage a more pedestrian 1.1 fps. But while that 4 fps might sound impressive (and certainly is when compared to cameras released last year), 2009 has brought many other superzoom cameras which can shoot at faster speeds, such as the Sony HX1 (which can do 10 fps). Other aspects of performance such as shot to shot speed, and focusing speed have not changed much since the S5 IS. Overall the SX1 IS fares well when compared to the last generation of super zooms, but anyone expecting a quantum leap in performance is in for a disappointment.
Timing Notes
All times calculated as an average of three operations.
Unless otherwise stated all timings were made on a 3264 x 2448 Super-Fine JPEG
image (approx. 3,750 KB per image). The media used for these tests was
a 8.0GB SanDisk Extreme III
SD card.
| Action |
Details |
Time,
secs |
| Power: Off to Record |
|
1.3 |
| Power: Off to Play |
Image
displayed |
1.2 |
| Power: Record to Off |
Lens retracted and all activity ceased |
1.3-2.7*1 |
| Power: Play to Off |
When buffer is empty |
0.0 |
 |
| Record Review |
Image
displayed |
1.2 |
| Mode: Record to
Play |
|
1.3 |
|
| Play: Magnify |
To
full magnification (10x) |
0.9 |
| Play: Image to Image |
Time to display each saved image |
~ 0.4 *2 |
| Play: Thumbnail view |
3
x 3 thumbnails |
0.4 |
| Action |
Details |
Time,
seconds |
| Zoom from Wide to
Tele |
28
to 560 mm (20 x) full speed |
1.5 |
| Zoom from Wide to Tele |
28
to 560 mm (20 x) full speed |
3.9 |
| Half-press Lag (0->S1) |
Wide
angle |
~ 0.3 |
| Half-press Lag (0->S1) |
Telephoto |
~ 0.3 *3 |
| Half to Full-press
Lag (S1->S2) |
LCD live view |
~ 0.1 |
| Half to Full-press Lag (S1->S2) |
Electronic Viewfinder |
~ 0.1 |
| Full-press Lag (0->S2) |
LCD live view, wide angle |
~ 0.5 |
| Off to Shot Taken |
LCD live view |
2.3 |
| Shot to Shot |
Flash off |
~ 1.0 |
| Shot to Shot |
Flash on (red-eye reduction off) *4 |
2.0 |
| Shot to Shot |
Flash on (red-eye reduction on) *4 |
2.0 |
| *1 |
The camera takes longer to turn off when the lens is extended further out, taking the full 2.7 seconds when the lens is zoomed to the 560mm setting. |
| *2 |
You can also scroll quickly through low resolution thumbnails at 6fps by holding down the left or right button. |
| *3 |
This is an average figure for 'normal' photography, though there are occasions where the SX1 IS struggles to fix focus at the long end of the zoom with low-contrast subjects in low light, when the time can extend to well over a second (in low light it takes from 0.6 to 1.7 secs). |
| *4 |
In this test the subject distance is only 3 feet (0.9 m) - the recycle time will increase at greater subject distances, and if the batteries are running low. |
Lag Timing Definitions
Half-press Lag (0->S1)
Many digital camera users prime the AF and AE systems on their camera
by half-pressing the shutter release. This is the amount of time between
a half-press of the shutter release and the camera indicating an auto
focus & auto exposure lock on the LCD monitor / viewfinder (ready
to shoot).
|
(Prime AF/AE) |
Half to Full-press Lag (S1->S2)
The amount of time it takes from a full depression of the shutter
release button (assuming you have already primed the camera with a
half-press) to the image being taken.
|
(Take shot, AF/AE primed) |
Full-press Lag (0->S2)
The amount of time it takes from a full depression of the shutter
release button (without performing a half-press of the shutter release
beforehand) to the image being taken. This is more representative
of the use of the camera in a spur of the moment 'point and shoot'
situation.
|
(Take shot, AF/AE not primed) |
Continuous mode
The tables below show the results of our continuous shooting test, indicating
the actual frame rate along with maximum number of frame and how long
you would have to wait before
you could take another shot. Media used for these tests was a 8.0GB SanDisk Extreme III
SD card. Shutter speed was kept above 1/200 sec during these tests.
Continuous drive mode
The SX1 IS has two continuous shooting modes (Continuous and Continuous-AF). The difference (as the name suggests) is that the Continuous-AF mode refocuses between each shot, which significantly slows the rate down to just over one frame per second (or longer if the camera struggles to focus). All but the Super Fine JPEG (non-focusing) mode allow you to shoot pretty much indefinitely (the Super Fine JPEG non-AF mode slows down slightly after 20 shots) - as long as you use a fast card.
| Image Type |
Mode |
Avg. frames
per sec |
Frames in a burst |
After
burst |
| RAW |
Continuous |
1.8 fps |
9 |
1.2 fps |
| JPEG Super-Fine |
Continuous |
4.0 fps |
20 |
2.4 fps |
| JPEG Fine *1 |
Continuous |
4.0 fps |
n/a |
n/a |
| RAW |
Continuous-AF |
0.9 fps |
n/a |
n/a |
| JPEG Super-Fine *1 |
Continuous-AF |
1.1 fps |
n/a |
n/a |
| JPEG Fine *1 |
Continuous-AF |
1.1 fps |
n/a |
n/a |
| *1 |
With the shutter release held down. With a fast card it is impossible to fill the buffer |
If you're happy with fixing the focus point at the first shot in a burst, the SX1's continuous shooting is pretty impressive for a compact camera; it's actually better then some entry level DSLRs. With AF activated, it is much slower, though it should be noted that continuous shooting performance is much improved over the S5 IS.
File Write / Display and Sizes
Timings shown below are the time taken for the camera
to process and "flush" the image out to the storage card, the
timer was started as soon as the shutter release was pressed and stopped
when activity indicator went
out. This means the timings also include the camera's processing time and
as such are more representative of the actual time to "complete the
task". The media used for these tests was a 8.0GB SanDisk Extreme III
SD card.
| Image Type |
Time
to store
(secs) |
|
File
size *1
(approx.) |
Images
on a *2
8.0GB Card |
| 3648 x 3736 RAW |
1.9 |
0.3 |
12,975 KB |
530 |
| 3648 x 3736 JPEG Super-Fine |
0.9 |
0.3 |
3,149 KB |
1,817 |
| 3648 x 3736 JPEG Fine |
0.9 |
0.3 |
1,783 KB |
3,036 |
| 3648 x 3736 JPEG Normal |
0.8 |
0.3 |
629 KB |
6,225 |
| 2816 x 2112 JPEG Super-Fine |
0.7 |
0.2 |
1,769 KB |
2,895 |
| 1600 x 1200 JPEG Super-Fine |
0.8 |
0.2 |
622 KB |
7,546 |
| 640 x 480 JPEG Super-Fine |
0.8 |
0.2 |
128 KB |
9,999+ |
| *1 |
All
file sizes are an average of three files. As is the case with JPEG
it's difficult to predict the size of an image because it will vary
a fair amount depending on the content of the image (detail and noise). |
| *2 |
Camera estimation. |
Even though the SX1 is working with bigger files, save times are better then the S5 IS, and just under 2 seconds to save a 13Mb RAW file is quite impressive in a compact camera. The larger buffer in the SX1 IS also means that you will never be waiting for the camera to be ready to shoot. We do recommend that you use a fast SD card, especially if you intend to shoot RAW images, videos or long bursts in continuous mode.
|
