I know very little about photography, so getting the Canon SX200 for an early Christmas gift was kind of surprising. My wife and I have planned a trip to Hawaii, so the Canon Powershot SX200 will be perfect for capturing those gorgeous Hawaiian sunsets. I have used the camera for almost a month now, and I certainly have some impressions I'd like to share.

My first impression was that this particular model was bigger than I expected. My colleague at work has one of those "mini" point and shoot cameras, which is about the size of a deck of playing cards!So I guess I was expecting something really tiny. The SX200 is compact enough, however, to be real easy to carry in my jacket pocket.

Frankly, the 12X optical zoom really blew my mind! It is Huge! However, it operates very smoothly and reliably. No doubt, it's size contributes to the noticeable heft of the unit. With it, I can get unbelievably close to a subject, from a L-O-O-O-N-G distance. The Canon SX200 also has a very cool wide angle lens!

I can't wait to get some large, panoramic pictures of the Hawaiian coast! With the combination of the zoom and the wide angle lens, you can take in ALOT of area AND include great detail.

I always see my camera "bug" friends messing around with tripods. My camera has a feature that automatically stabilizes the camera, and so far I have gotten great pictures without needing a tripod. Possibly I will need one in certain situations, I'll just wait and see.

Thank goodness the SX200 IS has an "auto focus" feature, too! It is the perfect "no brainer" feature for a novice photographer such as myself. You simply activate Auto Focus, and the unit automatically selects the proper settings! It is as simple as that.

So, if you have some special people in your life who are planning a trip, or attending a special event, perhaps the Canon SX200 would make their Christmas ideal!