The crops are taken from the original images, saved as High Quality JPEGs in Photoshop CS2 and presented here at 100%. Each number represents 100 lines per picture height (lpph), so a figure of 20 means a resolution of 2000 lpph.

In terms of resolving power, the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS at 15mm f4 delivers 2150 and 2175 lpph of horizontal and vertical resolution respectively. The vertical figure is a fraction higher than measured with the SX10 IS, but the horizontal resolution is the same. Both models resolve comfortably more than the 1750 and 1900 lpph measured for their joint predecessor the PowerShot S5 IS, although unsurprisingly lower than the PowerShot G10 which sports 50% more pixels in total.

Compared to the Panasonic Lumix FZ28, the SX1 IS scores roughly the same. The Canon result is cleaner and sharper, but in terms of measured detail, there’s little in it here. You may wish to check our Canon PowerShot SX10 IS review which includes additional real-life comparisons against the FZ28.

Like most compacts and superzooms, diffraction is an issue for the SX1 IS. At the focal length tested, the best result was measured at the maximum aperture of f4. As the aperture was closed, the resolution steadily decreased until we measured 1600 lpph at f8. Most compacts with smaller sensors and high resolutions suffer from the same effect, so for the maximum resolution (albeit also the smallest depth of field), always try and shoot with the SX1 IS with its aperture wide open.

In March 2009, Canon released a firmware update which equips the SX1 IS with RAW capabilities, so to see how these compare with in-camera JPEGs in terms of resolution, scroll to the bottom of this page. Alternatively, if you can’t wait to compare noise levels, check out the camera’s performance across its sensitivity range in our Canon SX1 IS High ISO results page.