Earlier this week, I was invited by Best Buy (yep, the US mega-chain retailer of electronics is to wash up on these shores) to attend the launch of Canon’s new PowerShot SX210 IS at Mercedes-Benz World in Weybridge for a day of camera play and gawking at sleek automobiles. Got all that? Good.

It was a fun way to spend a day! Mercedes-Benz World proved an excellent choice for shooting with Canon’s newbie compact superzoom digital camera. There were lots of sexy and cooperative models (the cars in the showroom) at which to aim my lens; the sun shone warm and bright, graciously allowing for photo ops outside at MB World’s curvy handling circuit; and the showroom/museum itself was attractive and photogenic (if rather sterile and devoid of charm).

Mercedes-Benz World (just a short train and taxi ride from Waterloo) is an ideal destination for anybody who goes ga-ga over vroom-vrooms. For me, it was kinda neat but I’ve never been much of a car buff. Still, I can see the appeal of the “driving experiences” offered there. If you want to get behind the wheel of some top Mercs with a pro in the passenger seat offering tips on how to safely maximize the potential of these metallic beasts, this is the place for you!

As for the new PowerShot SX210, it’s a rather potent (albeit compact) machine in its one right!  In full disclosure, I should mention that I’m a Nikon guy and am much more accustomed to an SLR than a compact. I own a Nikon D700 and absolutely love it. That said, my limited experience with Canons has been positive, and having a go at the new PowerShot has been a pleasure.

It fits right in the hand and has a lot of SLR-like capabilities. The big selling points are its wide-angle 14x optical zoom and Canon Optical Stabilizer. It shoots pretty decent HD movies with stereo sound too. 14.1 megapixels and snazzy shooting modes such as Smart Shutter, low light, fish-eye and minature effect are just a few of the reasons to consider this nifty little camera which comes to market Easter weekend with a price tag of £360.

I’ve held on to the camera for a few more weeks. Since the initial test drive at Mercedes-Benz World, it’s come in handy a couple of times. I’ve used it for a few Londonist pieces (such as the shot featured in this review) and may even save a few of the photos taken with it for my London Daily Photo series on my personal blog. I’ve been very impressed with the long lasting power of the camera’s battery (but should note that when it dies, it dies hard and fast). Accustomed to lugging around my big boy SLR or settling for shoddy images a la my Blackberry’s camera, I’ve found the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS to be a perfect in between camera that fits nicely in my pocket. I certainly wouldn’t be against hanging on to it for a bit longer of a pleasure ride.