REVIEWS / POINT AND SHOOT / CANON INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED

Editors' ChoiceCanon PowerShot SX50 HS Review

29 Nov, 2012, 12:52 pm IST | by Anand Tuliani | Point and Shoot

Point and Shoot

A versatile super-zoom with a 50x zoom lens

A versatile super-zoom with a 50x zoom lens
12 shooting modes, hot-shoe for flash and EVF
A whopping 1200 mm at the telephoto end!
Swiveling display makes shooting easy

canon-powershot-sx50-hs-video-review

PRICE IN INDIA

29,995

TECH2 RATING

8.0

AVERAGE USER RATING

8.0

How we test

CONTACT

Canon India Private Limited

 info@canon.co.in

 +91 0124 4160 000

 www.canon.co.in

Build quality and ergonomics

The SX50 HS is a good-looker, but you’ll be disappointed with the build quality. The all-black shell sports a matte finish, but the entire body feels plasticky instead of giving a rugged feel. It seems like Canon has compromised on the build quality to bring down the cost of the camera. Also, there’s no rubber grip for fingers and thumb. Although the camera feels quite secure and sturdy when held, rubber grip would have inspired even more confidence. Thankfully, the buttons and dials are placed in a way to make them accessible with the thumb and index finger. This makes it easy to operate the SX50 HS singlehandedly. The control panel to the right of the LCD display comprises a dedicated button for video recording, playback button, 5-way D-pad with jog dial, Display Information button and Menu button. The D-pad offers one-touch access to EV, self-timer, ISO and Macro. The user interface is very intuitive and typical of Canon PowerShot cameras. You press the Func. Set button in the centre of the D-pad to bring up the stack of parameters on the left and then use the D-pad or the directional buttons to apply the selected value/setting. Other less used options such as IS mode, AF type, flash options and so on, are present in the main menu. If you’re well-versed with digital cameras, it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to get comfortable with the functions and the controls.

 

Performance

The stellar performance of the SX50 HS makes up for its flaws. What we liked best was shooting at full zoom. Keep the lock button pressed and you can actually feel the IS mechanism kicking in and trying to stabilise the frame. This makes it very easy to take handheld shots. Another notable aspect is the excellent noise handling. Even at ISO 800, the noise is minimal and that too in the form of luminance type, which can be easily reduced to a large extent in photo editing applications. The colour deviation was negligible because there was hardly any colour noise. The amount of grains increase a lot after ISO 1600, but such high values should be resorted to only in very low light conditions.

ISO 80

ISO 80

 

ISO 400

ISO 400

 

ISO 800

ISO 800

 

ISO 1600

ISO 1600

 

 

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Ergonomics and Noise test


Tags:

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Would you buy it?




 


How We Test

The Tech2 Labs receives many products every single week and each of them is tested with the utmost care and highest level of objectivity. There’s a constant effort to reduce and totally eliminate subjectivity. Each product is tested according to set test processes so the same test scenario is used.

Verdict
The ratings awarded to a product are derived from a number of tests and calculations, keeping certain important factors in mind. These factors consist of features, performance, quality and value for money. In case of software and some other categories, build quality might be replaced with ease of use or ease of installation. Products are compared with other products in a similar price range or product category.


Features
The features component of the score is rated based on the kind of features present on a particular product. Features are a big part of what people look for when they’re buying a new product such as a phone or a camera.

Performance
The performance score is derived from the benchmarks and tests run on the product. In case of the subjective scores, an average of the scores given by the group of reviewers is considered.

Build Quality
The build quality of a product is important so that it doesn’t fall apart after some use. The build quality scores from the way the product is designed and the kind of materials used in the product.

Value
Value for money comes from the fact that a cheap product is able to provide most of the performance of a higher priced product. Once again, value for money is judged by comparing pricing and performance of products in a particular price range or category. 

There are many other aspects of the product that are looked at such as the bundled software and accessories. All of these scores are aggregated together to form the final score.

What do the ratings mean?

Ratings are simple - higher the score, the better the product. A brief listing of the features and what they mean are given below.

1 - 3

The product is bad in almost every aspect. We strongly advise against purchasing this product.

4 - 6

An average product that isn't the best you can buy, but isn't the worst either.

7 - 8

Product with this rating is highly recommended because it's priced sensibly, has a good set of features and performs well.

9 - 10

Exceptionally excellent product with features and performance unlike any we've seen in the past. A must-have for everyone!

What is the Average User Rating?

We at Tech2 take product reviewing very seriously and every product is tested with the utmost care and level of objectivity. The end user who buys a particular product and uses it over an extended period of time has his own take on a product and there might be nuances that he or she can shed light on. The Average User Rating is present to help readers get the complete picture of how good or bad a product is. The Average User Rating is calculated by averaging the ratings by the thousands of readers visiting Tech2.com every single day. To record your own rating of a product, simply click on the user rating bar. If you disagree with our ratings or our community's product rating, please don't hesitate from voicing your opinion in the comments section below the review.

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