Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Pro Reviews

Canon's PowerShot SX50 HS has great image quality, D-SLR-like advanced shooting features and improved handling; it's 50x zoom lens can bring the distant into sharp focus and all at a price that makes it a real alternative to a system camera and hefty bag full of lenses and accessories.

I loved Canon's S-series ultrazoom digital cameras (S1-S5) and I was a bit suspicious of the SX-series that replaced them. But, after using each of the SX models, to date, I've come to regard the SX-series as worthy successors to the benchmark "S" cameras. SX-series cameras are slightly smaller, a bit lighter, and substantially more feature rich than their legendary predecessors, but without giving up any of the S-series famous usability and creative flexibility in the process. There have obviously been some important technological advances and refinements for ultrazoom cameras. The SX50 was capable of consistently producing usable images at the long end of a very long zoom range, which could not have been said years ago about other ultrazoom cameras. Most of the faults that we expected from utrazooms have been noticeably minimized with this camera. Time after time I was surprised at just how sharp my telephoto images were with the SX50 HS. If you read my review of the Nikon P510, you noticed that I was impressed with its ability to capture the image I visualized with good image quality. I feel the same way about the Canon SX50 HS. And with more than forty years' experience as a photographer I am not easily impressed, especially when it comes to image quality. With the exception of the 50X zoom and its sharper LCD monitor, the SX50 isn't really much different from its predecessor. I always liked the SX40 HS, but I actually like the SX50 HS more. Canon's PowerShot SX50 HS may be the best overall camera choice for many consumers, since it very nicely meets Goldilocks' famous assessment criteria - it isn't too big, it isn't too small, it isn't too heavy, it isn't too light, and that 50x (24mm-1200mm equivalent) super-stabilized zoom is just right. The SX50 HS can be used by absolute beginners, but this camera was actually designed to be used by more advanced photographers, too. I believe the SX50 HS's target audience will love this camera and I predict the SX50 HS will be the most popular SX-series camera to date.

If having a supertelephoto lens in a camera that's a fraction of the size, weight, and price of a dSLR with equivalent lenses is what mainly attracts you to the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS, it is certainly worth buying. It's not without limitations, though, and despite having a shorter zoom range and a higher price, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 is a better choice, especially if you really need to shoot fast-moving subjects indoors or out.

Whereas the previous SX40 HS felt predominantly like a fun tool for amateurs, the more DSLR-like Canon PowerShot SX50 HS with its improved image quality, new prosumer features, better handling and inevitably that 50x zoom lens make it a real alternative to a DSLR or compact system camera and a bag full of lenses.

With the PowerShot SX50 HS Canon clearly had one aim in sight - to outdo every other super-zoom manufacturer in the market with a longer zoom range. It has succeeded and then some. To put it in context the SX50 HS's 24-1200mm equivalent range gives it more scope in terms of available focal lengths than most DSLR owners have in their bulky and heavy camera bags. There's virtually no situation it doesn't equip you for. The addition of RAW shooting is a smart, if belated move, Canon having finally woken up to the fact that its absence was losing the company sales to Panasonic's FZ models. And there's the slightly bigger, higher resolution LCD screen, another improvement that was probably long overdue. So, for jaw-dropping zoom range, the PowerShot SX50 HS is now the new gold standard. Anyone who's bought a new super-zoom primarily for its long telephoto reach now has a new goal to aspire to, but that desire might not be so widespread as you'd think. Sure, there are those who will trade in their 25x, 30x and 42x models simply because they must have the biggest, and also some because they genuinely need a 1200mm zoom. But if I was the owner of a PowerShot SX40 HS I don't think I'd be fretting too much. With probably the same, or a least a similar sensor, the same Digic 5 processor, movie modes, exposure modes, viewfinder and similar burst shooting, it's really mostly about the lens.

The Canon PowerShot SX50 HS boasts the most ambitious lens of any camera in its class, and in favorable conditions it's hard to beat in terms of framing versatility. Image quality compares well to its competitors, and we like the camera's ergonomics (although a zoom control on the lens would be very welcome) but where the SX50 HS falls down is highlight clipping in JPEGs and operational speed, which compares poorly to its peers.

If there is one type of point-and-shoot that is holding up against the smart phone onslaught, it’s the mega-zoom. For all their convenience, smart phones have poor-quality digital zooms, nothing like the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS with its 50x glass optics. Despite issues with noise at high ISO and less-than-stellar video, the SX50 is a great option for those who want a good-quality point-and-shoot with a telephoto zoom.

An excellent all-rounder but image quality has its foibles

The Canon PowerShot SX50 HS lands one big punch with its 24-1200mm lens. But it's not all 100 per cent rosy: the limited aperture at the longest focal length will force use of higher ISO settings and the lens is trying to do so very much that some softness and colour fringe issues can't be ignored. But considered in context and, for a superzoom, the SX50 HS's low ISO images and raw capture puts it right up there among the best. It's a high standard for a superzoom camera. We love the vari-angle LCD screen and how well it performs in bright conditions, the fast autofocus is a step beyond its SX40 predecessor and the image stabilisation system is really impressive too - even if the longest of focal lengths stretch this last feature a little too far. At £449 the SX50 HS is far from a budget camera, but it does dangle the 1200mm lens carrot and that's a feature no other compact camera on the market can offer. It's hard not to be impressed and even if the longest of focal ranges have their limitations, but it's how this camera feels as a whole that makes it such a cracker. It feels great in the hand and delivers plenty of bang for the budget.

The most attractive feature of the SX50 is clearly it's 50x optical zoom lens, not found yet on any other digital cameras. But as well as this, there are ample other features which make it a fantastic option for those looking for a versatile camera. If you're not looking for a camera with interchangeable lenses this could be the camera for you, if you have a decent budget available. At £449.00 it is a fair investment, but it really doesn't disappoint. Image quality is great, even at higher ISO's up to 3200, with fast continuous shooting, fantastic macros, pleasing portraits and superb close-ups on distance subjects. We found very little to complain about, although the screen could be a little bigger. The SX50 comes highly recommended.