Canon PowerShot SX30 IS Pro Reviews

At around $399, the Canon PowerShot SX30 is not the most affordable Mega Zoom available. Yet it's currently the second most powerful optically in this class (the recently announced Nikon P500 is the first, at 36x). It's hard to appreciate the 35x 24-840mm zoom without seeing it for yourself--it is amazing--and you'll go zoom crazy just as I did. Once you get that under control you'll find the Canon SX30 IS is a very good camera that takes quality photographs using Smart Auto or the many manual options available. Movies with stereo sound are an added plus. The camera isn't perfect--no digicam is--with its uneven zoom transit speed, relatively pokey frames-per-second response and other negatives detailed earlier. All that on the table, I have no problems recommending the Canon SX30. Get ready to see things very differently. The Canon PowerShot SX30 is a Dave's Pick.

The enormous 35x zoom is tempting but neither the lens nor the sensor lives up to expectations at this price.

If all you want is the biggest zoom on a compact with reasonable image quality, then stop reading, you’ve found your camera. If you wanted a general purpose camera then the metering, image sharpness, colour rendition, handling issues, colour fringing, lacklustre burst mode and so on are all negative issues. The Fuji FinePix HS10 is better across the board if you want the megazoom option. The thing is, the SX30 is almost the same size and price as an entry level DSLR. Yes, you get a lot of zoom for your money, but the hybrid compacts offer better quality and functionality, though at a higher price. Even with street prices now at the £350 point, there are just a few too many disappointing elements to the SX30 to really recommend it.

You'll undoubtedly only be considering this camera if the versatility of an extremely broad focal range is highest on your tick list of wants. Though it doesn't boast quite the same reach - but almost - we actually prefer the build quality and even chunkier glass offered by Fuji's FinePix HS10, which overall we feel offers slightly better value for money too.

There's no doubt the SX30 IS is a very capable camera. It's well designed, fits comfortably in the hand and has a huge range of features, while the 35x zoom lens is a great addition. It does have its fair share of issues, though, and although many people won't find it a problem, the purple fringing we experienced was disappointing and frequently blighted outdoor shots. Its tendency to select higher-than-necessary ISO settings when shooting in Auto mode was also a little irritating, introducing unnecessary noise into photos. However, if you can overlook these issues the SX30 IS is a great camera that lets you shoot impressive photos from afar.

The PowerShot SX30 boasts an impressive 35x zoom range, but image quality at long telephoto lengths and mid-to-high ISO fall flat.

The only real blot on the PowerShot SX30IS landscape is the problem of colour fringing at the wide angle and telephoto extremes of the zoom range. While it's maybe inevitable that a lens of such scope will exhibit these kinds of problems a RAW shooting mode - or in-camera correction - would have mitigated it to some extent. Despite that, the PowerShot SX30 IS is a super-zoom truly worthy of the name. It will, without doubt, prove even more popular than its predecessors and, like them, comes Highly Recommended.

A great camera with a powerful zoom lens, although outdoor shots are susceptible to problems.

Canon's PowerShot SX 30 IS is an excellent choice of camera for someone who wants something a bit more than the average compact model, yet doesn't want to go down the route of having interchangeable lenses. The feature set is extensive, the camera is easy to use and the results are generally good, allowing you to make prints at sizes up to A3.

The Canon PowerShot SX30 IS is a point-and-shoot camera with a 35x zoom lens. As long as you're not expecting much more than that, it's a very good megazoom.

The Canon PowerShot SX30 IS leaves other super-zooms trailing in its wake in terms of sheer focal length, with the 24mm wide-angle and 840mm telephoto settings providing more than enough versatility to meet most people's needs. Thankfully Canon's engineers have also implemented a very effective image-stabilisation system, which along with respectably bright maximum apertures helps to keep the majority of your shots sharp. Unfortunately the longer lens and move to a 14 megapixel sensor doesn't do the SX30's image quality any favours, especially in low-light, and the official price increase puts it into direct competition with other premium super-zooms, entry-level DSLRs and compact system cameras.

This is probably the best superzoom we’ve had our hands on. There’s slight issues of noise indoors, the odd kink here and there that might have been a little smoother given an almost infinite amount of product development time but, ultimately, it is a winner. The PowerShot SX30 is a really good blend of power and fun and it’s just an all round entertaining camera to use.

We haven't given the Canon PowerShot SX30 IS the full going over yet but from the time we've had with it so far we can feel it's mostly a nice camera to use with comfortable and intuitive ergonomics and plenty of useful features. That enormous zoom range and all the other features this camera also make it a true all rounder that is highly suited to holiday makers and sightseers. Unfortunately, for the more demanding photographer, the sluggish operation and image quality, particularly in low light, will probably prove too big an annoyance over time.