[Review] Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

Imagine getting right down on the field to capture sports action, zeroing in on your child's expression on a crowded stage, and recording elusive wildlife shots. All this and more is possible with the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS. This camera doesn't just get you up close to the action, it delivers spectacular image quality to every shot. With powerful technologies that add convenience and advanced capabilities, it can help you capture more of life every day.

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Features

It's easy to track and capture subjects while using the extreme telephoto. Use the Zoom Framing Assist Seek function to locate and track your subjects even a long distance away; by simply pressing a button, this function remembers your previous zoom position, zooms out to let you locate your subject, and zooms right back into the saved position when you release the button. And with the Zoom Framing Assist Lock, the camera will lock onto and automatically track a subject, intelligently keeping them in the center of the frame until you're ready to capture the perfect close-up shot.

Experience the difference that the ultra-zooming power of the 24mm Wide-Angle lens can make on your everyday shooting. The extraordinary focal length lets you capture everything from wide-angle shots to super-telephoto shots from wherever you are, while every shot exhibits the unique quality inherent to Canon optics. Canon's Optical Image Stabilizer ensures that whether up close or far away, every shot is clear and steady.

Utilizing a sophisticated light-capturing design, it provides high sensitivity for improved high ISO capture with reduced noise. It is also a high-speed design, capable of rapidly capturing and moving image data to the processor, enabling faster continuous shooting and faster autofocus.

The High-Sensitivity sensor works in concert with Canon's latest-generation DIGIC 5 Image Processor to create the renowned Canon HS SYSTEM. With the Canon HS SYSTEM, you'll experience excellent tracking performance even in low light, and achieve gorgeous still image quality even at high ISO speeds; beautiful low-light shots are possible with minimal noise and maximum detail in highlight and shadow areas. The Canon HS SYSTEM lets you use higher shutter speeds to capture clearer images with reduced noise and blur in a variety of situations for incredible photos and even when shooting video.

The camera is equipped with Canon's latest advancement in AF technology: High Speed AF. The result of several improved technologies, High Speed AF delivers significantly faster focus speed of 0.19 seconds and a dramatically reduced shooting lag time of only 0.25 seconds. The technology also powers the camera's new High-Speed Burst HQ, with continuous capture at a maximum speed of approximately 13 fps.

Simply touch the dedicated movie button, now conveniently embedded in it's thumb pad, to start recording video in 1080p Full HD. You're free to use the full range of the zoom in movie mode, and sound is recorded in stereo.

It's easy to capture clear, steady images, even in low light without using a tripod. That's because the camera is equipped with Canon's innovative Intelligent IS. The system analyzes camera movement and applies the best shake correction method for the shooting situation. For stills, the system automatically selects among Normal, Panning, Macro (Hybrid) and Tripod IS modes. When shooting video, the system automatically selects among Dynamic, Powered, Macro and Tripod IS modes. Dynamic IS has been enhanced to provide better performance than ever before, now compensating for rotational movement centered on the optical axis in addition to horizontal tilt and vertical pitch.

In Smart AUTO, this camera analyzes various factors in the scene's background and subject, then selects optimal camera settings based on predefined shooting situations. The Smart AUTO function includes an astonishing 58 predefined shooting situations. Canon's futuristic Face ID feature allows you to register up to 12 faces on your camera, then gives those faces priority over others with regard to focus and exposure. As a result, even in group scenes, you'll always get great shots of your children, family and friends.

The bright LCD has excellent resolution, and flips out and swivels/rotates for shooting at unusual angles, even letting you capture perfectly framed self-portraits. The camera also has an Electronic Viewfinder to give you the classic photographic experience.

As with many EOS DSLR cameras, this camera uses a 12-bit converter to process the output of the sensor, resulting in true color, smooth tonal transitions and natural gradations. It lets you shoot in RAW mode, which records all the information captured by the sensor, giving you outstanding flexibility and complete creative control when editing your images with Canon's powerful bundled software. Now in RAW mode, you can even select among several aspect ratios, including 16:9, 3:2, 4:3, 1:1, and 4:5.

It's quick and easy to make beautiful prints from this camera with Canon's Direct Print system. Directly connect your camera to a Canon PIXMA or SELPHY photo printer with a USB cable and simply press the button to print.

When you're ready to take your creativity further with the lighting and exposure possibilities of an optional Canon Speedlite, the camera is ready too. The camera has a built-in hot shoe that makes it compatible with a variety of Speedlite flashes.

There are now a total of 30 display languages from which you can choose: English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified/Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Thai, Arabic, Romanian, Ukrainian, Farsi, Hindi, Malay, Indonesian and Vietnamese.

Why you should buy it?

1. Very easy to use due to its friendly UI.

2. Takes great pictures, even in low light.

3. Very quick AF system.

4. Possesses a monster-zoom telephoto lens.

5. Mind blowing Image Stabilization, even at full zoom.

6. Shoots RAW.

Why you shouldn't buy it?

1. The Electronic Viewfinder is garbage, hets washed out on bright and sunny days.

2. Battery power below expectation.

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Verdict

If you are a wildlife photographer and looking for something light-weight and compact to use, your search ends here.

BONUS: Top 5 cameras for travel photographers

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Specifications

Image sensor: CMOS

Effective pixels: 12.1 million

Metering: Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot

Lens focal length: 4.3-215mm (equivalent to 24-1200mm in 35mm format)

Optical zoom: 50x

Digital zoom: 4x

Sensor size: 1/2.3 inch

Shutter speed: 1-1/2000 second

Continuous shooting: 10 fps

Memory: SD/SDHC/SDXC

Image size (pixels): 4000x3000, 4000x2664, 4000x2248, 2992x2992, 2816x2112, 2816x1880, 2816x1584, 2400x3000, 2112x2112, 1920x1080, 1696x2112, 1600x1200, 1600x1064, 1200x1200, 960x1200, 640x480, 640x424, 640x360, 480x480 and 384x480

Movie size (pixels): 1920x1080, 1280x720, 640x480 and 320x240

Viewfinder: 2.8 inch TFT LCD (461,000 dots)

File formats: JPEG, MOV, RAW

ISO sensitivity: 80-6400

Interface: A/V, HDMI

Power: Battery pack NB-10L

Dimensions (WidthxHeightxDepth): 122.5x87.3x105.5 mm

Weight: 551 g (camera only)

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Price: Get a price on the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera (Black)

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