|
|
|
|
Bought this camera in October from a reputed city store. I had been researching for a good bridge camera for about a month before that. nnThe other cameras that I had been comparing with this one were Sony DSC-HX200V, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200, Fujifilm FinePix HS25EXR/HS30EXR. After comparing hundreds of pictures online and personally testing the Fuji and the Sony in a store, here is my verdict. nnI didn't like the Fuji because of it's manual zoom. The camera is already very heavy and the manual zoom will set you up for extra hard work. I wouldn't want to do that when on a vacation. Manual zoom also means that if you are zooming in or out during a video then your videos will be somewhat shaky. nnHX200V has the best display and has a manual as well as motorized zoom. But there are features in it which I find useless, like the GPS, and I didn't want to pay for it, . Apart from that you can't do RAW photography with this one and neither can you take slow motion videos.nnFZ200 probably has the best picture quality among these 4 models and in my opinion this is the only camera that gives a serious competition to SX50. But considering it's price the zoom was very less. So I skipped this one. If a gigantic zoom is not all that important to you then this one would be your best bet. nnNow lets get to the technicalities of SX50 HS:-nnI am yet to learn all the functions of the camera but this is what my experience has been like with over a month of usage.nnPros:-nn1) Low light photography is beyond any comparison. I have seen pics of some of my friends' entry level DSLRs, And I can say without a second thought that this will beat some of those DSLRs hands down. The camera's outstanding performance at higher ISOs more than compensates for the relatively smaller aperture.n2) Wicked 50x zoom. World's first.n3) The image stabilization even at full 50X zoom is mind blowing. In fact I have taken some clear and sharp images even at 100x zoom. Videos at 100x zoom also turned out quite decent.n4) Very fast auto focus even at full zoom. The Auto Focus does a fantastic job even during video.nn========================================================nnCons:-nn1) The EVF could have been a lot better. n2) Auto mode didn't impress me much, so you will have to play a little bit with manual and other modes to get the best settings for your shot.n3) A high end bridge camera as this one should have had a more powerful battery.nnOverall, this camera is excellent if you want to play with the manual settings, and get really close to your subjects. We went on a vacation this weekend to a beach and took hundreds of photographs, mostly in Auto mode. While testing the zoom we took pics of some hot girls(in hot pants) who were at least 70 meters(230 feet) away from us. The photos turned out so well that it was as good as a close up from just a few feet away. Photographed a bird that was about a couple of inches long from about 10 meters away and even the eye of the bird was pretty clear, though I would have liked a little more colour here in the Auto mode. The craters on the moon were satisfactorily sharp at 100X zoom. Clicked pictures and took videos of some fishing trawlers that were miles into the sea and was quite surprised with the quality. The red evening sun looked elegant through the lens of the camera. nnIf this helps even one soul then I would feel that the review has served it's purpose :) nnThanks.
I have been using this camera for a month now. After extensively comparing with Lumix FZ200 I decided to go for Canon SX50HS. FZ200 has a fantastic high-speed lens, but falls shot on zoom range (24x) and image resolution. SX50HS is a very good camera in the bridge category for the price. I am impressed by its lens and the Image Stabilizer. The cons first: 1. The EVF is very small and low-resolution. The colour patterns sometimes is annoying. 2. The button below the thumb grip gets pressed while holding the camera, which is a bother. 3. Be ready to pay 2000 to 3000 rs. for the 67mm adapter and filters. 4. Battery longevity is poor. The CIPA rating is 315 shots, whereas in reality it is less than 200 per charge. Better to plan for a second battery. 5. At the tele end the AF hunts; sometimes it fails to focus in low light. 6. Continuous AF mode drains the battery out fast (only about 120 images per charge). 7. Image quality drops at the tele-end. Pros: ----- 1. Excellent lens with a benchmark tele end of 1200mm (35mm eqvt). 2. Very good macro capability with very little distortion. 3. The USM AF motor is very quiet and its noise is not a bother in video mode. 4. The user interface is friendly even though the camera has a plethora of settings. 5. In camera HDR mode is very handy for bringing out the details from subtle lighting situations 6. The Image Stabilization is superb. One has to use it to believe it! I could take hand-held pictures, at the tele end, of small subjects (a bird) at a distance of about 300 ft with almost no camera shake visible in the image. A tripod is essential for far away subjects. 7. Frame Assist feature (button on the lens barrel) is very convenient while focusing in the higher focal lengths. The camera shows a wide-angle view temporarily to locate the subject and then zoom in. 8. Storing RAW format is handy for custom post-processing of the images 9. Image quality is very good even though the sensor is small. Hardly any distortions and CA in normal screen sizes. Points to remember: An extra battery, tripod and UV filter (minimum to protect the lens) have to be factored as additional items to have for maximizing the utility of SX50HS. Overall, SX50HS is super-value for money.
Brand | Canon |
Type | Bridge Camera |
Series | PowerShot |
Title | Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Bridge Camera |
Type | CMOS Sensor |
Size(W x H) | 6.17 x 4.55 mm, 1/2.3 inch |
Processor Model | DIGIC 5 Processor |
Effective Resolution | 12.1 MP Resolution |
Lens Type | Zoom |
Focal Length | 4.3-215 mm |
Optical Zoom | 50 x |
Lens cover | No |
Aperture Range | f/3.4-f/6.5 Aperture |
Resolution Available |
1920x1080 Pixels (1080p HD), 1280x720 Pixels (720p HD), 640x480 Pixels (VGA) |
File Format | MOV |
fps |
1080p Frame rate : 24, 30 720p Frame rate : 24, 30 VGA Frame rate : 30 |
Slow Motion Effect | Yes |
Built in Flash | Yes |
Hot Shoe/Flash mount | Yes |
Flash Range | 5.5 metres |
Direct Print | Canon SELPHY, PIXMA Photo Printers & PictBridge compatible printers |
Wifi | No |
HDMI | Yes |
Bluetooth | No |
NFC | No |
Pictbridge | Yes |
USB | Yes, Type 2.0, 480 MB |
Viewfinder | Yes, Electronic Viewfinder |
Display Type | LCD |
Display Size | 2.8 Inch |
Display Resolution (No.of dots) | 461000 dots |
Moveable Display | Yes |
Touchscreen | No |
No. of supported language | 30 |
Brightness Adjustment | Yes, 5 levels |
Memory Card Type | SD, SDHC, SDXC |
Storage File system | DCF, DPOF, EXIF |
Shutter Speed | 1/2000-1 sec |
ISO | Auto, 80-6400 ISO |
3D | No |
Auto Focus | Yes, Contrast detection |
AF Points | 9 Points |
Touch Focus | No |
Manual Focus | Yes |
Image Stabilization | Yes, Type : Optical |
In-camera Editing | Pictures, Resizing, Black & White/Sepia Tone, Saturation, Red-eye correction when previewing, Videos, Movie Mode Create, Movie Mode Edit, Creative, Calendar, Frame, Photo Effects: My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black and White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color),Creative Filters (High Dynamic Range, Fish-eye Effect, Miniature Effect, Toy Camera Effect, Soft Focus, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect, Color Accent, Color Swap) |
HDR Shooting Mode | Yes |
Drive Mode | Yes, Single, Continuous, Continuous with AF, Self-timer |
Burst Mode | Yes, Approx. 13 shots/sec.* (in High-Speed Burst HQ) |
Microphone | Yes |
Self Timer | 10 seconds, 2 seconds |
White Balance Type | Auto, Cloudy, Custom, Daylight, Flash, Fluorescent, Tungsten |
Scene Modes | Beach/Snow, Fireworks, Portrait |
Iris control | No |
Supported media/softwares | Windows 7 SP1, Windows Vista SP2, Windows XP SP3, Mac OS X 10.6, Mac OS X 10.7 |
Image File Formats | JPEG, RAW |
Image Minimum Resolution | 0.3 MP |
Video File Formats | MOV |
Exposure modes | Aperture priority, Automatic Mode, Full manual, Program Mode, Scene Mode, Shutter Speed priority |
Exposure Lock | Yes |
Dimensions (WxHxD) | 122.5 x 87.3 x 105.5 mm |
Weight | 551 Gram |
Rugged | No |
Available Color Options | Black |
Warranty Period | 2 Years |
Battery model | NB-10L |
Battery | Rechargeable(proprietary) |
Battery Type | Li-ion |
No of Shots | 315 Shots |
Accessories Inbox | Canon SX50 HS Bridge Camera,User Manual and CD-ROM, Battery, Battery Charger, Data Cable |
Bigger Display:
3 inch vs 2.8 inch
Lower weight:
316 gms vs 551 gms
Has WiFi
More No Of Shots:
340 vs 315
Higher Optical Zoom:
65 x vs 50 x
Higher Resolution:
16.1 MP vs 12.1 MP
Higher Resolution:
12.8 MP vs 12.1 MP
Bigger Display:
3 inch vs 2.8 inch
Bigger Sensor:
261.8 mm2 vs 28.0735 mm2
Higher Resolution:
20.4 MP vs 12.1 MP
Bigger Display:
3 inch vs 2.8 inch
Has WiFi
More No Of Shots:
380 vs 315
Lower Optical Zoom:
35 x vs 50 x
Smaller Display:
2.7 inch vs 2.8 inch
Higher Resolution:
16 MP vs 12.1 MP
Bigger Display:
3 inch vs 2.8 inch
Lower weight:
318 gms vs 551 gms