- World's first 50x Optical Zoom 24mm Wide-Angle Image Stabilized Lens
- 12.1 MP High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor with DIGIC 5 Image Processor
- 1080p Full HD Video With a Dedicated Movie Button
- High-speed AF, High-speed Burst HQ for a maximum of 10 frames
- Built-in Shoe Allows Compatibility with Optional Speedlites
This camera is amazing for that task. I had looked at the SX30 and the SX40 in the past but for me testing them out at the stores the Autofocus just was not yet fast enough for me to be willing to work with. The SX50 changes that and has a very quick AF system that has already worked for me in a variety of situations for a sub 500 dollar point and shoot class camera I am extremely impressed with the AF system.
The resolution at 1200mm has exceeded my expectations and can create print worthy sharp results throughout the entire length. To get that kind of focal length with a DSLR would require a serious budget destroying investment that would weigh a large amount. I highly doubt my 100-400L cropped to the same reach or frame could beat this camera at 1200mm.
Ill go over a few of the cameras functions.
AF. Very fast for a point and shoot. Not DSLR 7D fast while running L lenses fast but still locks on with ease. The autofocus does have a tendency to lock onto foreground elements when shooting in foilage and I do wish it had a MF ring of some kind or a AF stop button that the DSLRS have. Using MF is frustratingly slow with the back dial.
ISO. Blown away at how good the ISO ratings are for this camera. It has been a while since I owned a small point and shoot and I am amazed that I can get usable results at ISO 800. Raw images clean up especially well and respond to noise reduction. Its a good thing the camera can handle higher ISO's well because the slower lens does eat up and demand a lot of light.
IS The image stabilizer works remarkably well and easily preforms to the claimed 4.5 stops or more, I have taken several successful shots at 1/100th of a second at 1200mm. Thats simply unprecedented. The IS also does a great job at stabilizing the image while framing. Turn the IS off for a bit and you will quickly realize how hard the IS has to work to make the 1200mm lens on this camera worth using.
Zoom. looong. 24-1200mm is insane look at my sample shots of the mine at 24mm and 1200mm to get an idea of the range of this camera.
Many of you will complain about the slow f stop at 1200mm but consider that a 35mm SLR lens at 800 5.6 will set you back 10k and a 1200 5.6 is 150k so a useable 1200mm equivalent at F6.5 for 479 is an absolute steal. The fact that this little camera can get a acceptable shot at 1200mm opens up a realm of possibilities that was previously simply economically impossible for many. It also zooms along the range very quickly, the framing assist button along the cameras side is a handy feature and backs the lens in and out fast allowing you to recompose.
What do I dislike so far?
The EVF viewfinder is garbage, there is not enough relief between the body and the EVF for it to be very useful for me and it does not have enough dots to make out what you are photographing,the EVF screen is washed out especially on bright sunlit days. I have opted for the swivel LCD exclusively and would not have missed it had they omitted the finder altogether thankfully the LCD is plenty bright so it can always be useful but a better evf would be handy to hold the camera in close.
Front dial. Canon why cant you give the top of the line powershot a front rotating dial? That dial would make adjusting things on the fly tremendously easier. The body is a bit small and the back dial is low that using it while keeping a secure grip is a bit difficult for me as well I would of prefered it to be higher on the camera personally.
Flash does not pop up automatically. The flash button on the side of the camera does nothing unless you have physically raised the flash yourself.
This is not a deal breaker for me because I will likely use the flash rarely if everl, I have better cameras that cover the range of the tiny flash, but for the average point and shooter whom will purchase this as an only camera this could ruin a lot of photos.
No front threaded filter mount. The only way to attach a filter is via the bayonet adapter. I would of preferred a screw on attachment for a permanent UV filter to protect the lens.
All in all I am quite pleased with the camera its an enjoyable system and I have already gotten many great shots with it. The super telephoto lens has a bit of a learning curve but as soon as you get the hang of it and understand the IS systems limitations you will be on your way to getting many great photos with this little guy.
The Minimum focus distance has a few awkward spots at around 700mm it jumps up to 6.5 ft but drops down to 4.2 ft at 1200mm this may make a few macro insect shots hard to do without externally attached filters.
Buy Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera Now
First of all: Please apologize my language, I'm no native speaker, but received so much help from Amazon.com reviews over the years, that I now try to give back my modest bit and tell about my experience with the Canon SX50 HS.Before I used to walk around with two cams standby:
1st the Samsumg WB500, because I'm living at the shoreline where we need horizontal space for our pictures, hence can make best use of the 24mm ultra-wide lens.
2nd the Olympus SP-800UZ, because in a harbor area there are lots of fences and off limits zones, where they won't let you in, but you just want, want and want to take your pics nonetheless, hence depend on zoom potential.
Additionally there are seabirds and seal, a shy sheep's eye, a distant cow's tongue, whatever I just never left the house without the 30x zoom of my Olympus.
Some weeks ago however, I noticed that besides taking pictures I'd love to now and then take videos, too.
And this is, where the Canon SX50 HS cought my attention, because:
My Olympus can take decent movies, but either you want it to zoom, so you need to go without sound. Or you want sound, so it won't zoom.
No comment. :-(
My Samsung can take decent movies, even with zoom and sound, but once you touch the zoom, it will produce this pesky grinding noise, which spoils whatever atmosphere.
So I googled my bit and my nostrils got wide when I cought whiff of Canon SX50 HS's fragrance.
A bridge camera with 24mm ultra-wide lens, x50 instead of my beloved x30 zoom?
OK, here is, what I can tell about after 12 days of testing:
I tested it for 3 days with 3 cameras around my neck. Every video I shot, every picture I took, were shot thrice.
Meantime (day 11) I only leave the house with one camera with me, with Canon SX50 HS).
Beginning with the results of what my other cams did satisfyingly good anyway:
The 24mm ultra-wide lens is at least as good as is the Samsung WB500 one. No awkward distortion. You can approach the ship or whaterver else horizontal you wish to take your pic of, and will be satisfied with the result.
Canon SX50 vs Olympus SP-800UZ: Of course the zoom range 30:50 stands for itself.
The magnificent difference in addition however is the Canon's stabilisation potential.
No matter if picture or video, where an Olympus' shot depends on absolutely steady hand, your Canon will be tolerant and kind of swing it out gracefully.
I compiled some videos Canon vs Olympus on youtube, to show the difference, you can find me on "amSeehafen", if you like to watch.
I also put there lots of videos, which to even try wouldn't have made any sense with both the other cams.
1st: Neither Samsung WB500 nor Olympus SP-800UZ are any good after sun down.
Still, such a harbor area has it's temptations at nighttime as well.
So one of my first Canon tests was, to see, how it would handle darkness.
You can see some results at youtube amSeehafen, too. It paints black black and light light. Quite crisp and perfect. Wow.
My next reason to love the Canon is, that it is way more tolerant re movements, shaking of hand, etc.
Of course it shakes like hell, if your hand is directly being twisted by coastal winds.
Who wouldn't.
Yet if it's just halfway still, you can zoom the full ammount (including digital) zoom without tripod, and earn undreamt of crisp and calm results.
The sound, however, at first shocked me. Knattering, rattling, loud. (!?)
Until I found out, that the culprit was our constant coastal wind. So I reduced noise sensitivity down to close deafness, and voila: This lovely camera's sound is pretty perfect. It can even handle wind and make it sound like wind. Which you'll agree, if you're anyway experienced is quite a piece of artistry!
(Addition written 1 month after: On the long hand the deafened microfones are not satisfying, because they muzzle too many desired environment sounds, too. But some investigation on youtube gave me the idea, which helped to solve the problem: Just attach a piece of fur via doublesided sticky tape round the microfone holes. Make sure not to block the openings. I admit, it gives your cam quite a funny look, but hey you'll love the sound! Find my tutorial and sound examples on youtube AmSeehafen.
Well, what else to tell I tested the macro mode with both flowers and spiders you can find shares on youtube amSeehafen as well, it's doing good job.
I found the slow motion mode, which nobody needs, but is lots of fun. I never knew how long our cat's tongues can gear out, until I could watch them slurping their treats in slow motion...
The only shortfall I noticed up to now is, the lense is helluva sensitive to pollution. So you best *always* carry a handkerchief or something with you, to clean lense as soon as necessary.
None of my other cams ever was nearly as 'sissy, as is the SX50 HS in this regard.
But the display is fantastic. Even I with my elderly weak eyes can notice pretty quick, once the pictures or movies blurr.
Talking of the display: I also love that it can be moved. I'm not so tall, and fences can be oh so high... No prob to me anymore.
If I keep the Canon SX50 HS.
Which I intend to do.
And herewith recommend it to everybody who has about the same ideas of what to ask from their camera.
Read Best Reviews of Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera Here
: 1:09 MinsI ordered the SX50 through Amazon, I tried it out, I liked it well enough and I intend to keep it. For what it does best, it works very well. For the rest, well... that depends.
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This is a video I shot of a fishing boat in Monterey Bay. I used my new SX50 with a 50X optical zoom and a 4X digital zoom for a total of 200X (sort of.) I know it's pixillated, but still just look carefully and you can see the fisherman casting his fishing pole at the stern of the boat and then sitting down. Pretty amazing video technology they have developed for this camera. So that is where this review starts with the monster-zoom telephoto lens.
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What this camera does best is pretty obvious it has a monster-zoom telephoto lens. I enjoy doing some telephoto work, and for that purpose it works amazingly well. At a 1200mm 50X zoom you simply cannot buy a Canon DSLR lens with that kind of magnification for any amount of money.*1 The largest [standard production] DSLR telephoto lens that Canon makes is an 800mm and that lens costs over $13,000. So there you have it. For around $500 you can run circles around that magnification, get some fantastic shots and have a lot of fun with it. It will most definitely amaze your friends when you show them with what you can do with the monster-zoom feature alone.
*1 Technically, "any amount of money" is not completely true here. Another poster has pointed out that on special order Canon will make a 1200MM lens for a DSLR. It weighs about 40 lbs. The MSRP is $100,000. Only a few dozen have ever been produced. My bad.
It also has a wide ISO range (film speed) combined with some very fast shutter speeds for fast-action shots. And the recovery and repeat shot time is very fast too. There is also built-in HDR (High Dynamic Range) feature that will be fun to use for creating vibrant-colored, surreal landscapes. (Don't try it with portraits though, since HDR is notoriously bad at distorting human skin tones.) For the more advanced shooters it also offer RAW files as well as RAW plus JPEG, so that you can fine-tune your photos with post-processing in a Photoshop-type program.
All around this should turn out to be a good recreational and family-fun camera that will work very well for daytime things like social events and sporting events, particularly at getting candid shots of people all the way across the other side of the auditorium or the sports arena. And it has an excellent HD video feature that with a good secure tripod can produce some very respectable quality videos. Unfortunately, the "hot shoe" for the camera only works with an external flash, not a high-quality external microphone. So no, it won't take one, so you don't even need to ask. Yes, of course with a high quality HD video feature you would only expect that Canon would allow you to attach a high-quality external microphone to the hot shoe, but no they don't. You can take that up with Canon again just the way people did last year, and see how far you get with it. Otherwise you will simply have to enjoy it the way it is, or else use a tape recorder and sync the sound with it in a movie-making program afterwards.
But if you want to take any long-exposure, nighttime shots with it, then this camera probably will not work for you at all. It COULD take them easily, but for marketing reasons Canon put an arbitrary ISO limit on it last year that will no longer let it take them. (Earlier models of this same camera could easily take them before Canon imposed the arbitrary ISO limit on it.)
If you have ever owned any of the previous cameras of this series, (the SX1, SX10, SX20 and SX30,) then you probably know that it has a rather small 1/2.3 sized sensor, but (now) it processes the images with a very good DIGIC 5 processor. If you have also owned an SX40, then you also may be aware of a rather recent limitation on this line of cameras that the previous models did not have. Beginning with the model SX40 Canon put an arbitrary ISO (film speed) limit on the camera which severely restricts one type of photography in particular long-exposure, low-light, nighttime photographs. They are now almost impossible to take with this line of camera, because the user can no longer select any ISO greater than 100 at any of the slower shutter speeds, not even in full manual mode.
ISO 100 is a film speed (nowadays called "sensor sensitivity", but the numbers are identical) that has been traditionally used only in bright daytime photo shooting. Low light and nighttime exposures have always required faster film speeds like ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1000 or even more. Photos of that type which had always been easy to take with earlier models of this camera suddenly became almost impossible to take beginning with the SX40. Suddenly any attempt to set the shutter speed to slower than 1.3 seconds automatically reduced the camera setting to ISO 100. There was no way for the user to bypass this limit, (without resorting to a special Hacker program available on the internet called "CHDK." Watch a YouTube video on that before you decide to try it. )
There were a lot of complaints about the ISO limit on the SX40 from a lot of users (me included see the YouTube video on "Canon SX40 ISO limits,") going on for a year now, and finally Canon has introduced the new model SX50. So here's the bad news... Canon did not take the ISO limit off this line of cameras. In fact, the ISO limit on the new SX50 is even worse. Now any attempt to drop the shutter speed under 1 second automatically drops the ISO setting to ISO 80. The user cannot change this limit, even in full manual mode.
Adding to that problem, the SX50 has also reduced the widest aperture opening from f/2.7 to f/3.4. The aperture is the size of the opening that allows light to enter the camera through the lens. It is variable, and the smaller the number the larger the opening. So on the new SX50 the largest size to which you can open up the aperture to let light in has been reduced from f/2.7 to f/3.4. The result is that now it is even harder to take low-light, long-exposure, nighttime photographs with it. The current Canon SX160 with the same-sized sensor (though a CCD and not a CMOS sensor) does NOT have this arbitrary limit on it, and does very well at taking long-exposure, nighttime photographs, so I bought it too for less than half the price of the SX50 and I gave that one a very strong 5-star rating. Since my primary use of my cameras, however, is expressly for taking long-exposure nighttime photographs, and since there is NO TECHNICAL REASON for putting this arbitrary ISO limit on the SX50 camera (it has already been established during the previous year that it was a marketing decision) then I'm giving this camera a 4-star rating instead of a 5-star rating. Not for what it CAN'T do, but simply for what Canon will no longer LET it do.
If you want to use the camera for a similar purpose nighttime long exposures, moonlit night scenes, deer in the garden at night, wide-angle star shots or anything similar to those themes, then this camera will not work well for you at all. I understand that the audience for that usage may well be only a small percentage of all users. Still, some users will be effected by it and they need to know. During the last year quite of few of them were pretty upset by that ISO 100 limit on the SX40, so those same users will probably like the the more restrictive ISO 80 limit on the new SX50 even less. In case there is any doubt about it, the online .pdf file for the User Manual at Canon's website clearly states on pages 150 and 152 "With shutter speeds of 1.3 seconds or slower, ISO speed is [symbol "ISO80"] and cannot be changed."
If that effects you, then now you know about it. If it doesn't effect you, then you can simply ignore this part of the review and then you may well have a lot of fun with this camera. With it's many other features I'm sure it will be a lot of fun, and that is one of the reasons I am keeping it myself for those other features. But for $500 for a digital camera you should at least know very clearly what you will be getting for your money, ... and what you will not.
Best wishes either way you decide, John
Want Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera Discount?
My wife and I are birders and are always on the look for a camera with great zooming ability that is still sufficiently light to carry. We have owned Canon's prior model, the SX40, for just 2 months and loved it. When the SX50 came out, we were tempted, but skeptical about the faster auto focus and the additional zooming ability. We decided to give it a try. The verdict: Canon managed to noticeably improve on an already excellent product, and we bit the bullet and bought the new model.Here are our observations:
General impression: the camera is light, has a nice grip, and takes amazing bird pictures even with free hands. The image quality further improves with the aid of a light tripod. When it comes to landscape pictures, the image is less ideal (less sharp) comparing to those taken by Canon S95, a compact camera we own. So our solution is to carry both cameras (both are so light) if we want to have excellent pictures for birding/wild life and landscape.
Below is a direct comparison between SX50 and SX40:
Auto focus: It really is much faster and more reliable than the SX40's. This is a big deal, particularly for taking pictures of birds.
1200mm zoom: This sounds too good to be true for free-hand shooting with a compact camera and in a way it is. At some point cropping yields better results than zooming. So I was skeptical whether SX50's extra zooming ability would really add any value compared to the SX40. Some extensive testing revealed that the SX50 performs equally well as the SX40 at the same (840mm) zoom level. When zooming in further, there is some additional resolution (sharper image) compared to cropping. However, the added value is small and disappears in all but at the very best lighting conditions.
Aperture: The aperture numbers are less than stellar: 3.4W-6.5T. Keep in mind though that at 1200mm poor aperture numbers are simply a fact of life. Also worth mentioning: At around 840mm, the aperture is the same as the SX40's, so no loss there. That being said, I would not recommend using this camera except for its amazing zooming ability. In the standard or wide angle range most any compact camera will deliver better results than the SX50.
In summary, the SX50 is an amazing camera if used for the special purpose that it is good for. This includes birding, wild life photography, and anything else that really needs zooming in to the max. However, this is not an all-purpose camera. If your main need is to take amazing landscape pictures, other compact cameras would be a better option. (For higher quality images, we use Canon S95 or 5D depending on weight restrictions).
Worth mentioning: Before we purchased our SX40, we also tested Nikon P510. SX40 outperformed P510 in auto focus (speed & reliability) and picture quality (sharpness).
Useful accessories to greatly improve image quality:
Sirui T-1204X: ultra lightweight and super sturdy tripod, essential to keep the ISO low.
SIRUI 4 Section Pro Carbon Fiber Tripod T1204x with Professional Travel Bag
Sirui G-10 ball head: lightweight and smooth. Total weight with the T-1204X is about 2.5lb
SIRUI G-10 29mm Ballhead with Quick Release, 40 lbs Load Capacity
Canon remote switch: to avoid shaking caused by pushing the shutter release button.
Canon Remote Switch RS60 E3
I've used the SX50 HS extensively over 9 days for my vacation in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia recently and can confirm that other than for low-light photography, the maximum 1,200mm telephoto setting is still very useable handheld, without using a tripod or any kind of support, all thanks to Canon's anti-shake image stabilization system, since I don't have the steady hands of a surgeon. Anyway, if you are into low-light photography, it's much better to invest in a more expensive digital SLR or use a compact camera with a wider aperture such as the new Sony RX100 (f/1.8) for your low-light shots. This is not to say that the SX50 HS can't be used for night photography just that you will need a tripod or some kind of support to steady your shots, if you won't be using the built-in flash for illumination at night.
It's not always that you can move closer to a subject for the shot, without frightening it away (eg. bird photography) or putting yourself in mortal danger (eg. wildlife photography). If you're not careful, you can even fall off a cliff while trying to get closer to frame the shot you want. For those times when you just can't physically move any closer to the subject, you will appreciate the awesome zooming power of this camera. There were times when I even wished that the camera has an optical zoom of 60X or more, and I am truly puzzled by those who suggested that 50X is just too much zoom to handle. Nevertheless, the fact remains that this camera at maximum zoom really makes it affordable to own a 1,200mm telephoto lens compared to a similar lens on a digital SLR which will certainly cost an astronomical amount of money.
There's no need for me to comment on the excellent color and picture quality this camera is capable of delivering, especially if you turn 'vivid' mode on just look at the photo samples in the many reviews appearing on photography websites. Each day more and more reviews appear and continue to affirm that Canon has indeed done its homework to produce a very useable and affordable 50X optical zoom camera for the masses. Having owned and used a variety of 35mm film-based compact and SLR cameras from brands like Nikon, Pentax, Olympus and then digital cameras from Canon, Olympus, Samsung, Panasonic Lumix and Sony over the last 30 years, I can say that overall, this is the best camera I've ever owned in terms of features, zoom range and value for money. This is the ideal camera for you if you are upgrading from a 10X-20X travel zoom compact camera, or if you want far greater zooming range than the typical digital SLR or have simply grown tired of lugging around a heavy camera bag laden with interchangeable lenses for your DSLR.
In the end, what really matters is whether you can take the shot or not when presented with a photo opportunity that requires extreme telephoto, and if you don't have the versatility of a 50X zoom like this camera, probability of taking the shot is definitely less. With the Vari-angle LCD on this camera you can practically shoot from the hip, zooming from 24mm wide-angle to 1,200mm extreme telephoto in an instant to capture the moment, when a DSLR user would still be busy changing lenses. Here's looking forward to the next SX60 HS version with an even more powerful zoom next year!
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