ET Reviews: Canon PowerShot SX700 HS

NEW DELHI: There’s nothing like a good zoom lens if you like to get in close to your subject without actually moving nearer. While long zoom lenses for digital DSLRs can get ridiculously large and obnoxiously expensive, compact cameras with long zooms have their own problems: a long zoom in a tiny camera is just not usable and you’ll rarely get sharp results.

Canon wants to change perceptions with the PowerShot SX700 HS – based on our time with it, this is one camera that takes the do-it-all tag quite seriously. Clad in metal (our review unit was red), the camera is a smart looker and is loaded with features designed to make you a better photographer with minimal learning curve.

A very handy feature is the zoom framing assist button. If you’re zoomed into an image, you can easily lose track of the entire scene. A quick press of this button quickly takes the lens to wide angle to find your subject. Release the button and the lens reverts to your previous zoom setting. There are more than 50 different creative modes, picture effects and filters built in (apart from full manual). We got excellent results till ISO 800. Paired with a tripod, this camera can give a pricey DSLR a run for its money!

It’s also got built in WiFi for direct image/video transfers as well as remote control (live view) shooting when using the Canon CameraWindow app for Android or iOS. To be honest, the SX700 HS is pretty great, but if we were to nitpick, we could say some users will miss RAW shooting, a viewfinder, articulating screen and built in GPS (though you could add GPS data when paired with a smartphone and the app).

Even though the MRP is Rs 22,995, the market price is closer to Rs 21,000, making it an excellent choice for anyone who wants a compact, do-it-all ultra zoom. We highly recommend it. In the same price range, you might also want to consider Nikon’s CoolPix S9700 which has similar features but offers a slightly better battery life.

PRICE- Rs 22,995

SPECIFICATIONS

16.1 MP CMOS sensor, 30x optical zoom with image stabilisation (25 – 750mm; 35mm equivalent), Digic 6, 3-inch LCD (922k dots), 1080p video, WiFi, NFC, 269 grams

Positive: Massive & usable optical and smart zoom, great design & build, excellent results (even at 30x), manual control

Negative: No viewfinder, battery could have been larger, no articulating screen