Canon PowerShot SX500 IS Review

4.0
October 22, 2012 | Matt Grayson |
  1. Ease
    of Use
  2. Image
    Quality
  3. Sample
    Images
  4. Product
    Images
  5. Product
    Specs
  6. Rating &
    Conclusion
  7. Main
    Rivals
  8. Review
    Roundup
  9. Product
    Videos
  10. Comments
    (73)
Canon PowerShot SX500 IS Review Image Canon PowerShot SX500 IS Review Image

Buy a PowerShot SX500 IS Black Digital Camera (16 MP, 30x Opt, SD/SDHC/SDXC Card Slot)

Lowest Price: £189.99

Buy a Powershot SX500 IS Black Digital Camera (16 MP, 30x Opt, SD/SDHC/SDXC Card Slot)

Lowest Price: $194.95

Specifications

IMAGE SENSOR

Type 1/2.3 type CCD
Effective Pixels Approx. 16.0M
Colour Filter Type Primary Colour

IMAGE PROCESSOR

Type DIGIC 4 with iSAPS technology

LENS

Focal Length 4.3 – 129.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 24 – 720 mm)
Zoom Optical 30x
ZoomPlus 60x
Digital Approx. 4x (with Digital Tele-Converter Approx. 1.6x or 2.0x and Safety Zoom¹). Combined Approx. 120x
Maximum f/number f/3.4 – f/5.8
Construction 13 elements in 10 groups (1 UD lens, 1 double-sided aspherical lens)
Image Stabilisation Yes (lens shift-type), 3.5-stop. Intelligent IS

FOCUSING

Type TTL
AF System/ Points Face Detection, 1-point AF (fixed to centre)
AF Modes Continuous, Servo AF/AE¹, Tracking AF
AF Point Selection Size (Normal, Small)
AF Lock On/Off Selectable
AF Assist Beam Yes
Manual Focus Yes
Closest Focusing Distance 0 cm (W) from front of lens in macro

EXPOSURE CONTROL

Metering modes Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame), Centre-weighted average, Spot (Centre)
AE Lock On/Off Selectable
Exposure Compensation +/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments.
Enhanced i-Contrast for automatic dynamic range correction
ISO sensitivity* AUTO, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600

SHUTTER

Speed 1 – 1/1600 sec. (factory default)
15 – 1/1600 sec. (total range – varies by shooting mode)

WHITE BALANCE

Type TTL
Settings Auto (including Face Detection WB), Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom

LCD MONITOR

Monitor 7.5 cm (3.0”) TFT, Approx. 461,000 dots
Coverage Approx. 100%
Brightness Adjustable to one of five levels. Quick-bright LCD

FLASH

Modes Auto, Manual Flash On / Off, Slow Synchro
Slow Sync Speed Fastest speed 1/1600 sec.
Red-Eye Reduction Yes
Flash Exposure Compensation +/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments. Face Detection FE. Safety FE
Flash Exposure Lock Yes
Manual Power Adjustment 3 levels with internal flash
Built-in Flash Range 50 cm – 5.0 m (W) / 1.4 m – 3.0 m (T)
External Flash Canon High Power Flash HF-DC2

SHOOTING

Modes Smart Auto (32 scenes detected), Program AE, Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual, Live View Control, SCN (Portrait, FaceSelf-Timer, Low Light (4.0MP), Snow, Fireworks), Creative Filters (Fish-eye Effect, Miniature Effect, Toy Camera Effect, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect), Discreet, Movie
Modes in Movie Smart Auto (21 scenes detected), Standard, iFrame Movie, Program AE, Portrait, Snow, Fireworks, Miniature Effect, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect
Photo Effects My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color)
Drive modes Single, Continuous, Continuous with AF, Self-Timer
Continuous Shooting Approx. 0.8 shots/sec. with AF: Approx. 0.5 shots/sec. LV: Approx. 0.6 shots/sec.(until memory card becomes full)¹²

RECORDING PIXELS / COMPRESSION

Image Size 4:3 - (L) 4608 x 3456, (M1) 3264 x 2448, (M2) 1600 x 1200, (S) 640 x 480
16:9 - (L) 4608 x 2592, (M1) 3264 x 1832, (M2) 1920 x 1080, (S) 640 x 360
3:2 - (L) 4608 x 3072, (M1) 3264 x 2176, (M2) 1600 x 1064, (S) 640 x 424
1:1 - (L) 3456 x 3456, (M1) 2448 x 2448, (M2) 1200 x 1200, (S) 480 x 480
Resize in playback (M2, S, XS)¹
Compression Superfine, Fine
Movies (HD) 1280 x 720, 25 fps, (L) 640 x 480, 30 fps
Miniature Effect (HD, L) 5fps, 2.5fps, 1.25 fps
iFrame Movie (HD)
Movie Length (HD) Up to 4 GB or 29 min. 59 sec.¹
(L ) Up to 4 GB or 1 hour²

FILE TYPES

Still Image Type JPEG compression, (Exif 2.3 [Exif Print] compliant) / Design rule for Camera File system, Digital Print Order Format [DPOF] Version 1.1 compliant
Movies MOV [H.264 + Linear PCM (stereo)]
iFrame

DIRECT PRINT

Canon Printers Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printers and Canon Inkjet Printers supporting PictBridge (ID Photo Print, Fixed Size Print and Movie Print supported on SELPHY CP & ES printers only)
PictBridge Yes

OTHER FEATURES

Red-Eye Correction Yes, during shooting and playback
My Camera / My Menu Start-up image and camera sounds customisation
My Category Image tagging feature
Intelligent Orientation Sensor Yes
Histogram Yes
Playback zoom Approx. 2x – 10x
Self Timer Approx. 2 or 10 sec., Custom
Menu Languages English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Greek, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Spanish, Ukrainian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Simplified Chinese, Chinese (traditional), Japanese, Korean, Thai, Arabic, Romanian, Farsi, Hindi, Malay, Indonesian, Vietnamese

INTERFACE

Computer Hi-Speed USB (MTP, PTP) dedicated connector (Mini-B compatible)
Other HDMI Mini Connector (HDMI-CEC compatible) A/V output (PAL/NTSC)

MEMORY CARD

Type SD, SDHC, SDXC

SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEM

PC & Macintosh Windows 7 SP1 / Vista SP2 / XP SP3
Mac OS X v10.6 – 10.7

SOFTWARE

Browsing & Printing ImageBrowser EX
Other PhotoStitch

POWER SOURCE

Batteries Rechargeable Li-ion Battery NB-6L (battery and charger supplied)
Battery life Approx. 195 shots¹
Approx. 540 min. playback
Approx. 240 min. playback
A/C Power Supply Optional, AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC40

ACCESSORIES

Cases / Straps Soft Case DCC-950
Flash Canon High Power Flash HF-DC2
Power Supply & Battery Chargers AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC40, Battery Charger CB-2LYE

PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Operating Environment 0 – 40 °C, 10 – 90% humidity
Dimensions (WxHxD) 104.0 x 69.5 x 80.2 mm
Weight Approx. 341 g (including battery/batteries and memory card)

Zoom ¹ Depending on the image size selected.
AF Modes ¹ Some settings limit availability.
Continuous Shooting ¹ Depending on memory card speed / capacity / compression setting.
² Using the batteries and memory card format supplied with the camera (where included), except where indicated.
Image Size ¹ XS is half the length and width of S
Movie Length ¹ The following Speed Class memory cards are required for maximum record time: (HD) 1280 x 720 Speed Class 4 or above. (Full HD) 1920 x 1080 Speed Class 6 or above. (iFrame) 1280 x 720 Speed Class 6 or above.
² Depending on memory card speed / capacity / compression setting.
Battery life ¹ Using the batteries and memory card format supplied with the camera (where included), except where indicated.
  • *Standard Output Sensitivity / Recommended Exposure Index.
  • According to ISO 12232:2006 (20th April 2006) which specifies the method for assigning and reporting ISO speed ratings for digital still cameras.
  • All data is based on Canon standard testing methods (according to CIPA Standards) except where indicated.
  • Subject to change without notice.
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Lowest Price: £189.99
Lowest Price: $194.95
  1. Ease of Use
  2. Image Quality
  3. Sample Images
  1. Product Images
  2. Product Specs
  3. Rating & Conclusion
  1. Main Rivals
  2. Review Roundup
  3. Product Videos
  4. Comments (73)

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Entry Tags

hd video, hd, 3 inch LCD, compact, 720p, 16 megapixel, hdmi, super-zoom, super zoom, 3 inch, Canon, 30x zoom, PowerShot, Canon PowerShot SX500 IS Review, 24-720mm, sx500, SX500 IS, Canon PowerShot SX500 IS

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