Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Quick Review

This is a compact in the very loosest sense of the word. Indeed, it isn't that much smaller than an entry-level dSLR, so its 'compact' designation is down -- purely and simply -- to the fact that the lens can't be removed.

But what a lens it is. As the name suggests, the PowerShot SX50 HS has a massive 50x zoom, equivalent to 24-1,200mm on a regular 35mm camera. An interchangeable lens touching the furthest end of that range would cost several thousand pounds on a dSLR.

This year's SX50 HS ups the ante with a record-breaking 50x zoom lens – the biggest ever to grace a stills camera. More importantly to us, it's also significantly faster in general use, taking 1.8 seconds between shots. That's a big improvement on the SX40 HS's 2.8 seconds but still a long way off 0.6 seconds of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200.

Key Specs

Product type Superzoom

Sensor size Other

Video resolution 1080p

Image stabilisation yes

Available colours Black

Resolution 12 megapixels

Optical zoom 50 x

Video frame rate 24 fps

Screen size 2.8 in.

Weight 595 g

Size (WxHxD) 123x87x106 mm