The new Canon Powershot SX510 HS brings built-in Wi-Fi and HS System image quality to Canon’s superzoom / bridge cameras at an affordable price point. It has a 30x 24-720mm (equivalent) optical zoom lens, 12-megapixel CMOS sensor with Canon’s HS System, a full range of shooting modes, full HD video and built-in Wi-Fi connectivity with a mobile app for easy Smart Phone sharing. And you get all that for a very budget-friendly $250.
Canon PowerShot SX510 HS Superzoom Key Features And Specs:
- 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor
- 30x 24-720mm f/3.4-5.8 IS optical zoom
- Built-in Wi-Fi with free Canon CameraWindow app for Android and iOS
- 1920 x 1080 full HD video
- Smart Auto & PASM shooting modes
- 10.5 franes per second high-speed burst
- Intelligent IS
- 3-inch 461k-dot LCD display
I was lucky enough to be invited to Canon’s headquarters in New York for a press briefing on all their recently announced PowerShot cameras. The main thing I noticed about the PowerShot SX510 HS was how small it actually is. In Canon’s official studio photos, shown here (they wouldn’t allow us to take any of our own pictures at the launch), the SX510 HS looks a lot like a DSLR with a big, built-in zoom. It’s no pocket camera, but at 4.09 x 2.74 x 3.16 inches (104.0 x 69.5 x 80.2mm), it’s actually much, much smaller than any digital SLR. With such a small, easy to transport body, and a 720mm telephoto zoom, the SX510 HS will be a great camera for sports events, concerts and photo safaris. Canon also added a new feature called “Zoom Framing Assist” that uses Face Detect technology to help you keep your subject focused and in the frame, something that can be a little tricky with a long telephoto zoom lens. The SX510 HS also has improved auto focus speed to minimize shutter lag and help make sure you don’t miss the shot.
The camera industry is making a big push to put wireless connectivity in all kinds of cameras. For those of you who haven’t experienced one of the current Wi-Fi cameras yet, let me describe how it works. The camera creates its own wireless network that allows it to connect to other devices, including a computer on home Wi-Fi network, or a mobile device that has Canon’s free CameraWindow app installed. If you have the app installed on your iPhone, iPad or an Android Smart Phone or tablet, you can wirelessly transfer photos and videos to the device. Then you can use your favorite image processing apps to process your photos, and as long as you have a mobile signal you can then upload straight to the Web using your favorite social networking apps, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc. So with the SX510 HS’s long zoom, you’ll be able to pull in distant wildlife, sports action, and live music acts – something you absolutely can’t do with a Smart Phone; and still upload right to Facebook or Instagram.
As far as image quality goes, the Canon PowerShot SX510 HS uses Canon’s tried-and-true 12-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor with HS System for great low light performance (studio sample photos taken with the Canon PowerShot ELPH 330 HS). Canon has been using this same combination in compact cameras for a few years now and it works great, with useable image quality up to ISO 1600. Combined with Intelligent IS image stabilization, that means great quality in all but the very worst lighting situations – especially for photographers who take advantage of the SX510 HS’s PASM manual exposure modes. Less experienced photographers can use the scene modes or Canon’s Smart Auto for point-and-shoot simplicity.
The Canon PowerShot SX510 HS is scheduled to be available from stores and online dealers in September, 2013. The suggested retail price is just US $249.99 – a great price for a camera with this kind of performance.
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