Canon Powershot SX 50HS [Best Superzoom]
One of the arenas that has been witness to frantic competition between manufacturers is the compact superzoom category. When Nikon announced its P500 superzoom with a 36X zoom stretching from 22.5 mm to 810 mm, Canon had its SX 30HS with 30X. Nikon increased its lead to 42X with the 16 megapixel P510 that offered a zoom from 24mm to 1,000 mm.
Canon then leapfrogged its own 35X HS40, and Nikon as well, with its HS50, offering a stupendous 24 ~ 1,200 mm (35mm equivalent) 50X powerzoom.
SX 50HS Features:
- 12 megapixel back-illuminated sensor
- DIGIC 5 image processor
- 4.5-stop optical Image Stabilizer with Intelligent IS technology
- Full manual controls
- ISO 80-6400
- 12-bit RAW format support
- Full 1080p HD movie recording with stereo sound and a HDMI port
- 10fps burst shooting
- 2.8 inch vari-angle LCD screen
- A range of creative filters
- External flash hotshoe
- Electronic viewfinder
- Price: £449 / $479.99.
Looks good onscreen, doesn’t it? Only time will tell how it fares against the Panasonic FZ200, offering a 24~600 constant aperture zoom… and, of course, the Canon’s historical nemesis: the Nikon Coolpix, now in its third avatar as the Coolpix P520 offering the same 24~1,000 mm zoom but this time mated to a 18.2 MP sensor with a base ISO of 80.
