All photos Canon SX70 |
I am a big fan of bridge cameras because of their
versatility and all-in-one-do-most things capability.
Bridge cameras look like and in most ways operate like
Digital SLR cameras or Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. The main
difference is that the lens on a bridge camera is a super or ultra zoom, fixed
in place, not interchangeable. In addition bridge cameras have a smaller sensor
than interchangeable lens types.
In the heyday of digital photography, around 2010, there
were many bridge cameras on the market from Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Panasonic,
Olympus, Sony and Leica.
These days there are fewer makers in the bridge cam market
offering fewer models.
But some have persisted, including Canon.
The Powershot SX(xx) IS or more recently HS line with two digits has been in the middle
of Canon’s bridge camera range since the original SX10 IS in 2008. Models in
this range generally have a built in EVF over the lens axis, a decent set of
controls, handle and thumb support and in recent years, a fully articulated
monitor screen and Raw capture. They are clearly aimed at the moderately
enthusiastic amateur photographer who wants a proper camera with a big zoom
range at a budget price, without the complication of having to change lenses.
The SX70 HS introduced in 2018, continues this tradition.
I bought an SX70 and have been using it intermittently for
several months. Unfortunately my experience using this camera has been less
enjoyable than the specifications might suggest.
I think the word which best describes the SX70 is
“mediocre”. It does what the label says but slowly and with image quality which is acceptable for social media but not much more.
The SX70 is compact, light and comfortable in the hand with
a nicely shaped handle and a well positioned
thumb support. The single control dial is well positioned behind the
shutter button in typical Canon fashion. The monitor screen is fully
articulated. And the strap lugs are handlebar type which is way better then
those stupid sticking-out loops on some other cameras, which always dig into the
hand and get caught on anything near the camera.
But there is no hotshoe, no filter thread, no lens hood in
the box, the screen is not touch sensitive and there is only one control dial.
JJC has a solution to both the lens hood and filter thread
problem in the form of the LH-JDC100 hood which includes a bayonet mounted ring
onto which the reversible hood and 67mm filter can be mounted.
There are enough dials and buttons to enable the user to take control of camera settings and operation if desired. However the process of doing so can be slow as it often involves using two or more control points due to the limited number of those control points. For instance there is no direct way to move the active AF area. We must first press an assigned button then we can move the AF area with the cross keys but not with touchscreen because the camera lacks that feature.
We can apply exposure compensation with the control dial but
only after pressing the Down cross key.
We have access to manual exposure control but only by doing
a little dance with the control dial and the up cross key to select and alter
the various exposure parameters.
It is easier to turn the Mode Dial to P, let the camera figure out the appropriate exposure
settings and hope this delivers a good result. Which it sometimes does and
sometimes does not.
Or we can set the dial to [Auto] which confines us to JPG
capture and completely camera-controlled operation.
Canon SX70 with Panasonic Lumix FZ300 |
But even then the performance is not wonderful. Single AF is slow with hunting back and forth in low light. The camera uses old-style contrast detect AF, not the excellent dual pixel AF which we find on Canon’s RF mount models.
Image quality is hampered by the tiny sensor with 20 Mpx
crammed onto a 6.17 x 4.55mm chip, producing a lot of digital noise even at low
ISO settings. JPGs from the camera do a reasonable job of suppressing the noise
at the expense of detail.
If we want to use a device which takes photos with the least
possible user input, just
point-and-press, then almost any smartphone will do a better job than the SX70
in terms of image quality and connectivity.
The way to extract the best possible performance and image
quality from the SX70 is to use Raw capture and A, S or sometimes M capture
modes, then run the files through Adobe Camera Raw with its new and excellent
Denoise AI or one of the other AI driven denoise programs.
But here is the problem. If we are going to take control of
camera operation and post process in Adobe, then there are plenty of cameras
which give us a better starting point in terms of performance and image quality
than the SX70.
The lens’ specification looks really impressive on paper
with a focal length equivalent to 21-1365mm, as marked on the lens barrel. But
in practice the lens is not very sharp at any focal length. At the wide end the
periphery is soft with strong purple fringing at high contrast transitions. The
fringing can be difficult to remove in post processing. The lens is also prone
to flare at the wide end of the focal length range. The lens is best in the middle of the focal
length range where it can deliver decent results if used carefully. At the long
end there is overall softness which in my experience is typical for cameras of
this type.
One thing the SX70 lens can do quite well is close-ups. I
tried it on flowers with good results hand held. So that’s a positive
capability.
I compared the SX70 at an indicated 1365mm equivalent focal
length to the Panasonic Lumix FZ300 at an indicated 600mm focal length, hand
held using a variety of distant subjects. When the images are viewed side by
side at the same output size I cannot see any more actual subject information
in the SX70 pictures.
All of which makes me think the extreme zoom range of this
camera is mainly there for marketing purposes.
Summary
The Canon Powershot SX70 HS bridge camera is a disappointing
product which I cannot recommend. It offers the user a few positives but too
many negatives.
The Panasonic Lumix FZ300 is slightly larger and heavier and
in Australia sells at a slightly higher price. It does everything better than
the SX70: Ergonomics, performance, image quality and the user experience. The
FZ300 is a really interesting classic bridge camera which offers capabilities,
features, lens and image quality
available on no other bridge camera which uses the tiny 6.17 x 4.55mm sensor.
I think that Canon is likely to suffer self inflicted
reputational harm and is not doing its customers any favours by keeping the
SX70 on the market.
Canon could make a good bridge camera though. I would like
to see them produce a new camera line which I call EOS G. Specifically I
envisage the lens from the Powershot G3X (discontinued) fixed permanently (not
interchangeable) to the EOS R10 body
enclosing a 15.9mm diagonal sensor (like the G3X) with dual pixel AF. That might be
very interesting to many photographers who like using a proper camera
but baulk at spending the price of an automobile for the privilege of so doing.
I would like to see them produce a new camera line which I call EOS G. Specifically I envisage the lens from the Powershot in CCTV Cameras
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I'd buy an ESO G with the lens from the G3X in a heartbeat.
ReplyDeleteThe clarity of the images on this best cctv monitor is impressive, ensuring every detail is captured
ReplyDelete