Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Digital Camera with 50x Ultra Wide Angle 24-1200mm Lens (12.1 MP, 50x Zoom) 2.8 inch Vari-angle LCD

I was given this camera to test and then own via the amazon Vine programme.

I used to be a photography buff in the age of the SLR's, buying ISO film and exchanging filters and lenses to ensure the correct photo was produced. One would then take the roll of film to the shop and a week later you would see if what you took turned out OK. With today's digital cameras all these issues have been taken out of the equation with the compact digital cameras. There are still constraints with most compacts I have used, which is compromise between picture quality, the ability to manually set the camera for creativity purposes and the ability to change lenses to allow great macro or zoom shots. I have had 3 very good quality Panasonic Lumix cameras, the last being a TZ30. Whilst these compacts were good, they did not serve all the purposes I wanted in a camera.

The Canon SX50 is not a compact camera and it is not a DSLR, but it is something in between. It is small and compact compared to a DSLR but has so many features included in it, you would think you are using a DSLR. The biggest difference is that this camera does not have inter changeable lenses, it comes with a magnificent 50X zoom, 4.3-215.0mm 1:3.4-6.5 USM canon wide angle lens. Having chosen Panasonic cameras in the past because they use a leica lens, all I can say is this lens is every bit as good in terms of picture quality as anything Panasonic can produce. The zoom is breathtaking in its clarity at 50X zoom. The zoom itself is very quiet and fast. The camera also has a 100X digital zoom which does not compromise the picture quality too much. In essence the lens is stunning with what it can do, allowing for maximum creativity in such a small camera.

I experimented with this camera and its zoom lens. What blew me away was a shot I took in a totally dark room, focusing on a balloon with print on at 50X zoom. The result was a flawless picture whilst using the Auto mode. The picture had a minute amount of grain and the printing on the balloon was perfectly reproduced. The Panasonic cameras I have been used to, could not take such a perfect photo, as they are very poor at taking night shots. All I can say is every night shot I have taken with this camera has been virtually perfect.

If the more experienced photographer wants greater freedom than that offered by the AUTO mode, there is a myriad of different settings which allow everything from fully automatic, semi automatic, differing shutter and apeture priorities, scene modes, JPEG and RAW modes which allow virtually every function of the camera to be set by the user. I have never used a digital camera which allows for so much control by the user.

I must say I am an AUTO setting fan and on this mode picture quality is outstanding and with a little bit of adjustment to the menu, it eliminates red eye problems, has face recognition technology and even gives a warning if someone in a photo has their eyes shut. I have found whilst set in auto mode it has chosen the apeture and shutter speed perfectly virtually every time. It is almost impossible to take a bad photo in AUTO mode. I cannot express how impressed I am with this camera whilst using this mode.

The Video function records in HD and again offers superb quality pictures and allows for the zoom function whilst filming. The sound quality is also very good and is HD.

The LCD screen is large and very clear. Once set up it can display a multitude of information which helps the photographer who wants to use the RAW mode. There is a small viewfinder but I prefer the multi angle, flipable LCD screen.

The quality of the camera appears to be top notch. Although it is made from plastic it appears to be quality plastic and is nicely balanced in how it feels to hold. The grip could do with being rubberised, but this is a minor problem.

The battery needs charging for 2 hours and lasts for about 350 shots. It comes with a strap and lens cover. You will need to buy an SD card and I would suggest nothing less than a class 10 card from a good manufacturer, so that it can cope with all the features of this amazing camera.

There is one downside and for the life of me I cannot understand why Canon did this, the internal flash needs to be manually raised and does not pop out automatically when needed. There is a traditional horseshoe flash point on top of the camera and maybe the non auto pop of the flash may have something to do with the ability to use a more powerful flash gun. Non auto pop up may be there so avoiding damage to the internal flash if it flipped up whilst a flash gun was being used.

I can only find minor flaws with this camera, which are far outweighed by the beautiful pictures it produces, myriad of functions it has and ease of use in AUTO mode. Whilst I have used a DSLR and not liked it because of the lens constraints, I have used this little beauty and loved every minute of it. The zoom is outstanding and the lens produces almost perfect results. I could go on and on about how much I adore this camera, but I guess the reader gets how I feel about it. It is not cheap, but you get what you pay for and with this beauty it is well justified.

Highly recommended.

If you are prepared to make some minor compromises, this might prove to be the only camera you will ever need!

This delightful Digital Dude is described as a 'bridge camera' as it spans the gap between the compact point and shoot camera and the full blown DSLR, offering the best features of both and many new ones of its own. In appearance it looks not unlike a slightly smaller DSLR. The main difference is that the bridge camera comes with one fixed lens. But what a lens it is! It offers a 50 times optical zoom feature which provides smooth movement between 28mm wide angle and 1200mm telephoto. This can be further extended digitally. While you can get a number of individual lenses for a DSLR to provide the same range capability, these might cost an arm and a leg and need a couple of porters in tow to help carry and assist in changing them! Why on Earth would you need such a zoom range? Well, you might want a nice wide angle to capture a beautiful landscape, or zoom to crop a more interesting section; a lesser angled one to shoot a natural looking portrait; a telephoto setting to sneak up on wildlife without scaring them or just to snap the craters on the Moon for later inspection. Your options are endless. So are the shooting features of the camera!

The camera oozes quality and is both nice to look at and to handle. It has a sturdy, black plastic finish and is nicely balanced. I find the controls well placed ergonomically and intuitive to use. It is relatively light and can be carried all day without stress or strain. My only minor niggle is that the grasping parts are not rubberised for extra grip. I like to shoot in fine JPEG and the set up is easy, but this Bridge Baby can also capture in RAW mode for the more professional in our midst! While you can prioritise aperture or shutter settings or go fully manual, you might be like me and prefer AUTO. This lets you takes fast photos without worrying about individual settings. Simply choose your subject, the required zoom magnification, half press the shutter button to automatically focus then let the anti-shake technology smooth out another brilliant shot. If you are new to this type of camera, I would highly recommend the AUTO setting to begin with as this is what makes it so versatile and such fun to use. Should you turn out to be a camera geek, you will find all sort of tweaks offered by this little beauty to more than satisfy your geeky cravings. The camera has a neat, high resolution monitor display which can be used either to select your shot or to play it back. It takes over when you pull it away from the back and can be swivelled and angled in a variety of ways to assist you in getting good views of awkwardly placed objects. It also offers a small, fixed, viewfinder. However you choose to use this camera you will soon find that the pleasure it affords will encourage you to take more and more photos and, due to the quality of its innards, more of them will be keepers as it handles all sort of lighting situations with ease. As well as capturing brilliant stills, it also records great HD video in stereo sound. So mind your language!

It comes supplied with most things necessary to get you shooting in a very short time, but you WILL need to charge the battery as it arrives empty. A full charge takes about 2 hours. Also, you WILL NEED TO BUY a memory card; the digital equivalent of the old film spool. I chose to buy a SanDisk 16GB card from Amazon which arrived very promptly. It will store over 4,000 snaps! If this is not enough, simply buy a card with more storage.

Once you get going, you might want to consider purchasing a UV lens filter cover to protect the amazing lens and a camera bag to shelter your small wonder. The excellent accompanying digital manual identifies the relevant accessories as well as fully describing all the camera operations. Canon do not supply a printed manual. If you find that you need one in the field till you master the range of settings, they will put you in touch with printers that can do so. Total cost is circa £18.00.

To reiterate, this camera will encourage you to take more photos than you have ever done before so you might consider investing in a spare, rechargeable battery as there is nothing more frustratiing than running out of steam in the middle of a photo shoot! You should get just over 300 pics from a charge, but this could easily prove insufficient. You have been warned!

While it is not a cheap buy, it is tremendous value for money and can be guaranteed to provide endless hours of FUN!

If you're looking at this camera, you probably want more out of your compact camera but aren't ready to go all the way to SLR. In that case, look no further! I spent quite some time pondering between this and an SLR. In the end, I decided I could not be bothered with carrying separate lenses and pay premium for that hassle.

This camera's main selling point is its ludicrous zoom capability, one that exceeds the magnification capacity of standard SLR telephoto lenses. And the image stabilization is up to the task. I was able to shoot a full-frame close-up of the moon, simply hand-held by bracing myself againt a wall. Its macro capability is equally ludicrous, as you can focus even on stuff that practically touches the lens.

I like to shoot at night, and that's where a camera's sensor and processor make a big difference, so I've taken the camera out on a few walks. On auto mode, it tends to bump up the ISO, so it can get quite grainy. But its dedicated night mode is brilliant! Fully handheld night shots have come out without grain and minimal motion blur and the colours are vivid. I think it takes 3 rapid shots and somehow combines them.
The camera sports the same DIGIC5 processor as Canon's current SLR range (all the way to the top), so in terms of that, you get the best Canon has to offer.

It has more controls than a compact, but fewer than an SLR. The buttons are big and spaced out, and using them with a double layer of gloves is not a problem. It's lightweight (for its size) and well-balanced and though it's plactic it doesn't feel flimsy. The variable angle screen is one of those things you don't know you need until you've had it (immediately I found myself shooting without lifting the camera to my head, or at weird angles), so it's very handy. The viewfinder is small and the colours are not faithful, so you probably won't ever use it. Finally, a feauture I really appreciated was the level indicator. Even with the grid on display, my photos are often crooked, so this is an extremely useful feature for me.

You probably want to buy a cheap lens-hood to protect this beast of a lens from impacts that might scratch it.