The Canon PowerShot SX710 HS is a camera that gives the photographer plenty of options when they take their pictures and also plenty of options sharing them as well.
Standout features are the 30x ZoomPlus lens, the 20.3-megapixel resolution along with built-in wi-fi and NFC (near field communication).
It can also shoot full high definition movies at up to 60 frames per second.
The Canon PowerShot SX710 HS is a solid little camera that has shrunk in size over the years but at the same time improving the lens, image quality and resolution.
For what it can offer, the camera is pretty small at 11.3cm wide, 6.6cm high and 3.5cms at its thickest point.
It has a solid built quality and sits nicely in your hand – if you’re right handed that is.
There’s a small rubberised grip on the right side so you can get a good hold on the PowerShot SX710 HS.
This way nearly all of the buttons and dials can be accessed with your thumb.
On the left edge is the switch to pop the flash up from the camera’s body and a face detection lock that can lock on to subject and follow them in the shot and maintain focus and the right exposure.
Behind a small panel on the right edge is an AV Out Digital port and a micro HDMI port.
Along the top are the on/off switch, the capture and zoom and a dedicated movie recording buttons.
It has a 3-inch LCD screen that gives you a great way to frame your shots and easily access the menus but unfortunately it’s not a touchscreen.
The PowerShot SX710 HS in auto mode does all the heavy lifting and deliver sharp and accurate images.
The 30x zoom lens has a 25mm-750mm field of view and a f/3.2 – f/6.9 aperture.
You can also explore more creative shooting with a number of other modes including fish eye, toy camera and miniature effect.
But for those who want to take more control there’s also full manual control so you can adjust the aperture and shutter speed.
One of the other pillars of photography is ISO – a numeric scale for sensitivity to available light.
With the Canon PowerShot SX710 HS in manual mode the higher the ISO the more we saw the image lose its detail and display more noise when shooting in lower light.
But overall we found the camera to be a solid shooter that produced impressive results.
On the video side it can shoot full HD videos at up to 60fps and these were smooth and clear.
What added to the experience was NFC to pair with compatible smartphones and the wi-fi connectivity.
The PowerShot SX710 HS creates its own wi-fi network and users can then look for this SSID on their smartphones and connect to it.
And then using the Canon Camera Connect app you then use it in a number of ways.
You can use your smartphone as a remote shutter and even frame up the image and adjust the zoom and settings.
And if you want to share your higher quality images from the Canon camera you can also wirelessly transfer images to your smartphone through the app.
VERDICT
The Canon PowerShot SX710 HS is an impressive camera that produces great results.
It would be suited to a photographer who wants a solid point and shoot camera and would occasionally dabble in the manual controls.
Canon PowerShot SX710 HS
Price: $399.95
