Canon PowerShot SX620 HS Review

With the plethora of modern high tech digital cameras available on the market, we’re beginning to see performance quality only dreamed about hardly a decade ago, however it still comes at a considerable price.

It’s undeniable that shooting crystal clear, high resolution images in an instant, capturing and editing them in the file type of your choice and seamlessly sharing all of your media from a single device has its value. At the same time, we can still take advantage of the advanced hardware that’s been made more accessible than ever to create an affordable, high performance digital camera.

This review is going to be focusing on this, and many other qualities, such as ease of use, durability and appearance, while paying close attention to the comparable performance of leading competitors in the PowerShot SX620 HS’s class. Given that Canon produces some exceptionally powerful personal and professional digital cameras far above its price range, you’ll have a clear comparison between them and this digital camera, in order to establish its overall value.

Accessible Short and Long Zooming Range

Many digital cameras rely on a versatile array of lenses, whether built in or replaceable, in order to provide a great shooting range. ,With a compact size, the Canon PowerShot SX620 HS overcomes the challenge of requiring an array of expensive lenses by moving its independent lens between 25 and 625 millimeters away, providing an immense 25x optical zoom.

You’d imagine that a single lens wouldn’t be capable of quality pictures at this scale, however as you’ll learn about later, it has a powerful sensor and processor that allow it to stabilize images for optimum clarity.

It takes advantage of Intelligent Image Stabilization technology included in most high performance Canon digital cameras today, which automatically selects the following appropriate features, no matter the shooting mode you’re using:

• Normal IS – corrects camera movements in any direction with still images.
• Panning IS – detects panning movements and corrects undesired movements.
• Macro (Hybrid) IS – corrects advanced movements for still images or videos shot at a close distance away.
• Tripod – deactivates IS with use of a tripod to save battery.
• Dynamic IS – corrects movements during video shooting with low zoom.
• Powered IS – corrects movements during video shooting with high zoom.
• Active Tripod IS – fine tunes movement corrections during video shooting with use of a tripod.

This advanced, dynamic and robust technology makes the Canon PowerShot SX620 HS capable of capturing high quality images that without out it, wouldn’t be possible.

20.2 Megapixel CMOS Sensor and DIGIC 4+ Image Processor

The underlying digital hardware determines the quality of images in many ways, and with a compact digital camera, it’s difficult to provide high performance in this area. Canon’s designing and manufacturing capabilities are evident by the high sensitivity CMOS sensor included that’s specifically designed for use with compact digital cameras.

It’s capable of sensing low light levels in order to provide clearer shots, as well as reduce contrast and provide clarity in high light or contrasting light settings, which would otherwise be impossible without external environment changes.

Normally this would mean laggy and loud operation, however it’s actually fast enough to activate auto focusing within an acceptable amount of time, and move image data to the processor quickly enough to enable fast continuous shooting, much more quietly than expected.

None of this would matter without a powerful processor, because you wouldn’t have access to advanced features quickly enough to capture many of the shots that you want to take. Canon has provided an improved version of their DIGIC 4 image processor, that’s capable of processing high ISO images nearly 60% faster than its predecessor.

3″ LCD Screen and Command Options

An effective LCD is essential to any modern digital camera, otherwise you won’t be able to edit images on screen, view what they’ll actually look like as a finished product or take advantage of many of the smart features being made available today.

In terms of size and clarity, 3 inches is actually quite pleasing. Although it takes up most of the back-side of the camera, it’s powerful enough to replace a manual viewfinder. With over nine hundred thousand dot resolution, you can view images in just about any environment.

The high resolution also provides viewing of your HD video while you’re shooting. With the simple to use manual command buttons, including menu, WiFi, function setting, shooting mode and power buttons, it’s exceptionally easy to use.

Smart Wireless Functionality

One of the inherent qualities of modern digital cameras is the smart technology that’s so readily available and useful. The PowerShot SX620 HS is no exception as it’s capable of competing with just about any other smart digital camera in this area.

With integrated WiFi capability you’re able to share all of your media on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Google Drive, directly from your camera, without the use of any cables or other devices. This is made possible via the CANON iMAGE GATEWAY which allows you to upload and share images and videos, as well as make custom comments and select who you want to share them with.

You also have the option of connecting to smartphones and tablets with the use of the WiFi connection button. Using this with the free Canon Camera Connect app enables you to edit and upload images, as well as take advantage of remote control, hands free functionality. Both the WiFi connection of the PowerShot SX620 HS and Canon Camera Connect app are compatible with all of the latest iOS and Android powered devices.

Access to other WiFi enabled Canon digital cameras and any WiFi enabled printer make it extremely versatile for transferring data. There’s also an option to save your media to an online album for advanced sharing and editing.

Video data does have a considerable amount of storage demand, however you can save them in mp4 format. Additionally, Near Field Communication offers instant pairing. What this allows you to do is instantly connect compatible Android devices simply by hovering them over the NFC connection point.

Advanced Shooting Modes

Any professional or hobby-grade photographer knows how useful various shooting modes can be in order to make the most out of the scene you’re shooting. For everyday ease of use, remote shooting is available with the free app, giving you full control of the optical zoom, flash settings,timer and shutter functionality directly from your smartphone or tablet.

What’s more is that videos can be shot in full 1080p high definition, with a plethora of advanced options to make it as easy and effective as possible, including the following features:

• Hybrid Auto – optimizes shooting settings automatically, then combines still images into a video presentation.
• Smart Auto – utilizes the automatic optimization features for any shooting mode instantly.
• Creative Shot – applies various filters and settings to create multiple edited images for every shot.
• Portrait – focuses specifically on a particular subject using a wide angle zoom setting.
• Smart Shutter – detects and analyzes subjects, then automatically takes photos at the right moment.
• High-Speed Burst – rapidly shoots still images as long as the shutter button is pressed.
• Handheld Night Scene – uses Intelligent IS and optimized sensor technology for clear and vibrant images in low light environments.
• Low Light – dynamically sets the CMOS sensor for an array of low light situations.
• Movie – captures video with a single sound channel in order to create higher quality videos.

There are also different effects that can be programmed along with advanced exposure compensation settings, including fish eye, miniature, pinhole, monochrome, super vivid, poster, fireworks and long shutter effects. You can also turn on the Auto Zoom functionality to automatically detect objects and set the appropriate zoom for a higher quality, more visually pleasing image.

Final Thoughts

The Canon PowerShot SX620 HS is definitely not a cheap camera by any means, however by utilizing advanced functionality and updated hardware, you get more of your money’s worth at a significantly lower price than other cameras offering similar features.

Although it’s capable of achieving 1080p full HD videos, as well as auto focus, image stabilization and versatile light sensing even in stark contrast and low light situations, it leans very heavily on these features in order to produce high quality images. That being said, it over-delivers for any casual user who’s looking for high performance, ease of use and economy all in one digital camera.