If we peek at Canon’s cameras, we will find a factor similar in all of them – having more and advanced features than the price you have to pay to buy them. Canon is well-known for targeting customers who want a good quality camera, but they are not willing to spend a huge amount on a brand tag.

Keeping this thing in mind, a great addition to Canon’s family is PowerShot SX730. This camera is so tiny that it can even fit in your pants pocket, yet its features and ultra-zoom lens can surprise you.

The predecessor of this camera is SX720. This updated generation has all the qualities of its predecessor with significant updates and numerous new features.

Canon PowerShot SX730 Review

Here are some details which might interest you:

Built and design

SX730 is built on pretty same specifications as its predecessor. It is light-weight and weighs around 300 grams. The physical dimension of the camera’s body is 110 x 60 x 40 mm or 4.33 x 2.52 x 1.57 inches, so small that it can even fit in the pocket of your pants.

The body is made up of metal and polycarbonate material with the touch of rubber around grips. The finish of the camera is smooth, which gives it a pleasant look.

One of the most noticeable physical features of the device is the tilting-screen. The size of the camera is slightly increased from its predecessor because of it. This LCD screen moves upwards only and displays all the images, videos, menu, and control settings.

This tilting-LCD isn’t touch-sensitive. You have to control the camera, its settings, and manual autofocus via buttons.

There is a mode dial on the top of the camera, a Zoom frame assist button on the back, a zoom switch, playback button, Menu button, video record button, on-off switch, and a scrolling dial with four directional keys with each key able to do a specific function.

Superzoom

There is an excellent zoom range supported by this camera. The zoom range of this compact is a low-cost replacement for an expensive zoom lens.

SX730’s lens is 24-960mm in 35mm camera terms with 40x optical zoom and a F3.3-6.9. This zoom capability is huge as compared to size.

Zoom Frame Assist button

It is a button near the scrolling dial, which helps to use zoom capabilities to the maximum. If you are shooting in long telephoto ranges, and lose your subject, hold this button, and the lens will start zooming out and find the subject again.

After finding a subject, release the hold on the button, and zoom will return to the same focal length.

Image and video quality

All Canon cameras are known for inducing vibrancy and warmth in the results; the same is the case with SX730. Videos and images are much better in sunlight and bright light.

Images are captured in JPEG format with two quality options; fine and superfine. Image quality is best around the central focal arranges. It doesn’t offer RAW shooting.

The video quality is average. Image stabilization and Auto level option gives out steady videos, captured in HD (high definition) format. Nowadays, 4K shooting format for videos is found in cheap entry-level DSLR, and it is a slight turn off that this camera doesn’t support this video format.

Available video modes are (1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 35 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC), (1920 x 1080 @ 30p / 24 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC), (1280 x 720 @ 30p / 8 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC)

Autofocus

There are 9 points AF system with face detection AF, continuous focus, and AF tracking on hands. Performance of AF is very satisfactory and responsive.9 points AF system can focus 9 points of an image if set on automatic mode.

There are manual focus options, too, so you can focus on the subject as per your requirement.

This autofocus employs face detection to focus on people more accurately. AF tracking lets the user shoot 1 cm away from the subject in macro modes.

Manual AF is as effective as an automatic one, but it sometimes becomes tough to use a manual one during shooting.

Battery life

For ideal conditions, battery life is rated at 250 shots according to Canon / CIPA results. This battery life can be extended to 350-355 shots using built-in ECO mode. ECO mode is a power-saving mode to spare some battery.

Connectivity

For easy sharing of images and videos, there are built-in Wi-Fi, NFC, and Bluetooth options. In the previous generation of SX730, Bluetooth connectivity wasn’t supported. The GPS is a common feature found among cameras now, but shame isn’t present in SX730.

This won’t affect the performance, but if you want to use location services, connect the camera with your smartphone via Bluetooth and use its GPS server.

Chromatic aberrations

Superzoom can cause some chromatic aberration. Canon tried to handle them via several things, i.e., purple and green fringing present around edges of objects in high contrast conditions, mere 1 cm close focusing in wide-angel, three-stop intelligent IS system with5-axis Dynamic IS system and Aspherical profiles.

Selfie friendly camera

The tilted screen can be turned towards the face to capture selfies. Canon specifically mentioned this device as a ‘selfie-friendly camera.’ There are some built-in modes specifically for selfies. The most prominent modes between them are Self Portrait and Smooth Skin.

Modes and Filters

This camera offers several filters to customize your images and add a more artistic look to your images. Creative Shot mode and Scene Mode are the key modes.

• Creative Shot mode: this mode can generate the number of photo effects on captured images automatically though you have to activate this mode manually. Digital filters for this model include Auto, Retro, Mono, Special, and Natural Effect.
• Scene Mode: This mode is an advanced one than the previous one. Sub-options for this mode include Portrait, Smooth Skin Portrait, Smart Shutter, Hand-held Night mode, Low Light, Fisheye, Miniature, Toy Camera, Soft Focus, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect, and Fireworks.

The Auto white balance performance is also good and adds up in images vividly. Under fluorescent and mixed lighting conditions, it works best. Under incandescent lighting, it gives slightly warm results with the tungsten preset.

General performance

There are usually no issues with camera responsiveness and performance, thanks to the 21 MP sensor and Digic 6 processor.

The screen is not very bright, but there are setting options to control brightness, etc. Tilting of this screen helps to capture from different angles.

The overall performance of this device turned out satisfactory after various tests.

Canon SX730 specifications:

In the previous section, we explained the key features. In this section, there is every detail about the technical and physical features of SX730.

• Weight (inc. batteries): 300 g (0.66 lb / 10.58 oz)
• Dimensions: 110 x 64 x 40 mm (4.33 x 2.52 x 1.57″)
• Body type: Ultra-compact
• Max resolution by sensor: 5184 x 3888
• Image ratio (width ratio height) 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9
• Effective pixels: 21 megapixels
• Sensor photo detectors: 20 megapixels
• Sensor size: 1/2.3 inches (6.17 x 4.55 mm)
• Sensor type: BSI-CMOS
• Processor type: Digic 6
• ISO details: Auto, ISO 80-3200
• White balance presets: 5
• Custom white balance: Yes
• Image stabilization type: Optical
• Uncompressed format: No
• JPEG quality levels: 2. Superfine, fine
• Focal length (Equiv.): 24–960 mm
• Optical zoom: 40×
• Maximum aperture: F3.3–6.9
• Autofocus: present (Contrast Detect (sensor), Multi-area, Center, Tracking, Single, Continuous)
• Face Detection: present
• Live View: Yes
• Digital zoom: Yes
• Manual focus: Yes
• Normal focus range: 2 cm (0.79 inches)
• Macro focus range: 1 cm (0.39 inches)
• Screen / viewfinder: ArticulatedLCDTiltingtype
• Screen size: 3 inches
• Screen dots: 922,000
• Touch screen: No
• Screen type: TFT LCD
• Viewfinder Type: None
• Minimum shutter speed: 15 sec
• Maximum shutter speed: 1/3200 per sec
• Aperture priority: No
• Shutter priority: No
• Manual exposure mode: No
• Subject/scene modes: Yes
• Built-in flash: Yes
• Flash range: 4.00 m (with Auto ISO)
• External flash: No
• Flash modes: 4. Auto, on, slow synchro, off
• Continuous drive: 5.9 fps
• Self-timer: Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom self-timer)
• Metering modes: 3 (Multi, Center-weighted, Spot)
• Exposure compensation: ±2 (at 1/3 EV steps)
• Video format: MPEG-4, H.264
• Video Modes: (1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 35 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC), (1920 x 1080 @ 30p / 24 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC), (1280 x 720 @ 30p / 8 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC)
• Microphone: Stereo
• Speaker: Mono
• Storage types: SD/SDHC/SDXC card
• USB: USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
• HDMI: Yes (micro HDMI)
• Microphone port: No
• Headphone port: No
• Wireless: Built-In
• Wireless notes: 802.11b/g/n + NFC + Bluetooth
• Remote control: Yes (via smartphone)
• Environmental seal: No
• Battery description: NB-13L lithium-ion battery & charger
• Battery Life: (CIPA) 250
• Orientation sensor: Yes
• GPS: None

Plus points:

• 24-960mm zoom lens. 40x optical zoom lens
• 20.3 megapixel CMOS sensor
• Face detection 9 points autofocus system
• 5.9 fps burst shooting
• Reliable battery life
• MyColors option
• Highly responsive
• Good image stabilization
• Ease of use and good built quality

Cons:

• No touchscreen. Have to control device manually
• No USB cable
• No Viewfinder
• Video quality is not very impressive or up-to-the-mark. No 4k video. Videos shooting quality is limited to High Definition only.
• No electronic level
• No RAW shooting
• Rivals offering few more options

Final verdict:

Canon’s 20 megapixels PowerShot SX730 is an impressive successor to the Canon’s SX720, with many updates. It is the latest travel optical zoom lens, which supports a zoom of almost 40x.

There are several features in this camera that makes it worth buying, i.e., compact size with ultra optical zoom performance, good color reproduction, reliable exposure for images, creative shot modes with digital filters, image stabilization, sound battery life, 5.9fps continuous shooting, 3 inches tilting screen, 922k dot resolution, DIGIC 6 processing, and some other features.

All these features collectively deliver good images and video quality.

The camera’s built is good and performance-wise is impressive. However, some minor turn-offs include no-touch control, no 4k videos, and available alternatives having some additional features.

But to be very honest, we found the other features, making up for these lacking aspects. Maybe SX730 from Canon <- Affiliate Link 🙂 is exactly what you are looking for…