Canon’s DSLRs are considered one of the best cameras in the photography world. One of these is the Canon SX740 HS PowerShot.
It is a sleek, 4K ultra-high-definition travel camera with up to 40x optical zoom. Superfast DIGIC 8 processing, sharing, and several other features make it a perfect traveling partner.
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Canon SX740 HS Review
Are you looking for a camera that is lightweight and easy to carry outdoors? And this camera should come with up to date technology, useful connectivity features, superzoom, ultra-high-definition photos, and video capturing capabilities?
Then there’s are good news for you. All these qualities are the core features of Canon SX740 HS PowerShot. Coming from the reliable brand name of Canon, this camera is worth your money.
Design and built
Upon first glance, even users of its predecessor SX720 can confuse that either it the model they are using or SX740 in their hands.
There are no physical differences between this model and its previous generations, but there are many technical updates and new features.
With the bodily dimensions of 11 cm x 6.4 cm x 4 cm and a total weight of 0.3kg only, it is the perfect candidate to become your traveling companion.
It can easily fit in your pocket. Small size doesn’t mean that there are any controls or anything else is missing. There are buttons and controls to control the camera manually.
There is a little metallic touch on the front of the body, whereas everything else is polycarbonate built.
These thermoplastic polymers give the body of the camera its shiny look and make it more robust and more challenging.
Grip and thumb are designed in a way to give you a better hold. SX740 is available in two colors: Black and Silver.
At the front of the camera, there is an optical zoom lens with a 40x zoom. At the backside, there is an LCD screen, some control buttons, and a dial.
The LCD screen is tilting one. You can tilt it in any direction within the limit of 180 degrees. This will give you a better self-portrait experience.
One issue that Canon should address regarding screens is that almost all competitors’ camera of SX740 HS PowerShot has a touch screen.
It doesn’t affect the camera’s performance, but even the cameras cheaper than this one has a touch screen nowadays.
Besides, LCD visibility is seriously compromised outdoors.
DIGIC 8 image processor
Unlike the previous model, the DIGIC 8 processing engine is added to SX740 PowerShot. Canon itself firstly introduced this processor, but it wasn’t part of this series until they came up with this camera.
As processors work like a camera’s brain, this update bought many changes with it, i.e., making 4k shooting possible, increasing pixels count, better autofocusing, clear images at high ISO speeds, accurate subject detection, continuous still shooting at ten fps, and many such advances.
4k video shooting
Because of DIGIC 8 processor, SX740 is capable of shooting 4k UHD video at 39/25 fps. This is the first camera of the PowerShot series with 4k capabilities.
With video shooting, there is also a new option of 4k time lapse. This is a pretty nifty addition.
To shoot in 4k, set the camera on 4k shooting using the dial on the camera’s backside. This video shooting format consumes more battery than the other two available video shooting formats of SX740: Full HD (1920 x 1080 at 60 or 30 fps) or Standard HD (1280 x 720 at 60fps).
40x zoom lens
40x zoom is the best zoom capability offered by any camera of the PowerShot series. 40x zoom lens makes SX740 capable of delivering 25mm wide-angle images, zooming 24 mm to 960 mm telephoto in 35mm focal range terms.
It makes it a perfect camera for shooting high-quality wide-angle images to close-ups. It can capture objects far away, such as flying birds to an item as close as just 1 centimeter away from the camera’s body.
The camera’s optical image stabilization works, but to have absolute blur-free results, it is highly recommended to use a tripod or monopod when you are shooting at higher zoom levels.
Zoom framing assist button: losing track of the subject is a common problem in telephotography, and when you shift zoom from lower to higher levels and vice versa.
The zooming assist frame button is added on the backside of the camera to eliminate this annoying issue. It helps to reacquire the subject by zooming-out and focusing on the subject.
Releasing the ZFA button will take the frame back to the previous zoomed-in position before pressing the button, but this time with an accurately focused subject. This feature works best in telephotography.
Image quality
20.3 megapixels image quality with a 40x zoom lens provides excellent, HD, and vibrant image results.
But this is the case only when there is an adequate amount of light is present. Results for images in low light are not very impressive.
The average image output is 6 megabytes, which can be saved in the SD card.
Images can be captured in JPEG mode only. The absent image format of RAW is disappointing.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
It is easy and wireless media sharing supported by Canon SX740 PowerShot with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Bluetooth performs regular sharing functions, but Wi-Fi makes your experience with this camera better.
It enables you to share images directly to the Wi-Fi printer or your cloud storage, help to sort pictures by just entering the date, and connect the camera to the smartphone fast and easily.
Connecting to Wi-Fi is easy. Just press the dedicated Wi-Fi Button at the back.
Mobile app
Using the Canon Camera Connect application, you can transfer your shots to smartphones and control your camera via your phone to some extent.
The mobile app makes the remote shooting experience memorable. Instead of controlling with manual camera settings, you can control some settings from your mobile screen, i.e., zooming, focusing object, releasing the shutter, manual changing of exposure settings, ISO adjustment, continuous shooting, adjusting timer, and Live View Shooting.
Using the Connect app, you can add your GPS data to your images. This app requires GPS using permission, and upon granting permission, it will save the data even when the camera isn’t connected with the app for later use.
Battery life
There are visible improvements in battery life. Though several users stated that actual battery life is not like official stats, still it’s okay.
With a fully charged battery, you can capture a maximum of 370 shots (in ECO mode only. Otherwise, it is around 145-165, 1-hour Video recording, or 5 hours of media Playback.
The battery in SX740 is a regular Lithium-ion battery.
Canon SX740 HS Specs:
- Manufacturer: Canon
- Name: Canon SX740 HS PowerShot Review
- Type: Digital camera
- Available color: black and silver
- Item Package Dimensions L x W x H: 16.2 cm x 14.7 cm x 7 cm
- Body Dimensions L x W x H: 11 cm x 6.4 cm x 4 cm
- Item Weight: 0.3 Kilograms or 10.5 oz., 9.7 oz.
- Optical Sensor Size: 1/2.3″
- Digital Zoom: 4 x
- Depth: 1.6 in
- Sensor Resolution: 20.3 Megapixel
- Optical Sensor Type: BSI-CMOS
- Total Pixels: 21100000 pixels
- Digital Video Format: H.264
- Image Recording Format: JPEG
- Max Video Resolution: 3840 x 2160
- Max Shutter Speed: 1/3200 sec
- Min Shutter Speed: 15 sec
- Image Processor: DIGIC 8
- System: TTL contrast detection
- Auto Focus Points (Zones): Qty9
- Face Detection: face-priority AF function
- Audio Signal Format: AAC
- Interfaces: HDMI, USB 2.0
- Light Sensitivity: ISO 100-3200, ISO auto (100-3200)
- Special Effects: Black & White, Food, Neutral, Sepia, Standard, Vivid
- Flash: pop-up flash
- Min Operating Temperature: 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature: 104 °F
- Optical Zoom: 40 x
- Lens Aperture: f/3.3-6.9
- Maximum Aperture Range: F3.3 – F6.9
- Min Focal Length: 4.3 mm
- Max Focal Length: 172 mm
- Self-Timer Delay: 10 sec, 2 sec
- Microphone: Stereo
- Battery: Lithium-ion
- Battery Life: 370 shots (ECO mode), 1-hour Video recording, 5-hour Playback
- Max Video Resolution: 3840 x 2160
- High-Definition Video Support: 4K
- Wireless Interface: Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11b/g/n
- Continuous shooting speed: ten
- Connectivity Features: Wireless Image Transfer via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, remote control via mobile devices, remote live view
- Warranty by manufacturer: 1 year
Highlights of performance features
AE lock, AF lock, FE lock, GPS via mobile, HS System, Hybrid Auto, Smart AUTO, Time-Lapse recording, USB charging, Zoom Framing Assist, cropping an image, digital image rotation, digital teleconverter, histogram display, in-camera red-eye removal, primary color filter, resizing an image, and tilt adjustment.
Pros:
- Very lightweight and compact
- 40x zoom
- Brand-new DIGIC 8 image processor
- 180-degree tilting screen. It makes self-portraits easy and fun
- Good autofocus capabilities
- 4k video recording
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for easy sharing
- Accurate autofocus
- Value of money
Cons:
- Disappointing image quality in low light
- RAW format not supported
- The viewfinder is absent. It seriously compromises the LCD outdoors
- Occasional blur images at high shutter peed
Conclusion
Though this camera is not suitable for professionals, it can be a perfect partner for vloggers, beginners, travelers, and people looking for a good camera for outdoor photography.
4k video shooting, good battery life, super-fast image processor, autofocus, and lightweight make it is a perfect companion for outdoors.
Keeping our verdict short, it is suitable for day to day use and worth your money.<-Affiliate link 🙂
