Canon PowerShot SX620 Review
If you are looking into cameras, whether DSLR, SLR, or point and shoot, you have likely noticed that there are a lot of options out there. Each model you look at probably has something different or unique to offer, so finding the right camera for you has become a battle of compromise and prioritization. Our goal here is to clarify models like the Canon Powershot SX620 and its competitors, so you can know exactly where they stand in terms of what you are looking for.
Trying to find a camera that has the right balance of what you need in terms of features, specs, and budget can be quite a long night’s worth of research. If you are looking for something with a kick in the area of specs and features, but maybe doesn’t make such a dent in your budget, then this is the article for you!
What Is Canon PowerShot SX620?
The Canon Powershot SX620 is a point and shoot camera that utilizes high tech specs to put in on the map as a day-to-day camera for beginners, or a traveling photographer’s back up or portable option. It brings 20 megapixels to the table which is great for daily photography and on-the-go photography as well.
It also has a 25x optical zoom with 50x ZoomPlus, which is a good range for most basic photography needs. With a shutter speed range of 15-1/2000 seconds, the Canon Powershot SX620 has most types of photography handled in that range.
The Canon Powershot SX620 offers many shooting modes—some standard like portrait and night scene, but many creative modes as well like fireworks, hybrid, fish-eye, poster effect, long shutter, and more. While there is no manual shooting option, the various creative and standard modes offer a wide array of pre-programmed specs to play with.
Wi-fi, GPS, and NFC pairing are available with this model as well as print connection to make syncing, sending, uploading, and printing pictures fast, easy, and part of the photo-taking process.
PRODUCT SPECS
This camera offers 20 megapixels which works well for most, and is high enough for some editing and a little blowing up. While on the lower end, the 25x optical zoom does help fill the gap users feel between a point and shoot and a DSLR model in terms of range, and the added image stabilizer helps ensure a clean photo.
The shutter speed range of 15-1/2000 is great—especially for the firework mode—and there is a lot of room in there to play with, but the ISO range is lacking at only 80-3200. The lower end of that range will work decently for low-light environments, but the rest of the bracket is fairly standard—if not below the standard—when compared to many cameras on the market now.
The Canon Powershot SX620 offers a lot of standard and creative shooting modes that each come with pre-programmed settings. So, while the lack of a manual mode will be felt, there are a lot of options to play with in an attempt to alleviate that gap.
Wi-fi, GPS, and NFC abilities round out this model in terms of up-to-date features that have become necessary in today’s photography world. The Canon Powershot SX620 also offers a video mode of 1080p full HD.
Unlike many point and shoot cameras, the Canon Powershot SX620 is not meant to be a one-time only camera, so it also offers rechargeable batteries to replace the need for carrying an endless supply of AAs on every vacation with you. This addition is incredibly helpful for all users, though we do wish the battery life would last longer than 280 shots.
Pricing
Prices on the market are always changing, and this is especially true for cameras. On average, we found this model online, which has a fair price. However, if you are looking for less expensive options, Amazon.com always has used and refurbished options that may fit well in your budget.
How It Compares
We picked a few similar products available on the market to see how they compare.
As we said, this is a fair price, but we understand if it is a little outside of the budget for some. We recommend looking into used or refurbished options if you need a little more wiggle room in that price bracket.
Ease of Use
The Canon Powershot SX620 is designed to be easy to use. It is a great grab-and-go camera and has an easy setup and simple interface so you do not need to do much fiddling to get the camera where it needs to be for that perfect shot.
This camera body is small and compact, but that does not mean it is lacking in support. Though it is slim, the Canon Powershot SX620 still offers a grip around the side of the body as well as a thumb rest to aid in better handling.
Our one real complaint is the lack of a touchscreen, which would make menu navigation and photo editing so much easier and faster. This would also appeal more to the users of today’s generation and would be more second nature to many users in general.
Performance
With decent megapixels and a higher optical zoom than the previous model, we expected a little bit more from the Canon Powershot SX620. As is, while the shooting modes are fun and offer lots of creative input, the combined specs of image quality and creative shooting or editing is not something new. In fact, it is something most users have in their pocket already: a smartphone.
With the exception of the zoom, many users may feel it is a slight downgrade from their smartphones as many newer phones offer manual mode-like editing and adjustments. If you do not have or plan on having a smartphone, then this camera may be worth the money. Otherwise, you probably already have all the specs and features this model offers sitting next to Facebook and Candy Crush.
Design Quality
The design is slim and easily portable, which users appreciate, and the screen (though not a touchscreen) is very bright and colorful in any type of lighting. Everything the camera offers is easily accessible, and we cannot fault the Canon Powershot SX620 for the thought that went into the design. We can, however, suggest the addition of a rotating touchscreen to help in interface quality and variability in shooting angles.
Warranty
Canon has a 1-year limited warranty for parts and labor for errors on their end. For a model in this price bracket, that is not a bad deal. However, given the retreat Canon has had with their lower end models on the market, it may be difficult to get replacement parts from them.
PROS
- Decent megapixels
- Lots of shooting modes
- Bigger zoom than smartphone
- Wi-fi/GPS/NFC
CONS
- No touchscreen
- Most features are already available on smartphones
- No manual options
This model offers 20 megapixels, but only 15x optical zoom. As a compact camera, the lens sensor is relatively large at 1 inch, which means this camera should work well in low-light environments. Like the Canon Powershot SX620, this camera works well for those on the go or needing something small to travel with. This model has 4K video capabilities, which is rare for such a small model, and the added touchscreen means there are lots of navigational and editorial options.
This is quite a price jump up from the Canon Powershot SX620, and while this model does offer more, we really cannot say that we agree with the price. If you have your heart set on this model, though, look through the used or refurbished options on Amazon—you will likely find one that fits better in your budget.
The aid of a touchscreen makes navigation even easier on this model, and it was easy to begin with. We have no complaints, nor have we found complaints on how this model operates and navigates. The build is intuitive and simple to pick up and go—no tutorial needed.
Compared to the Canon Powershot SX620, this camera has more options that your smartphone cannot give you in terms of shooting modes and quality; however, the price is just too high if you are simply wanting to outdo your phone. For a couple hundred more, you could get a decent beginners’ DSLR kit and have a lot of options that are not available to you otherwise.
One thing to look at in this camera is the 4K photo isolation. It happens in-camera and you can pull great images out of 4K videos—which is something many smartphones would have a hard time with. This camera also has in-camera RAW photo editing and angle prediction when shooting video.
The lens was one feature many users were excited about. It is a lens that works well with wide-angle shots as well as telephoto shots and most things in between. However, this is also where this model saw the most complaints. Many users felt that the lens and shutter operated slowly and were a bit clunky. Click here for beginners Photoshop tutorials.
This model is well designed to be compact and easily portable. It is also a full-metal camera, which does add some points in terms of durability. Our only suggestion (which is the suggestion of some users as well) would be to add some weather proofing since the camera’s specs work well in different environments.
Warranty
There is a limited warranty for manufacturer errors; however, we feel that with the cost of this model, some added protection would be appreciated.
PROS
- Decent megapixels
- Durable body
- 4K video
- Photo isolation
- RAW options
- Touchscreen
- Wi-fi
CONS
- Lens is slow
- No tilting screen
- High price
Similar to the previous models, this camera offers 20 megapixels. However, it does have a higher optical zoom at 35x. It is not the zoom that helps this camera stand apart, though; it is the manual shooting option. Being able to switch over to manual is a coveted option for point and shoot users, and this model gives just that. This camera also has 4K video and Bluetooth connectivity so on the go users have nothing to worry about—no matter what they are shooting. While there is no viewfinder on this model, there is a tilting 3-inch screen to show you what you are looking at any angle.
While this model has good specs, the sensor is a little small for this price point. Low-light shots will not be well captured, and this is a wide range of shots taken by users, so we feel the price should show that.
Ease of Use
While the use of the camera’s photo-taking settings are simple and easy to understand, setting up Snapbridge to sync photos or videos can be a pain. It is not as intuitive as some users hoped, and can be confusing to use with different computers or phones as some are less compatible.
Performance
Given the specs, we were excited to explore this model. However, it fell short in more ways than one. The battery was our biggest complaint, and many users agree. It struggles to get through the promised 29 minutes of 4K video—often not making it halfway. Many users have needed to replace the batteries soon after purchasing as they do not seem to hold a charge well. This can be a real pain, especially if you want this camera for travel purposes.
Our second issue was with the photo focus, which is soft at best and nowhere near as clear as we were hoping, especially after 15-20x zoom. This can really impact photo quality and was disappointing.
Design Quality
While this model is a compact camera, it is on the clunkier side of the spectrum. There have also been complaints about how easy it is to crack or scratch the screen.
Warranty
While there is a limited warranty, many users have had trouble using it, especially when it comes to replacing batteries so often.
PROS
- 4K video
- 35x optical zoom
- Bluetooth
- Tilting screen
CONS
- Slow zoom and shutter
- Poor image clarity after 20x zoom
- Weak batteries
- Not durable
This camera was built as a rugged point and shoot. It offers 16 megapixels and is waterproof up to 50 feet and shockproof up to almost 6 feet. With only 5x optical zoom, it is not even in the competition for zoom range, but the fact that it can be taken almost anywhere to capture such a variety of images is a feat on its own.
Given the rugged nature of the camera, we think this price is pretty fair.
Ease of Use
This really is a get-up-and-go camera. It is structured to be basic and easy to pick up so you do not need to spend time fidgeting with it.
Performance
The 16 megapixels do not do a lot to help quality, but the fact that this camera can perform where many others cannot is commendable. The zoom is almost negligible, though, and with not many shooting options this camera is fairly basic in terms of performance.
Design Quality
While there is always a more waterproof or shockproof camera out there, we feel that what this model has to offer fills many users’ needs. It’s designed to be compact and durable, and that is exactly what it is.
Warranty
While there is a warranty, it is limited and we feel that rugged cameras especially require a different warranty to match their more risky usage.
PROS
- Waterproof
- Shockproof
- Durable body
- Easy to use
CONS
- Low megapixels
- Poor zoom
- No unique features
CONCLUSION
After looking through each of these cameras and comparing specs and features, we feel the Canon Powershot SX620 deserves 3 out of 5 stars overall. It is mainly its performance bringing it down as we feel many users will likely have all of this camera’s capabilities and more in their smartphone already. While the specs and features are not poor, they are definitely behind, so we recommend looking elsewhere for newer features and more creative shooting opportunities.