Canon released a new superzoom pocket camera this week – the PowerShot SX620 HS.
It features a 20.2MP sensor and a 25x optical zoom with a 25-625mm equivalent reach. Even with the extended reach, it is still a pocketable camera.
Canon continues to push WiFi and NFC throughout its product line and the SX620 HS gets both of these features. And, as Canon points out, it is compatible with the regrettable Canon Connect Station CS100.
The SX620 HS has image stabilization to help steady the long reach of this camera. It also captures 1080p HD video and has a 3″ LCD. There are a number of creative and intelligent automatic modes on the camera, making it a compatible camera for consumers who still venture beyond their smartphones.
The Canon PowerShot SX620 HS retails for $279.99 and should ship in late June. Check it out here at B&H Photo.
In my experience, the average smart phone user doesn’t grok the difference between optical and digital zoom. As for myself, without an EVF, trying to use that much zoom while holding the camera at arms length after fishing out my reading glasses first so the screen is in focus and straining arthritic elbows, no thanks. I’d pay $100.00 more if it was a complete camera, as it is, its just a gussied up phone without the phone. Why not put in an EVF and ditch the LCD? With wi-fi the photos can be reviewed on the phone while the camera stays in photo mode if a shot needs a redo. While I’ve never seen it in print, I believe the screens were put on digital cameras in the first place primarily to review photos rather than compose them.
POWERSHOT SX620 HS:
– No articulated LCD
– No stereo, just mono
– No F1.8 lens
– No raw/dng
– No 50 fps video
– No EVF/OVF
– No PASM
No good :(
Point and shoots camera sales are bad, now it is going to get worse.
What’s going on Canon?
I’m not the market for this camera, but F6.6 on the long end?! Geez. Even for clear action shots of kids on the baseball field this could be tough on a cloudy day.
This is not a “video camera” and I don’t think a lot of people would buy it as one, but lack of 60P or a slow-motion mode at this price range is non-competitive. As with everything Canon, it’s embarrassing they keep pushing out non-4K video products. At least this is 1080HD, which is better than then 720P they were pushing earlier this year…