Canon PowerShot SX260 HS Digital Camera Review

Color

Color accuracy is above average, though not remarkably so. Errors are spread pretty evenly across the gamut, with problems in all shades, though reds and oranges were slightly worse than the rest. These tones will affect rendition of human subjects, but the errors are not severe enough to distract. More on how we test color.

We recorded a minimum error value of 2.76 in our lab test, which is just a little bit better than the 3.00 average. Saturation is a little too high, over by 7.7%.

NOTE: Because of the way computer monitors reproduce colors, the images above do not exactly match the originals found on the chart or in the captured images. The chart should be used to judge the relative color shift, not the absolute captured colors.

In today's comparison group, the most accurate camera is still last year's Sony HX9V, the top performing travel zoom to date. The SX260 is close behind though, making it so far the most accurate travel zoom of 2012. Performance is in fact much better than the Canon S100, known for its excellent image quality.

Color Modes

The most accurate color mode is a toss-up between Vivid Red (strangely) and simply turning off the My Colors feature. We settled on the latter, since it posed less of a risk of affecting other settings. 11 color modes are available in total, including one customizable option.

White Balance

Most cameras offer better custom white balance than automatic, however the SX260 is an extreme case. This is especially true under incandescent light, where the automatic white balance was off by nearly 2800 degrees Kelvin. Fluorescent and daylight are much better though, averaging errors of less than 200 K. Using custom white balance it's possible to achieve similar results, even under incandescent.

White Balance Options

Six white balance presets are available, including two fluorescent settings and one for use with an underwater enclosure. Setting custom white balance is a painless experience, just like most Canon cameras, thanks to a responsive and intuitive interface.