Canon PowerShot SX260 HS Digital Camera Review

Motion

Moving objects have no trail, and compression artifacting is nonexistent in footage captured with the SX260. However clips generally aren't all that smooth, and some minor frequency interference adds some unwanted grain in dark areas. In the video below, notice the severe judder on the spinning pinwheels. More on how CamcorderInfo tests motion.

Video Sharpness

If nothing else, the SX260 is extremely consistent when it comes to video sharpness. Under full studio illumination, the sensor is capable of resolving 400 lw/ph horizontally. The exact same is true vertically, 400 lw/ph again. More on how CamcorderInfo tests video sharpness.

When we dropped ambient light down to 60 lux, a few more artifacts popped up in the footage. Yet, again, the same sharpness: 400 lw/ph both horizontally and vertically. That's very impressive, usually resolution takes a nosedive under low light.

Low Light Sensitivity

This camera is more sensitive than average for low light videography. The sensor requires only 24 lux of ambient illumination to gather 50 IRE of image data. That's no match for a camcorder, but decent for a compact camera.