Canon PowerShot SX30 IS Digital Camera Review

The excellent Canon PowerShot SX30 IS comes equipped with one of the longest zoom ratios we’ve yet seen. Image quality takes a hit as a result of such magnification, but overall the model is a great value and a joy to shoot with.

This review is organized into 16 pages
Page 1 Product Tour Read More...	Page 2 Color Accuracy is above average, but a surprising color mode tweak will yield the best results. Read More...	Page 3 Noise Noise figures aren’t exceptional, but don’t lag behind either. ISO levels are also standard fare. Read More...
Page 4 Resolution The sensor resolves plenty of detail, but chromatic aberration is a major problem for this lens. Read More...	Page 5 Video The SX30 is great for video, thanks to painless handling and relatively accurate colors. Read More...	Page 6 Sample Photos A gallery of photos taken with the Canon PowerShot SX30 IS Read More...
Page 7 Playback Playback is painless, intuitive, and versatile. Read More...	Page 8 Hardware An outstanding feature set highlighted by a swiveling LCD and the incredible 35x zoom. Read More...	Page 9 Controls Creative shooting options are plentiful, but continuous shooting speed is very slow. Read More...
Page 10 Design & Handling Handling is very strong and the menu system is fluid. Read More...	Page 11 Fujifilm FinePix HS10 Comparison We compare the SX30 IS to the HS10. Read More...	Page 12 Nikon Coolpix P100 Comparison We compare the SX30 IS to the P100. Read More...
Page 13 Panasonic Lumix FZ47 We compare the SX30 IS to the Lumix DMC-FZ47. Read More...	Page 14 Conclusion Read our final conclusion of the Canon PowerShot SX30 IS. Read More...	Page 15 Photo Gallery Read More...
Part 16 Comments Read what people are saying about the Canon PowerShot SX30 IS. Add your comments...

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Canon SX30 IS Manual

Top Rated Point & Shoots

$499.00
1
Panasonic Lumix FZ150

Excellent image quality, speedy performance, and a great design add up to the best superzoom that has ever graced our labs. That distinction seems to change hands every week, but trust us when we say that the FZ150 is a truly great camera. Read full 16-part review

$499.00

Read full 16-part review

Types

Any Zoom

3,5.1

3.1x to 5x Zoom

5.1,10

5.1x to 9.9x Zoom

10,

10x & Larger Zoom

Any Megapixels

0,8

< 8 Megapixels

8,10

8 to 10 Megapixels

10,

> 10 Megapixels
$449.99
2
Sony Cyber-shot HX100V

This professionally-geared ultrazoom offers some of the best color accuracy we've ever seen. It's a shame the other scores weren't quite so strong. Read full 16-part review

$449.99

Read full 16-part review

Types

Ultra-Zoom

Any Zoom

3,5.1

3.1x to 5x Zoom

5.1,10

5.1x to 9.9x Zoom

10,

10x & Larger Zoom

Any Megapixels

0,8

< 8 Megapixels

8,10

8 to 10 Megapixels

10,

> 10 Megapixels

16.8 MP
$799.99
3
Canon PowerShot G1 X

Canon's new G1 X features a giant 1.5-inch CMOS sensor and the same manual control that we loved on the G12. Read full 7-part review

$799.99

Read full 7-part review

Types

Any Zoom

3,5.1

3.1x to 5x Zoom

5.1,10

5.1x to 9.9x Zoom

10,

10x & Larger Zoom

Any Megapixels

0,8

< 8 Megapixels

8,10

8 to 10 Megapixels

10,

> 10 Megapixels
$429.99
4
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS

Canon's SX30 got a CMOS makeover that resulted in the SX40 HS, an impressive ultrazoom that captures beautiful shots in almost any scenario. Read full 16-part review

$429.99

Read full 16-part review

Types

Any Zoom

3,5.1

3.1x to 5x Zoom

5.1,10

5.1x to 9.9x Zoom

10,

10x & Larger Zoom

Any Megapixels

0,8

< 8 Megapixels

8,10

8 to 10 Megapixels

10,

> 10 Megapixels
$399.99
5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47

Panasonic resists the urge to cram more megapixels and more focal length into their latest ultrazoom. The FZ47 instead focuses on image quality and features, resulting in an incredibly strong camera that we loved shooting with. Read full 16-part review

$399.99

Read full 16-part review

Types

Any Zoom

3,5.1

3.1x to 5x Zoom

5.1,10

5.1x to 9.9x Zoom

10,

10x & Larger Zoom

Any Megapixels

0,8

< 8 Megapixels

8,10

8 to 10 Megapixels

10,

> 10 Megapixels