Canon SX60 HS First Shots posted: Does the new 65x king of superzooms have the IQ to back that range?

 

 

Superzoom cameras are a popular lot, and more people seem to be flocking to them these days, at least here at IR. The race for longer range continues, heating up this year with the farthest achievable focal length to date for an all-in-one superzoom, namely the Nikon P600 which goes to a record-setting 1,440mm equivalent (at 60x).

The Canon SX60 HS comes close at 1,365mm, but sports a first for the category by extending 65x given that it's wider at the wide end (21mm vs 24mm eq.). And it far outclasses its predecessor the popular SX50 HS on both with its 50x range from 24-1200mm eq., as well as sporting a sensor with roughly 4 more megapixels in resolution.

With all current superzooms sporting roughly the same size 1/2.3" type sensors, the logical question becomes: Does the longer range or the higher resolution negatively affect the image quality? Our initial lab samples are the starting point in determining this, at least at standard focal lengths, and we therefore present our Canon SX60 HS First Shots. On this page you can access both JPEG and RAW files for downloading to use for your own personal (non-commercial) comparison purposes, including access to all EXIF data.

You can also use our Comparometer to pit the SX60 HS against the competition or its predecessor the SX50 HS. Does it hold its own against the Nikon P600, the Panasonic FZ70 or the Sony HX400V? How about the Olympus SP-100 or the Fuji S1? ...You be the judge!

To get you started, below is a 1:1 crop comparison between the SX60 HS and the SX50 HS at ISO 100. The apparent size difference is due to the different sensor resolutions.

 

 Canon SX60 HS                    ISO 100                     Canon SX50 HS

This is just the beginning, as we'll be exploring the Canon SX60 HS in depth for you, so check back often for updates and shooter's reports to come.

[quick links: Canon SX60 HS • Lab Samples • Comparometer • SX60 HS vs SX50 HS]