Canon PowerShot SX720 HS Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification

The Canon Powershot SX720 HS updates the SX710 HS, and updates the lens to a 40x optical zoom lens, compared to the 30x optical zoom lens on the previous model. The SX720 is available for around £290 in black, or red.

Canon Powershot SX720 HS Features

The Canon Powershot SX720 HS features a new 40x optical zoom lens, which gives the user 10x more zoom than the Canon Powershot SX710 HS has to offer without adding any extra bulk to the camera body. The lens gives the equivalent of 24 to 960mm in 35mm terms, and macro focus can focus on subjects as close as 1cm.

ZoomPlus gives a further 80x reach to the camera which is just 35.6mm thick and the Advanced Zoom Framing Assist function will zoom in / out to compose your shot according to the number of people that are in the frame. 

The Powershot SX720 HS, which due to its size and lens reach is perfect for those who are fans of travelling, combines a 20.3 MP CMOS sensor with DIGIC 6 processing and an Intelligent Image Stabilizer is built in. 

Full HD movies, up to 60p, in MP4 format can be captured and users can put Canon’s Dynamic image stabilisation and Auto Level feature to use when capturing film footage to ensure camera shake doesn't spoil the movie. There's also a Short Clip Movie function which allows users to select four, five or six-second clips from the footage captured which can then be played back in a variety of ways, including slow motion and double speed.

Here we give a quick overview of the Canon Powershot SX720 HS compared to the previous version, the SX710, and some of the nearest competitors, including the Panasonic Lumix TZ80, and Nikon Coolpix A900: 

MF peaking is available in both still and movie mode and a mode called 'Creative Shot' automatically creates five versions of an image with various filters and effects applied. There's also a Story Highlights mode which can be used to view footage without editing it and various photo effects are available. 

Dynamic NFC and Wi-Fi is built in and the PowerShot SX720 is compatible with the Canon app which can also be used to track where images were captured with the smartphone's built-in GPS and also as a remote shutter.

Key Features

• 20.3 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor 
• 40x optical zoom, f/3.3-6.9, 24-960mm equivalent
• Optical image stabilisation (5-axis Advanced Dynamic IS)
• 3inch screen, 922k dot resolution
• DIGIC 6 processing
• Full HD movies, 60p, in MP4 format
• Auto level for video
• ISO80 - ISO3200
• Various creative modes
• Dynamic NFC and Wi-Fi enabled 
• 1cm macro mode
• 5.9fps continuous shooting
• Available in black or red

Canon Powershot SX720 HS Handling

The Canon Powershot SX720 HS feels reasonably robust with a mostly metal body, and the raised grip found on the front of the camera's body helps to provide a secure hold of the camera, which is especially important, given the zoom range on offer. The grip is actually slightly larger than the one found on the SX710 HS and those who have used this particular compact will be familiar with the layout of the dials and buttons found on the SX720 HS as they're pretty much identical.

A small rubber grip can be found on the back, next to the mode dial which allows you to set the shooting mode and on top is the on/off button, shutter release and zoom control. The base gives access to the battery compartment which fits a rechargeable Li-ion Battery that has an approximate shot life of around 250 on standard settings. 

The 3" monitor features approximately 922,000 dots, gives a 100% view and the brightness level can be adjusted to one of five levels, giving a good view of the scene. The screen is clear, bright and the menus displayed on it are well laid out. In fact, those who have used a Canon compact camera before will feel right at home with the layout, and the built in help will be useful for those new to the camera's options.

Wi-Fi features - Using NFC it's easy to connect to an Android smartphone, and if you don't already have the Canon Camera Connect app installed, then the smartphone will automatically go to the Google Play Store where you can install it. Unfortunately, when using remote shooting, you can't use the smartphone's touch-screen to set the focus point, although you can change AF settings. Connecting to an iOS device isn't as straightforward due to the lack of NFC, but you can quickly connect, as there is a dedicated Wi-Fi button on the camera.

Battery life - The camera can shoot approx. 250 shots on default settings, according to CIPA / Canon testing, or with Eco mode approx. 355 shots. This is quite good if you leave the camera switched on to ECO mode, but the rest of the time, you'll be pleased to know that it's possible to charge the camera using a MicroUSB cable. 

Canon Powershot SX720 HS Performance

The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.

Speed - We took a number of shots to test the camera's responsiveness, from switch on to first photo, shot to shot, focusing speed etc. We take a number of shots and then use the average to ensure accurate and consistent tests, making it easy to compare with other cameras.

* If hunting, slower figure, if not hunting then 0.4s

Canon PowerShot SX720 HS Sample Photos

Sample Photos - The focus assist light is bright, which helps focus in low light levels, but your subject may not always appreciate this. There was minimal red-eye when using the flash, but was a little over-powering for our subject. Colour reproduction is good, and the large zoom range from wide to telephoto gives good versatility. Exposure is generally reliable, although the use of the iContrast setting can help expand the dynamic range recorded. 

Canon PowerShot SX720 HS Lens test images

Lens Performance - Being able to focus on subjects that are just 1cm away from the front of the lens (on the wide-angle setting) means you can take some very close up macro photographs, although you'll also need to be aware that the lens does block light from getting to the subject. Purple fringing and chromatic aberration is generally well controlled, unless there are extreme areas of contrast. There is very little lens distortion in terms or barrel or pincushion distortion, which is impressive considering the zoom range on offer, and the camera will automatically correct for this in-camera. At the wide-angle end of the lens, images are a bit soft on the left and towards the corners of the frame, and images are a little soft at the telephoto end of the lens.

Canon PowerShot SX720 HS ISO test images

ISO Noise Performance - Images are reasonably detailed from ISO80 up to ISO400, and at ISO800 noise becomes more noticeable, and detail suffers. Colour saturation remains quite good, even at the higher ISO settings of ISO1600 and ISO3200, which is quite impressive, however you may want to avoid using these settings due to high levels of noise.

Canon PowerShot SX720 HS White-balance test images

White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance (AWB) gives a slightly warm result under tungsten / incandescent lighting, with the tungsten preset giving a more accurate result. AWB performs very well under fluorescent lighting, with the fluorescent preset giving a colour cast.

Canon PowerShot SX720 HS Digital filters

Digital Filters - Creative shot mode takes a number of photos and automatically generates a number of different photo effects, with the option of Auto, Retro, Mono, Special, and Natural effects. In the scene mode, you have the option of Portrait, Smart shutter, Handheld Night mode, Lowlight, Fisheye, Miniature, Toy camera, Soft Focus, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect and Fireworks. There is no automatic panoramic shooting mode. 

Video - Video performance is good, with image stabilisation and the auto level option giving steady video. There doesn't appear to be a setting to adjust the zoom speed, which means that zooming in and out of videos does appear quite rapid, but there are some clever face tracking features that will automatically follow the subject when they move. The camera records full HD video at 60fps, and there are options for wind filter, and attenuator (to reduce loud sounds).