Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification
The 20 megapixel Canon Powershot SX730, like the SX720, offers the most optical zoom in a compact travel zoom camera, with an impressive 40x optical zoom lens! This year's update has added a new tilting screen, as well as Bluetooth.
Canon Powershot SX730 HS Features
The 40x optical zoom lens gives the equivalent of 24 to 960mm in 35mm terms, and macro focus can focus on subjects as close as 1cm. The camera offers an "intelligent image stabilisation" system, which uses optical image stabilisation plus 5-axis advanced dynamic image stabilisation. ZoomPlus gives a further 80x reach to the camera, and the Advanced Zoom Framing Assist function will zoom in / out to compose your shot according to the number of people in the frame.
The Powershot SX730 HS offers an impressive lens reach, the most optical zoom of any travel zoom camera currently available, making it perfect for those who are fans of travelling. There is a 20.3 MP BSI CMOS sensor, and the camera will shoot up to 5.9fps with continuous shooting active.
FullHD movies can be recorded in MP4 format at up to 60fps. Canon’s Dynamic Image stabilisation and Auto Level feature 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.
The camera has manual shooting modes, auto shooting, plus a number of scene modes and creative effects. Manual Focus (MF) peaking is available in both still and movie mode and the 'Creative Shot' automatically creates five versions of an image with various filters and effects applied. There's a Story Highlights mode which can be used to view footage without editing it and various photo effects are available.
NFC, Wi-Fi and now Bluetooth are built-in so that you can connect the camera to your smartphone or tablet, for transferring images, and remote control, using Canon's Camera Connect app. You can use this to add GPS location information to photos as well.
If we look at the main competition, the options include the Canon Powershot SX730 HS, Nikon Coolpix A900, Panasonic Lumix TZ90, and Sony Cyber-shot HX90 (not shown).
| Canon Powershot SX730 | Nikon Coolpix A900 | Panasonic Lumix TZ90 | Sony Cyber-shot HX90 |
| 20mp | 20mp | 20mp | 18mp |
| 40x | 35x | 30x | 30x |
| FullHD video | 4K video | 4K video | FullHD video |
| 3inch tilting | 3inch tilting | 3inch tilting touch | 3inch tilting |
| - | - | EVF | Pop-up EVF |
| 5.9fps continuous | 10fps | 10fps | 10fps |
| - | Top control wheel | Front control ring | Front control ring |
| Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth | Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi, NFC (GPS HX90V) |
| 250 shots (normal)* | 270 shots | 380 shots (screen) | 390 shots |
| 300g | 298g | 322g | 245g |
* ECO mode extends this to 355 shots
The Canon Powershot SX730 HS offers the most optical zoom, with a 40x optical zoom lens, however, the camera doesn't offer 4K video.
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 tilting screen, 922k dot resolution
- DIGIC 6 processing
- Full HD movies, 60p, in MP4 format
- Auto level for video
- ISO80 - ISO3200
- Various creative modes
- Bluetooth, NFC, and Wi-Fi enabled
- 1cm macro mode
- 5.9fps continuous shooting
- Available in silver or black
Canon Powershot SX730 HS Handling
The mode dial has been moved to the top of the camera, and on the back, you'll find a zoom assist button, wireless connection button, 4-way controller/scroll wheel, Func/set button, playback and menu buttons.
With the addition of the tilting screen, the SX730 is larger than the SX720, and while it will fit into jeans pockets, the camera will be much happier in a jacket pocket. Of the three cameras below, it's one of the thinnest, at just under 40mm, with the Nikon Coolpix A900 slightly bulkier, and the Panasonic Lumix TZ90 the thickest at over 40mm. The size of the SX730 is impressive, considering the 40x optical zoom lens offered.
Canon Powershot SX730 HS Vs Nikon Coolpix A900 Vs Panasonic Lumix TZ90 - Canon packs in a 40x optical zoom lens in a camera roughly the same size as the competition.
The Canon offers a mostly metal body (front, back and bottom), giving the camera a premium feel. The front features a rubber grip for your fingers, and the rear has a rubber thumb grip giving something to hold on to, although we would recommend holding the camera with two hands, as you'll need to hold the camera as steady as possible if you want to get sharp shots when using the full 40x optical zoom.
The screen looks good and is clear and bright, making it visible outdoors. The screen can be tilted forwards for easy selfie shots, and being able to tilt the screen helps make it easier to shoot from different angles.
The menus on the SX730 HS aren't the same as found on more advanced Powershot, and EOS cameras. However, they are clear and easy to read, with built-in help. The number of options available varies depending on which mode you're in, and the Func / Set button lets you change settings on the rear screen, without having to go into the menus.
Wi-Fi features - Entering the Wireless connection menu on the camera, you can transfer images between cameras, connect to a smartphone, connect to a computer, print from a Wi-Fi printer, or upload to a Web service. Setting up the connection to the camera from a smartphone is quite straightforward, with Canon Camera Connect featuring a built-in guide. If your device supports NFC, then this can be a quicker way of connecting. You can use the app on your phone to send location data to the camera so that images will have GPS tagging.
Battery life - Battery life is rated at 250 shots according to Canon / CIPA test results but can be extended to 355 shots using the ECO mode. This is a little short, unless you switch to the ECO mode, so a spare battery may be a good idea.
Canon Powershot SX730 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, to test continuous shooting, focusing speed, and shutter response. 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.
| Shutter Response | <0.05secs |
| Wide - Focus / Shutter Response | 0.1secs |
| Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response | 0.15secs |
| Continuous Shooting - JPEG (shots before slow down) |
6-7fps |
The camera performed quickly but was occasionally slow when viewing images after shooting in continuous shooting mode.
Canon PowerShot SX730 HS Sample Photos
Sample Photos - Colour reproduction is good, and the large zoom range from wide to telephoto gives good versatility. Exposure is generally reliable, and the use of the iContrast setting can help expand the dynamic range recorded, although unfortunately there is no HDR mode built-in. The focus assists 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 occasionally overpowering for our subject.
Canon PowerShot SX730 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 are fairly 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. Images are a little soft at times, and it can be difficult to get sharp shots when using the full optical zoom unless you are shooting in bright sunny conditions.
Canon PowerShot SX730 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 higher levels of noise.
Canon PowerShot SX730 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. AWB performs well under mixed lighting conditions.
Canon PowerShot SX730 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, Smooth Skin 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 is 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).
Value For Money
The Canon Powershot SX730 HS is available for around £379 which makes it reasonable value for money, although some of the competition offers 4K video, and if you don't want the tilting screen, then the SX720 offers excellent value for money. Alternatives to look at, include the following cameras, all of them include Wi-Fi connectivity. We've included the SX730 as a reference:
Canon Powershot SX730 HS, 40x zoom, 3inch tilting screen, 5.9fps continuous shooting, FullHD video, £379
Nikon Coolpix A900, 35x zoom, 3inch tilting screen (up and down), 10fps continuous shooting, 4K video, £329
Sony Cyber-shot HX90, 30x zoom, 3inch tilting screen, 10fps continuous shooting, FullHD video, EVF, £322
Panasonic Lumix TZ90, 30x zoom, 3inch tilting touch-screen, 10fps continuous shooting, 4K video, EVF, £399
Have a look at more travel zoom cameras in our Top 10 Best Pocket Zoom Cameras. You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.
Canon Powershot SX730 HS Verdict
The Canon Powershot SX730 HS offers the most optical zoom in a travel zoom camera, with a whopping 40x optical zoom lens. With built-in Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth, it's easy to set up a connection to your smartphone, making transferring images easy and quick. The SX730 offers the best colour performance of cameras in this class, with good colour straight from the camera, in a variety of lighting conditions. The camera is easy to use with a number of auto and scene modes, and for the more advanced there are manual controls. FullHD video recording is available, and with optical image stabilisation, video quality is good, although competitors now offer 4K video. The only question really is whether you should get this version with a tilting screen, or the previous version with a fixed screen.
| The Canon Powershot SX730 HS offers a massive 40x optical zoom lens and excellent colour reproduction. |