Canon Powershot SX500 IS

109 reviews

Jun, 2013

Positive
Usability (22)
Performance (11)
Battery (7)
Image quality (6)
Stabilizer (5)

Negative
Viewfinder (4)
Shutter (1)

General overview
Price comparison
Product Specifications

alaTest has collected and analyzed 109 reviews from magazines and websites. People really like the image stabilizer and image quality. The battery and performance are also mentioned favorably. Many are critical about the shutter and viewfinder.

usability, performance, battery, image quality, stabilizer

viewfinder, shutter

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Digital Compact Cameras the Canon Powershot SX500 IS is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 95/100 = Excellent quality.

See all Canon Digital Compact Cameras

Review analysis

(Based on 109 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(51% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews (30% of reviews)
Show all 4 star reviews (15% of reviews)
Show all 3 star reviews (no reviews)
(4% of reviews)
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Features

Usability
Show positive (96%)None yet(Show all)

Performance
Show positive (82%)Show negative (18%)(Show all)

Battery
Show positive (67%)Show negative (11%)(Show all)

Image quality
Show positive (29%)Show negative (14%)(Show all)

Stabilizer
Show positive (71%)None yet(Show all)

More features

Showing 72 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews

Showing 1 - 10 of 72 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (41)

Expert review by: Joshua Goldman (cnet.com)

Canon PowerShot SX500 IS

The most amazing thing about the PowerShot SX500 IS is that Canon managed to make a 30x 24-720mm lens, attach it to a body, and have it only be 4 inches deep and weigh 12 ounces -- with its battery.

The Canon PowerShot SX500 IS holds an ultrawide-angle 30x zoom lens in a very small, very light body. It offers more shooting options -- including semimanual and manual controls -- than most in its class, and has very good optical image stabilization.

Despite autofocus improvements, the SX500 IS' shooting performance might still be too slow for action shots, especially indoors. It's not a great choice for handheld low-light shots.

It has its limitations, but the Canon PowerShot SX500 IS is a good choice for zoom addicts on a budget.

Jan, 2013

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CAMERA LABS.COM - HIGHLY RECOMMANDED

Expert review by: Ken McMahon (cameralabs.com)

Canon PowerShot SX500 IS

The SX500 IS has a 3in fixed LCD screen with 461k pixel resolution and a pop-up flash, along with full PASM exposure modes in addition to Smart Auto, a range of scene modes and Creative filters which can be used for both stills and movies. The...

30x stabilised optical zoom ; Compact lightweight body ; Frame assist helps locate subjects at long focal lengths ; Versatile Creative filters

Very poor continuous shooting ; Lens suffers from Chromatic aberration ; Poor battery life ; Vertical streaking on highlights in video (due to CCD)

The PowerShot SX500 IS provides an unbeatable combination of massive zoom range in a compact lightweight body that, for now at least, is unmatched by anyone else. If you want a smaller camera, you'll need to make a compromise on zoom range and if you...

Sep, 2012

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Expert review by: Digital Camera-HQ (digitalcamera-hq.com)

Canon PowerShot SX500 IS

The SX500 IS comes in somewhere between the just-announced SX160 IS and the high-end SX40 HS, combining the price-cutting features found on the former with the zoom range on the latter. The 30x extended zoom is built into an impressively small body...

Aug, 2012

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Expert review by: Barrie Smith (digital-photography-school.com)

Canon Powershot SX500 IS Review

A year or so ago I was attracted by Canon's SX30 IS, a 35X digicam. So much so that I bought one for family use. And it turned out to be ideal for the purpose, especially in shooting video at the long end! … although this was somewhat tempered by its...

Then this feller turned up! Not as long a zoom. Sure! But smaller! And cheaper!

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Consumer review by: forevermemorable (cnet.com)

"Terrible camera! Stay away! Do not buy!"

Terrible camera! The worse one I have ever used! You can use disposable camera that perform better than this one. The auto focus drowns out your photos! Too much lighting! Of course you can tweak the settings, if you had time, but for a quick point and...

The Zoom lens

Battery life, picture quality, default settings, hard to navigate through menu settings, poor flash quality, drown out pictures, terrible photos without flash, etc. etc. etc.

Jun, 2013

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Consumer review by: jonorose (cnet.com)

"Outstanding value for money"

I picked up this camera for the equivalent of $250 in my money before I headed off on

- Price!!

(only if I have to be petty)

Apr, 2013

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Consumer review by: (amazon.com)

Amazon review summary for the Canon Powershot SX500 IS

alaTest has collected and analyzed 1 user review of the Canon Powershot SX500 IS from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 3.0/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.0/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.com.

zoom

0% of reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Jun, 2013

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Consumer review by: CJ (newegg.com)

Great camera w great accessories (perfect for a lady)

All around great little camera. Better than the little box cameras and so much lighter than those DLR giants that you cant toss in your purse or pack without taking up valuable space. This is the camera to have, ladies! Fits your hand great, light and...

Lightweight and small camera with grip enough to handle. Easy to use selection menu. Lithium battery means it is little and light. Gets in close so I can take those closeup flower shots on hikes. Second battery in accessories super plus. Great memory...

No viewfinder but I didnt want one. Camera bag not my favorite and almost unnecessary for the size of the camera (one of the accessories). Hard to thread the neck strap through notches on the camera...Canon could engineer that little detail better but...

Jun, 2013