Buzz
The Canon PowerShot SX170 IS is a compact camera belonging to Canon's super zoom line. The camera features a 16MP CCD sensor, a lens with up to 16X zoom capability, and optical image stabilization to combat blur when shooting at large apertures. It also allows users to manually adjust shutter speed and aperture.
Construction and design of PowerShot SX170 IS
The PowerShot SX170 IS camera belongs to Canon's super zoom compact camera line, a lower version of the Canon SX280 HS. With its hefty body, at first glance, many might mistake it for a DSLR model, but it's indeed just a compact camera.
The PowerShot SX170 IS camera has a bulky body like a DSLR
Being a travel camera line priced under 4 million, the PowerShot SX170 IS is equipped by Canon with a 16MP CCD sensor, along with a DIGIC4 image processor and a rather simple interface.
The PowerShot SX170 IS camera comes in two color versions, black and burgundy. With its plastic body and metal frame, this design relatively reduces its cost compared to the magnesium alloy shell of the SX280 HS. The PowerShot SX170 IS camera uses a smaller Canon NB-6LH Lithium-ion battery compared to previous models like the SX160 IS which used a smaller battery.
Features and controls of PowerShot SX170 IS
As a travel camera line, naturally, the lens of the SX170 IS is a fixed lens with a wide aperture when shooting wide at 28 mm and a maximum aperture when shooting telephoto at 448 mm. On top of the camera body is the mode dial with familiar P/A/S/M modes and some fully automatic modes. Among them is the Smart Auto mode which can automatically select from 32 scene types. The flash control switch surrounds the shutter button, behind which is the power button.
On top of the camera body is the mode dial with familiar P/A/S/M modes and some fully automatic modes.
The difference of the SX170 IS compared to other mainstream cameras not only includes the lens but also the stereo microphone set (2 channels) located on both sides of the lens and a speaker set on both top sides of the camera. At the back is a 3-inch standard LCD screen, with a 4:3 aspect ratio and a resolution of 230k 'dots'. The buttons are located to the right of the screen. If you have used PowerShot or IXUS products before, you will quickly get used to the SX170 IS.
On the top of the camera's back is a hand grip and a HD video recording button. You can only record videos at a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels instead of Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixels like other Canon models. Right below this button is the Play button to view photos and clips. In the middle of the directional pad is the Function/Set button.
The back panel features a directional pad, function buttons such as ISO, playback, video recording, etc.
To the right of the directional pad is the exposure compensation button (+-2EV), and right below is the familiar Display and Menu button. All control buttons are large-sized, arranged appropriately for easy thumb control.
Both sides of the camera have eyelets for attaching a strap, and on the right side of the camera is the cover for the AV/USB connection slot. The SX170 IS is not equipped with the feature of sharing photos via Wi-Fi.
The Live View mode allows you to adjust brightness and color easily: for example, there is a slider on the screen (activated by the Function/Set button) to select brightness or choose warm or cool colors. The ISO levels range only from 100 to 1600. The maximum aperture is f/3.5, making it difficult to shoot in low light, even though Canon has added a low-resolution (4MP) low light shooting mode to reduce noise.
The next modes are quite simple: Portrait (portrait shooting), Face Self Timer (Timer after face detection), snow scene shooting, and fireworks shooting.
Next up is a 'spy' shooting mode: this mode will turn off all beep sounds and shutter noise to create a more 'quiet' shooting experience. Lastly, there's a video recording mode that supports Canon's My Colours settings, white balance, the ability to switch from HD to 640 x 480 and vice versa.
The PowerShot SX170 IS is light enough for comfortable one-handed use, but if shooting telephoto, you should use both hands. The size of the camera is 108 x 71 x 43 mm; weight 251 grams. The camera has a sturdy body but is not too large or heavy.
Image quality of PowerShot SX170 IS
The PowerShot SX170 IS is just an ordinary mainstream camera, with a slightly higher-end zoom lens.
While photos taken at 28mm focal length are sharp enough (but still not immune to common compact camera issues like purple fringing), photos taken from the same position at maximum telephoto aperture will surprisingly be soft, even when using optical image stabilization to avoid blur.
The red color turns too warm when shooting with PowerShot SX170 IS
PowerShot SX170 IS features a Macro mode that allows you to focus on objects just 1 cm away when shooting wide-angle. The first photo shows how close you can get to the subject.
There are 3 flash options on the PowerShot SX170 IS: Auto, Manual (On/Off), Slow Sync, and Red-Eye Reduction. The following photos were taken 1.5 meters away from the wall.
Shooting sports with PowerShot SX170 IS
PowerShot SX170 IS has a maximum shutter speed of up to 15 seconds, allowing you to capture nighttime scenes quite well. The following photo was taken at ISO 400 with a 1-second exposure.
Conclusion
The hardware quality and performance of PowerShot SX170 IS are quite decent considering its price below 4 million VND. Although the image quality is not very high, the PowerShot SX170 IS provides a comfortable grip and a fairly sleek design - a very important plus point in today's mainstream camera market.
Minh Hường
(Theodigitalcamerareview)
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