Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Preview
Following up on 2011's PowerShot SX40 HS, Canon has announced the PowerShot SX50 HS with improvements to the optical zoom, LCD quality and other shooting capabilities. Similar to the PowerShot SX40 HS, the Canon SX50 HS includes the 1/1.7-inch 12.1-megapixel High-Sensitivity CMOS image sensor and DIGIC 5 image processor. In addition, both cameras shoot video in 1080p at 24 frames per second and 720p at 30fps. The electronic viewfinder hasn't changed, the hot shoe is still included and the battery is identical.
However, the optical zoom has significantly increased from 35x (24-840 mm f/2.7-5.8) to 50x (24-1200 mm f/3.4-6.5). The vari-angle LCD screen has increased in size slightly from 2.7 inches to 2.8 inches and the pixel density has doubled from 230k to 461k. The ISO range has expanded from 100-3200 in the SX40 to 80-6400 in the SX50.
Another interesting inclusion for budding professional photographers is the addition of the RAW format when shooting. The PowerShot SX50 HS can be set to capture 12-bit RAW + JPEG image files for instant file back-ups as well as post-processing latitude and image modification.
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Feature Set:
12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor
Canon's HS (High Sensitivity) System
DIGIC 5 image processor
50x optical zoom (35mm equivalent of 24-1200 mm)
True Lens-Shift Optical Image Stabilization
Fast maximum aperture range of f/3.4-6.5
2.8-inch vari-angle LCD (461k pixels)
High-resolution EVF (Electronic ViewFinder)
Powerful manual pop-up flash unit
Hot shoe for external speedlites
Improved Smart AUTO (58 predefined shooting situations)
Full 1080p HD video capture
Intelligent IS
Zoom framing assist button
HDMI out
SD card slot accepts SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards
Li-ion power source (up to 400 shots)
The Canon PowerShot SX50 HS is only available in black and will become available during October 2012. The Canon SX50 HS will be priced at $479.99.