Canon PowerShot SX170 IS Review
Image Quality
Though the pocket-sized Canon PowerShot SX170 IS has obviously taken its design cues from a digital SLR, the pictures this PowerShot delivers cannot hope to ape its much larger look-a-like. This, then, is really best summed up as your average snapshot camera that just happens to have a larger than average zoom reach, after all.
Whilst 28mm equivalent wideangle images appear sharp enough, albeit not escaping altogether from familiar compact camera bugbears such as purple pixel fringing, shots taken from the same vantage point, handheld, at maximum telephoto can unsurprisingly appear soft, even with built-in image stabilisation provided to counter the blurring effect of any hand wobble.
In terms of metering the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS is fairly unsophisticated; if you want foreground detail then be prepared to be presented with washed-out looking skies; or if you want cloud detail in a landscape picture then be prepared for murky looking foregrounds. OK, so we were using the camera during a particularly dull and overcast period; but still it is possible to get sufficiently well saturated colours that still visibly ‘pop’ in your frame.
We were also lucky enough to be able to properly try out the camera’s fireworks scene mode at an annual display and achieve much better, more blur-free results than were achievable with the camera left to its smart auto devices. And our test images were shot hand held too.
For low light shooting in general though it must be said that the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS isn’t the best suited; for starters the ISO range tops out at a maximum ISO1600 which is the kind of range snapshot cameras were offering a decade ago. Also, noise/grain starts to intrude from ISO400 in shadow areas if you’re looking for it, spreading across the whole of the frame, if subtly so, at ISO800. At ISO1600, even without enlarging areas to check, we’re visibly losing detail as noise reduction kicks in. Whilst images taken at this setting are still usable, it seems to have been wise for Canon not to stretch the ISO range further to ISO3200.
Noise
There are 5 ISO settings available on the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting.
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ISO 100 (100% Crop) |
ISO 200 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 400 (100% Crop) |
ISO 800 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 1600 (100% Crop) |
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Focal Range
The Canon PowerShot SX170 IS's 16x zoom lens offers a versatile focal range, as illustrated by these examples:
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28mm |
448mm |
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Sharpening
Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop.
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Original (100% Crop) |
Sharpened (100% Crop) |
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Chromatic Aberrations
The Canon PowerShot SX170 IS handled chromatic aberrations fairly well during the review, with some purple fringing present around the edges of objects in certain high-contrast situations, as shown in the examples below.
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Chromatic Aberrations 1 (100% Crop) |
Chromatic Aberrations 2 (100% Crop) |
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Macro
The Canon PowerShot SX170 IS offers a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is 1cm away from the camera when the lens is set to wide-angle. The first image shows how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.
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Macro |
Macro (100% Crop) |
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Flash
The flash settings on the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS are Auto, Manual Flash On / Off, Slow Synchro and Red-Eye Reduction. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.
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Flash Off - Wide Angle (28mm) |
Flash On - Wide Angle (28mm) |
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Flash Off - Telephoto (448mm) |
Flash On - Telephoto (448mm) |
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And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Flash On or the Red-eye Flash settings caused any red-eye.
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Flash On |
Flash On (100% Crop) |
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Red-eye Reduction |
Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop) |
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Night
The Canon PowerShot SX170 IS's maximum shutter speed is 15 seconds in the Manual shooting mode, which is good news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 1 second at ISO 400.
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Night |
Night (100% Crop) |
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Sample Images
This is a selection of sample images from the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS camera, which were all taken using the 16 megapixel Superfine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.
1/40s · f/3.5 · ISO 100
5mm
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1/60s · f/4 · ISO 200
5mm
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1/125s · f/4 · ISO 400
5mm
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1/250s · f/4 · ISO 800
5mm
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1/500s · f/4 · ISO 1600
5mm
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1/60s · f/4.5 · ISO 320
11.74mm
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1/200s · f/4 · ISO 200
5mm
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1/40s · f/5.9 · ISO 400
80mm
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1/250s · f/4 · ISO 200
5mm
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1/160s · f/5.9 · ISO 400
80mm
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1/160s · f/4.5 · ISO 200
13.23mm
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1/320s · f/4 · ISO 200
5mm
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1/1s · f/3.5 · ISO 400
5mm
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1/60s · f/4 · ISO 100
5mm
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1/60s · f/4 · ISO 100
5mm
Download Original
1/60s · f/4 · ISO 100
5mm
Download Original
1/60s · f/4 · ISO 100
5mm
Download Original
1/60s · f/4 · ISO 100
5mm
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1/100s · f/3.5 · ISO 100
5mm
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1/250s · f/4 · ISO 100
5mm
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1/30s · f/4 · ISO 200
5mm
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1/100s · f/4 · ISO 100
5mm
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1/160s · f/3.5 · ISO 400
5mm
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1/60s · f/4.5 · ISO 200
17.42mm
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20/10s · f/8 · ISO 100
5mm
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20/10s · f/8 · ISO 100
5mm
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20/10s · f/8 · ISO 100
5mm
Download Original
20/10s · f/8 · ISO 100
5mm
Download Original
20/10s · f/8 · ISO 100
5mm
Download Original
20/10s · f/8 · ISO 100
5mm
Download Original
20/10s · f/8 · ISO 100
5mm
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20/10s · f/8 · ISO 100
8.63mm
Download Original
20/10s · f/8 · ISO 100
8.63mm
Download Original
Sample Movie & Video
This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1280x720 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 33 second movie is 83.4Mb in size.
As of February 2025, we are no longer providing full size sample images or videos for download.
Please contact us if you have any feedback on our new policy.
Product Images
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Front of the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS |
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Front of the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS / Lens Extended |
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Front of the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS / Pop-up Flash |
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Side of the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS |
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Side of the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS |
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Rear of the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS |
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Rear of the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS / Turned On |
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Top of the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS |
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Top of the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS / Lens Extended |
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Bottom of the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS |
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| Side of the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS |
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| Side of the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS |
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| Front of the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS |
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| Battery Compartment |
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| Memory Card Slot |
Conclusion
The new inclusion of rechargeable lithium ion battery rather than bog standard AAs aside, the 16 megapixel Canon PowerShot SX170 IS doesn’t appear massively altered from its SX160 IS forebear. So if you like your pocket travel zooms to look a little bit more traditional, and aren’t bothered about flashier ‘extras’ such as built-in GPS or Wi-Fi, then the snapshot-quality SX170 IS may suit anyone who doesn’t want to spend a king’s ransom to drag faraway subjects that much closer.
Be advised though that whilst the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS may look like a miniaturized DSLR the resultant image quality of this compact doesn’t even come close. Fine though it may be for everyday snapping, if you want shots that stand further apart from what a decent smartphone can produce, then spending a little extra for a camera with a better quality sensor and a few more bells and whistles is recommended.
That said, the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS’ build and performance is acceptable given its asking price, so those who have little to spend will find equally little to complain about. Though picture quality is a little so-so for our tastes, at least the camera looks good and feels good in the palm, which at this currently contracting budget end of the market actually counts for quite a lot.
| Ratings (out of 5) | |
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| Design | 3.5 |
| Features | 4 |
| Ease-of-use | 4 |
| Image quality | 3.5 |
| Value for money | 4 |
Main Rivals
Listed below are some of the rivals of the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS.
Canon Powershot SX280 HS
The Canon PowerShot SX280 HS is a new travel-zoom camera for 2013, offering a 20x zoom lens and a 12 megapixel back-illuminated image sensor. Other key features of the Canon SX280 include built-in GPS and wi-fi connectivity, a 3 inch LCD screen, full 1080p HD movies with stereo sound, fast 14fps burst shooting, and a full range of manual and automated exposure modes. Read our in-depth Canon PowerShot SX280 HS in-depth review now...
Fujifilm Finepix F800EXR
The FinePix F800EXR is the latest travel-zoom camera from Fujifilm, sporting a 20x lens with a versatile focal range of 25-500mm. The 16 megapixel F800 EXR also features wireless image transfer, GPS support, full 1080p movies, a high-contrast 3 inch LCD screen and 8fps continuous shooting. Read our in-depth Fujifilm FinePix F800 EXR review to find out if it's the ultimate travel camera...
Nikon Coolpix S9500
The Nikon Coolpix S9500 is an affordable, full-featured travel-zoom compact camera. Featuring a 22x zoom lens with a focal range of 25-550mm, the slimline Coolpix S9500 has a 18 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor, high-resolution 3-inch OLED screen and boasts GPS tracking and wi-fi connectivity. Read our detailed Nikon Coolpix S9500 review now...
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ35
The Lumix DMC-TZ35 is Panasonic's new entry-level travel-zoom compact camera for 2013. The TZ35 (also known as the ZS25) packs a 16 megapixel MOS sensor, 20x wide-angle zoom lens, 3 inch LCD screen, 1080i HD movies, 10fps burst shooting and full manual controls into its pocketable body. Available in silver or black for £299 / $299, read our Panasonic DMC-TZ35 / ZS25 review to find out if it's the right travel camera for you...
Pentax Optio RZ18
The Pentax Optio RZ18 is a new travel-zoom camera with an 18x zoom lens and a 16 megapixel sensor. Also on offer are 720p HD movies, a 3-inch LCD screen and optical image stabilisation, all for under £199 / $299. Read our in-depth Pentax Optio RZ18 review now...
Ricoh HZ15
The Ricoh HZ15 is an affordable travel-zoom camera, offering a 15x zoom lens and 16 megapixel sensor for less than £120. Can it compete with the all-conquering smartphone? Read our Ricoh HZ15 review to find out...
Samsung WB250F
The Samsung WB250F is a new travel-zoom camera that won't break the bank. The WB250F offers a wide-angle 18x zoom lens, 14.2 megapixel sensor, 1080p video recording, 3 inch LCD touchscreen and built-in wi-fi connectivity. Read our Samsung WB250F review to find out if it's worth the modest price-tag...
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX300
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX300 is an affordable travel-zoom compact camera. A 20x zoom lens, 18 megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor, 10fps continuous shooting, built-in wi-fi, Full HD movie recording and 500 shot battery life are all on offer. Priced at around £250 / $300, read our Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX300 review to find out if it lives up to its full promise.
Review Roundup
Reviews of the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS from around the web.
ephotozine.com »
The Canon PowerShot SX170 IS was announced in August 2013 and has a 16 megapixel sensor and 16x optical zoom, all in a pocketable body. It is available in red and green for around £149, and updates the Canon Powershot SX160 IS, using a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
Read the full review »
digitalcamerareview.com »
Travel-zooms look like compact P&S digital cameras, but they feature extra long zoom lenses (typically 10x to 25x) and manual exposure options that are not included on the little auto-exposure only cameras. The Powershot SX170 IS is Canon's latest travel zoom, the little brother to the class champ Canon SX280 HS.
Read the full review »
Specifications
IMAGE SENSOR
| Type | 1/2.3 type CCD |
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| Effective Pixels | Approx. 16.0M |
| Colour Filter Type | Primary Colour |
IMAGE PROCESSOR
| Type | DIGIC 4 with iSAPS technology |
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LENS
| Focal Length | 5.0 – 80.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 28 – 448 mm) |
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| Zoom | Optical 16x ZoomPlus 32x Digital Approx. 4x (with Digital Tele-Converter Approx. 1.6x or 2.0x and Safety Zoom¹). Combined Approx. 64x |
| Maximum f/number | f/3.5 – f/5.9 |
| Construction | 11 elements in 9 groups (1 UD lens, 1 double-sided aspherical lens) |
| Image Stabilisation | Yes (lens shift-type), approx. 2.5-stop¹. Intelligent IS |
FOCUSING
| Type | TTL |
|---|---|
| AF System/ Points | AiAF (Face Detection / 9-point), 1-point AF (fixed to centre) |
| AF Modes | Single, Continuous, Servo AF/AE¹, Tracking AF |
| AF Point Selection | Size (Normal, Small) |
| AF Lock | On/Off Selectable |
| AF Assist Beam | Yes |
| Manual Focus | Yes |
| Closest Focusing Distance | 1 cm (W) from front of lens in macro |
EXPOSURE CONTROL
| Metering modes | Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame), Centre-weighted average, Spot (Centre) |
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| AE Lock | Yes |
| Exposure Compensation | +/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments. Enhanced i-Contrast for automatic dynamic range correction |
| ISO sensitivity* | AUTO, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 |
SHUTTER
| Speed | 1 – 1/3200 sec. (factory default) 15 – 1/3200 sec. (total range – varies by shooting mode) |
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WHITE BALANCE
| Type | TTL |
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| Settings | Auto (including Face Detection WB), Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom |
LCD MONITOR
| Monitor | 7.5 cm (3.0”) TFT, Approx. 230,000 dots |
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| Coverage | Approx. 100% |
| Brightness | Adjustable to one of five levels. Quick-bright LCD |
FLASH
| Modes | Auto, Manual Flash On / Off, Slow Synchro |
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| Slow Sync Speed | Fastest speed 1/2000 sec. |
| Red-Eye Reduction | Yes |
| Flash Exposure Compensation | +/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments. Face Detection FE. Safety FE, Smart Flash Exposure |
| Flash Exposure Lock | Yes |
| Manual Power Adjustment | 3 levels with internal flash |
| Built-in Flash Range | 50 cm – 3.0 m (W) / 60 cm – 2.0 m (T) |
| External Flash | Canon High Power Flash HF-DC1, Canon High Power Flash HF-DC2 |
SHOOTING
| Modes | Smart Auto (32 scenes detected), Program AE, Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual, Live View Control, SCN (Portrait, FaceSelf-Timer, Low Light (4.0MP), Snow, Fireworks), Creative Filters (Fish-eye Effect, Miniature Effect, Toy Camera Effect, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect), Discreet, Movie |
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| Modes in Movie | Smart Auto (21 scenes detected), Standard, Program AE, Portrait, Snow, Fireworks, Miniature Effect, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect |
| Photo Effects | My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color) |
| Drive modes | Single, Continuous, Continuous with AF, Self-Timer |
| Continuous Shooting | Approx. 0.8 shots/sec with AF: Approx. 0.5 shots/sec. with Live View: Approx. 0.6 shots/sec (all speeds are until memory card becomes full)¹² |
RECORDING PIXELS / COMPRESSION
| Image Size | 4:3 - (L) 4608 x 3456, (M1) 3264 x 2448, (M2) 1600 x 1200, (S) 640 x 480 16:9 - (L) 4608 x 2592, (M1) 3264 x 1832, (M2) 1920 x 1080, (S) 640 x 360 3:2 - (L) 4608 x 3072, (M1) 3264 x 2176, (M2) 1600 x 1064, (S) 640 x 424 1:1 - (L) 3456 x 3456, (M1) 2448 x 2448, (M2) 1200 x 1200, (S) 480 x 480 Resize in playback (M2, S) |
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| Compression | Superfine, Fine |
| Movies | (HD) 1280 x 720, 25 fps, (L) 640 x 480, 30 fps Miniature Effect (HD, L) 5fps, 2.5fps, 1.25 fps |
| Movie Length | (HD) Up to 4 GB or 29 min. 59 sec.¹ (L ) Up to 4 GB or 1 hour² |
FILE TYPES
| Still Image Type | JPEG compression, (Exif 2.3 [Exif Print] compliant) / Design rule for Camera File system, Digital Print Order Format [DPOF] Version 1.1 compliant |
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| Movies | MOV [H.264 + Linear PCM (stereo)] |
DIRECT PRINT
| Canon Printers | Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printers and Canon Inkjet Printers supporting PictBridge |
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| PictBridge | Yes |
OTHER FEATURES
| Red-Eye Correction | Yes, during shooting and playback |
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| My Category | Image tagging feature |
| Intelligent Orientation Sensor | Yes |
| Histogram | Yes |
| Playback zoom | Approx. 2x – 10x |
| Self Timer | Approx. 2 or 10 sec., Custom |
| Menu Languages | English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Greek, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Spanish, Ukrainian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Simplified Chinese, Chinese (traditional), Japanese, Korean, Thai, Arabic, Romanian, Farsi, Hindi, Malay, Indonesian, Vietnamese |
INTERFACE
| Computer | Hi-Speed USB (MTP, PTP) dedicated connector (Mini-B compatible) |
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| Other | A/V output, dedicated connector (PAL/NTSC) |
MEMORY CARD
| Type | SD, SDHC, SDXC |
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SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEM
| PC & Macintosh | Windows 8 / 7 SP1 / Vista SP2 / XP SP3 Mac OS X v10.6 – 10.8 |
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SOFTWARE
| Browsing & Printing | ImageBrowser EX |
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| Other | PhotoStitch |
POWER SOURCE
| Batteries | Rechargeable Li-ion Battery NB-6LH (battery and charger supplied) |
|---|---|
| Battery life | Approx. 300 shots Eco mode approx. 440 shots Approx. 420 min. playback |
| A/C Power Supply | Optional, AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC40 |
ACCESSORIES
| Cases / Straps | Soft Case DCC-750 |
|---|---|
| Flash | Canon High Power Flash HF-DC1, Canon High Power Flash HF-DC2 |
| Power Supply & Battery Chargers | AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC40, Battery Charger CB-2LYE |
| Other | Canon AV cable AVC-DC400ST, interface cable IFC-400PCU |
PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS
| Operating Environment | 0 – 40 °C, 10 – 90% humidity |
|---|---|
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 108.0 x 71.0 x 43.9 mm |
| Weight | Approx. 251 g (including battery/batteries and memory card) |
| Zoom | ¹ Depending on the image size selected. |
|---|---|
| Image Stabilisation | ¹ Values at maximum optical focal length. Cameras whose focal length exceeds 350mm (35mm equivalent) are measured at 350mm. |
| AF Modes | ¹ Some settings limit availability. |
| Continuous Shooting | ¹ Under conditions where the flash does not fire. ² Depending on memory card speed / capacity / compression setting. |
| Movie Length | ¹ The following Speed Class memory cards are required for maximum record time: (HD) 1280 x 720 Speed Class 4 or above. (Full HD) 1920 x 1080 Speed Class 6 or above. (iFrame) 1280 x 720 Speed Class 6 or above. ² Depending on memory card speed / capacity / compression setting. |
- All data is based on Canon standard testing methods (according to CIPA Standards) except where indicated.
- Subject to change without notice.
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