Canon PowerShot SX500 IS

1416 reviews

Apr, 2024

Positive
usability (467)
portability (347)
zoom (345)
price (247)
performance (227)

Negative
low-light (32)
sensor (21)
viewfinder (20)
flash (19)
storage (11)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 1416 reviews of Canon PowerShot SX500 IS. The average rating for this product is 4.4/5, compared to an average rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras for all reviews. People are impressed by the price and performance. The zoom and portability also get good feedback. Some have doubts about the storage and viewfinder.

usability, portability, zoom, performance, price

low-light, flash, sensor, viewfinder, storage

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 89/100 = Very good quality.

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Review analysis

(Based on 1416 reviews)

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Review Ratings

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Features

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zoom
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performance
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Showing 1 - 551 of 669 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (462)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Canon PowerShot SX500 IS

alaTest has collected and analyzed 80 user reviews of Canon PowerShot SX500 IS from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 4.3/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.co.uk. Comments about the image quality and zoom are overall positive. The performance and usability also get good feedback, but there are mixed reviews on the flash and size. There are some critical opinions about the shutter and viewfinder.

portability, usability, performance, zoom, image quality

low-light, sensor, storage, viewfinder, shutter

100% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Canon PowerShot SX500 IS

alaTest has collected and analyzed 446 user reviews of Canon PowerShot SX500 IS from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.4/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.2/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.com. Reviews about the image quality and price are on the whole positive. The portability and zoom also get good feedback. There are some negative reviews about the exposure and viewfinder. Reviews about the shutter and storage are different.

usability, zoom, portability, price, image quality

low-light, viewfinder, exposure

92% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.ca)

Amazon.ca review summary for Canon PowerShot SX500 IS

alaTest has collected and analyzed 15 user reviews of Canon PowerShot SX500 IS from Amazon.ca. The average user rating for this product is 4.3/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.ca. Reviewers are impressed by the design and price. The size and portability also get good reviews, whereas there are some negative opinions about the low light performance.

usability, portability, size, price, design

low-light

93% of the reviews on Amazon.ca give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Expert review by : Trusted Reviews (trustedreviews.com)

Canon PowerShot SX500 IS

The SX500 packs a powerful 30x optical zoom into a small, compact body but lacks Full HD movie capture.

Compact design despite large zoom, Full manual controls, Good image quality

Body doesn’t feel particularly solid, No electronic viewfinder, No Raw capture

Mar, 2013

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Expert review by : Mike Lowe (pocket-lint.com)

Canon PowerShot SX500 IS

It wasn't so long ago that a 30x optical zoom was unheard of in a compact. Now it's quite the norm for superzooms to have such far-reaching lenses, but the Canon PowerShot SX500 IS manages to squeeze its 24-720mm (equivalent) lens into a small body and...

Big zoom, small body, decent image stabilisation, good close-up performance (at wide-angle), full manual controls, reasonable price for the feature set

Image quality not up there with other Canon compacts, lens has issues with purple and green fringes (chromatic aberrations),

On paper the PowerShot SX500 IS sounds very promising. It’s well priced and has that significant 24-720mm equivalent lens with excellent image stabilisation technology too.

Sep, 2012

Partner Source

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Expert review by : paul_smart (gadgetspeak.com)

Canon PowerShot SX500 IS

The Canon PowerShot SX500-IS is another in the range from Canon, this one on a cursory glance could be confused with a small DSLR unit, it is however a digital unit with excellent zoom as well as other features making it almost a bridge unit.

The Canon PowerShot SX500 IS measures 12x6.5x7.5 however the lens will come out another 1.5cm as soon as you switch on and under full zoom another 3.5cm. The unit is capable of 30x optical zoom and the largest image size is 16MP but even at lower image...

Jan, 2013

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Expert review by : Paul Nuttall (whatdigitalcamera.com)

Canon PowerShot SX500 IS review

The Canon PowerShot SX500 IS is one of the smallest cameras on the market to feature a massive 30x optical zoom. Despite possessing such diminutive dimensions, the compact still features full...

Compact design despite large zoom, full manual control, good image quality

Body doesn’t feel particularly solid, no viewfinder, would be nice to feature Raw capture

Sep, 2012

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Expert review by (ephotozine.com)

Canon Powershot SX500 IS Review

Joshua Waller reviews Canon's latest ultra zoom bridge camera, this time the Canon Powershot SX500 is even more compact than the previous model, yet features a 30x optical zoom lens. Find out how it performs in our review.

Compact size; Good colour; Manual controls; Easy to use with built in help; Excellent macro performance; Side zoom button for recomposing shots when zoomed in

ZoomPlus 60x zoom is just another marketing name for digital zoom

Sep, 2012

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Expert review by (ephotozine.com)

Canon Powershot SX500 IS Sample Photos

Sample photos from the new Canon Powershot SX500 IS - the new 30x optical zoom camera from Canon.

Sep, 2012

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Expert review by : Joshua Goldman (cnet.com)

Canon's PowerShot SX500 IS is good, but not without sacrifices

This 30x zoom camera has more to offer than its lens, just not fast performance or great low-light photos.

The ; 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.

Feb, 2013

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Expert review by : Joshua Goldman (cnet.com)

Canon PowerShot SX500 IS review

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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Expert review by : Kyle Schurman (steves-digicams.com)

Canon PowerShot SX500 IS Review

The 30x optical zoom lens on the PowerShot SX500 IS provides some very impressive telephoto capabilities in a sub-$250 camera. Canon also included some unique features and manual control options with this model. However, image quality is below average...

Nice to find 30x zoom in such a lightweight camera ; Lens moves quickly through its zoom range in still image mode ; Good mix of manual and automatic shooting controls ; Popup flash gives better performance than many built-in flash units ; Mode dial...

Camera has a cheap feel to it because of all of the lightweight plastic in the design ; Images have quite a bit of noise when printed at large sizes ; Shot to shot delays are very poor, especially when using the flash ; Shutter lag should be better...

Feb, 2013

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Expert review by : Lexy Savvides (cnet.com.au)