Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Canon PowerShot SX710 HS (Black)

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2015

I needed a compact camera with a fairly long optical zoom that would fit in a pocket for general all-around use while traveling. The 30X zoom that this camera has is one of the longer zooms available that will still collapse down to an almost flat state when shut off (the lens still sticks out about 1/4" from the body when closed).

This camera turns on very quickly and is ready to take a picture in less than 1 second. It focuses very fast so you can capture an image without any significant wait time which makes it easy to get images of things that you only have a very short time to shoot.

The images have a resolution of just over 20 megapixels so there is plenty of detail to allow cropping an image in post processing if needed. Image quality seems excellent with good color quality.

There is no optical viewfinder but the view screen is bright and easy to see and can be configured to display details about the camera settings. There is an optional histogram that can be displayed when playing back images that have been taken which is very useful in determining if the exposure was correct.

There is a pop-up flash included. The flash does not open automatically but must be released by moving a small slide on one side of the camera. Similarly, the flash must be manually pushed down to close it.

Ergonomically, the camera fits well in my hand and has a nice grip on the right front side with a textured edge that makes it easy to hold. The build quality seems very good and it has a nice "heft" to it but is not too heavy.

There are manual controls for those who want to have some control over how the camera operates as well as a fully automatic setting. I prefer to leave the camera in the "P" setting which gives me access to more settings (and thus more control) than the fully automatic setting.

Overall, I find that this camera works very well for everyday use when traveling which is why I bought it. It has enough optical zoom to pull in distant objects but still allows me to stuff it in my pocket and keep it out of view when I am not using it.

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Varrin Swearingen

Great compact zoom for travel

Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2015

Style: BaseVerified Purchase

This is at least the 8th digital camera I've had (5 Canons, 2 Kodaks, and an HP). As zoom lenses improved, I opted for larger-but-better zoom models, including two of Canon's (S3 IS and SX20 IS). I have liked the balance of great zoom but smaller-than-SLR size. However in recent years, I have wanted a smaller camera due to size limitations of the baggage I currently carry. After researching for a year or so, I settled on the SX7x0 HS to replace my SX20 IS.

I waited until the SX710 came out and bought it just prior to a 2 1/2 week European vacation. I chose it over the 700 due to the enhanced mobile options and higher resolution. I have now taken almost 1,000 pictures and videos on it. Here are some observations in no particular order:

* Battery life is fair with the stock battery and good with aftermarket batteries. I carried three (one in the camera, two in the case) and that proved adequate for weeks of travel. I had to charge every few days but never needed more even with heavy use.

* Speed is mostly very good. I have review turned on (displays the photo after taking it) which slows things down slightly. Power up is quick. Focus is quick. Shot to shot with review on and having to focus again is not as quick as I'd like, but quick enough that I made no efforts to fix the problem (either turning review off and/or continuous shooting). Only on rare occasion did I miss a shot as a result.

* Image quality is good for its size. It is noticeably inferior to the SX20 and S3 in one way that could be important to some people. At the long end of the zoom range, distortion from noise reduction is quite noticeable even at low ISO settings. I have not done direct camera-to-camera comparisons, but my hunch is that the usable information in the images from the SX710 is considerably less than the SX20, despite almost double the megapixles. However, when viewing on a screen (fit to screen) or printing smaller formats (say, 4x6) I think this problem would be unnoticeable. Aside from that one flaw, the camera takes very nice pictures which match or exceed the quality of larger models from even the recent past.

* Video quality is excellent for its size. I took video at 720p to save file size (v.s. 1080p). Both the video quality and audio quality were noticeably better from any previous camera I've had, including the other Canons.

* Ergonomics are fair. Canon packs a lot of features into a small package. I don't have specific suggestions for improvement, but I do regularly encounter several problems. Inserting or removing the camera to/from the case requires some care to avoid turning it on with one of the multitude of buttons that turns the camera on. The power, shutter, and movie buttons are close enough together to cause wrong-button-pushing problems. And occasionally the back panel buttons (especially the phone button) gets accidentally pressed.

* Phone pairing features are very useful. This is the first camera I've had with those features and I wound up using several of them (transfer the images to the phone, and remote control). That was very handy and they're very easy to use after learning how. Based on what I've read about the 700, I'm glad I waited for the 710 for this reason alone.

Based on my experiences, I believe this form factor now satisfies the important requirements that previously could only be met with a larger zoom (ala the SX60 and predecessors). Unless you need an absurdly long zoom (more than 30x), and provided you can tolerate the image quality issues at the long end of the zoom, the next logical step up from this is a SLR. An SLR is too big (and expensive) for me, so this camera is my choice. So far, I'm very happy with it.

197 people found this helpful

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mark

Another home run for Canon in the point-and-shoot camera world!

Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2015

Style: BaseVerified Purchase

I am an avid amateur photographer that travels a lot (love travel photography!), and I carry both my professional camera and a smaller camera with me wherever I am going. I have used various professional and "point-and-shoot" cameras over the years for the quick and easy shots, or for utilizing as a backup camera to have along with me whenever I do not want to carry my larger, more bulky (and a lot more expensive!) camera around. I have never been disappointed with any Canon camera I have owned in the past, and this one is no disappointment for me, either. I have owned 3 Canon Powershot cameras over the years and this one is amazing and by far the best. It is very easy to use, and has simple and easy to adjust controls (no fumbling). It has been very easy and reliable to use for just about everything so far, from travel photos to zoom images, simple portrait images, and even occasional macro shots. The auto shoot modes are very reliable for most shots and I have been impressed with the rapid focus and clarity of the images. I was surprised that I like the "creative shot" feature that gives you about 5 or 6 images of the same shot that are edited by the camera. Sometimes you can get some really great unexpected photos this way. The flash is very "usable" and will not fire unless the button is pushed to raise the flash. That is an improvement over some other cameras that I have used in the past that require you to stop and change your camera settings every single time you want to shoot an image in a darker or shaded spot without the flash. Also, the connectivity to my iPhone was very easy. I can look at all of the photos on the camera on my phone, pick and choose the ones I want to download to my phone (or to my computer) wirelessly, and also control the camera remotely using my iPhone. I was amazed with the functionality of this camera, ease of use, and the quality of the images. Another home run for Canon in the point and shoot camera world.

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John Mercer

Worthwhile buy

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2016

Style: BaseVerified Purchase

Bottom line: I'd buy it again.

The good:
* Very sturdy case, incredible zoom, great photos. Good video, too.
* A little larger than the last model, but still very handy.
* Takes equal to or better photos than many SLRs. You'll want something to steady the extreme zooms, though.
* A slide toggle locks down the annoying flash popup of previous models.

The not so good:
* The WiFi feature is useless, just like previous models. You may be able to connect to your home WiFi network, and even spot your PC on the network, but the camera always times out. I've tried multiple devices and networks on two generations of Canon cameras. When other computers and devices on the network can see and connect to each other but the camera can't, it's hard to lay the blame anywhere but on the camera software. On the bright side, simply remove the SD card, connect it to a dongle, plug it into your PC, and you're set.
* The "Menu" button is annoyingly too close to the bottom right edge of the camera, where your palm may accidentally engage it. If that happens when you're about to take a shot, the menu suddenly pops up, interrupting everything.
* The "power" and "video" buttons have exchanged places on this camera for some reason. I don't know how many times I've pushed the wrong button, trying to turn the power off, only to find I've just started filming video of the inside of my pocket. Great.
* The included wrist lanyard is worse than useless: there is no cinch to snug it to your wrist, so the camera is still not secure.
* I don't recommend the on-camera photo editing software - the screen is too small to see what you are doing.

13 people found this helpful

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Desertrek

Canon SX710 HS Camera - Very pleased with this camera!

Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2016

Style: BaseVerified Purchase

I am very happy with my decision to purchase this camera. After reviewing many of the point and shoot non SLR cameras this was my choice. The camera body is not as small is many out there but very compact for what it is capable of and works in my favor having fairly large hands. I was looking for something quick to grab while out in the woods to catch a few of the wildlife shots I always seem to miss with my big SLR camera. The 30x optical zoom was what sold me in the first place. My SLR is just to big to wield around to get the shot. For the same zoom as this camera an entire lenses change out would be necessary. By that time your subject is long gone... If you're not a novice which I am, you will appreciate all of the control you have over your shots in different mode settings. Seems like just as many choices as I have on my SLR in a small body camera. With this camera P-mode is your best friend and gives you just enough of the right possible adjustments for even a novice like me to get a great shot. Even when zoomed to the 30x optical extent or into digital zoom. So far I have had no low light focus issues as some have mentioned. Of course I have a tendency to shoot several shots of the subject. Because IMHO there is no such thing as perfect, even with an expensive SLR. With a 64GB card, I can shoot over the max 9999 shots that this camera reports available so deleting a few crappy shots is no big deal. This camera is exactly what I was looking for to close the gap in my photography and video needs for a compact, on the fly grab and shot with plenty of features.

Pros:
1.Unless manually released the camera will default to no flash and shoots a fine photo without flash. Of course it will up the ISO setting which tends to give a slight bit of granulation but well with in an acceptable range in a low light setting.
2. Very good image stabilization even into the digital zoom range. There are two settings of which I haven't went beyond the standard one. The second IS setting should be great when shooting video.
3. Variety of possible shooting modes and adjustments just like your SLR if you own one. You will definitely
4. Fastest I have ever connected anything to Wi-Fi or my Droid phone. Both Wi-Fi to my computer and the NFC to my Droid seem to work flawless. I had prepared myself for the typical process of elimination to find out why it didn't work, there was none... it did work first time on both accounts. Very fast transfers to both the computer and the phone. I was amazed!
5. Easily navigable menus and available adjustments for great shots.

I'll post a few photos taken at about 5:30am in low light as examples with various zoom levels, As Is said I am just a novice so don't be too critical :-)

Cons:
Only one so far and it certainly doesn't bother me but I will add it just in case it may be important to someone else. The battery indicator seems to show full, or 2/3 then drops to nothing. I have found that once the camera has been cycled off then back on, you still have battery for several more shots before it actually needs to be changed. I have seen others refer to this fact also but it's certainly no worse than many other battery indicators on some of my other electronic devices. My company I-phone 4S drops down to 43% then shuts off after another minute. Think of it as a deep cycle battery and adjust accordingly and you'll be fine. I never go anywhere with just one battery.

10 people found this helpful

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Shay

Very pleased with the results

Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2016

Style: BaseVerified Purchase

I was very pleased with this camera! I had gone back and forth rather or not I wanted to just do a DSLR, or a point and shoot. I decided on something smaller and compact that would be easy to pack while hiking etc. I also take other camera's - such as video and gopro camera's. So after reading through several reviews, I was very happy with this camera. It shoots great shots! I have found that the "P" button for programming your own settings, I have achieved my best results. Using "auto" in some light conditions doesn't always produce the result you may have hoped for. I like having control over the ISO. I will post a few pictures that I took with the camera. The zoom is great, but I do find that maximizing it you will not get the quality you would want, tends to be grainy. (May be different if you use a tripod). I love that it displays the "live" view when switching through "color options" allowing you to chose right away, if you want a particular color for what your shooting. I like that the camera isn't cheap feeling like many I have had in the past. Good and sturdy for it's size!

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Rob

Very Disappointed.

Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2015

Style: BaseVerified Purchase

I purchased this camera for my mother to take on her vacation overseas. I needed something lightweight and easy to use, basically something I could have her set on auto and have the camera do the rest of the work. I must say that I am very disappointed in Canon.

My first problems with this camera occured when trying to install the battery and memory card. The battery door is fairly stiff and every time I opened it I would press the power button on the top of the camera. I think the power button is poorly placed and should also be recessed.

The next problem happened when trying to take pictures, there really is no place to put your thumb. Holding the camera normally places your thumb on the playback button which gets depressed and takes your eyes off of what you are trying to photograph.

If you're lucky enough to not accidently press the power button while taking a picture or the playback button your next roadblock might be the flash. Maybe it has been a while since I had a point and shoot with a pop up flash, but I seem to remember it automatically popping up with the last one I used. This camera will notify you on the screen that you have to use flash and then you have to manually press a button for the flash to pop up. after the flash pops up the next step is to press the shutter about 4-5 times until it finally takes a picture. I'm not quite sure of the reason for the delay, the battery was fully charged, the focus was not "searching", I had given plenty of time for the flash to charge.

All of that might be excusable if the picture quality was exceptional, but it is not. I found that almost all of the pictures taken were overexposed by about 2/3 - 1 stop and the white balance much too warm. I had a Canon point and shoot in the past that let me set the exposure compensation to work in all modes. But Auto mode in this camera would not let me do that. only when I switched to Program mode. I took some pictures with my Canon 5D MKII and Fuji X100s, and while I don't expect this camera to compete I would think that the exposure would be similar. but it was overexposed.

Canon is always my "go to" for camera gear since all of my pro gear is from them. I just can't recommend this to anyone though.

31 people found this helpful

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francesca

Great Camera!

Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2017

Style: BaseVerified Purchase

I had the previous model of this camera and I loved it. Unfortunately, the lens got stuck, and it wasn't worth the trouble and expense to repair. This one is the updated model, which includes more pixels, although it has also been discontinued to make way for the latest model. I was very happy to be able to get this camera for $100.00 less than the latest model. I love the Canon Sure Shot cameras and would recommend them in general. I have taken many shots from moving buses while on tours, and the camera is great at providing stable images that are not blurry. Although it is a bit bigger than some other compact cameras, it does more than most others. It even has a fish-eye effect setting, which can be really fun. It is certainly great for travel---so much easier than hauling a heavy SLR camera and a telephoto lens. You can set it on "point and shoot" and take great pictures without having to waste time focusing. It also has many manual settings, which I am still learning to use.

3 people found this helpful

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Linda Scott

BEST little camera out there IMHO

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2015

Style: BaseVerified Purchase

Bought this through Amazon but it was a refurbished model from another seller (SEBASTIAN2000). I received it on the earliest of the estimated delivery days in perfect condition. Cool! Amazon has us SO spoiled in receiving our purchases super-quickly.

I used to be an avid hobbyist, but now I mostly want to point and shoot. I want my camera to be intuitive and allow me to relive my memories in high quality living color. I wanted it to send pictures to my computer remotely (not my phone, but this will do both those thigs if you want) and keep them safe in a cloud. Canon has their Image Gateway to do that. When I go to Alaska next year I can upload my pictures to my computer 2500 miles away as long as I can access a Wifi connection. That's cool! As an aside, it appears that Dropbox is not viable any longer to go directly to from any camera. I do NOT want to load up my phone with a thousand pictures. I prefer to edit and weed them on my computer.

I had one little issue trying to hook up my wifi that I had to call them about. My computer wasn't automatically seeing the camera (as it was supposed to, I guess) and there was nothing in the instructions about if this happened. But, Canon walked me through it easily. Had to manually add it to my devices. I'll also say that such a huge company with SO many products can make it a little daunting to find online help. I always try to do that first (even though I hate slogging through techy stuff to perform the magic that is now possible). So, great that you can call them.

The zoom on this camera seems to be the biggest available on a small camera. It's excellent, and the quality holds up. It has another cool feature -- the camera will stop zooming when it senses that the picture will start to become grainy. But there's more zoom available if you want to go there. (See the three pics that illustrate this.) It's also great that you can choose aperture or shutter priority and the camera still is automatic after that. For moving subjects or for wanting a particular depth of field, that's awesome. You can change to that function very fast, which could be important.

I opted for the small camera so I can't fault it for not being a big camera -- no tilty viewing screen, no interchangeable lenses or filters, etc. But this amazing little camera will do everything 98% of us want to do.