LAS VEGAS – For three years at the International Consumer Electronics Show, Canon abandoned the launch of the PowerShot aimed at high-end enthusiasts G1 X and curiosity like PowerShot WOMEN and N100 aimed at social sharing of quintessential and somewhat mediocre snapshots updated with more megapixels and longer lenses.
To be fair, these are the two that still sell cameras, and the new camera models bring higher-end features down to the average snapper. The two biggest announcements were updates to the 42x 24-1.008mm SX520 HS (a camera that debuted last September) and the 30x 25-750mm SX700 HS. The PowerShot SX530 HS is essentially the same as the SX520, but now it has a 50x zoom from 24mm to 1,200mm – the same lens from an older high-end megazoom, SX50 HS .
There are some other feature tweaks including active NFC and improved Wi-Fi remote control features when using your smartphone or tablet for wireless photography, but none important beyond the lens. If you’re cursing because you just bought the SX520 HS when its price halved to $200, the good news is that the SX530 will be at $430 when it launches in February.
The $350 PowerShot SX710 HS (also coming in February) retains the same 30x zoom lens as its predecessor, but gets a resolution boost from 16 megapixels to 20 and other minor feature updates. of SX530 HS. The 18x 25-450mm SX610 HS has the same megapixel boost and will sell for around $250. Pricing and availability for the UK and Australia aren’t available, but convertible prices are £230 and AU$435 for the SX710 and £170 and AU$310 for the SX610.
For those interested in more pocket-friendly options, Canon has updated a couple of super-compact PowerShot Elphs: the Elph 170 IS and the Elph 160. Both feature a 20-megapixel CCD sensor (as opposed to the sensor). High-sensitivity CMOS in HS cameras) and are designed for easy automatic photography, and they can record 720p HD video.
The 170 IS has a 12x 25-300 zoom lens with optical image stabilization while the 160 relies on electronic image stabilization for the 8x 28-224mm zoom lens.
The cameras are expected to arrive in February with the SX-series models and cost around $150 for the Elph 170 IS and $120 for the Elph 160. Australia and UK pricing is not available, but pricing exchange is AU$185 and US$100 for 170 IS and AU$150 and £80 for 160.
