The Canon PowerShot SX500 IS is a pocket-sized super-zoom camera with a 30x optical range. Announced in August 2012, Canon claims it's the World's smallest 30x optical zoom camera, with a range that extends from 24-720mm with Intelligent image stabilisation to iron-out the wobbles.

30x stabilised optical zoom; Compact lightweight body; Frame assist helps locate subjects at long focal lengths; Versatile Creative filters

Very poor continuous shooting; Lens suffers from Chromatic aberration; Poor battery life; Vertical streaking on highlights in video (due to CCD

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

High noise; Lacks panoramic mode; ZoomPlus 60x zoom is just another marketing name for digital zoom

If you need a long zoom in a compact body, then you won't get much lengthier or smaller than the Canon PowerShot SX500 IS. The 30x lens is truly impressive in so compact a device. With enough pixels to allow serious crops in post-production and still have sufficient resolution to print at fairly...

Long zoom; Low price; Accurate colour reproduction

Image noise at conservative sensitivities; Colour fringing; Wind noise on movies

Canon's entirely new SX500 IS adds a solid entry-level superzoom to the brand's already substantial PowerShot line. One of the company's more interesting point-and-shoots, the SX500 IS offers considerable versatility but is simple enough to satisfy novices, and even some enthusiasts looking for a...

Very reasonable $300 price for a generous feature set; 16-megapixel sensor and 30x zoom in a compact body

Reflective LCD screen and no electronic viewfinder; Somewhat awkward handling

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 manual control and a host of other features that look to assert it as a serious shooter.

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

With prices constantly coming down in the digital camera market, Canon's range was crying out for a low-cost camera with a very powerful zoom, as already proffered by the likes of Olympus and Nikon.

Practical to handle; clear interface; Quick zoom-out button to find a subject that's moved out of view at telephoto settings; Good sharpness levels in the middle of the frame at all focal lengths

Very plasticky build / Screen looks dark when viewed from below; Photo-to-photo turnaround is too slow; Sensitivity isn't great; chromatic aberration visible on 4" x 6" photos; Video mode could be better (contrast; noise; audio; etc.

The Canon PowerShot SX500 IS represents something of an anomaly in that it straddles the gap somewhere between ultracompact and superzoom. The first thing that strikes you about it is the size; it's a very small camera, and yet within its diminutive body Canon has somehow managed to engineer a 30x...

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

Body doesn't feel particularly solid; No electronic viewfinder; No Raw capture

This compact camera with a 16-megapixel sensor is fitted with a 30x optical zoom and the boast of a 60x zoom when moved into the digital enlargement zone. In 35-millimetre film terms, this is a 24mm-720mm optical range. The lens is image-stabilised, which it needs to be.

A problem with all super-zooms is finding the subject in the viewfinder when the lens is at its longest focal length; This camera has a button on the side of the lens that, when pressed, gives a wider view.

Apart from the absurd zoom range and far too many pixels

A year or so ago I was attracted by Canon's SX30 IS, a 35X digicam. So much so that I bought one for family use. And it turned out to be ideal for the purpose, especially in shooting video at the long end! … although this was somewhat tempered by its less than Full HD …

The SX500 IS caters to photographers who want a lot of zoom for little cash. It succeeds well at this task, though image-quality purists will bemoan the lack of RAW and visible fringing issues on photos.

Small and lightweight; 60x Zoom Plus feature works well for low-res shots; Simple to use

Video-only 720p; Screen is difficult to see in sunlight; Average video quality