This day and age, we are kind of expecting some type of High Dynamic Range capabilities in these cameras.

Canon

No HDR

The Canon PowerShot SX700 HS is a compact super-zoom camera with an impressive 30x optical range. Announced in February 2014 it's Canon's flagship compact super-zoom offering not just the longest range in this form factor, but also full manual control as well as built-in Wifi with NFC for easy...

30x optical zoom; Excellent stabilisation; Built-in Wifi with NFC; Manual focus with peaking; 1080p/60 HD video

Poor Battery life; Limit remote shooting features; No HD High speed movie mode; Inaccurate zoom magnification scale

Despite the small size of Canon's PowerShot SX700 HS compact camera, it contains a lens with a 30x optical zoom that can go up to 750mm. It's a massive reach for any camera, let alone one that can fit in your pocket, and it opens up a slew of possibilities in terms of what you can capture and how...

30x optical zoom; Relatively easy to make manual adjustments; Good overall image quality

Mode dial location a little awkward; Some noticeable chromatic aberration; Wi-Fi feature not great

Despite the small size of Canon's PowerShot SX700 HS compact camera, it contains a lens with a 30x optical zoom that can go up to 750mm.

30x optical zoom; Relatively easy to make manual adjustments; Good overall image quality

Mode dial location a little awkward; Some noticeable chromatic aberration; Wi-Fi feature not great

This camera fits perfectly between my Rebel XT DSLR, which takes excellent pictures but is bulky (especially with all the lenses) and a small and light ELPH 100HS point and shoot. It's a bit large and heavy for a point and shoot, but it still fits my pants pocket. It feels very solid.

Takes beautiful pictures. Easy to use. Zoom is incredible and very sharp when maxed out.

Great zoom; Great processor; Great image stabilization

None

The Canon PowerShot SX700 HS ($349.99) is a compact camera that packs a 30x zoom lens and a 16-megapixel image sensor, but is still small enough to slide into most pockets. It's got a big, sharp rear LCD, Wi-Fi, and controls that let you take full manual control over your photography. These features are matched note for note by our Editors' Choice Nikon Coolpix S9700( at Amazon). The S9700 edges out the SX700 when pushed to ISO 800 and adds in-camera GPS, but aside from those differences two cameras are quite similar. Design and Features The SX700( at Amazon) is a little bulkier than your average point and shoot, but it's pretty compact when you consider that it packs a 30x (25-750mm f/3.2-6.9 equivalent) zoom lens. It measures 2.6 by 4.4 by 1.4 inches (HWD) and weighs 9.5 ounces. Canon offers it in red or black, and there's a modest front handgrip that does its job in making the camera comfortable to hold. Its size is about average for a long zoom camera of this type; the Panaso...

The Canon PowerShot SX700 HS has a 30x lens and a lot of features, but image quality suffers in low light.

Sharp lens; Controls noise through ISO 800; 2.5fps image capture; Creative Shot function; 30x zoom range; Sharp rear LCD; Wi-Fi; 1080p60 video

Pricey; Detail suffers at very high ISOs; Limited control when using Creative Shot

When it comes to advancements in the point-and-shoot world, it's all about high-end cameras with premium and unique features. Canon's PowerShot SX700 HS ($350), a compact shooter with a long-zoom 30x lens, demonstrates where the company is currently concentrating its resources (not with basic models...

Terrific image quality; Very good videos; Quality 30x zoom lens

Not great with low light; Creative Shot effects are so-so; LCD isn't touchscreen; doesn't flip out

If you're looking for more than just a simple snapshot experience from a compact zoom camera, the Canon PowerShot SX700 HS should be on your short list, despite a couple shortcomings.

Along with its 30x zoom lens, the Canon PowerShot SX700 HS has fun and useful shooting options; built-in Wi-Fi with NFC; a high-resolution LCD; and excellent shooting performance and daylight photo and video quality

Its low-light (high-ISO) photos could be better and while its battery life is noticeably better than that of its predecessor; you'll still want to keep an extra battery handy for all-day shooting.

Purchased this camera for an extended overseas trip and found the resolution and color very poor consistently over some 1,500 photos. Picture quality got progressively worse as the zoom was used.

Compact; Build quality; Battery life; Screen size

Complicated; Screen size