Canon sticks to the tried-and-true formula of more megapixels and more zoom for the PowerShot SX700 HS.

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; Canon could have done more with the camera's NFC.

Canon's new travel zoom puts a (surprisingly useful) 30x optical zoom in your pocket.

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

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.

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

Canon

No HDR

Sorry Canon, this is not one of your best. Fantastic zoom, nice handy size, but terrible picture quality. Ok I have some top of the range cameras to compare this with, but I have had much better ixus cameras that are 10 years old.

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

The SX700HS sits at the top of Canon's range of travel compact cameras, the better zoom-endowed brother of the SX600HS and the replacement for the SX280HS – Canon has decided to skip quite a few numbers in this series.

Compact cameras are having a tough time these days with a slew of digital SLRs, mirrorless shooters and even smartphone cameras hogging the limelight.