Canon's engineers didn't stick to the script with the PowerShot Zoom ($299.99), a new concept for a compact camera, one that entirely skips wide-angle coverage—think of it is as a digital spyglass for capturing distant subjects. It's more useful than a smartphone for catching shots of the local fauna and outdoor sports, and offers some appeal to family photographers who use an iPhone for most snaps, but want a bit of extra zoom power from time to time. But it takes more than innovation to recommend the PowerShot Zoom emphatically, as its image and video quality lag behind modern smartphones.Digital Spyglass The PowerShot Zoom is comfortable enough to hold, even if it's a bit awkward to actually use. A one-handed device, the Zoom rests in your palm, measuring 2.0 by 1.3 by 4.1 inches (HWD). It's about as heavy as a phone at 5.1 ounces, and you can tell that most of the weight is in the optical block—the chassis itself is light, but not flimsy, plastic. Controls are all placed arou...

The Canon PowerShot Zoom rethinks what a compact camera can be, but while we like the idea of a pocketable point-and-shoot just for distant subjects, its imaging chops don't match mainstream competitors.

Easy to fit in a pocket; Dual telephoto angles of view; Sharp EVF; Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and USB-C

Image quality lags behind smartphones; Handheld video just 1080p and shows some jitter; No good in low light; So-so battery life

We really like the concept of the PowerShot Zoom, which is a stabilized monocular-style camera that jumps from 100mm to 400mm focal lengths at the push of a button. Sadly, with poor image quality and handling, it's a much better monocular than it is a camera.

It’s a tiny monocular!; Clever three-step zoom function; Effective stabilization; Decent EVF;

Autofocus misses too often; Autoexposure blows out highlights; Poor image quality; Better as monocular than a camera

Introduction; Design; Zoom range; Controls; Menus and playback; Burst shooting; Battery life and charging; Autofocus; Image quality; Three irritations; Who's it for?;

Introduction; Design; Zoom range; Controls; Menus and playback; Burst shooting; Battery life and charging; Autofocus; Image quality; Three irritations; Who's it for?;

Canon PowerShot Zoom is a very good idea that is very poorly executed.

Compact and easy to carry. Up to 800mm tele. Fairly sensibly priced.

Mediocre picture quality, lame autofocus and lousy video quality. And fairly hopeless to operate.

The Apple iPhone 14 isn’t a huge upgrade on the iPhone 13, yet it still is a great phone with a top camera, good battery life and all the iOS benefits.

Clever safety features, Very good battery life, Reliable camera, Fun colours, You’ve got an ageing iPhone: If you’re on an iPhone 11 or older, then the changes here will make a notable difference.

Stuck on a 60Hz display, Minimal differences to the iPhone 13, You’ve got an iPhone 13: The changes from Apple’s previous phone aren’t enough to warrant an upgrade this year.

While it's a shame that picture and sound quality haven't been upgraded, the iPhone 13 was great in these regards and the iPhone 14 is, too Excellent display Admirable headphone performance Solid build quality No upgrades to picture or sound Familiar design Notch is still present

The Apple iPhone 14 is no match for the just-released iPhone 14 Pro, but if you ignore that, it’s one of the most effective phones around.

Great cameras, front and back, Fast performance, Good battery life, Innovative safety features

Design too familiar, Some average features

Apple's latest non-Pro iPhone is superb - it's just that it's strikingly similar to last year's effort.

Still an incredible smartphone, Brilliant battery life gets a bit better, Excellent camera system gets a bit better

Last year’s Pro hardware, Wireless charging slow by modern standards, No USB-C; it’s now well overdue

More like an iPhone 13S. The generational upgrades for the iPhone 14 are limited to a few subtle changes. At the same time, however, the base price climbs to 800 USD, while the only true innovation happens inside the iPhone 14 Pro series.

excellent OLED display, dust- and waterproof, fast Wi-Fi, wide range of supported frequencies, great camera, very fast performance, good battery life

display limited to 60 Hz, charging rate limited to 20 watts, no macro lens, wide notch

“The iPhone 14 isn't a huge upgrade compared to its predecessor. But with a great design, screen, performance, and cameras, that's far from a bad thing at all.”

Comfortable, high-end build, OLED screen looks fantastic, A15 chip performs great, Good camera upgrades, Dependable battery life, Helpful safety features

60Hz display, No telephoto camera, eSIM might be a pain for some