Canon PowerShot SX500 IS 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 30x Wide-Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Black) (OLD MODEL)

I got the SX500 IS as an upgrade from my 8 year old Lumix, not wanting to go full DSLR, but maybe something in between. Portable, inexpensive, yet with a high optical zoom and good image stability. There are undoubtedly other models with better features that take higher quality pictures, including Canon's own SX50, but none for under $200 that I could find. Checking on reviews at various sites also led me to believe the SX500 IS was at least comparable, and usually better than the other 30x "ultra" zoom cameras. After playing around with it a few days, mostly on the Auto setting, I'm very happy with the optical zoom and the image stability you get at 30x, better than I got with the Lumix at 10x. Macro shots at an inch or less look great, at least in good light. Low light shots get very grainy as the ISO kicks up to 800 very quickly so I'll be playing with the manual settings more there. Tons of those settings that I'll have to really study--as another review pointed out, this isn't a beginner's camera, but then I didn't want one and am willing to dive into the details a bit. Possible cons: movies are "only" at 720, but look plenty good (for 1080, maybe consider the SX50?). The aperture speed was rated low for this camera at just under 1 sec. Haven't taken any high speed shots yet, say a bird in flight, so I can't comment on it yet. The battery life is also supposedly short, but I always get a spare (2 for $15). My maybe biggest gripe is the awkward shape, which is to say the lens is very long, so the camera is very boxy. I don't want to get yet another dedicated camera bag, and it doesn't fit into any of my laptop backpacks or satchels very well. It's not a big camera, it's just not very flat in any 2 dimensions, so just... awkward. All in all, this was a fantastic value, and hopefully a gateway into better photography. I'll update this review after delving more into the finer points of the camera. Update (9/3/2013): I see the price has gone up past $250, and the "super zooms" have gone to 50X. Having done some sports stadium shooting from the back fence to full zoom on the field, I can capture closeups of plays, even fastballs leaving the pitcher's hand from 200-300ft away, so I'm more than happy with 30X, and the stability is very impressive, at least in full daylight (perfect conditions). Still need to test at, say, nighttime concerts, but I still think this is an excellent value, even in the $250 range, and a steal for under $200.

I am not sure what the mixed reviews are but this is a great fully functional camera. I am not a photographer, but I do love to take pictures. I started out with my iPhone and a Sony point and shoot. I realised I love taking pictures. So I did a lot of research this camera stood out. There is mixed reviews, but I continued to look at best buy, Walmart and amazon. The majority was anywhere from 4-5 stars all across the board. I even watched YouTube. So I decided for the price and just starting out I would give it a shot. Amazon sent it out and I began to use it. I have to say I love it, pictures are clear, movies are amazing. I began to take pictures at the lake, nature and my dog. Came out great. I know most are saying that the camera is not good for action shots and Lowe light, if you play around with the settings it's much better. It's not a fast camera but again you can play around with that setting as well. What I found to help me is that I ordered books like canon power shot digital photography and digital photography for beginners. They have helped with the understanding of this camera. This camera is small and compact, and it does a little of everything . It's great for me for just starting out and not mention I have has three back surgeries and unable to lug all that equipment around. Overall this is great camera small easy to use, great pictures and a lot of fun. Like I said I am no photographer by doing a little research you can have a wonder camera. One more thing order the tri pod and extra battery it helps for the 30 x zoom it is amazing. So if you are someone looking for great camera that takes great pictures and enough settings to feel as though you are a pro, this is worth every penny.

I love this camera! I recently returned an Olympus DSLR camera because it was difficult to operate and the printed images were not that good. After some research I realized that what I really wanted was a point and shoot camera that was on the small side and easy to operate. Voila, this is it! I use the Auto setting right now but will try the manual settings too, although the Auto does exactly what I want it to. The camera is small but easy to handle and lightweight. Taking videos is also easy and the results are nice. The videos are clear with very natural coloring which is what I like my videos to look like. Images are also very natural looking. For someone who's not a professional photographer I see no reason to buy a DSLR when you can get a point and shoot that does such a good job. The 30 zoom and 16mp are more than enough for the casual photographer. The battery lasted through about 200 pictures and 3 short videos before I had to recharge it. I just purchased an extra battery to carry with me so I don't lose any important pictures due to the battery running out. The camera did come with a lens cover that stays attached to the camera with a wire to prevent loss. I was pleasantly surprised to see this because it didn't say a lens cover was included with this camera. I would highly recommend this camera to anyone looking for great quality pictures and videos with ease of use.

Let me start off by saying, I'm not a photographer and I know this is not a professional grade camera. I purchased this camera so I could take nice pictures of my kiddos as they grow throughout the years, but my iPhone seems to take about the same quality of photos. However, when I purchased this camera, I didn't have an iPhone so it was a good investment at the time. This is a pretty lightweight, not so bulky camera that takes decent images for day to day capture. It has a nice zoom range, without compromising image quality too much. There's also a slot for a memory card and another for the rechargeable battery. For the price, it's a good camera and it's basic features makes it an easy one to use for most anyone.

Really love this camera! It's great quality. The pictures are sooooo clear! Much better than my previous camera, definitely an upgrade. And good price too! A couple things to keep in mind: you ARE going to want a second battery if you're taking pictures often. I hate running out of battery and then having to wait for it to charge. And the self timer isn't quite the same as other self timers. I've figure out ways around both of those but just things to keep in mind! Overall, I'd definitely recommend this camera!

I love it very easy to use and the focus is amazing, pictures are very very clear and easy to download to pc.

It's a really nice camera that has lots of very nice features. The optical zoom is amazing at 30x! I tried out the digital zoom which goes up to 60x, not expecting to like it but I was actually impressed with it as it still done a fairly nice job, even at digital zoom levels which looked better than me simply blowing up part of an image myself. It has a lot of features like the usual shutter speeds, focal lengths (though the range did seem fairly limited). It came with an extra battery which was nice, charger, memory card (4G), strap. I will note that the camera is used, though it is in excellent condition. The cost seemed a tad steep once I learned this is a 10 year old camera, but I am still happy with it. There were a few faint white specs in the image in low light dark, but that wasn't too bad, and only when it was really dark, which I easily compensated for by adjusting shutter speeds etc. All in all, I have no regrets buying it. It's small (see photo with pen and a bit of my keyboard beside it for scale). I have already captured some AMAZING shots of the moon at night, zoomed in with craters clearly visible, shots that got some praise from online people so... not too bad. Over all I would definitely recommend it (newer model if you can afford it, great camera).

Camera is in great condition very few scratches works well. Can’t wait to use it to take pictures

I love this camera which takes very clear pictures - great for special occasions but a bit big for carrying with you every day. It is light, compared to other cameras I've tried with the same features, and comfortable to hold.