Canon PowerShot SX40 HS Review

Value for money: 8 out of 10 points

Whether you choose the SX40 HS or not will depend on your requirements and preferences. A DSLR offers better flexibility, but will cost more and be more complicated. Cameras.co.uk can highly recommend this camera for those who want simplicity, and a single fixed lens that covers pretty much everything. The features are superior to many, and the pictures are decent too.

Value for money: 4 out of 5 points, "Highly Commended"

The Canon PowerShot SX40HS fixed lens digital camera has a 35x zoom lens and a pop up flash. When the lens is at maximum zoom, a tripod is needed. On the rear of the camera there is a TFT screen, which is fully protected as it can be flipped open when in use. The screen can move up to 270°, which GadgetSpeak say is ideal if you want to shoot overhead and still see your subject.

Where image quality is concerned the new SX40 HS from Canon has set the bar high, even at full zoom, and this also goes for its low-light performance and quiet operation, which the new HS system has made possible. It is not perfect though as its frame capture is slower than the competition, and it doesn't have RAW shooting. IT Reviews would also like to see a better screen.

Canon's Powershot SX40 HS follows on from the previous SX30 IS model, updating some features but keeping the large 35x optical zoom lens. The lens isn't interchangeable but can be used in many situations - you can go through the entire focal range in three seconds, using the zoom lever. Computeract!ve say HD video is good but the cost is off-putting when DSLRs are a similar price.

Value for money: 3.5 out of 5 stars, "Recommended"

The PowerShot SX40 HS is an attractive camera and has a large amount of optical zoom according to ePHOTOzine. Also if manual controls are what you're after then there are few cameras that favour this price range. With decent picture quality, a wide range of features and high speed full resolution shooting, innovative photographs are at your finger tips.

The combination of a tilting LCD screen and a broad focal range means that the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS can help you capture the most creative of shots, even when you have no room to manoeuvre. It is limited by its lack of Raw capture and hotshoe, and T3 say that the price is quite high for a camera with no possible expansion, so recommend hunting for the best prices before buying.

With a 12.1MP CMOS sensor and Canon's HS (High Sensitivity) system, the Powershot SX40 HS can capture big 4000x3000px JPEGs and Full 1080p HD video. There's 10.3fps shooting and a dedicated video button, but Photo answers say that several features haven't changed since the SX30, most notably the 2.7in LCD screen which now looks quite outdated compared to its rivals.

Tech Radar consider the 35x zoom range to be impressive, particularly in a camera of this size, and while some entry-level DSLRs can produce better images for a similar price, they are also much bigger and bulkier. The Canon Powershot SX40 HS can shoot 10.3fps and full HD video, and noise levels are low. Unfortunately there is no Raw shooting and the EVF is sub-par.

The PowerShot SX40 HS is equipped with an impressive zoom and a high-quality lens - both of which help to produce excellent shots with vibrant colours and clear detailing. The abundance of extra features allow users to get creative. CNET believe the electronic viewfinder might put some people off and the high price is a definite drawback.

Value for money: 8 out of 10 points, "Recommended"

The Canon PowerShot SX40 HS has a lot to offer buyers who seek an impressive zoom and excellent picture quality on a model that is more affordable than a DSLR. Its overall performance is very speedy, especially burst shooting. Trusted Reviews would have preferred if it supported RAW shots and if the manual control was less restricted, but they can still recommend it.

Canon's PowerShot SX40 doesn't improve greatly over its predecessor, but it does produce good quality pictures and movies. It has impressive image stabilisation and beats most competitors with its 35x optical zoom. Pocket-lint were a little more disappointed by the outdated LCD screen and EVF, and some of the competition are faster to focus, so although it's good, it's not perfect.

Burst shooting is a bit limited on the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS compared to other similarly-priced models. The small screen also made manual mode difficult to assess. Despite this, Expert Reviews were very impressed by the model - particularly the high quality picture and audio in movie mode. Images were unusually sharp for a super zoom camera.

Value for money: 16 out of 20 points

The Canon PowerShot SX40 HS is essentially a slightly-improved version of the SX30. The two models are identical - both easy to grip with a durable build and very user-friendly controls. What Digital Camera were disappointed that Canon didn't update the low resolution LCD screen. However, the overall image quality is amazing and the zoom is impressive.

The only notable difference between the SX40 HS and the SX30 IS is the new model's 12MP CMOS sensor, but it's a major improvement as far as picture quality, frames per second and noise levels are concerned. Camera Labs thought this change could make the SX40 IS a winner, but said that they needed to get their hands on a production model before they could cast a proper verdict.