Canon powershot sx740 hs low light

Canon PowerShot SX740 HS review

Digital Camera World Verdict

If you're after a travel camera that's got all the zoom you could ever want, but won't eat into your baggage allowance, the PowerShot SX740 HS is worth considering. Extras like 4K video broaden its appeal, as does its flip-up screen - just don't go comparing image quality too closely to a well-specced camera phone, as you may be disappointed.

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Pros

+
40x optical zoom
+
4K video
+
Flip-forward screen
+
Easy to use

Cons

-
Image quality not brilliant
-
Can be sluggish to take a photo
-
No touchscreen or EVF
-
Can't shoot in Raw

You'd be forgiven for thinking smartphones have killed the conventional compact camera, but there's still a market for big zoom compacts like the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS. With its 40x optical zoom, you can get closer to the action than with any multi-lens camera phone.

Features

The PowerShot SX740 HS replaces the SX730 HS, with the only notable upgrades being the addition of 4K video recording and a new Digic 8 image processor. All other main specs and features remain the same, including the 40x zoom lens that gives a hugely versatile focal range equating to 24-960mm (in 35mm camera terms). 5-axis optical image stabilisation is included and is essential for keeping shots sharp when shooting at such long focal lengths.

Canon PowerShot SX740 HS at Walmart for $587.84

Canon's 20.3 megapixel sensor is carried over from the SX730 HS and is starting to show its age, with its sensitivity range topping out at just ISO 3200. There's also no ability to shoot photos in Raw, which is a pity on a camera that costs as much as an entry-level DSLR body and does have manual and creative shooting modes.

The new Digic 8 image processor at least enables 4K video recording at 30/25 fps, and there's continuous stills shooting at 10 fps. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity mean there's wireless image sharing via your phone, and your phone's GPS can also be used to location tag your photos in conjunction with the Canon Camera Connect app.

Sensor: 20.3MP 1/2.3-inch-type CMOS
Sensitivity range: ISO 100-3200
Video: 4K at 30fps, 1080p Full HD at 60fps
Lens: 40x optical zoom, 24-960mm-equivalent, f/3.3-6.9
Monitor: 3-inch, 922k-dot LCD, tilting
Viewfinder: N/A
Battery life: 265 shots
Dimensions: 110.1 x 63.8 x 39.9mm
Weight: 299g

Build and handling

The build quality of the SX740 HS is, well, fine. The body is predominantly plastic, and its design hasn't really changed since the SX720 HS from 2016. It doesn't feel like a particularly premium product, but neither is it flimsy or unpleasant. There are sizeable, grippy panels on the front and rear, and the camera feels comfortable and secure in the hand - refreshingly so if you're more accustomed to a slippery, wafer-thin smartphone.

Though the SX740 HS is primarily an easy to use point-and-shoot camera, Canon has fitted it with a dedicated mode dial enabling instant access to aperture and shutter priority modes, as well as a fully manual mode if you want to get really creative. The mode dial can also be used to select special effects, including soft focus and skin-smoothing effects to enhance portrait shots, and fun effects like fish-eye distortion and a toy camera filter.

The 3-inch, 922k-dot LCD screen is bright and color-accurate. It's also able to flip up and face forward for easy selfie shooting. However, it isn't touch sensitive, so you don't get the ability to touch to select a focus point, and you'll need to use the physical buttons on the rear panel to scroll through images.

The SX740 HS also lacks an electronic viewfinder - something that is included on rival cameras like the Nikon Coolpix A1000 and Panasonic Lumix TZ95/ZS80 . This is frustrating on very bright days when the main screen can be difficult to see, but it also means the camera can be slightly smaller. What's more, the EVFs on competing compact cameras are a far cry from those on high-end mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras - the compact camera EVF tends to be very small at around 0.2-inches in size, and this makes them quite uncomfortable to use, especially if you wear glasses and your eye is therefore positioned slightly further back.

Performance

There are no unpleasant surprises when shooting with the SX740 HS. It powers up fast and focuses quickly in most lighting conditions. Exposure metering is generally accurate and strikes a good balance between preserving highlight and shadow detail, but overall dynamic range is restricted and some higher contrast shots can look dull and uninspiring.

There is a slightly irritating delay between pressing the shutter button and an image being captured in Auto mode. We used a fast SD card during our testing, so this shouldn't have been the cause of the issue. It left us continually wondering whether we captured each shot in time.

Images are well saturated and generally easy on the eye. At longer zoom settings it's clear there is significant image processing going on behind the scenes in order to maintain a sharp image and compensate for camera shake. Image quality is acceptable when zoomed right in, but shots are noticeably softer.

In low light the limitations of the small 1/2.3-inch sensor inside the SX740 HS become more evident, as the camera struggles to maintain fine detail in the face of increasing image noise. The maximum sensitivity of ISO 3200 is also low by current standards (for context, a Huawei P30 Pro camera phone tops out at ISO 409,600!), but the Canon's optical image stabilization does help maintain compensate for this and does a good job of ironing out camera shake.

However, if you're thinking about purchasing an SX740 HS for an upgrade in image quality from a modern flagship smartphone, think again. While the Canon has its advantages - ergonomics, huge zoom, etc - and it can snap a nice shot, you don't get the cutting-edge image processing that a powerful smartphone has to offer. Images therefore lack the very fine detail and overall wow factor that a well-sorted phone camera with powerful HDR processing can offer.

Canon PowerShot SX740 HS – sample images

Image 1 of 4

40x zoom in action

Maximum wide angle, equivalent to 24mm...

...and zoomed in 40x to an equivalent 960mm

Verdict

If you're after a versatile, long-zoom travel camera, the PowerShot SX740 HS doesn't disappoint, but neither will it amaze you. It does everything quite well, but aside from the huge zoom range, there's little to get excited about. Performance is perfectly adequate, but a current top-end camera phone will trounce it for wide-angle image quality. Although in fairness, the latter is applicable to any current small-sensor compact camera. While there may still be 'new' travel cameras like the SX740 HS being released, most are just subtly refreshed versions of older cameras and are based on ageing core technology.

Canon isn't pushing the boundaries here, even in the context of rival compact cameras. The omission of a touch-sensitive screen stings when cameras like the Nikon Coolpix A1000 does include this. The Canon's lack of raw image capture and an electronic viewfinder also looks bad on paper, but we accept many users are unlikely to purchase a camera like this in order to shoot raw, and electronic viewfinders in this segment are more of a token marketing extra than a truly useful feature.

Check out our best travel cameras guide for our current top travel camera picks.

Read more:

• Best compact cameras

• The best travel cameras

• Best bridge cameras

• Best action cameras

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Ben is the Imaging Labs manager, responsible for all the testing on Digital Camera World and across the entire photography portfolio at Future. Whether he's in the lab testing the sharpness of new lenses, the resolution of the latest image sensors, the zoom range of monster bridge cameras or even the latest camera phones, Ben is our go-to guy for technical insight. He's also the team's man-at-arms when it comes to camera bags, filters, memory cards, and all manner of camera accessories – his lab is a bit like the Batcave of photography! With years of experience trialling and testing kit, he's a human encyclopedia of benchmarks when it comes to recommending the best buys.

Canon PowerShot SX740 Review - RTINGS.com

Sort Category───────────RATINGSTravel PhotographyLandscape PhotographySport & Wildlife PhotographyVloggingStudio VideoAction Video

Category AllDesignPhoto GeneralPhoto Image QualityPictures Sample GalleryVideo General4k VideoFull HD VideoStorage And Connectivity

Design

Height

2. 5" (6.4 cm)

Width

4.3" (11.0 cm)

Depth

1.6" (4.0 cm)

Volume

17.2 in³ (281.6 cm³)

Weight

0.66 lbs (0.30 kg)

Weight With Lens

0.66 lbs (0.30 kg)

Generally feels solid and durable
Flash mechanism seems a bit flimsy
Back wheel feels a bit loose
Input/output compartment protected by a flap, not a solid door

Body Type

Point and Shoot

Water Resistance

Mirrorless

Yes

Rugged

Hot Shoe

Customizable Button

Command Dial

Tripod Mount

Yes

Lens Mount

No Lens Mount

Built-In Flash

Yes

Canon SX740
Case
Case strap
Battery charger
Battery
Wrist strap
User manual

Hand Grip: Small Hand

Yes

Hand Grip: Medium Hand

Hand Grip: Large Hand

Hand Grip: Extra-Large Hand

Hand grip is uncomfortable due to camera size, although it's suitable for those with small hands
Only one wheel to change aperture, ISO, and shutter speed

Viewfinder Type

No Viewfinder

Advertised Coverage

N/A

Advertised Resolution

N/A

Advertised Magnification

N/A

Screen Articulation Type

Flip-Out

Screen Max Brightness

577 cd/m²

Advertised Resolution

0. 92 million dots

Size

3.0" (7.6 cm)

Touchscreen

Guide Mode

Yes

App Name

Canon Camera Connect

Easy to use; not a lot of settings to choose from
Guide Mode is available for additional information about settings and features
Depending on the mode selected, different settings appear in the menu system

Lens Type

Built-in

Maximum Aperture

3. 3 - 6.9

Max Aperture (Full-Frame Equivalent)

f/18.5

Tested Lens

Built-In Lens

Minimum Focal Length

4.3 mm

Maximum Focal Length

172 mm

Max Focal Length (Full-Frame Equivalent)

960 mm

Optical Image Stabilization

Yes

Luminance

72. 5%

Light Falloff

89.9%

Sensor Type

CMOS

Advertised Effective Pixels

20.3 MP

Sensor Size

1/2.3-inch

Processor

DIGIC 8

Extended ISO Minimum

N/A

Native ISO Minimum (Base ISO)

100

Native ISO Maximum

3,200

Tested Firmware

Ver. 1.0.2

Battery Type

Canon NB-13L

USB Charging

Yes

Use When Charging

Advertised Battery Life In Photo

265 photos

Tested Battery Life In Video

55 min

Photo General

JPEG File Format

Yes

Raw File Format

Shutter

Mechanical

Slowest Shutter Speed

15 s

Fastest Shutter Speed

1/3,200 s

Silent Shooting

HDR

Time Lapse

Yes

Low Speed Continuous

4 fps

High Speed Continuous

10 fps

Silent Shooting Continuous

N/A

Raw Buffer Size

N/A

JPEG Buffer Size

62 Photos

Buffer Empty Time

3 s

Object Tracking Success Rate

95%

Face Tracking Success Rate

22%

Face Detection Distance

95" (241 cm)

Eye Detection

Advertised Coverage

N/A

Advertised Focus Points

N/A

Minimum Shutter Speed Achieved

1/10 s

In-Body Image Stabilization

Photo Image Quality

Dynamic Range At Base ISO

N/A

Dynamic Range At 1/500s Exposure Time

N/A

Dynamic Range At 1/2000s Exposure Time

N/A

Dynamic Range At 1/4000s Exposure Time

N/A

Vertical Edge MTF50 At Base ISO

N/A

Horizontal Edge MTF50 At Base ISO

N/A

SNR 18% At Base ISO

40. 73 dB

SNR 18% At ISO 800

35.72 dB

SNR 18% At ISO 3200

32.47 dB

RAW SNR 18% At Base ISO

N/A

RAW SNR 18% At ISO 200

N/A

RAW SNR 18% At ISO 400

N/A

RAW SNR 18% At ISO 800

N/A

RAW SNR 18% At ISO 1600

N/A

RAW SNR 18% At ISO 3200

N/A

RAW SNR 18% At ISO 6400

N/A

RAW SNR 18% At ISO 12800

N/A

RAW SNR 18% At ISO 25600

N/A

RAW SNR 18% At ISO 51200

N/A

JPEG Picture At Base ISO Download

JPEG Picture At ISO 400 Download

JPEG Picture At ISO 800 Download

JPEG Picture At ISO 1600 Download

JPEG Picture At ISO 3200 Download

JPEG Picture At ISO 6400 N/A

JPEG Picture At ISO 12800 N/A

JPEG Picture At ISO 25600 N/A

JPEG Picture At ISO 51200 N/A

RAW Picture At Base ISO N/A

RAW Picture At ISO 400 N/A

RAW Picture At ISO 800 N/A

RAW Picture At ISO 1600 N/A

RAW Picture At ISO 3200 N/A

RAW Picture At ISO 6400 N/A

RAW Picture At ISO 12800 N/A

RAW Picture At ISO 25600 N/A

RAW Picture At ISO 51200 N/A

Pictures Sample Gallery

JPEG Skate Park Picture Download

RAW Skate Park Picture N/A

JPEG Polish Church Picture Download

RAW Polish Church Picture N/A

JPEG Studio Picture Download

RAW Studio Picture N/A

JPEG Stairway Picture Download

RAW Stairway Picture N/A

Video General

Full HD Video

Yes

4k Video

Yes

6k Video

Clean HDMI Output

Advertised Max Chroma Sampling Over HDMI

Not Advertised

Advertised Max Bit Depth Over HDMI

N/A

Log Picture Profile

Recording Light

Audio Test Sample

Audio Recording

Stereo

Microphone Level Display

MP4 H. 264 / MPEG-4 AVC

Yes

MP4 H.265 / HEVC

MOV H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC

MOV H.265 / HEVC

AVCHD H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC

All-I Compression

4k Video

240 fps In 4k

120 fps In 4k

60 fps In 4k

30 fps In 4k

Yes, with a Crop

24 fps In 4k

4k Crop At Max Available fps

1. 35 x

Bitrate Maximum In 4k

120 Mbps

Bitrate Minimum In 4k

120 Mbps

Chroma Sampling In 4k

4:2:0

Bit Depth In 4k

8 Bit

Record Time Limit In 4k

30 min

Overheat Recording Interruptions in 4k

Object Tracking In 4k

Face Tracking In 4k

Face Detection In 4k

Yes

Eye Detection In 4k

Low Light Capability In 4k

Test Scene Extract In 4k

4k Rolling Shutter

5. 3°

Full HD Video

240 fps In FHD

120 fps In FHD

60 fps In FHD

Yes

30 fps In FHD

Yes

24 fps In FHD

FHD Crop At Max Available fps

1 x

Bitrate Maximum In FHD

30 Mbps

Bitrate Minimum In FHD

30 Mbps

Chroma Sampling In FHD

4:2:0

Bit Depth In FHD

8 Bit

Record Time Limit in FHD

30 min

Object Tracking In FHD

Face Tracking In FHD

Face Detection In FHD

Yes

Eye Detection In FHD

Low Light Capability In FHD

Test Scene Extract In FHD

FHD Rolling Shutter

5. 3°

Storage And Connectivity

Card 1 Slot

SD Card UHS-I

Card 2 Slot

No 2nd Card Slot

USB

Micro USB

HDMI

Micro (Type D)

Headphones

Microphone

No Microphone input

Wi-Fi

Yes

Bluetooth

Yes

Canon PowerShot SX740 HS review

Sorry if you think smartphones have killed the regular compact camera, but there's still a market for high zoom compact cameras like the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS. With 40x optical zoom, you can get closer to the action than any multi-lens camera phone.

Features The

PowerShot SX740 HS replaces the SX730 HS, with the only notable updates that include the addition of 4K video recording and a new Digic 8 image processor. All other key features and functions remain the same, including a 40x zoom lens that gives an extremely versatile 24-9 focal length range60 mm (under 35 mm camera conditions). 5-axis optical image stabilization is included, which is necessary to keep pictures sharp when shooting at such long focal lengths.

Canon's 20.3-megapixel sensor is carried over from the SX730 HS and is starting to show its age, with a sensitivity range above ISO 3200. There's also no option to shoot photos in Raw, which is a pity when the camera costs about the same. almost like an entry-level DSLR body and has manual and creative shooting modes.

The new Digic 8 image processor at least enables 4K video recording at 30/25 fps, as well as 10 fps continuous photo shooting. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity means your phone can share images wirelessly, and your phone's GPS can also be used to locate your photos in conjunction with the Canon Camera Connect app.

Sensor: 20.3 MP, 1/2.3" CMOS
Sensitivity range: ISO 100-3200
Video: 4K@30fps, 1080p Full HD@60fps
Lens: 40x optical zoom, 24-960mm equivalent, f/3.3-6.9
Monitor: 3-inch 922k-dot LCD, tiltable
Viewfinder: no
Battery life: 265 shots
Dimensions: 110.1 x 63.8 x 39.9 mm
Weight: 299 g

Assembly and handling

The build quality of the SX740 HS is, well, not bad. The body is mostly plastic, and its design hasn't changed much since the 2016 SX720 HS. It doesn't feel like a particularly premium product, but neither is it fragile or nasty. There are large, comfortable bezels on the front and back, and the camera feels comfortable and secure in the hand - refreshing, so if you're more used to a slippery, thin smartphone.

While the SX740 HS is primarily an easy-to-use point-and-shoot camera, Canon has equipped it with a dedicated mode dial that gives you instant access to aperture-priority and shutter-priority modes, as well as a full manual mode if you want to get really creative. . . The mode dial can also be used to select special effects, including soft focus and skin smoothing effects to enhance portrait shots, as well as fun effects such as fisheye distortion and toy camera filter.

The 3-inch 922k-dot LCD screen is bright and accurate in color. It can also lift up and face forward for easy selfie shooting. However, it's not touch sensitive, so you don't have the ability to tap to select a focus point, and you'll need to use the physical buttons on the back to scroll through images.

The SX740 HS also lacks an electronic viewfinder - the same as competing cameras such as the Nikon Coolpix A1000 and Panasonic Lumix TZ95/ZS80. This is annoying on very bright days when the main screen can be hard to see, but it also means the camera can be a bit smaller. What's more, the electronic viewfinders on competitive compact cameras are very different from the electronic viewfinders on high-end mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras - a compact camera's electronic viewfinder tends to be very small (about 0.2 inches), making them quite awkward to use, especially if you wear glasses and therefore your eye is a little further back.

Presentation

There are no unpleasant surprises when shooting with the SX740 HS. It turns on quickly and focuses quickly in most lighting conditions. Exposure metering is generally accurate and strikes a good balance between retaining highlight and shadow detail, but overall dynamic range is limited and some higher contrast shots can look dull and dull.

There is a slightly annoying delay between pressing the shutter button and taking a photo in auto mode. During testing, we used a fast SD card, so this should not be the cause of the problem. This made us constantly wonder if we captured every frame on time.

Images are well saturated and generally pleasing to the eye. At longer zoom settings, it's clear that there's a lot of image processing going on behind the scenes to keep the image sharp and to compensate for camera shake. The image quality is acceptable at direct zoom, but the pictures are noticeably softer.

In low light, the limitations of the small 1/2.3-inch sensor inside the SX740 HS become more apparent as the camera struggles to retain fine detail in the face of increasing image noise. The maximum ISO 3200 sensitivity is also low by current standards (for context, the Huawei P30 Pro camera phone maxes out at ISO 409600!), but Canon's Optical Image Stabilization really helps offset this and does the job well. camera shake.

However, if you're thinking about buying the SX740 HS to improve the picture quality of today's flagship smartphone, think again. While the Canon has its advantages - ergonomics, huge zoom, etc. - and can take good pictures, you won't get the advanced image processing that a powerful smartphone can offer. The images therefore lack the very fine detail and overall wow factor that a well-sorted phone camera with powerful HDR processing can offer.

Canon PowerShot SX740 HS - Image examples

40 -fold zoom in the action of

Verdict

If you need a universal camera for travels with a large zoom, Powershot SX740 HS will not disappoint the PowerShot SX740 HS but it won't surprise you. It does everything well, but aside from the huge zoom range, there's not much to worry about. The performance is quite adequate, but the current top-end camera phone will yield to it in terms of wide-angle image quality. Frankly, the latter applies to any modern compact camera with a small sensor. While "new" road cameras such as the SX740 HS may still be released, most are only slightly upgraded versions of older cameras based on outdated underlying technology.

Canon doesn't push the boundaries here, even in the context of competing compact cameras. The lack of a touchscreen is annoying when cameras like the Nikon Coolpix A1000 turn it on. Canon's lack of raw image capture and electronic viewfinder also looks bad on paper, but we agree that many users are unlikely to buy such a camera to shoot in raw format, and electronic viewfinders in this segment are more of a token extra. marketing than a really useful feature. 960mm in 35mm equivalent.

These features follow its predecessor along with other features including a tilting screen and Bluetooth connectivity. But there are also distinctive features, for example, 4K video shooting and a DIGIC 8 processor. Let's take a closer look at these and other features of the camera in the upcoming Canon PowerShot SX740 HS review.

Canon SX740 Overview

Features of

• 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, 20.3MP.
• Lens from 24-960mm f/3.3-f/6.9.
• 3.0-inch swivel screen, 922,000 dots.

Key features

As is often the case, the trade-off for such a long lens is sensor size. The 1/2.3-inch size used in the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS is the smallest size currently used in such cameras, although the back-illuminated design should capture light more efficiently. The sensor has 20.3 MP - the same as the previous model SX730 HS, but works with a Canon DIGIC 8 processor.

To avoid the many aberrations that can occur with such elongated lenses, Canon uses many elements with aspherical profiles and ultra-low scattering properties. And to help maintain sharpness when shooting at long focal lengths and in low light, there's a three-stage Intelligent IS system on board, as well as 5-axis Advanced Dynamic Image Stabilization when shooting video.

The PowerShot SX740 HS, like its competitors, has a 3-inch LCD screen that rotates 180° upwards. This makes it easy to take selfies. These features, plus built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology for easy sharing of content, clearly define the audience.

GPS is not included as standard, although an alternative is to connect the camera to a smartphone via Bluetooth and use geotagging data from it. Manual exposure control is also possible, with the familiar PASM options selected using the mode dial.

Like many 4K capable competitors such as the Panasonic Lumix TZ90 and Nikon Coolpix A900, the SX740 HS's video mode is limited to 30 fps in 4K. If you need smoother footage, you can use Full HD video at 60 fps.

Design

The body of the SX740 HS is thermoplastic, with nice textured rubber on the grip and thumb rest. The smooth finish of the case looks sophisticated, not cheap. The LCD screen is solid, unlike some other models of this tier whose hinges feel more flimsy.

The LCD screen is mounted on one hinge, which is typical for cameras of this type, ie. it only moves up. This makes it less flexible when shooting overhead, but that's a minor drawback. In any case, the overall impression is one of a well-constructed camera with no obvious points of weakness and a size that makes it easy to fit in a pocket.

The trade-off between using an LCD of this size and such a small body is that the rear control dial is a bit small. This, combined with the fact that it's slightly recessed into the back panel relative to the level of the display, means it's difficult to turn without hitting the LCD screen. The latter can be slightly raised - this is one way to get around this nuance.

Autofocus

The Canon PowerShot SX740 HS uses a fairly standard contrast AF system with nine tracking points available. It can recognize faces to accurately focus on people. You can choose between normal and small center focus points.

AF Tracking and continuous focus are at hand, as is macro mode, which lets you shoot as close as 1cm from the subject. There is a manual focus option that works impressively with focus peaking.

Autofocus performance is generally very good. The Canon SX740 HS camera can focus almost instantly at the wide end of the lens, often doing so when you release the shutter all the way, with no halfway delay. When extended to the end of the telephoto lens, the autofocus system will adjust the focus in a certain time, but when the button is half-pressed, focusing is faster.

In moderate light, the bright green AF-assist illuminator makes life easier, helping to reduce focusing time. The noise seen on the screen in such conditions can make it difficult to judge focus, but if you trust the camera and keep an eye on the image stabilization warning icon, you can get decently sharp shots.

Annoyingly, the SX740 HS screen is not touch-sensitive; there is no option to select the focus point on the display. But this is not a critical place. This is basically a disadvantage when taking selfies.

Performance

The DIGIC 8 processor is credited with the responsiveness of the PowerShot SX740 HS. The camera takes a little over a second to turn on. You can turn it on a little faster to view images by simply pressing the play button, which leaves the lens hidden inside the body. At the same time, the control dial on the rear panel will allow you to quickly scroll through the images.

In continuous shooting, the SX740 HS has increased the speed compared to the SX730 to 10 fps in single focus. Tracking autofocus reduces burst speed to 7.4 fps. Undoubtedly, the introduction of the new Canon DIGIC 8 processor helps.

The default LCD setting is not very bright and this can be easily corrected using the menu. In bright light it does a decent job of accurately representing the scene, but in low light noise starts to dominate and contrast drops.

Canon estimates that a full battery charge will provide approximately 265 shots. In Eco mode, their number can be increased to 370. Conveniently, the battery can be charged via a USB port, this removes the charger from the list of necessary ones to carry with you. The only pity is that Canon does not include a USB cable with the camera.

Image quality

Overall, the image quality of the Canon SX740 HS is very good. Exposure is largely accurate, with a good balance between shadows, midtones and highlights in most shooting conditions. Too bad there aren't any controls to balance highlights. The closest thing to this is the iContrast setting, although it only affects the details in the shadows.

But you can use this setting in combination with slight underexposure to eliminate loss of detail in bright areas. The Vivid MyColors option is ideal for foliage and nature, and the fact that it has a noticeable effect on saturation without making the colors flashy means it can be used successfully in other settings as well.

The effectiveness of the PowerShot SX740 HS's image stabilization system is evident when you frame the shot, and later review of the shot shows that it has a positive effect on sharpness. When composing images at the telephoto end of the lens, it's worth taking a few extra safety shots.

Unlike rival Panasonic, there's one thing the PowerShot SX740 HS doesn't offer, and that's RAW shooting. For such a camera, this is not unusual, and far from necessary, because there is not much you can pull out of such a small sensor in an uncompressed form.

Video and sound quality is generally average, although shooting in good light can produce excellent shots. Plus, the fact that you can produce excellent 4K video recording underscores Canon's importance in this area.

Connections

The Canon SX740 HS has built-in wireless (Wi-Fi) (802.11b/g/n + Bluetooth) that allows you to easily and easily transfer photos to compatible devices. Unlike the SX730, there is no NFC function. Bluetooth is also convenient for connecting other devices that support such a connection.

Another feature that everyone loves is the ability to use your smartphone as a remote control for the SX740 HS. You can change camera settings, release the shutter, view the LCD screen, and stream files using a dedicated application. You can connect the SX740 HS to compatible gadgets via HDMI or USB 2.0 (480 Mbps).

Features SX740 HS

TYPE
Camera	Compact digital camera with 160x zoom
SENSOR
Type	20. 3 megapixels 1/2.3″ CMOS
Total pixels	Approximately 21.1 million
Effective pixels	Approximately 20.3 million
LENS
Focal length	4.3 (W) - 172.0 (D) mm (24-960 to 35 mm equiv.)
Optical zoom	40x
Digital zoom	Approx. 4x
Focus range	Auto: 1.0 cm - ∞ (W), 2.0 m - ∞ (T)
	Standard: 5.0 cm - ∞ (W), 2.0 m - ∞ (T)
	Macro: 1.0-50.0 cm (W)
Autofocus	TTL system
DISPLAY
LCD Monitor	3.0″ TFT (4:3)
Pixels	Approx. 922000 dots
Coverage	Almost 100%
IRIS AND SPEED
Maximum aperture	F/3. 3 (W), F/6.9 (T)
Extract	15 - 1/3200 sec
EXPOSURE CONTROL
Sensitivity	ISO 100-3200
Measuring method	Estimated, Center-weighted, Spot
Compensation	+/-3 in 1/3 steps
FLASH
Integrated	Yes
Range	50.0 cm - 5.0 m (W), 2.0 m - 2.5 m (T)
SHOOTING PARAMETERS
Modes	P, M, Tv, Hybrid Auto, Auto, Standard, Vivid, Neutral, B/W, Sepia, Video Snapshot, Food
Self-timer	Off / 2 sec / 10 sec / Custom
Wireless control	Via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
Burst	One-Shot AF: 4-10 shots/sec
	Continuous AF: 4-7. 4 shots/sec
OTHERS
Memory cards	SD/SDHC/SDXC and UHS-I
Recording file format	DCF compatible with DPOF (version 1.1)
Compression	JPEG: Exif 2.31
	Video: MP4 (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264)
Approval	Photo: from 480x480 to 5184x3888
	Video: 4K 3840 x 2160, 29.97/25 fps,
	Full HD 1920×1280: 59.94/29.97 fps,
	HD 1280×720: 29.97 fps
INTERFACE
Video output	HDMI (Type D)
Audio output	Stereo
Others	Hi-Speed USB (Micro)
POWER
Battery	NB-13L
Stock	265 shots, up to 370 shots in eco mode
Video recording time	Approx. 60 min
Play time	Approximately 4 hours
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
Dimensions (WxHxD)	110.1 x 63.8 x 39.9 mm
Weight	299 g (with battery and card)

Price SX740 HS
The Canon SX740 is currently available for pre-order online for $400. The start of sales is announced for August 20, 2018. The camera is available in both black and silver.

SX740 HS review summary

Summarizing the results of Canon's SX740 HS review, we can emphasize the following. Although the camera is not without its drawbacks, such as the lack of a touch screen, electronic level, 4K 60fps video recording, it provides good image quality for most shooting situations.

If you are ready to trust the camera's automation with minimal involvement in the settings, then this may be your choice. Especially considering the cost of the SX740 camera.