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Thursday, November 8, 2012

Cannon PowerShot SX260 HS - Review


The PowerShot SX260 HS is the latest compact travel zoom from Canon. The SX260 replaces the SX230 and its biggest feature is its wider, more powerful zoom lens. Other things that have been improved include its image processor, image stabilization system, Smart Auto mode, and burst mode performance. The SX260 retains the same 12.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor, 3-inch LCD, GPS receiver, and Full HD movie mode.

As with all of their recent cameras, Canon neither builds memory into their cameras, nor includes a memory card in the box. So, unless you have one already, you'll need to buy yourself an SD, SDHC, or SDXC card right away. You're going to want a 4GB card at the very least, and larger if you plan on taking a lot of Full HD videos. A high speed card is recommended for best performance.

Canon uses the NB-6L lithium-ion battery for power. This battery, used on a number of other PowerShots, packs 3.5 Wh of energy, which is on the lower end of the spectrum.

Canon continues to have one of the nicest software bundles out there. You'll first encounter Camera Window, which will download photos from the camera onto your Mac or PC. The main photo organizing suite is called Zoom Browser in Windows and Image Browser on Macs. The software lets you e-mail or print photos, upload videos to YouTube, and do some editing, as well. Available photo editing features include trimming, redeye removal, level/tone curve adjustment, and color tuning. Movie editing tools in Image/ZoomBrowser include trimming and frame grabs.

Two other products you'll find in the box with the PowerShot SX260 HS are Photo Stitch and Map Utility. Photo Stitch can take photos that you've lined up using the Stitch Assist feature on the camera, and combine them into a single panoramic image. Map Utility will show you where photos with GPS data embedded appear on a Google Map. If you had the logging function turned on, you'll also be able to see the route you travelled.

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