In this Canon PowerShot SX620 review, we will discuss what the camera has to offer to photographers.
Launched in 2016, the Canon PowerShot SX620 HS is the successor of the very popular and successful PowerShot SX610. Both cameras have many features in common and some noticeable differences. For example, Both SX610 and SX620 have a DIGIC 4+ image processor, Full HD video recording, 2.5fps of continuous shooting speed, and a 20.2MP back-illuminated CMOS sensor. However, the SX620 comes with a 25x optically stabilized lens, with a slightly faster maximum aperture. It also has a 25-625mm focal length, equivalent to 35mm.
The Canon PowerShot SX620 HS comes in three colors that are white, red, and black. It is available for $240 or $220 in retail.
Ease of Use
We will begin our Canon SX620 review with ease of use. SX620 HS and Canon PowerShot SX610 HS have the same features, the only exception being the ever so fast zoom lens. However, SX620 is 9 grams lighter than the SX610 and thus a bit smaller. Similarly, all the controls and buttons are comparatively tinier as well. The handgrip on the front is slightly more curved.
The camera also has a better battery life with the capacity to shoot 295 shots after a single charge. The front finger ridge is pretty large whereas the rear thumb rest is generously bigger, allowing you to hold the camera more securely.
What makes it easier to grip the camera is its rougher dimensions. It only measures 96.9 x 56.9 x 27.9 and weighs only 182g including the memory card and battery.
Apart from these minor changes, there is nothing else to differentiate SX620 from its predecessor.
LCD Screen
The camera features a 3-inch LCD with 92,000-dots which is the same as SX610. The LCD delivers excellent performance when it comes to color accuracy and viewing angles. The LCD has more than enough brightness to excel in all conditions. Although its performance declines in extremely bright sunlight yet most compact camera screens will also struggle under these conditions.
Canon’s motive behind releasing SX620 was to attract people who want to make a move from their smartphones to “serious” cameras. However, the camera fails to penetrate this growing market simply because the LCD is not a touchpad. It also infuriated or rather confused smartphone users who are accustomed to run commands with the touch of their figure.
Build Quality
The PowerShot SX620 has impressive build quality considering its low price. It has tactile metal details further accenting the premium plastic. Another rare luxury at this price is the metal tripod mount. On top of that, you can choose from white, red, and black casings as well.
Controls
As mentioned above, the control layout of the SX620 is the same as the previous version. The only addition is the switch on the rear to the right of the thumb rest. This switch can be quite confusing for you if you have been using the Canon compact cameras for some time now.
The button appears to enable toggling between two video modes, the burst mood and single-frame at first glance. However, the lowest button of the Three hosts default “Smart Auto” and this is where most people start. The camera adjusts shooting settings automatically after detecting the object you are focusing on in Smart Auto mode.
The d-pad at the bottom right of the camera has the ‘FUNC.SET’ button in the middle. You can press this button to control and change settings like white balance and ISO sensitivity. You can also open the setting menu popup by pressing the same button to choose the Program Auto mode.
Shooting Modes
There are also various scene modes within the settings menu. You can select these modes manually when you photograph difficult objects such as snow scenes, night-time, or fireworks. The camera has a limited range of six filters which you will also find in the settings menu.
SX620 HS no doubt has fewer filters compared to some cameras which offer more than 10 styles. However, it has other methods and ways to spruce up your shots. For example, just flick the mode selector to the middle position to access Canon’s Creative Shot Mode. This mode enables you to have a lot of fun with both images and videos.
Creative Shot mode not only takes one standard shot but also captures five additional variations of the same image, applying different crop and filter effects to each one of them. It is a highly useful feature, especially when you don’t want to waste time applying filters manually but still want to be creative.
The Hybrid Auto mode, one of the best features of the Canon SX620, is accessible through the top button on the mode switch. When enabled, this mode shoots 2-4 seconds of video before every image. Subsequently, it combines the videos to create a 720P digest movie.
Auto Zoom is another attractive feature of Canon PowerShot SX620. Just push the upward button on the directional dial at the rear to activate auto zoom. The camera will automatically zoom out or in whenever it detects a face. Consequently, it will keep the fact framed at a constant size no matter the person is moving towards or away from the camera. The feature also works perfectly even if it has to detect multiple faces.
Connectivity
Next, we will talk about the connectivity options in our Canon PowerShot SX620 HS review. Once again, there is no difference between the connectivity options for SX20 and that of SX610. Both the cameras use the companion Canon Camera Connect mobile app for connectivity. The SX620 will start transmitting wireless signals to nearby devices as soon as you press the connection button. You can find this button at the bottom of the rear panel.
The camera connects to other WiFi devices just like any other device. You can control the camera remotely from the Canon app on your smartphone or other smart devices. For example, you can download images directly from the app. On the other hand, you can also quickly connect SX620 to any NFC-enabled smart device as well.
You will have to wait for 5 seconds for a full resolution shot to transfer after the connection is established. The remote shooting is also effective and smooth. However, you may experience a slight lag when you operate the zoom controls.
Your smartphone can also tag the camera’s images with the GPS coordinates if you connect it with SX620 through WiFi. However, the camera does not have a properly integrated GPS. The process is rather inconvenient as you have to sync your smartphone with your camera. Subsequently, you have to rely on the app to connect you to GPS. On the other hand, this system does not consume as much camera battery as traditional GPS.
Battery Life
The Canon PowerShot SX620 can take 295 images after a single charge. It is 25 images more than the capacity of its predecessor thanks to a higher-capacity rechargeable Li-ion 1250mAh power pack battery. Similarly, the Canon Eco mode allows you to increase the battery’s capacity to 405 images. What Eco mode does is that it dims the display if it remains inactive for a few seconds. It switches off the display altogether shortly later.
You can bring the display back to life by pressing any button. This feature is very similar to a start/stop system on modern cars. It is quite useful when it comes to conserving the battery. However, you may have to wait for a few seconds to shoot and composing your images.
The PowerShot SX620 captures an image in 1.8 seconds in start snap mode. It is slightly slower than some comparable models but acceptable considering the lens does not extend quickly enough.
However, the camera excels when it comes to autofocus. It instantly focuses pretty much everything in good light conditions. In the case of low light, it only talks half a second to hit the bull’s eye.