Canon PowerShot SX170 IS Review | 108 Data compared

The PCMag review rates the Canon PowerShot SX170 IS at 2.5 out of 5 stars, noting it as an affordable $179.99 budget camera featuring a sharp 16x optical zoom lens and a well-designed, intuitive control layout. The camera benefits from a shift to a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack, resulting in a lighter design than its predecessor. However, significant drawbacks include low-light image noise from the 16-megapixel CCD sensor and slow operational performance, characterized by slow startup and shooting speeds. Additionally, the device lacks Wi-Fi, features a subpar rear display, captures only 720p video with audio interference, and has a bulky form factor that hinders pocketability.

The Canon PowerShot SX170 IS is a budget-friendly, mid-range super-zoom compact camera that upgrades its predecessor with a new rechargeable lithium-ion battery. This battery change is a major plus, giving users up to 300 shots per charge, or 440 shots in eco mode. The camera is built with a tough, chunky handgrip that prevents slipping, and it houses a 16-megapixel CCD sensor alongside a powerful 16x optical zoom lens. It stands out as an easy-to-use, rugged choice for both beginners and regular shooters who want a little more control, especially since it features a full manual mode. However, the camera does come with a few notable drawbacks. It lacks a modern CMOS sensor and a touch-sensitive screen, and it does not have any built-in Wi-Fi capabilities. Video recording is limited to 720p HD rather than full 1080p HD. Performance-wise, the camera can be frustratingly slow to lock focus when you use the optical zoom, and it tends to hunt for focus in low-light situations. Additionally, the 3-inch LCD screen uses an older 230,000-pixel technology, which can sometimes look a bit...

The Canon PowerShot SX170 IS is an entry-level compact digital camera that features a 16-megapixel CCD sensor, a 16x optical zoom lens (28-448mm equivalent), and a DIGIC 4 image processor. A major benefit of this model over its predecessor is its lower launch price of $180 and the switch to a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery instead of AA batteries. It provides solid handling with an improved hand grip, features an automated Smart AUTO mode with 32 predefined shooting scenes, and impressively offers full manual PASM exposure controls for its budget-friendly price point. Canon also includes an Intelligent IS system with six stabilization modes and a slightly enhanced High-Speed AF system to keep shots sharp. However, the camera has notable limitations due to its recycled, older technology. It relies on a dated CCD sensor and an older DIGIC 4 processor, which limits video capabilities to basic 720p HD recording at 25 frames per second rather than Full HD. The 3-inch LCD monitor is also quite basic with a low 230K-dot resolution. Additionally, Canon removed the physical button used to deploy the pop-up...

Canon PowerShot SX170 IS Review Summary The Canon PowerShot SX170 IS is a budget-friendly point-and-shoot camera that offers impressive versatility for both novice and seasoned photographers. It features a 16-megapixel resolution and a 16x optical zoom, positioning it competitively alongside rivals like the Panasonic DMC-TZ30 and Nikon L620. Its auto mode effortlessly handles up to 32 different preset scenes, while a full manual shooting mode provides welcome control for advanced users looking to tweak settings. Reviewers highlighted its excellent macro performance, which delivers sharp close-ups with a beautiful shallow depth of field. Additionally, the built-in flash exposure compensation is a rare and useful feature for point-and-shoots, allowing users to tone down the flash during close-range shooting to prevent overexposure. Despite its strong performance, the camera has notable limitations due to its slightly dated technology. Its biggest drawback is the reliance on an older CCD sensor, whereas its main competitors utilize superior, modern CMOS technology. The camera also lacks full HD recording capabilities and modern connectivity features like built-in Wi-Fi. In terms of image quality, visible digital noise becomes an issue...

The Canon PowerShot SX170 IS is a superzoom digital camera that offers a long 16x zoom range (28-448mm equivalent) at an affordable price point, though it comes with several performance trade-offs. On the positive side, the camera features a very sharp lens that exceeds standard testing cutoffs and boasts a user-friendly manual control layout, including a helpful top mode dial and rear directional pad. However, its bulky dimensions (2.8 by 4.25 by 1.7 inches) make it too large to fit comfortably into standard pockets, meaning it is better suited for jacket pockets or cargo pants. The camera's overall value is heavily limited by its slow operation and low image quality in certain conditions. Its 16-megapixel CCD sensor produces noisy images even at a low ISO 100 setting, causing fine details to smudge significantly by ISO 800 and disappear at ISO 1600. Major downsides include a sluggish 2-second startup time, limited 720p video capture that suffers from loud lens zoom noise, a grainy 230k-dot rear display, and a complete lack of modern built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. Because of these flaws, reviewers give...

The Canon PowerShot SX170 IS is a budget-friendly compact camera that features a sharp lens and a versatile 16x (28-448mm equivalent) optical zoom range, making it highly capable of capturing distant subjects. Its bulky design leaves ample physical space to accommodate an intuitive control layout, including a dedicated top mode dial and easy-to-use rear navigational buttons for quick manual adjustments. Additionally, the lens achieves an impressive 2,349 lines per picture height in sharpness testing, which easily surpasses standard expectations for clarity in its price bracket. The camera also ships with an external wall charger for its removable battery and provides full support for standard SD, SDHC, and SDXC storage cards. However, the camera earns a low "2.5 Fair" rating due to several significant performance and hardware limitations. Its 16-megapixel CCD sensor produces highly grainy images with 1.6% noise even at its lowest ISO 100 setting, causing fine details to completely break down by ISO 1600. Operation is notably sluggish, suffering from a 2-second startup time and up to a 2-second telephoto shutter lag. Furthermore, the 3-inch rear display is low-resolution...

The Canon PowerShot SX170 IS is a budget-friendly compact megazoom camera that is highly recommended for cost-conscious photographers who want physical control over their shooting parameters. In terms of pros, the camera features a powerful 16x optical zoom lens, a large and stable body grip, and semimanual/manual shooting modes—such as shutter-priority and aperture-priority—which are highly rare at this price point. Furthermore, it delivers great photo quality for its class and produces surprisingly good 720p HD video clips suitable for web sharing. On the downside, the camera's largest drawback is its slow shooting performance. Due to an older image processor and slow CCD sensor, continuous shooting crawls at just 0.8 frames per second, making it an unideal choice for fast-moving subjects like pets, children, or sports. Additionally, Canon swapped out the widely available AA batteries used in previous iterations for a proprietary rechargeable lithium-ion pack, sacrificing the convenience of buying quick replacements while traveling. The bulkier build is also not genuinely pocketable, and physical downgrades like losing the locking battery door and Mini-HDMI port further hold it back.