Customer reviews from usa.canon.com
Canon - PowerShot SX500 16.0-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black
Average customer rating
4.2
(38 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 38 reviews
5 Stars
25
4 Stars
3
3 Stars
5
2 Stars
2
1 Star
3
73%of customers recommend this product.
(
27 out of
37)
Customer Reviews for Canon - PowerShot SX500 16.0-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black
Customer Rating
2
Very disappointed with this camera
on January 30, 2013
Posted by: NaturePhotographe
from San Diego, CA
I so wanted to like this camera but my heart is crushed. I needed to replace an old Canon Powershot model that I love, but somehow it doesn't turn on if the batteries are not fully charged, so it's unreliable. I also have a Canon G1X that I love, but I needed another camera for macro and zoom options.
The 30x zoom, macro capabilities and the 16MP sold me. I mostly use my cameras in manual mode, to control the settings.
This camera works like any other Powershot, menus are the same and easy to set up.
The image quality is simply unacceptable. Even is broad daylight and ISO of 100, there is a lot of noise. Zoom in at 100% and you'll see the grainy picture. Atrocious.
The worst part? Chromatic abberation is visible on almost every single picture. Just zoom in and you'll see purple and green where they are not supposed to be. My other Powershot cameras don't do that, so why this one does, I don't get it. I read somewhere that Canon has software within its cameras to correct chromatic abberation, but this camera doesn't include it. Big mistake.
The zoom does a terrible job at focusing, even on a tripod. I've tried to take photos of the moon, but none of them turned out well. The chromatic abberation also gave the moon a green border. Not cool.
I bought this camera on Amazon a few weeks ago and I'm returning it. It's simply junk and give me useless photos. I sell the photos that I take and I can't sell anything I captured with this one.
If you're looking for a camera easy to use and don't care about the quality of your photos, this is a good choice. If you care about the end result, stay away. Canon failed with this model release.
Pros: Nice features/settings, Lightweight/Portable, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
Cons: Poor image quality, Poor Low-Light Performance, Short battery life
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Love it so far
on December 12, 2012
Posted by: reload
This will make my second Canon digital camera. I decided to upgrade, to get higher quality pictures, mostly long distance. I have only had it 2 days, and this Camera has lived up to my expectations. Don't know what else to say other than Canon has quality products!
Pros: Good Low-Light Performance, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, durable, Bright LCD, Lightweight/Portable, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
AWESOME CAMERA
on December 19, 2012
Posted by: CAJUNLADY
from Louisiana
I bought me this camera a few days ago. I returned 2 others before deciding on this one. I am very happy with my purchase. The only thing I would change would be to add a viewfinder.
Pros: Good Low-Light Performance, excellent image quality, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
professional results
on July 2, 2013
Posted by: hidee
from Savannah Ga
My wife and I purchased this as a Christmas gift to our selves. At first I used it in auto mode. I then began exploring manual mode photos. I was shocked at the quality images the SX 500 IS produces. I only wish I could attach a photo to this review.
Pros: good battery life, Good Low-Light Performance, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, durable, Bright LCD, Lightweight/Portable, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Great Camera
on June 11, 2013
Posted by: spikynanna
from North Carolina
Great little camera, easy to hold and use. Very nice features, great quality of pictures
Pros: good battery life, Good Low-Light Performance, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, durable, Bright LCD, Lightweight/Portable, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
1
Worst ever purchased
on June 4, 2014
Posted by: Dee
from Southampton, NY
A plastic piece around the lens is only glued in and when you take the lens cover off the plastic piece is stuck in the lens cover. Now the plastic piece is completely gone and the cover will not go on the lens. The camera freezes all the time and will not take pictures. The word busy is constantly being displayed. I have had other Canon power shots and loved them. This model I totally dislike and am frustrated every time I use it.
Cons: Slow auto-focus, Poor build quality
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
1
SO disapointed
on April 20, 2013
Posted by: wishes4kissez
I got this camera as a gift for Christmas. I am barrel racer, and I run a web page/ advertise for a horse business. The camera was intended to be used to capture awesome action shots while racing, as well as video, and take photos of the horses for the sale ads.
Major problem with this is that if anything in the frame moves AT ALL its blurry! I cant even take pictures of a horse standing still because if he breaths or swishes his tail or moves his head a little its blurry! And forget the action shots altogether! The video is ok and I tried taking still shots off of the video but they were blurry as well.
I tried all different settings and got super frustrated. This camera is hard to use and hard to program and the instructions are long and confusing and not helpful at all. I even had my friend who is a professional photographer try to help me find a setting that could take a clear image and even she couldn't. Then I went to the store and had them try to help me, no luck there either. It really should have an action setting. I mean it has a freaking fireworks setting, but not a sports or action of some type? How often does an average person take a photo of fireworks compared to how often they would use a sports or action setting!!!
I can see that if you take photos of things that dont move at all, like maybe a statue, it takes really nice images. Just dont try to use it for anything that might move, at all. I cant use this camera for anything that I wanted a camera for and I ended up just using the iphone which does a much better job, which is really sad!
I really wish I could make this camera work for me, but I am beyond frustrated with it at this point.
Cons: Missing features/settings, Poor image quality, Poor Low-Light Performance, Difficult to use, Complicated controls/menu
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Canon SX 50
on January 13, 2014
Posted by: Stevehoutx
from Houston, Tx
I compared this camera side-by-side with another Canon SX 50 and from that we found the image stabilizer and the auto focus were not working correctly.
We compared the photo image at a 100 times and 200 times.
My Canon SX 50 would not stay focused. The image stabilizer was very unstable. I am sending this camera back to Canon for a replacement. This is a great camera. Mine may somehow have missed the quality inspections. Hopefully I can change my review when I get my replacement
We compared the photo image at a 100 times and 200 times.
My Canon SX 50 would not stay focused. The image stabilizer was very unstable. I am sending this camera back to Canon for a replacement. This is a great camera. Mine may somehow have missed the quality inspections. Hopefully I can change my review when I get my replacement
Pros: Good Low-Light Performance, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, Bright LCD, Lightweight/Portable, Simple controls/menu, easy to use, incredible zoom
Cons: Short battery life
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com