If you’ve been looking for a superzoom camera similar to the rx100 mark 6 but can’t afford it, then stay tuned because Canon are just about to release a new camera with a super zoom. It ticks a lot of boxes, including, yes, 4K! Could this be the best compact camera for travel 2018? Let’s find out.
Canon PowerShot SX740 HS
Let’s get straight to the juicy gossip. I recently stumbled across a new camera about to be released very soon from Canon. There is no release date yet. But I believe it’s going to be coming out in September 2018 and it’s called the Canon SX740HS. This sits under Canon’s PowerShot range.
So what is the big deal about this portable travel camera? Well, let’s delve into some of its features.
Features
Superzoom
Canon says it’s got a 40x optical zoom. That is crazy! When we look at the rx100 mark 6, that has a superzoom that goes up to, I think is 200mm, this one goes up to 960mm I believe. So this is a mammoth zoom.
Heat Resistant
This camera can operate in up to 40 degrees heat and 90% humidity. Perfect for traveling in hotter countries.
Light-Weight
One of its selling points is that it’s 299 grams in weight including the battery so that’s super light as well. This means you can fit it in your pocket, handbag, manbag or even wear it as an earring if you have strong ears.
Reasonable Sensor
Sensor wise, it’s got a 1/2.3 type sensor and that is 20.3 megapixels CMOS.
4K Video Modes
Now it also has 4k, that’s the main selling feature. It can do 4k at 30 and 25 frames per second. It doesn’t say on the spec list whether it can do 24 frames per second so that’s not guaranteed yet.
New Digic Processor
It uses Canon’s new Digic 8 processor. We can expect the camera to be pretty fast in operation and I’m guessing they put that in there to help handle the 4k.
In-built Stabilisation
This camera has 5 axis stabilization inbuilt which is quite incredible for such a small little camera. That’s also including the dual IS (stabilisation) that it’s got built in. So this camera should be really steady and you’re gonna need that if you’re going to be zooming in 40x.
Flip Screen
So the good news this camera has a flip screen 180. It comes over the top just like the G7X mark ii. That’s going to be great for all the fellow vloggers out there.
As a travel camera, If you’re traveling around and you want the opportunity to be able to take a selfie and line up the background so that always is good to see.
Fast Burst Photo mode
The camera can also do 10 fps (frames per second) so if you’re into action photography or wildlife this is going to come in really handy especially if you’re zoomed far in then having the opportunity to take that many photos in succession should help you guarantee a nice sharp photo.
Bluetooth
The camera has Bluetooth technology built-in as well. Which means you can transfer photos and videos directly to your phone. This should be really handy, now I’ve only had experience using Wi-Fi and that is great. But it can be a little fiddly so I’m hoping that Bluetooth will be a little bit easier.
Full specifications can be found on the Canon website.
Expectations
Considering this could be the best compact camera for travel. I haven’t seen many websites talking about it. I think it’s been overlooked, everyone’s generally looking for the G7X mark 3 or the latest Sony cameras and they seem to have forgotten this lower end range.
Now it actually makes sense from Canon’s side. They are testing their 4k modes in some of their lower end cameras. We should expect to see them implementing it in their higher end cameras… or should I say their mid-range cameras because they’ve already got it in the 5d mark 4 and 1DX mark ii.
It’s really good to see Canon slowly bringing out and introducing 4k into their range. About time too!
Pros
For me, the main pros of this camera are
- 4K Video Mode
- Awesome 40x superzoom – which kind of blows the Sony rx100 Mark VI out of the water
- 180 degree flip screen
- Light weight and highly portable
They are all good things about this camera.
Cons
The only cons I can think of with this new Canon SX740 HS coming out is
- Sensor Size
- Lens Speed
The sensor size is a little bit smaller than a G7X mark ii, that’s to be expected as its the range below. I don’t think it will affect image quality too much. Maybe low-light is where it will be noticed the most.
I’m quite thankful to have that F1.8 in the G7X mark ii and if you refer to the new Sony rx100 Mark 6 they have had to slow down their lens also. Sony starts at F2.8 for their superzoom model.
This new Canon SX740 HS starts at F3.3 and at its farthest zoom go up to F6.9. Now whilst that sounds pretty slow I think it’s going to be expected. If you’re having 40 times optical zoom I don’t think it was going to be possible to keep it that fast. There has to be a compromise, some of that flexibility, it just slows down but I don’t see that being a concern at all.
Just to note as well, if you go over to the Canon website you can see photos and video taken on the Canon SX740 HS. It doesn’t have a release day, at least not in the UK. However, if you look at their video, I did see a little bit of grain in some of the night shots. but then again it was filming in pitch black, so again to be expected.
Best Compact Camera for Travel?
Finally, if you’re after the best compact camera for travel, there are seven fundamentals that you should look for:
You’re never going to get them all, but the more you can get the better, and I believe this camera ticks off quite a lot of those. So let’s quickly run through them.
- It has a flip screen, perfect monitoring when traveling alone.
- 60FPS slow-motion, albeit in 1080P only.
- It has a very versatile lens. It’s a fixed lens as it’s a small camera. It’s not the fastest but f3.3 is faster than most DSLR kit lenses. Plus you’ve got that awesome zoom.
- It’s nice and light weighing 299 grams. I don’t think it’s gonna get any lighter than that.
- 4K video and 1080P video modes
- Battery life – This is average. It can do a claimed 256 photos. It doesn’t say how long you can shoot a video for. Based on the size and weight of the camera, I think this is reasonable.
- No microphone input. This would only be required for more professional travel video makers or high-end vloggers.
All in all, 5/7 is not bad. What makes it better is it has an eco mode for the battery which boosts it to 370 shots. So really that is 6/7.
Did I mention the price? Well, the G7x mark ii costs around £500/$500 so seeing as this is the model below. Expect the camera to cost under 500 at around £400/$400 or less.
Whilst the Sony RX100 mark 6 may score the same 6/7 for travel friendliness. The Sony costs over £1000/$1000.
All of a sudden the SX740 looks like an absolute bargain. Which is why I believe that the Canon SX740 HS will be the new champion for the best compact camera for travel in 2018.
Will you buy one?
Are you currently in the market for a new camera? Do you think Canon’s new SX740 HS with its 4K and super zoom has won you over?
Or do you still think it’s worth paying double the price for the Sony RX100 mark 6?
Please leave your thoughts below in the comments!
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