Compact Superzoom Showdown: Canon PowerShot SX730 HS vs Samsung WB850F

As someone who’s spent over a decade testing hundreds of cameras, compact superzooms always intrigue me. They promise versatile zoom ranges squeezed into convenient packages, perfect for travelers, casual shooters, and enthusiasts seeking an all-in-one solution without lugging around multiple lenses. Today, we're diving deep into two popular contenders from previous camera generations – the Canon PowerShot SX730 HS (introduced in 2017) and the slightly older Samsung WB850F (from 2012). Both cameras pack powerful zoom lenses and compact bodies, but with significant differences under the hood. Let’s unpack their specs, handle their performance across photography disciplines, and see which one truly earns its keep in 2024.

Pocket-Friendly Giants: Handling and Ergonomics Compared

When evaluating compact superzooms, the physical fit and feel can make or break the shooting experience, especially for extended outings. Both cameras are designed for portability, but size, weight, and control layout differ meaningfully.

The Canon SX730 HS measures 110x64x40 mm and weighs 300 grams, while the Samsung WB850F trims that to 109x62x25 mm and 250 grams. That extra thickness and weight with the Canon is mostly due to its longer zoom lens and tilt-screen mechanism.

The Canon’s heft feels reassuring in hand without being bulky, with a modest grip that aids stability during long zoom shots. Samsung’s slimmer WB850F is pleasantly pocketable, but the tradeoff is a flatter grip which may feel a bit less secure, especially for users with larger hands.

Looking at control ergonomics, the Canon offers a wider array of manual exposure controls and physical buttons, delivering more tactile feedback and faster access when adjusting settings on the fly. The Samsung’s layout is simpler with fewer dedicated controls.

The top view supplies further insight:

Canon’s dedicated dials and buttons around the shutter enhance one-handed operation and quick mode changes, beneficial in dynamic shooting scenarios like street or wildlife photography. Samsung’s control arrangement is more streamlined but feels basic by comparison and better suited for casual shooting.

Sensor and Image Quality: More Than Pixels

Both cameras use 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensors, measuring 6.17x4.55 mm with approximately 28 mm² sensor area, standard for this class. Canon’s sensor captures 20.3 megapixels, a slight increase over Samsung’s 16 megapixels. Yet, megapixels are just one piece of the image quality puzzle.

In practical testing, the Canon’s DIGIC 6 processor in the SX730 HS handles noise reduction and image processing more effectively, especially at higher ISO settings. Samsung’s WB850F dates from an era before canonical improvements in noise algorithms and sensor micro-lens design, which subtly impacts low-light results.

Interestingly, Samsung’s lens incorporates a wider maximum aperture at the short end (F2.8 vs F3.3 on Canon), which in theory means better light gathering at wide angle. However, “wide open” performance reveals slightly softer images on Samsung compared to Canon’s consistently sharper output, likely due to optical design and fine-tuned image processing.

Color rendition leans towards Canon’s natural yet vibrant tones, especially in skin and foliage tones - important nuances for portrait and landscape shooters familiar with Canon’s color science.

Screen and Viewfinder: The Photographer’s Window

Neither camera features built-in viewfinders, requiring reliance on the LCD display when composing shots. But their screens differ in tilt functionality, resolution, and viewing angles.

The Canon SX730 HS offers a 3-inch tilting LCD with 922k-dot resolution, enabling flexible shooting angles - invaluable for low or high perspectives, selfies, and videographers alike. In contrast, the Samsung WB850F sports a fixed 3-inch AMOLED screen with 614k-dot resolution, delivering vibrant colors but restricted in compositional flexibility.

I find Canon’s tilt screen particularly useful outdoors under bright conditions, facilitating shooting at odd angles without crouching or awkward positioning. Samsung’s AMOLED display excels in contrast and color but fixed positioning limits creative framing, especially for travel or street photography where quick angles are essential.

Neither offers touchscreen controls, but the Canon’s interface is a bit more intuitive with quicker menu access and exposure information.

Zoom and Optics - Power vs Speed

Superzoom cameras are primarily judged by lens versatility and image stabilization effectiveness at long focal lengths.

• Canon SX730 HS: 24-960 mm equivalent focal length (40x optical zoom), max aperture F3.3-6.9
• Samsung WB850F: 23-483 mm equivalent focal length (21x optical zoom), max aperture F2.8-5.9

Canon doubles Samsung’s maximum zoom reach, offering overkill magnification reaching extreme telephoto ranges. This opens up new possibilities for wildlife or sports photography when paired with good stabilization.

Samsung’s advantage is a slightly brighter lens at the wide end, improving general versatility indoors and in lower light.

Both cameras employ optical image stabilization, critical at these long focal lengths. The Canon SX730 HS features proven optical stabilization technology that effectively reduces blur when shooting handheld at full zoom, even when zoomed beyond 700 mm equivalent. Samsung also stabilizes well but with less refinement; at longer focal lengths, you might notice more blur in fast-moving subjects or hand-shake.

Autofocus Performance in Real-World Scenarios

Autofocus speed, accuracy, and tracking are paramount in certain photography types, notably wildlife, sports, and street.

Canon’s SX730 HS employs contrast-detection AF with face detection and tracking, supporting continuous AF during burst modes at 5.9 frames per second (fps). The system is responsive in bright conditions, locking focus quickly even at full zoom. However, in low light or low contrast scenes, autofocus hunting can slow down noticeably.

Samsung’s WB850F offers contrast detection with face detection, but lacks continuous AF during bursts, although it does offer tracking modes. Its burst rate is faster, capturing up to 10 fps, but only with fixed focus at the first shot, limiting practical utility for action sequences.

In my hands-on tests, Canon’s face and eye detection system performs slightly better, delivering reliable subject acquisition in both portraits and candid street photography. Samsung’s tracking capabilities are usable but less forgiving if subjects move erratically.

Burst Shooting and Buffering

Burst rates impact sports and wildlife photography. At 5.9 fps, Canon’s burst is good for a compact superzoom and sustains shooting long enough for most casual action sequences. Samsung’s faster 10 fps burst is attractive on paper but limited by fixed initial focus and a much smaller buffer, capping the number of consecutive shots to less than 10 in JPEG mode.

In practical terms, Canon’s more consistent burst with continuous autofocus will yield better keeper rates in dynamic shooting compared to Samsung’s speed but less precision.

Video Capabilities: Full HD, but No 4K Here

Video remains a major consideration for many buyers. Both cameras record Full HD 1080p video but with some key differences.

• Canon SX730 HS: 1080p at 60 fps with MPEG-4/H.264 encoding, bitrate approx 35 Mbps
• Samsung WB850F: 1080p at 30 fps, multiple frame rate options for slow motion and time lapse, also MPEG-4/H.264

Canon’s faster frame rate enables smoother motion capture, especially useful for handheld shooting and sports capture. The higher bitrate generally results in cleaner footage with finer detail and less compression artifacting.

Neither camera includes microphone or headphone jacks, nor 4K recording capabilities, reflecting their age and market position. Stabilization during video recording is optical on both, with Canon offering slightly steadier footage during telephoto pans.

Battery Life and Storage: How Long and How Much?

Battery endurance and storage flexibility influence travel and day-long shooting.

Canon specifies 250 shots per battery charge (using lithium-ion packs), while Samsung’s official battery life isn’t declared clearly but tends to range around 300 shots, depending on usage.

In field conditions, Samsung’s lighter weight and possibly more efficient AMOLED screen edge marginally improve longevity, but neither camera excels in battery stamina compared to modern standards. Carrying spare batteries is advisable to avoid downtime.

Both support SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards in single slots. USB 2.0 connectivity enables offloading but is slow by today’s benchmarks.

Connectivity and Additional Features: Wi-Fi vs GPS

In today’s connected world, wireless features matter.

• Canon SX730 HS supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC, facilitating remote capture via smartphone, image transfer, and pairing with Canon’s mobile apps.
• Samsung WB850F includes built-in GPS without Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, which appeals to travelers wanting embedded location metadata for their shots.

The Canon’s richer connectivity options enhance workflow efficiency and sharing, while Samsung’s GPS is a handy niche feature for geo-tagging adventures.

Build Quality and Weather Resistance

Neither model offers weather sealing or ruggedized construction, typical for compact superzooms in their price and era. Both should be handled cautiously in wet or dusty conditions.

Build quality is solid plasticky fare from both manufacturers, with the Canon feeling marginally more robust due to a more modern construction and ergonomic contours.

Image Gallery and Sample Quality

Testing side-by-side image quality in various settings - portraits, landscape, close-ups - provides the clearest verdict.

Canon SX730 HS front Canon SX730 HS screen back Samsung WB850F front Samsung WB850F screen back

• Portraits: Canon’s higher resolution and refined color processing yield more natural skin tones and pleasant backgrounds, aided by effective face detection. Samsung’s wider aperture lens performs decently but with less bokeh quality and a cooler color temperature that takes some correcting.
• Landscapes: Both deliver respectable sharpness, but Canon’s improved dynamic range and resolution provide more detailed, nuanced skies and foliage. Samsung’s images tend to appear more saturated.
• Macro: Canon gets closer (1 cm minimum focus distance) allowing tighter framing on subjects, while Samsung’s 5 cm minimum is limiting for true macro work.

Strengths, Weaknesses, and Overall Performance Scores

Bringing all the data together helps clarify their respective strengths and trade-offs.

Canon SX730 HS:

• Strengths: Longer zoom range, better image quality and color science, more flexible tilting screen, better autofocus and continuous shooting, richer connectivity
• Weaknesses: Slightly heavier and thicker, no raw format support, average battery life

Samsung WB850F:

• Strengths: Lightweight and compact form factor, simpler controls, built-in GPS, faster burst rate (albeit limited)
• Weaknesses: Lower resolution sensor, shorter zoom, fixed screen, less capable autofocus, less refined video, no wireless connectivity

Performance Across Photography Genres and Use Cases

Assessing how these cameras suit different kinds of photography gives practical purchase guidance.

• Portraits: Canon leads with better skin tone rendition, face detection, and zoomed telephoto potential. Samsung acceptable for casual portraits but less appealing for enthusiasts.
• Landscape: Canon’s higher resolution and dynamic range edge out Samsung, though both are capable outdoors.
• Wildlife & Sports: Canon’s longer zoom and continuous AF make it significantly better for capturing action. Samsung’s burst speed is offset by slower AF and shorter zoom.
• Street: Samsung’s slim profile and compactness favor street shooters prioritizing portability; Canon’s wider range and screen tilting benefit dynamic angles.
• Macro: Canon’s closer minimum focus distance is decisive.
• Night/Astro: Both are challenged by small sensors, but Canon’s better noise handling and higher ISO reliability give a small advantage.
• Video: Canon’s higher frame rate and bitrate deliver superior footage for casual videographers.
• Travel: Both portable, but Canon’s flexible screen, zoom, and wireless connectivity make it more travel-friendly despite increased bulk.
• Professional Work: Neither replaces a professional system but Canon’s JPEG quality, manual controls, and connectivity better facilitate a lightweight second camera.

Final Take: Who Should Buy Which?

Navigating these two cameras in 2024 largely comes down to your priorities and budget.

Canon PowerShot SX730 HS is the more versatile and technically capable superzoom compact. Its longer zoom, refined image processing, better autofocus, and connectivity options make it an excellent choice for enthusiasts wanting a straightforward all-in-one. If wildlife, travel, or portraiture rank high in your shooting priorities, Canon offers clear advantages.

Samsung WB850F is an older, simpler model positioned for users valuing extreme compactness, built-in GPS tagging, and decent zoom without fuss. It’s well suited for casual shooters or travelers who prioritize size over top-end imaging features but should be approached cautiously given its dated sensor and AF.

I hope this granular comparison helps photographers of all stripes weigh their options. Both cameras serve as examples of compact superzoom design philosophy from their respective eras. Ultimately, the Canon SX730 HS’ superior optics, handling, and modern features justify its premium over the Samsung WB850F in nearly every category – unless sheer portability and integrated GPS are must-haves.

Happy shooting!