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Canon SX50 HS

 
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS front
 
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.8" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1200mm (F3.4-6.5) lens
  • 595g - 123 x 87 x 106mm
  • Launched January 2013
  • Succeeded the Canon SX40 HS
  • Replacement is Canon SX60 HS
  • Read full specs
  • Alternatives
  • Size Comparison
  • FAQ
Portability
65
Imaging
36
Features
55
Overall
43

Canon SX50 HS summary

Canon SX50 HS is Canon's Small Sensor Superzoom camera initially revealed on January of 2013. It has a 12 MegaPixel, BSI-CMOS 1/2.3" size sensor with a max resolution of 4000 x 3000.

Canon introduced this camera to update the earlier Canon SX40 HS (Read Full Comparison) and then brought out the more recent Canon SX60 HS (Read Full Comparison) in an effort to replace this camera.

The SX50 HS is scored #85 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras and overall #585 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our list. You should use our Advanced camera search to get camera ratings based on your personalized criteria.

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Here is a chart of various factors used in the rating system.

Canon SX50 HS family

The Canon SX50 HS is part of a family of products. You can read the complete list below.

ModelVisualizeLensResolutionSensor SizeReleased
Canon-PowerShot-SX70-HS front thumbnailCanon SX70 HS
SX50 HS vs SX70 HS
21-1365mm
F3.4-6.5
20MP1/2.3"2018
Canon-PowerShot-SX740-HS front thumbnailCanon SX740 HS
SX50 HS vs SX740 HS
24-960mm
F3.3-6.9
21MP1/2.3"2018
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Canon-PowerShot-SX730-HS front thumbnailCanon SX730 HS
SX50 HS vs SX730 HS
24-960mm
F3.3-6.9
20.3MP1/2.3"2017
Canon-PowerShot-SX620-HS front thumbnailCanon SX620 HS
SX50 HS vs SX620 HS
25-625mm
F3.2-6.6
20MP1/2.3"2016
Canon-PowerShot-SX720-HS front thumbnailCanon SX720 HS
SX50 HS vs SX720 HS
24-960mm
F3.3-6.9
20.3MP1/2.3"2016
Canon-PowerShot-SX420-IS front thumbnailCanon SX420 IS
SX50 HS vs SX420 IS
24-1008mm
F3.5-6.6
20MP1/2.3"2016
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Canon-PowerShot-SX540-HS front thumbnailCanon SX540 HS
SX50 HS vs SX540 HS
24-1200mm
F3.4-6.5
20MP1/2.3"2016
Canon-PowerShot-SX410-IS front thumbnailCanon SX410 IS
SX50 HS vs SX410 IS
24-960mm
F3.5-5.6
20MP1/2.3"2015
Canon-PowerShot-SX710-HS front thumbnailCanon SX710 HS
SX50 HS vs SX710 HS
25-750mm
F3.2-6.9
20MP1/2.3"2015
Canon-PowerShot-SX610-HS front thumbnailCanon SX610 HS
SX50 HS vs SX610 HS
25-450mm
F3.8-6.9
20MP1/2.3"2015
Canon-PowerShot-SX530-HS front thumbnailCanon SX530 HS
SX50 HS vs SX530 HS
24-1200mm
F3.4-6.5
16MP1/2.3"2015
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Canon-PowerShot-SX60-HS front thumbnailCanon SX60 HS
SX50 HS vs SX60 HS
21-1365mm
F3.4-6.5
16MP1/2.3"2014
Canon-PowerShot-SX400-IS front thumbnailCanon SX400 IS
SX50 HS vs SX400 IS
24-720mm
F3.4-5.8
16MP1/2.3"2014
Canon-PowerShot-SX520-HS front thumbnailCanon SX520 HS
SX50 HS vs SX520 HS
24-1008mm
F3.4-6.0
16MP1/2.3"2014
Canon-PowerShot-SX700-HS front thumbnailCanon SX700 HS
SX50 HS vs SX700 HS
25-750mm
F3.2-6.9
16MP1/2.3"2014
Canon-PowerShot-SX600-HS front thumbnailCanon SX600 HS
SX50 HS vs SX600 HS
25-450mm
F3.8-6.9
16MP1/2.3"2014
Canon-PowerShot-SX170-IS front thumbnailCanon SX170 IS
SX50 HS vs SX170 IS
28-448mm
F3.5-5.9
16MP1/2.3"2013
Canon-PowerShot-SX510-HS front thumbnailCanon SX510 HS
SX50 HS vs SX510 HS
24-720mm
F3.4-5.8
12MP1/2.3"2013
Canon-PowerShot-SX160-IS front thumbnailCanon SX160 IS
SX50 HS vs SX160 IS
28-448mm
F3.5-5.9
16MP1/2.3"2013
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Canon-PowerShot-SX270-HS front thumbnailCanon SX270 HS
SX50 HS vs SX270 HS
25-500mm
F3.5-6.8
12MP1/2.3"2013
Canon-PowerShot-SX280-HS front thumbnailCanon SX280 HS
SX50 HS vs SX280 HS
25-500mm
F3.5-6.8
12MP1/2.3"2013
Canon-PowerShot-SX50-HS front thumbnailCanon SX50 HS24-1200mm
F3.4-6.5
12MP1/2.3"2013
Canon-PowerShot-SX500-IS front thumbnailCanon SX500 IS
SX50 HS vs SX500 IS
24-720mm
F3.4-5.8
16MP1/2.3"2012
Canon-PowerShot-SX260-HS front thumbnailCanon SX260 HS
SX50 HS vs SX260 HS
25-500mm
F3.5-6.8
12MP1/2.3"2012
Canon-PowerShot-SX150-IS front thumbnailCanon SX150 IS
SX50 HS vs SX150 IS
28-336mm
F3.4-5.6
14MP1/2.3"2012
Canon-PowerShot-SX240-HS front thumbnailCanon SX240 HS
SX50 HS vs SX240 HS
25-500mm
F3.5-6.8
12MP1/2.3"2012
Canon-PowerShot-SX40-HS front thumbnailCanon SX40 HS
SX50 HS vs SX40 HS
24-840mm
F2.7-5.8
12MP1/2.3"2011
Canon-PowerShot-SX230-HS front thumbnailCanon SX230 HS
SX50 HS vs SX230 HS
28-392mm
F3.1-5.9
12MP1/2.3"2011
Canon-SX220-HS front thumbnailCanon SX220 HS
SX50 HS vs SX220 HS
28-392mm
F3.1-5.9
12MP1/2.3"2011
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Canon-PowerShot-SX30-IS front thumbnailCanon SX30 IS
SX50 HS vs SX30 IS
24-840mm
F2.7-5.8
14MP1/2.3"2010
Canon-PowerShot-SX130-IS front thumbnailCanon SX130 IS
SX50 HS vs SX130 IS
28-336mm
F3.4-5.6
12MP1/2.3"2010
Canon-PowerShot-SX20-IS front thumbnailCanon SX20 IS
SX50 HS vs SX20 IS
28-560mm
F2.8-5.7
12MP1/2.3"2010
Canon-PowerShot-SX210-IS front thumbnailCanon SX210 IS
SX50 HS vs SX210 IS
28-392mm
F3.1-5.9
14MP1/2.3"2010
Canon-PowerShot-SX200-IS front thumbnailCanon SX200 IS
SX50 HS vs SX200 IS
28-336mm
F3.4-5.3
12MP1/2.3"2009
Canon-PowerShot-SX1-IS front thumbnailCanon SX1 IS
SX50 HS vs SX1 IS
28-560mm
F2.8-5.7
10MP1/2.3"2009
Canon-PowerShot-SX10-IS front thumbnailCanon SX10 IS
SX50 HS vs SX10 IS
28-560mm
F2.8-5.7
10MP1/2.3"2009

Canon SX50 HS Pros and Cons

Here is a checklist of pros and cons of the Canon SX50 HS based on aspects that are normally considered necessary in a camera.

built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000s)
has face detection focusing
has image stabilization (Optical)
has tracking autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes HDMI port
incredible zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
long reach (1200mm)
manual focus
quite wide (24mm)
screen articulates fully
screen size is good (2.8 inches)
supports RAW formats
very good minimum ISO (80)
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
doesn't have external microphone port
doesn't have headphone port
doesn't have Timelapse recording
has no phase detect AF
low frames per second (2.0 frames/s)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
max zoom aperture not good (f6.5)
more heavy than competition in class (595 grams)
pixelated screen (461 k dot)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
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Canon SX50 HS Sensor features

The Canon SX50 HS features the Digic 5 processor. The sensor specification on the Canon SX50 HS is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor is able to capture 4000 x 3000 pixels using aspect ratios of 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera boasts Image Stabilization (Optical). Sensor stabilization is superior than digital stabilization since the latter may produce cropping.

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The BSI-CMOS sensor boasts 12 megapixels and has a native ISO range of 80 to 6400. RAW files are supported which means that the user has more room to maneuver in post.

The picture below shows the SX50 HS's sensor size compared to other common sizes. The SX50 HS sensor comes with a crop factor of 5.8 and is presented in green.

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS sensor size Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

To get an understanding of specific aspect ratios, you should refer to the visual below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Canon SX50 HS dimensions

Canon SX50 HS weighs around 1.31 pounds (595g or 20.99 oz) and features outer measurements of 123mm x 87mm x 106mm (4.8" x 3.4" x 4.2"). The weight of typical Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387g and the Canon SX50 HS is weightier as compared to various rivals.

Photography Glossary

Listed below is a visual of the Canon SX50 HS with a soda so you can have a sense of its size.

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS dimensions scale

The top view directly below will provide the button design on the SX50 HS.

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS topview buttons dials

Canon SX50 HS Lens features

The SX50 HS comes with a built-in lens offering a focal range of 24-1200mm making it a 50.0 x zoom which is huge and could enable you to zoom right in.

At it's widest 24mm, it will have an aperture of f3.4 which is kind of sluggish and not very good in low light conditions and you will probably find it difficult to capture good bokeh. You will also need to raise your ISO producing noisy files. On the long end, 1200mm is outstanding zoom and comes to f6.5 which is fairly slow and you will have to go with slow shutter speeds.

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Canon SX50 HS Connectivity

The SX50 HS has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes
  • HDMI Yes

Digital cameras that contain NFC and Bluetooth support are able to be used wirelessly via smartphones. You can send pictures and usually alter camera settings without connecting straight with the camera.

Several apps also enable a Liveview and hit the shutter if you are not near the camera. If the camera features a HDMI out, it can easily be hooked up to an external monitor. Virtually all cameras will allow you to recharge the battery pack using the USB socket.

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Canon SX50 HS Video features

The max video resolution on the Canon SX50 HS is 1920 x 1080 and it can record in H.264 format. 1080p resolution offers a decent balance between quality versus file size but 1080p is not going to leave you with much room to downsample. The body does not have a mic and headphone port which means you have absolutely no control over your sound. It is perhaps best to purchase a different camera in case you need good sound in your video clips.

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Canon SX50 HS Weather Sealing

There is no environment sealing in the Canon SX50 HS so you have to be careful in rainy and dusty situations.

Canon SX50 HS Display and Viewfinder

The Canon SX50 HS has a 2.8" fully articulated display having a resolution of 461k dots.

It includes a selfie friendly display to get self portraits and even group photos if necessary. Please note that the display screen offers no touch support.

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS screen and viewfinder President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The View Finder specifications regarding Canon SX50 HS are below:

  • ViewFinder Electronic
  • ViewFinder Resolution 202k dots
  • ViewFinder Coverage 100 percent

In those bright outdoor situations that make the camera displays washed out and difficult to view, viewfinders can be particularly helpful.

Canon SX50 HS Shutter features

Canon SX50 HS is able to shoot continuously at 2.0 frames/s. The highest shutter speed is 1/2000s.

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Canon SX50 HS Flash and Hot shoe features

Canon SX50 HS boasts both built in flash plus external flash support. The maximum flash sync speed is 1/2000s.

Canon SX50 HS Autofocusing features

Canon SX50 HS boasts only Contrast Based AF and doesn't have Phase Detect AF. Phase Detection focusing is a lot quicker and exact as compared to Contrast Based focusing. The camera has Face detect making it handy for portrait photography.

The AF system has 9 focus points to choose from. It also features Tracking AF for moving objects. Canon SX50 HS features manual focusing when required during low light scenarios or you need to have more accurate control on focusing.

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Canon SX50 HS Battery life

The battery pack (NB-10L) in the Canon SX50 HS is built to last for 315 pictures as per the CIPA benchmarks making it on par with its competitors. The usual Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR offers the maximum (600) battery life within this category of cameras.

Following is a list of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras that come with the best battery life:

Canon SX50 HS for various forms of photography

The following illustration shows a summary of the Canon SX50 HS for various forms of photography. To understand more, go to the specific paragraph below.

Canon SX50 HS as a Portrait photography camera

The Canon SX50 HS has a score of 48 which is average, and means the camera is reasonably suited to use for portraits. Shooting portraits favors greatly towards sensor specs, RAW support along with the capability to use external flash.

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manual focus
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000s)
supports face detect focusing
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")

Canon SX50 HS Street photography highlights

With a average score of 57, the Canon SX50 HS is fairly adequate to use in street photography. A decent street photography camera comes with a perfect balance of image quality and portability.

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screen can move to multiple angles
built in image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW files
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
heavier than competitors (595g)

Canon SX50 HS Sports photography information

A lousy sports photography rating of 39 suggests the Canon SX50 HS is not suitable for taking photos of sports. A camera should have fantastic tracking plus shutter speeds for sports photography.

Photography Glossary
incredible zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides tracking focus
slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus

Travel photography with Canon SX50 HS

Portability is very important when picking a travel camera. All things considered, the Canon SX50 HS gets a decent 53 as a travel camera which is reasonably acceptable for your journeys.

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flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
rather wide (24mm)
great reach (1200mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
heavier than average in class (595g)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
slow max aperture (f3.4)

Canon SX50 HS Landscape photography advice

For anyone who is looking to choose a digital camera for landscape pictures, the most vital factor will no doubt be image quality. The Canon SX50 HS and it's lousy rating of 45 for a landscape camera is not suitable compared to it's competitors.

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you can focus manually
rather wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (2.8 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW files
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.4)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have Timelapse mode

Canon SX50 HS as a Vlogging camera

A vlogging camera preferably should have a articulating display, mic port and ideally image stabilization. Taking all things into account, the Canon SX50 HS is relatively appropriate as a vlog camera as it receives a reasonable score of 58.

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fairly wide (24mm)
selfie friendly display
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
no external microphone port
more heavy than competitors (595 grams)

Canon SX50 HS Alternatives

If you are in the market for replacements to the SX50 HS, here is a number of the highest ranked cameras that fall into the class of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The chart here offers you a bird's eye view of the SX50 HS compared to it's highest ranked competitors suggested earlier.

There are more cameras you may regard as alternative options. To go through a full comparison, visit the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Make
Canon
Model type
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
Category
Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched
2013-01-15
Body design
SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Sensor type
BSI-CMOS
Chip
Digic 5
Sensor size
1/2.3"
Sensor measurements
6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area
28.1mm²
Sensor resolution
12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio
1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution
4000 x 3000
RAW format
Maximum native ISO
6400
Lowest native ISO
80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points
9
Lens
Lens mount type
fixed lens
Lens zoom range
24-1200mm (50.0x)
Highest aperture
f/3.4-6.5
Macro focusing distance
0cm
Crop factor
5.8
Screen
Display type
Fully Articulated
Display diagonal
2.8 inches
Display resolution
461k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type
Electronic
Viewfinder resolution
202k dot
Viewfinder coverage
100 percent
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating
47
DXO Color Depth rating
20.3
DXO Dynamic range rating
11.2
DXO Low light rating
179
Features
Min shutter speed
15 seconds
Max shutter speed
1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed
2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation
Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance
5.50 m
Flash options
Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Second Curtain
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync
1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions
1920 x 1080 (24 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution
1920x1080
Video file format
H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless
None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight
595g (1.31 lbs)
Dimensions
123 x 87 x 106mm (4.8" x 3.4" x 4.2")
Other
Battery life
315 pictures
Style of battery
Battery Pack
Battery ID
NB-10L
Self timer
Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage
SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots
Single
Retail price
$429