Yeats
All-Pro
- Location
- New Jersey, USA
- Name
- Chris
So, I've been auditioning both superzooms for a few days, getting a feel for general IQ and usability. Nothing formal, just figured I post some thoughts...
- The Nikon is much more comfortable to hold. The grip is deeper than the Canon's, and has a nice textured insert.
- Body ergonomics, the Nikon again is better. The button layout just feels better and a little more intuitive. The Canon's control dial near the LCD is hyper-sensitive, and that combined with the shallow grip results in me frequently tapping the Timer button. Annoying. Also, it takes fewer button presses on the Nikon to switch from LCD to EVF and back.
- Both EVF's are low-res and stink. The Canon's updates more quickly than the Nikon's, so that's a small win for Canon.
- Lenses seem comparable.
- Canon's AF is better.
- Canon shoots RAW, Nikon does not. However, the Nikon seems to do a slightly better job than the Canon is retaining jpeg detail.
- If you downsample the Nikon's 16MP photo to 12MP - the same size as the Canon - ISO 100/200 are comparable. The Canon's better above that. I don't anticipate ever going above ISO 400.
- The Image Stabilization of both cameras works really well.
I had purchased a new Nikon P510, which after one day began writing corrupt files to the SD cards. I returned it for a refund and bought a factory refurb, which has worked flawlessly.
Overall, I give the Canon SX50 the edge. I wish it had the Nikon's body, though. A Nikon P510 refurb is an outstanding value, at $100 less than a new SX50. In the end, I'm selling the Nikon and keeping the Canon... but waiting to try the Fuji HS50, with it's manual-style barrel zoom, high-res EVF, eye-detector and big body. Just not ready to spend over $500 on it.
- The Nikon is much more comfortable to hold. The grip is deeper than the Canon's, and has a nice textured insert.
- Body ergonomics, the Nikon again is better. The button layout just feels better and a little more intuitive. The Canon's control dial near the LCD is hyper-sensitive, and that combined with the shallow grip results in me frequently tapping the Timer button. Annoying. Also, it takes fewer button presses on the Nikon to switch from LCD to EVF and back.
- Both EVF's are low-res and stink. The Canon's updates more quickly than the Nikon's, so that's a small win for Canon.
- Lenses seem comparable.
- Canon's AF is better.
- Canon shoots RAW, Nikon does not. However, the Nikon seems to do a slightly better job than the Canon is retaining jpeg detail.
- If you downsample the Nikon's 16MP photo to 12MP - the same size as the Canon - ISO 100/200 are comparable. The Canon's better above that. I don't anticipate ever going above ISO 400.
- The Image Stabilization of both cameras works really well.
I had purchased a new Nikon P510, which after one day began writing corrupt files to the SD cards. I returned it for a refund and bought a factory refurb, which has worked flawlessly.
Overall, I give the Canon SX50 the edge. I wish it had the Nikon's body, though. A Nikon P510 refurb is an outstanding value, at $100 less than a new SX50. In the end, I'm selling the Nikon and keeping the Canon... but waiting to try the Fuji HS50, with it's manual-style barrel zoom, high-res EVF, eye-detector and big body. Just not ready to spend over $500 on it.