In praise of the SX260HS

I have been looking for a "travel zoom" for a couple of years now.  I tried the Panasonic ZS3, ZS7, ZS15,  I tried the Canon SX230HS.  I found flaws in each one I could not live with.  But after seeing some really excellent shots SOOC from an SX260HS, I did a little research, and decided to try one.  And so I bought a Canon refurbished one.

I've been playing with it for 11 days since delivery, trying hard to decide if I wanted to keep it, or return it.  Finally, this afternoon, I decided to keep it.

My biggest concern was the slow lens.  That would drive me to have to use high ISO in low light.  Now the SX260HS can't compete with my S90 or G15 at 28 mm where those cameras have f/2 and f/1.8 lenses and the SX260HS has an f/3.5.  But at 105 mm; where the S90 is f/4.9, the SX260HS is f/5, shutter speeds are the same, and the SX260HS shows more detail, less noise, and fewer yellow blotches than the S90 at ISO 1600.  The G15 is a full 2 stops faster; but IQ is not that different.  Quite remarkable.

One of the nicer features of the SZ260HS is the NB-6L battery - the same battery as my S90.  So for travel I have two small cameras that share batteries and charger. Very convenient, as I would only need one charger and one spare battery.

So far, I have not found any negatives with this camera.  I don't use GPS or video, strictly JPEG stills.  I'm amazed at how well the camera does in low light.  That makes it an easy choice for walking tours in urban areas.  I'll still carry the S90 for dinners and parties because it's smaller and lighter and has the f/2 lens, and because it makes a great backup.

I was most concerned about the slow lens, relative to the ZS15 or SX230HS.  The SX260HS lens tracks parallel to the ZS15 within about 1/6 stop over the range they share.  The SX230HS is faster at 28 mm; but at maximum zoom, the f/# is the same as the SX260HS, and is only 1/3 stop slower at 28 mm.  However, at ISO 1600, the SX260HS is the cleanest of the three.