Compare pictures from SX50, SX60, SX70 (my way)..

..First of all, these are not studio testings..

..sure, the pictures taken could be better..

..want better, can do the comparisons yourself..

..since photography is my hobby, it's for fun, and I do it "my way"..

..all pictures are hand-held, so it's not perfectly straight, sooc jpegs..

..and all the cameras are using the Hoya HD3 UV lens filter..

1. SX50..

..settings used: Program Mode, DR Correction (Auto), Noise Reduction (Standard), (Custom Colour) Sharpening (+1) [default is +2]..

..SX50, sooc jpeg..

2. SX60..

..settings used: Program Mode, DR Correction (Auto), Shadow Correction (Auto), Noise Reduction (Standard), (Custom Colour) Sharpening (+1) [default is +2], Image Size (Large, Superfine)..

..SX60, sooc jpeg..

3. SX70..

..settings used: Program Mode, Auto Light Optimizer (Standard), (Standard Colour) Sharpening (+3) [default is +4], Contrast (+1) [default is +0], Image Size (Large, Superfine)..

..SX70, sooc jpeg..

..thanks for viewing..

..Cheers..

..more pictures..

1. SX50..

..SX50, sooc jpeg..

2. SX60..

..SX60, sooc jpeg..

3. SX70..

..SX70, sooc jpeg..

..thanks for viewing..

..Cheers..

..final pictures..

1. SX50..

..SX50, sooc jpeg..

2. SX60..

..SX60, sooc jpeg..

3. SX70..

..SX70, sooc jpeg..

..thanks for viewing..

..Cheers..

..some thoughts..

..previously I mentioned that both the SX50 & SX60 seems to have similar (EVF) viewfinder, and that was mistaken..

..the SX60 viewfinder is noticeably better than the SX50, and the SX70 viewfinder is noticeably better than the SX60..

..the viewfinder of the SX70 is really nice, and is easier on the eye..

..also to mention, both the SX50 & SX60 has the feature in the Auto ISO Setting "Rate of Change" (which is not offered in the SX70)..

..the settings offered for the "Rate of Change" are (Slow, Standard, Fast)..

..and I had it set on "Fast", which may have caused the ISO in the SX50 & SX60 images to be more slightly higher..

..now I have set both cameras to (Standard)..

..another thing to mention, I find with all three cameras (SX50, SX60, SX70), to set the Sharpening setting back one notch, helps prevent the pictures from looking over sharpened..

..and to my eyes, the images looks better..

..and to reduce the sharpening, can also help curb the image noises..

..just some thoughts to share..

..happy shooting everyone,

..Cheers..

hBill wrote:

Cool .

I like the idea of a " user " heads up foto comparison - esp cause I have an sx50 and have been considering the sx70 having skipped the sx60 .

fwiw - a g1x and sx50 has been my lite weight travel combo ( when going with non-photo interested friends ) to use the same battery and give real good image quality and resolution ( for landscapes and such ) - for my preferences anyways .

Thanks for taking the time to do it

..Thanks very much, Bill!

..and thanks for sharing..

..happy shooting my friend,

..Cheers..

Thanks for the interesting series on all 3 cameras.  As post processing can improve most all images (also destroy) it can also leave a lot of questions re the cameras true ability.  These do show a very similar IQ with very slight improvement with each "upgrade".  The original sizes were  much appreciated.

DonA2 wrote:

Thanks for the interesting series on all 3 cameras. As post processing can improve most all images (also destroy) it can also leave a lot of questions re the cameras true ability. These do show a very similar IQ with very slight improvement with each "upgrade". The original sizes were much appreciated.

..Thanks very much, DonA2!

..and thanks for commenting on this..

..happy shooting my friend,

..Cheers..

Jay7h wrote:

I almost hate to say this, but I prefer the SX 60 shots. That camera seems to have a little sharper images although sometimes the SX 70 has a little better overall color.

I own a SX 50 and have had some great macro shots with it. That would be a nice test between the cameras.

Thanks for doing this. Few of us have access to all three cameras.

..Thanks very much for commenting, Jay7h!

..yes, there's many settings the SX60 has; DR Correction, Shadow Correction, Noise Reduction, Sharpening..

..the SX70 has; Auto Light Optimizer, Sharpening..

..each camera has their strengths..

..I'm not really into macros (yet), but hope to visit my local botanical garden once the weather is better..

..happy shooting my friend,

..Cheers..

RichO wrote:

Thanks so much for taking the time and effort to shoot these comparative images. It really helps. I do not see any image degradation from SX50HS to the SX70HS. There is some improvement in details in the SX70HS - at least for the first shot. I have not done a complete review of the other two. Given that the SX70HS comes with some new and useful extra features like external mic and WIFI, I think it would be good purchase if one wanted to upgrade. Personally, I do not see the reason for even considering the SX60HS.

I am going play with these in Photoshop using some of my actions to see which comes out the best. Thanks again!

And as mentioned before - if you are bored and want to do more - how about macro and RAW shots using the same manual settings?

Update: I just ran the SX50HS and SX70HS images (first ones posted) through my standard workflow which includes using Camera RAW filter, Auto Tone, and a special blend of tools rolled into my own action. At the end, I applied the Shake Reduction filter to both and used the same approximate spot for the blur estimation region. I then saved as full size and at 1280x960 (my usual size for posting). With approval I am happy to upload those images.

What I saw is that the images looks pretty much the same to me with the SX70HS having a bit more detail retained and sharper at the edges of the frame. The SX50HS was softer at the edges of the frame, but not far from the SX70HS where edges of objects were defined well. The hills with vegetation looked pretty much the same in both images - very soft without lots of detail except where tree trunks were shown. I see very little noise in the shadows even after pushing the clouds using the graduated filter in Camera and applying dehaze (which tends to add noise).

..Thanks very much, RichO!

..yes, I can see myself later on shooting macros, and raws, and using manual mode..

..and thanks for experimenting with the sooc images and sharing the results..

..I have no problems for you (or anyone) to post the results..

..happy shooting my friend,

..Cheers..

I switched back and forth many times with all these shots, at both large and full-size. I did not see what I was hoping would be an improvement with the SX70. The SX50 photos carried more detail and contrast than those of both the others, with the SX60 coming in second.

This bears out what I have generally seen in looking at several hundred photos from each on Flickr. Thanks for providing these, even though it ends my interest in the SX70.

Eleven years ago, when I bought an SX1, I didn't have the advantage of seeing comparisons like these and had to test the camera for 10 days, before I sent it back. I'd had such good results from my S5 from two years earlier, that I'd expected better.

My comments will not likely be regarded favorably by many on this forum, but they are based on what my bonafide personal evaluations have been. I know that you have done your best to present these examples as accurately as possible and did not alter them to show any of the three cameras any differently than with their true capabilities.

Stephen McDonald wrote:

I switched back and forth many times with all these shots, at both large and full-size. I did not see what I was hoping would be an improvement with the SX70. The SX50 photos carried more detail and contrast than those of both the others, with the SX60 coming in second.

This bears out what I have generally seen in looking at several hundred photos from each on Flickr. Thanks for providing these, even though it ends my interest in the SX70.

Eleven years ago, when I bought an SX1, I didn't have the advantage of seeing comparisons like these and had to test the camera for 10 days, before I sent it back. I'd had such good results from my S5 from two years earlier, that I'd expected better.

My comments will not likely be regarded favorably by many on this forum, but they are based on what my bonafide personal evaluations have been. I know that you have done your best to present these examples as accurately as possible and did not alter them to show any of the three cameras any differently than with their true capabilities.

..Thanks very much, Stephen!

..yes, all three are very similar, and also very capable..

..there are a few minor differences between them..

..but the most noticeable difference is the viewfinder, the one on the SX70 is just a pleasure to use..

..and for those needing a hotshoe, the SX60 (or the SX50) are the way(s) to go..

..thanks for commenting on this..

..happy shooting my friend,

..Cheers..

redtailboas wrote:

Stephen McDonald wrote:

I switched back and forth many times with all these shots, at both large and full-size. I did not see what I was hoping would be an improvement with the SX70. The SX50 photos carried more detail and contrast than those of both the others, with the SX60 coming in second.

This bears out what I have generally seen in looking at several hundred photos from each on Flickr. Thanks for providing these, even though it ends my interest in the SX70.

Eleven years ago, when I bought an SX1, I didn't have the advantage of seeing comparisons like these and had to test the camera for 10 days, before I sent it back. I'd had such good results from my S5 from two years earlier, that I'd expected better.

My comments will not likely be regarded favorably by many on this forum, but they are based on what my bonafide personal evaluations have been. I know that you have done your best to present these examples as accurately as possible and did not alter them to show any of the three cameras any differently than with their true capabilities.

Interesting people looking at the some pics but seeing things the other way around with SX70 being better.

..I've had the SX50 for several years now, and is still a capable camera..

..but after the testings are done for the comparisons, I'm considering retiring the SX50 into storage..

..and plan to use both the SX60 & SX70 for future pictures taking..

..the key reason why, is because the 12mp does not fill my needs anymore, of course others may feel differently..

..both the SX60 16mp & SX70 20mp suits my needs better..

..and at this point, if/when a higher megapixel PowerShot camera comes out in the future, I'm not inclined to buy it, it's because the 16mp & 20mp sensors are enough for my needs..

..so everyone's needs, desires, and expectations are different based on personal preferences..

..and I'm glad to see in the camera world that we have choices..

..thanks for commenting on this..

..happy shooting my friend,

..Cheers..

Avian2016 wrote:

Speaking frankly, we people have much different perception of sharpness. Much different. As we see things differently. Therefore, an old proverb still remains:

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Thanks John for sharing your comparisons, they will certainly be of help to prospective buyers/owners of the SX70 HS.

..Thanks very much, Avian!

..what you've said is certainly true..

..thanks for commenting on this..

..happy shooting my friend,

..Cheers..

This test is useless.
The ISO in the pictures should be the same.

Gyrv37 wrote:

This test is useless.
The ISO in the pictures should be the same.

..Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Gyrv37!

..yes, it would be more preferable if they were all iso100, as I explained in the "some thoughts" post..

..but in my opinion, the pictures are all within iso400, and should be fine..

..happy shooting my friend,

..Cheers..