Review on 📷 Canon PowerShot SX500 IS 16.0 MP Digital Camera: 30x Zoom, Wide-Angle Stabilized, 3.0-Inch LCD (Black) by Joseph Elvis

I got the SX500 IS as an upgrade from my 8 year old Lumix as I didn't want to upgrade to a full DSLR but maybe somewhere in between. Portable, inexpensive, but with high optical zoom and good image stability. Sure, there are other models with better specs that capture higher quality images, including Canon's own SX50, but I couldn't find one for less than $200. Checking reviews on various websites also led me to the conclusion that the SX500 IS is at least comparable and generally better than other 30x "Ultra" zoom cameras. I'm very happy with the optical zoom and the image stability at 30x is better than the Lumix at 10x. Sub-inch macro shots look great, at least in good light. Low light shots get very grainy as the ISO ramps up to 800 very quickly, so I'll play with manual settings more. Tons of settings that I really need to explore - as mentioned in another review, this isn't a camera for beginners, but then I didn't want it and I'm ready to dive into the details a bit. Potential Cons: Movies "only" in 720 but look good enough (for 1080 maybe consider SX50?). Shutter speed on this camera was rated as slow at just under 1 second. I haven't taken any high-speed footage of, say, a bird in flight, so I can't comment on that yet. Battery life is also reportedly short, but I always carry a spare battery (2 for $15). My biggest gripe is probably the awkward shape, meaning the lens is very long, making the camera very square. I don't want to buy another dedicated camera bag and it doesn't fit well in my backpacks or laptop bags. It's not a big camera, it's just not very flat in two dimensions, so just that. unpleasant. All in all it was fantastic value for money and hopefully a path to better photography. I'll update this review after delving deeper into the intricacies of the camera. Update (03/09/2013): I see the price has gone above $250 and the "super zooms" have gone up to 50x. After taking a few shots of a sports stadium from the back fence to full field zoom, I can get close-up shots of games, even fastballs coming out of a pitcher's hand from 200-300 feet away, so I'm more than satisfied with it 30X and the stability is very impressive, at least in daylight (ideal conditions). Has yet to be tested at late night gigs, but I still think it's great value, even in the $250 range, and a steal at less than $200.