What I'm saying all this?
Very easily! At the end one comes but once again not a compact, useful, lightweight, robust all travel zoom past that is still affordable! The Canon SX600HS is to compare the principle of the image quality with the Canon SX220 / 230/240/260/270/280 12MP 1 / 2.3 sensors. The 16MP not include. In principle, any camera from any manufacturer achieved with this sensor only a maximum resolution of about 6MP, the remainder is porridge and without information. But 16MP are available, you can Contrast / Saturation / Sharpness (2x) and then reduce the resolution of 16MP in 3652 px width (10MP) achieve very good results with a slight, but consistently subtle noise to almost documentary Micro Four -Thirds character! For Sony always the reds are raised in the camera, so that the pictures look saturated. The first looks attractive, but Canon and Fuji stay neutral and leave room for later processing (it rich about max. 20% of saturation, so that the image after fuller but still natural look).
But now comes the point, why I after comparing thousands of images (test images with ISO series, practice-images landscapes, people, animals, street scenes, towns, macro plants, pictures with a tripod and without their own test images etc. more than 10 years (including .the first digital cameras that nothing absolutely nothing could scan except the light from the lamp :)) virtually all camera manufacturers unconsciously almost always land at Canon: the slight noise is desired and leaves left most of the details, so no watercolors or gaussischen blurred images remain, as with Sony, Olympus (the SZ Traveller low number eg), Casio. I always talking about 1 / 2,3 sensors, so the standard sensors that always rushing above ISO400 and 6MP. This can not be avoided, since larger sensors require more costs and more lenses. One can, for example, on an industrial brick wall see all the details of the bricks, while other manufacturers This weichgeglättet werden.Einzig and alone as well done I see the old Panasonic TZ25, a direct competitor to the SX-series of Canon.
The camera has a good battery (4WH, 1A), thereby creating about 350 photos, which is average. Cheap extended batteries there on every corner (always below 10 euros). Unlike other manufacturers a separate charger is, therefore, no filigree USB connection is broken or may not get caught (data / power cable in a = a nightmare).
The zoom works in 2 steps, turn slowly for video's and fast for photographing's = good!
AF has Evaluative (AUTO & P mode) and can be controlled with P (focusing sharply forward, move away and focus taken for Arm / Disarm Background Images) = very good!
18x optical are perfectly adequate. What is much more important: in each zoom range, the image quality is consistently good. Hardly loss of detail at the edges, already available for from 25mm wide-angle. For this, the image quality with very good coordination between gentle smoothing and yet minimal noise for details and no frayed contours, as in, for example, Sony. In principle, the most important area is 24mm wide angle (Mosna, groups, landscapes) to about 15x optical (~ 350-420mm). What brings a 50x optical, if you have to build a tripod, the light can not be collected quickly enough and the camera is clunky? Nothing!
The SX600HS camera has been significantly developed to focus beginners. It shows that, as the AUTO ISO speed can not be manually set to a maximum value (for example ISO 800 or 1250, or this camera about 650-800 ISO) or you can program the exposure time to a button-free. The camera selects therefore the evening too fast from ISO1600, the are even more impressive when you then scaled to 6-8MP. I deal always by going to P mode (a bit hidden in the menu, but it still comes off quickly). In P mode, you can then click on the day and in the evening then AUTO ISO manually set eg 400-800 and thus force the exposure time in the air and get great shots when leans against a wall and shoot a lighted intersection want where the passing cars are blurry, but the people waiting in the bright light can be photographed natuer, along with the shades on the walls of houses. Until about 1 / 6s with a steady hand to get very good results, it is critical from 0,25-0,5s. Since you need then just 5 shots until a sharp comes out.
TOP unlike the SX260 / 270/280 is definitely the Blitz! Finally with manual lateral switch itself controlled at any time and can be mechanically fold him, which is not advisable in the mentioned other SX models, because then there soon adopted an electric motor. Just for the reason and the 16MP (4600px, ie approx 1000px place to 10MP) which absorb the setting geradeso, I got myself the SX600HS unlike the SX270 / 280. The 2x optical more or less tear out anything. Again Canon has re-thought and built a digital super zoom mode. First you reach the 18x optical limit and to 36x a yellow bar is shown. Of course, the quality of the image decreases, but not as strong as expected. Here reduces the resolution from 16 to 10 and finally to about 5MP, but this is absolutely fine as a normal photographic print only 3MP sharp and needs a DIN A4 page about 5MP needed. And who prints the out in this format? Hardly individuals, because they have too much money on guarantees, once in a while glossy 100-1000-6000x A4 print from your last vacation:) ...
As a gimmick and a Full HD or HD video mode with 30fps is available. No slow motion video possible, but who needs it?!?
I therefore ultimately my SLR and system cameras now but sold because I had constantly hanging weight in the neck and shoulder. Then there were lenses, cover exchange and pockets open / close to what the holiday but can spoil neat! The most perverse thing I've ever experienced on holiday, was a retiree-Päärchen where the man was a photo freak and he has experienced the holidays only behind the camera, while his wife was allowed the heavy equipment hauling, because he constantly adjust and had to stand to build and dismantle. With this camera you can perfectly adequate, produce usable photos and she is silent when releasing and focusing and consumes no space is always at hand and easy enough to use so that local people can make of you a picture, if you short out of hand are. Photos with people or even one always looks at the end and great DLSR Pictures of landscapes you forget again. It always matters is the content of the image, the rest does not interest.
Conclusion: picture quality, options, service, design, processing, focal length, speed, price, practicality, enjoy taking photos = TOP! But who wants to have a lowlight compact camera with wide-angle and sharper details, can not get to the S100 / 110/120! They complement each other perfectly. SX series on the day and for long distances, eg S110 for indoor shots, people photography, night / evening shots with / without a tripod. One of these two cameras alone can bring all the photos in good to very good quality home, the SX600HS is more flexible by the focal length, but lost in low light! If there would be in the future a manufacturer who could cross the S110 with the SX Series in a camera, I would be here now!
