Do you ever get confused about which camera to buy from a large variety of them available in the market?
Or maybe, if you own multiple cameras, which one to use and when? I am sure if you’ve done your research or at least tried, you must have come across the Canon PowerShot SX740 in the various lists of top cameras.
So the question arises, is it even good for vlogging?
I am here to answer that question, but before we jump to that, let me brief you a bit about what a good vlogging camera should consist of.
Canon PowerShot SX740 For Vlogging
Reason To Buy?
- Portable
- Strong build
- Great image quality
- Amazing stabilization
- Auto and Manual settings
- Tilting LCD screen
- High definition video recording
- Wireless data transfer
Reason To Avoid?
- Battery life not that good
- No touchscreen
- No viewfinder
8 Important Qualities to Look for in a Good Vlogging Camera:
1- Video Resolution:
A good vlogging camera should have at least a video resolution of 720p and highest can go up to 4K and even 5K, but that totally depends on your budget.
Opting for a camera with a video resolution lesser than 720p will only let down your viewers as the video’s quality won’t be as sharp and the viewers’ experiences won’t be enjoyable.
2- Audio Input & Output:
Keep in mind the audio input and output of the camera as well because being a vlogger, it is impossible to not have any voice in the whole vlog; having a vlog with background noises and distortions in between ruins the viewers’ experience and will create a negative image of the vlogger.
Therefore, test out the mic input of the camera and test the output in various locations to check to what extent does the camera block out noise.
3- Quality Video Recording:
Another thing to look for in a good vlogging camera is its ability to capture high definition stills. Sure, vlogging is all about video recording, but it’s not limited to it.
You can bring creativity and new stuff into your vlogs by adding stills from your journeys, or stills of your end result, for example in a makeup tutorial or a cooking vlog etc.
4- Lightweight:
The camera should be easy to carry. Now this is a very important quality to look for, because vloggers often tend to ignore this and then later on they struggle with the portability of the camera and related equipment.
Make sure to buy a camera that is compact and lightweight, so that you can take it around anywhere and, brownie points for not giving you a hand cramp!
5- Battery Life:
Along with that, battery life of the camera matters a lot! I am greatly emphasizing over it because I have personally faced this issue once and since then, I only prefer cameras with long lasting batteries, or at least having extra battery packs with myself when I go for shooting.
So, if you don’t wanna lose your data just because your battery dies midway, invest in a camera with a good battery life.
Does Canon Powershot Sx740 Check All the Boxes?
While being one of the most innovative cameras out there, Canon PowerShot SX740 has safely secured a seat at the top best cameras for vlogging table.
It’s cool and all, but is it even worth the hype? Let’s look at what it has to offer, in detail.
It is a basic, compact point and shoot camera, really good for casual vloggers, given its build and everything. The video resolution and image sensor are also quite impressive, and the mic input is not so bad too.
All in all, it is one of the most successful models launched by Canon lately. Especially at a price tag of $399, it is a steal!
Technical Specifications:
Build and Ergonomics:
Generally talking, the overall build of the body is not bad, however, Canon could’ve done better with the designing of the body.
The build seems to be quite durable; it’s pretty solid, to be honest. I like that. Though, the back wheel seems to be a little free; a little fixing might be required. But it is nothing serious to worry about, it may just be a problem with the product I received.
The feel in hand is quite okay, it’s not rugged, it’s made of sturdy metal hence the solid look. In my opinion, the grip isn’t as rugged as most vlogging cameras offer, but it still provides a steady hold.
There is a LCD screen that you can flip to a 180-degree angle, a very nice touch and perfect for vloggers. It is small in size so it provides good portability too, and another plus is its weight, weighing at only 0.66 pounds. There is one wheel at the top to adjust aperture, change ISO and modify shutter speeds as well.
This model isn’t water resistant, so avoid taking it under water without the case!
Video Quality:
Canon never fails to impress us with its jaw dropping video resolutions. I mean, how do you do it, Canon?
Just like every other Canon camera I have tested out, I was totally blown away with the vividness and clarity of the video clips. The amount of shakiness was so minimal.
All of this was possible because of the 4K video resolution that you can shoot at 30 fps. I know, it looks mediocre in words and numbers, but trust me, even at 30 fps it gives amazing results.
The video stabilization is again top notch, hence the smooth as butter video clips! I would have to rate video recording capabilities of this camera a 9/10! Especially at such a low price!
Audio:
Overall, the audio quality is pretty decent; the Canon PowerShot SX740 comes with stereo speakers, but what really matters is the microphone quality, so let’s talk about that.
Though the noise reduction isn’t that impressive, it still blocks out enough noise if the subject is up close, and that’s exactly the scenario in most vlogging, so it won’t be a big issue for vloggers. Although, what vloggers can do to enhance the quality even more, is shoot their scenes indoors, with attractive backdrops.
But if your content requires outdoor shooting, especially in crowded locations, keep the camera as close to yourself as possible!
Just like most point and shoot cameras, it does not have an audio jack, so using external microphones is not an option here, but I’ve tested it out myself and I have seen so many vloggers do just fine with the built in microphones.
Image Quality:
If you’re a vlogger that also has a presence over other social media platforms, like Instagram and Facebook, pictures are a great way to keep your fans updated and in the loop with your life; sharing images form your days and journeys make them feel connected and hence, proves to be a kind of promotional tool, and this camera takes some amazing stills that your viewers would love to see!
The 20.3 MP CMOS sensor is as impressive as its video recording capabilities. It sure looks like a simple point and shoot camera, but it gives its users the choice to either shoot with default settings, or control and adjust the setting completely manually (The exposure, ISO, Shutter speeds, brightness, sharpness etc).
The colors are utterly pleasing; giving vibrant and beautiful still shots. And did I mention that it has amazing noise reduction? I mean, your image shows almost no amount of noise and grain and the images produced are sharp enough to be used raw.
Along with that, the image stabilization is quite good; it reduces the shakiness to a great extent and that’s pretty useful for vloggers. Or in fact, any kind of photographer.
User-Friendly Interface:
The user interface is very nice. It is super user friendly, easy to use and really helpful. You can navigate through the various modes and options easily, though there is one thing that disappointed me a bit, which was the lack of a touchscreen.
The interface would’ve been much better and competitive if the camera had a touchscreen display. It would’ve been much easier to navigate because it would’ve been smoother and faster. But nevertheless, even the tiny buttons do the job quite well.
It includes a guide mode in the menu that provides a simplified menu for beginners. It acts like a virtual assistant built within the camera’s interface.
Even the standard menu isn’t that hard to comprehend; as you land on an option, it gives you details of what the option actually is so it’s pretty okay for beginners too.
There are a lot of modes to choose from, and a different settings menu appear depending on your choice of shooting mode. I will talk about the modes in detail later down below.
Long Lasting Battery:
Canon PowerShot SX740 provides a decent but not good enough battery. The battery lasts for 265 photos, which is better than its predecessor that gave 250 shots. by using the Eco mode, the battery span can be extended up to 370 shots, but if you run out of battery midway, there is always the handy USB port to charge the rechargeable battery.
However, that is not an ideal situation for vloggers who might lose data in the middle and may have to redo the whole shoot.
I can’t say exactly how many hours it shot continuously, but it was only a few hours after which it drained pretty quickly. Having battery backups is a wiser choice to avoid any issues, especially while traveling.
Other Features:
We have seen so many good features of the Canon PowerShot SX740, so now let’s have a brief look at the extra features that it comes with.
The Time lapse mode allows for dramatic, interesting video clips to add into your vlog. It tends to attract people where they know they can see the content worth hours within just a few minutes or seconds.
The mobile application to transfer data is yet another useful tool Canon came up with.
Canon Camera Connect app helps you to directly transfer the data on to your computer or mobile phone.
Lastly, there are so many image and even video modes Canon is offering in this model, including food mode, portrait mode that allows you to capture sharp close ups of the subject, Grainy black and white mode to add a vintage, dramatic effect to your videos and photos and lastly, the fisheye mode that is absolutely perfect for sports and action vlogs.
Verdict:
Now that we have looked at each aspect of the camera in detail, it’s time to announce my verdict. But before I do that, let’s see how many boxes the Canon PowerShot SX740 checks:
- Video resolution of more than 720p
- Good audio input and output
- Ability to capture high definition stills
- Easy to carry
So, it checks 4 of the 5 boxes that I mentioned above, which is pretty good for a camera costing only $399, that too, by Canon! If I have to rate the camera overall, I would give it a score of 7.5/10 and I think vloggers looking for good cameras within a certain budget should definitely go for this one.
Also, this camera is perfect for beginners, with its autofocus and the option to choose from semiautomatic and manual shooting settings. It will really help the newbies to learn how to manually adjust the settings to get desired shots and while they’re learning, they can always use the pre-set settings to record their vlogs and make their name in the vlogging community!
