Canon PowerShot SX540 HS
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Canon PowerShot SX540 HS
20.3-megapixel digital camera with 50X optical zoom and Wi-Fi®
Item # 280SX540 | MFR # 1067C001
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$399.00 Earn up to 399 Rewards points
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Overview
Our take on the Canon PowerShot SX540 HS by Crutchfield's Eric Angevine
Zoom in on superior photographs
The Canon PowerShot SX540 HS gets you closer to the perfect shot, even if you're standing far away. The camera's wide-angle lens features an astonishing 50X optical zoom capability, which means you can shoot sharp, clear images without fear of adding visual artifacts. The Zoom Assist Framing technology built into the camera helps you locate and track a moving subject with ease, even at a distance. The SX540 has 20.3 megapixels to work with, so you can crop or blow up your favorite images as well. When the image looks the way you want it to, share it quickly and easily via built-in Wi-Fi.
Keep your image steady
Canon made sure to think beyond the lens. The camera's hand grip has been specially designed to help you operate buttons easily, so you're less likely to introduce hand tremor into the image when you're at high zoom. The SX540 also features Intelligent IS that knows how to compensate for specific types of motion. For example, when shooting stills, the camera's Macro mode makes adjustments that keep a close-up sharp and steady, while Panning mode reduces the jumping and jittering that can accompany a wide swing of motion.
A great video camera, too
Everything the PowerShot SX540 HS does for still photography, it can also do for video. It records highly detailed 1080p HD video, and it processes your moving images effortlessly, thanks to a lightning-quick, accurate DIGIC 6 image processor inside the camera. A dedicated, centrally located movie button lets you start and stop recording instantly, so you don't have to watch your local wildlife scamper away as you fumble with dials and menus.
Product Highlights:
Specifications:
- 3" color LCD (461,000-dot) viewscreen
- 50X optical zoom
- wide-angle lens (24mm-1200mm equivalent)
- 20.3-megapixel CMOS sensor delivers photos with fine detail and brilliant color
- DIGIC 6 image processor enhances image quality and processing speed
- built in Wi-Fi® and NFC touch pairing for easy uploading of photos and video
- records 1080p HD video with stereo sound
Special Features:
- dedicated movie button lets you start and stop recording instantly
- Intelligent IS analyzes camera movement and applies the best type of optical image stabilization
- high-speed autofocus helps you freeze action
- Hybrid Auto mode records up to four seconds of video every time you shoot a still image to create a video montage
- Story Highlights mode automatically compiles images and videos from one event into a mini highlight reel
- Creative Shot mode can apply any of 46 filter options to create artistic versions of each photo
- Zoom Framing Assist with lock button makes it much easier to track a moving subject
- Canon HS system provides excellent tracking and imaging in low-light situations
- curved grip lets your fingers comfortably and naturally reach the shutter, minimizing potential for shake at long zoom lengths
- shooting modes provide intelligent presets with optimized settings for specific situations, including Low Light, Super Vivid, Fireworks and more
Dimensions and Warranty:
- 4-3/4"W x 3-1/4"H x 3-5/8"D
- weight: 15.6 oz.
- warranty: 1 year
- Our 60-day money-back guarantee
Included Accessories:
- battery pack NB-6LH
- battery charger CB-2LY
- lens cap (with strap)
- neck strap
What's in the Box:
Canon PowerShot SX540 HS Owner's manual
- Digital camera (black)
- Lens cap with string (installed)
- NB-6LH Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery (3.7V 1060mAh 4.0Wh)
- CB-2LY Battery charger (DC output: 4.2V 0.7A)
- Neck strap
- Getting Started booklet (Eng/Span/Fren)
- Online registration card
- Warranty card
- Wireless printing promo
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Canon PowerShot SX540 HS Reviews
Average Customer Review(s):
(1 Review)
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Hands-on research
Features and Specs
| General | ||
|---|---|---|
| LCD Screen Size | 3" | |
| Adjustable-angle LCD | No | |
| Wi-Fi | Built-in | |
| Touchscreen | No | |
| Waterproof | No | |
| GPS-enabled | Via Smartphone | |
| Lens 35mm Equivalent | 24-1200mm | |
| Optical Zoom | 50x | |
| Digital Zoom | 4x | |
| Filter Diameter | N/A | |
| Manual Focusing | Yes | |
| Manual Exposure | Yes | |
| Built-in Flash | Yes | |
| HDMI Output | Mini | |
| Memory | ||
| Internal Memory | None | |
| Memory Media |
SD/SDHC/SDXC | |
| Image | ||
| Sensor Size | 1/2.3" | |
| Megapixels | 20.3 | |
| Image Stabilization | Optical | |
| Highest Resolution | 5184 x 3888 | |
| 4K Video | No | |
| Video Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Width (inches) | 4-3/4 | |
| Height (inches) | 3-1/4 | |
| Depth (inches) | 3-11/16 | |
| Weight With Battery (ounces) | 15.6 | |
| Warranty | ||
| Parts Warranty | 1 Year | |
| Labor Warranty | 1 Year | |
Product Research
Recording Features
Playback, Editing and Print
Functions
Wi-Fi Functions
Battery Information
Inputs and Outputs Notes
Supplied Software
Recording Features
LCD Monitor: The Canon PowerShot SX530 HS has a 3.0" TFT LCD monitor, featuring 461,000 dots with approximately 100% picture coverage. The LCD display's brightness can be adjusted to one of five levels.
Note: The camera does not have a separate viewfinder.
Image Sensor: The camera is equipped with a 1/2.3" CMOS image sensor with 16.8-million total pixels, and 16.0-million effective pixels.
Optics and Stabilization: The SX530 HS has a 50x optical zoom lens with a 4.3-215mm focal length (35mm equivalent is 24-1200mm). The built-in Optical Image Stabilizer helps control camera shake to give you clear images when you're zoomed way in.
Zoom: In addition to the 50x optical zoom, the camera features a 4x digital zoom. When used in combination, the total zoom is approximately 200x. When optical and digital zoom are combined, the total focal length is 24-4800mm (35mm equivalent).
Seek Assist: If you will be photographing objects at a distance, the Seek Assist feature will help you keep focused on your subject. While zoomed in, if you should lose sight of your subject, and move the camera to look for it, the camera will automatically zoom out to help you find it. Once the subject is once again in your view, and you stop moving the camera, the camera will zoom in again. Seek Assist can be turned on or off as needed.
Digital Tele-Converter: The focal length of the lens can be increased by an equivalent of 1.6x or 2.0x through the use of the Digital Tele-Converter. The equivalent focal lengths of the lens (35mm equivalent) are 38.4-1920mm when using the 1.6x digital tele-converter, and 48-2400mm with the 2.0x tele-converter. The digital zoom and digital tele-converter cannot be used simultaneously.
Recording Media: The camera records still images or moving images with stereo audio on SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards. Still images are recorded in JPEG format, and the movies are recorded in MP4 format (Image data: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, Audio data: AAC stereo). The camera has no built-in memory, and no memory card is included with the camera.
Still Image Resolution/Compression: The SX530 HS can record still images in 4 different sizes (Large, Medium 1, Medium 2, and Small) and 4 aspect ratios (4:3, 16:9, 3:2, and 1:1). For each resolution, you can set the compression to Super Fine or Fine. You can choose from the following resolutions:
| 4:3 | 16:9 | 3:2 | 1:1 | |
| Large | 4608 x 3456 | 4608 x 2592 | 4608 x 3072 | 3456 x 3456 |
| Medium 1 | 3264 x 2448 | 3264 x 1832 | 3264 x 2176 | 2448 x 2448 |
| Medium 2 | 2048 x 1536 | 1920 x 1080 | 2048 x 1368 | 1536 x 1536 |
| Small | 640 x 480 | 640 x 360 | 640 x 424 | 480 x 480 |
Movies: Movies can be shot in Full HD at 1920 x 1080 and 1280 x 720 at 30 fps with stereo audio. Standard definition movies can be recorded at 640 x 480 pixels at 30 fps with stereo audio. Recording will automatically stop when either the clip file size reaches 4 GB or the recording time reaches approximately 30 minutes for Full HD and HD, and 1 hour for SD. You can also record Miniature Effect movies (1280 x 720 and 640 x 480 @ 6, 3, of 1.5 frames per second). SD Speed Class 10 or higher memory cards are recommended when recording movies.
Continuous Shooting Mode: You can use the continuous shooting mode to shoot successive frames while the shutter button is fully pressed. In continuous shooting mode the camera can take photos at approximately 1.6 frames per second. In High Speed burst mode, images are reduced to 2304 x 1728, and the rate is approximately 10 fps.
Focusing Range: The camera features the following focus ranges (from the end of the lens):
- Auto: 0" to infinity (W), 4.3' to infinity (T)
- Normal: 2" to infinity (W), 4.3' to infinity (T)
- Macro: 0" to 1.6' (W)
- Manual Focus: 0" to infinity (W), 4.3' to infinity (T)
Shooting Modes: You can choose between the following shooting modes using the top-mounted mode dial:
- Program: The camera sets both the aperture value and shutter speed, allowing you to customize many function settings to shoot your preferred shooting style.
- Shutter Priority (Tv): You can set your preferred shutter speed, letting the camera automatically adjust the aperture value to suit your shutter speed.
- Aperture Priority (Av): You can set your preferred aperture before shooting, and allow the camera to automatically adjust the shutter speed to suit your aperture value.
- Manual: You can set your preferred shutter speed and aperture value to obtain the desired exposure.
- Live View Control: Live View Control lets you customize the image brightness and colors of the photos.
- Smart Auto: The camera will automatically select the best settings for the scene.
- Hybrid Auto: Lets you make a short movie of the day just by shooting images. The camera records 2-4 second clips of scenes before each shot, which are later combined into a digest movie.
- Creative Shot: The camera records a group of six shots each time you press the shutter release, applying special effects and recomposing the shot. The images are managed together as a group.
- Special Scene: Select from the following, according to the scene or effects desired: Portrait, Handheld Night Scene, Low Light, Snow, and Fireworks.
- Creative Filters: You can add a variety of effects to images while shooting, including: Super Vivid, Poster Effect, Fisheye Effect, Miniature Effect, Toy Camera, Soft Focus, and Monochrome.
- Movies: Record movies in High Definition or Standard Definition.
Metering Modes: You can select from the following metering modes:
- Evaluative Light Metering: used for standard conditions. The area within the frame is divided into several zones and light is measured based on subject position, brightness, direct light and backlighting.
- Center-Weighted Averaging: averages the exposure from the entire image, but places more weight on the subject at the center
- Spot: meters the area within the spot AE point at the center of the LCD monitor or viewfinder.
Exposure Compensation: If you are shooting against a bright background or strong backlight, you may need to correct the exposure so that the subject doesn't come out too dark. You can set the adjustments from -2 to +2 in 1/3-step increments.
White Balance: You can choose from the following white balance settings: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, and Custom.
Flash Modes: The PowerShot SX530 HS has a built-in pop-up flash. You can select Auto (flash fires in low light), Slow-synchro, On (flash always fires), or Off (flash doesn't fire). The built-in flash has a range of 1.6' to 18' in Wide Angle and 4.3' to 9.8' in Telephoto. In the menu, you can turn on the Red-Eye Reduction lamp for the flash, and apply Red-Eye Correction to the images that have been taken.
ISO Speed: The ISO speed can be set Automatically (ISO Auto), or manually ISO 100 to ISO 3200 in 1 EV steps. Lowering the ISO speed results in sharper images but there's a greater chance of subject or image blurring in certain shooting conditions. Raising the ISO speed results in a faster shutter speed, reducing blurred images. The images, however, will appear more coarse.
My Colors: You can choose the look and feel of the photos you take by using My Colors to add the following effects to the image you are currently recording or have already recorded: Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B/W, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, and Custom Color.
Self-Timer: The SX530 HS utilizes a 10-second, 2-second, and a custom self-timer to allow the photographer to be included in the shot, or to avoid camera shake when using a tripod. The custom self-timer allows you to set the time delay to 1-15, 20, 25, or 30 seconds for up to 10 shots.
Playback, Editing and Print Functions
Index Display: This feature allows you to view 6, 12, 36, or 100 images at once on the LCD monitor so that you can search for an image quickly. Movies cannot be played in the index playback mode. You can view the index display by rotating the zoom lever toward wide angle while the camera is in playback mode.
Filtered Playback: When there are many images on the memory card, you can filter and display them by a specified filter. You can also protect or delete all images at once while filtered. Available filters include: People, Shot Date, Favorites, and Still Image/Movie.
Shooting Display Options: You can choose to display your photos on the LCD monitor and the viewfinder with and without shooting information. Display options include Histogram, Overexposure Warning, GPS Information, or no Information.
Red-Eye Correction: You can correct red eyes in already recorded images. However, red eyes may not be automatically detected in some images such as faces near the screen edge, faces that appear extremely small, larger dark or bright in relation to the overall image and faces turned to the side or at a diagonal and faces with a portion hidden which prevents the Red-Eye Correction from working. You can choose to overwrite the file with the corrected image, or store the image as a new file, retaining the original image.
PictBridge: Using the supplied USB cable, you can connect this camera directly to a PictBridge-compatible printer of any brand. In this way, you can make prints directly from the camera without having to connect to a computer.
Wi-Fi Functions
Wi-Fi Features: You can send and receive images and control the camera remotely by connecting the camera to another device via Wi-Fi:
- Smartphones/Tablets: With the free CameraWindow app installed on the device, you can send images to smartphones or tablets via Wi-Fi. You can also control the camera from your smart device. If your device has GPS, you can add location information (geotag) to your photos.
- Computer: Computers running Windows 8/8.1, 7 (SP1), Mac OS X 10.9, 10.8.2 or later, can connect to the camera via Wi-Fi. Using Canon software, you can save camera images to the computer wirelessly.
- Printers: You can wirelessly send images to a PictBridge-compatible printer (that supports DPS over IP) for printing.
- Web Services: After establishing an account for the Canon iMage Gateway on-line photography service, you can wirelessly send images automatically from the camera to another computer or to a web service.
- Another Camera: You can connect two cameras via Wi-Fi and send images between them. Only Canon-brand cameras equipped with the Wi-Fi function can be used.
Connecting Smartphones: The Powershot SX530 HS has a dedicated button for connecting a smartphone. You must first assign a phone to the button, and simply press the button when you're ready to connect. If you'd like to connect a different smartphone, you can connect it via the Wi-Fi menu, as you would connect a computer or another device. Multiple smartphones can be added in this manner. Android smartphones with the NFC feature (running OS version 4.0 or later) can connect to the camera by simply touching the smartphone to the camera's N-mark (on the left side).
Battery Information
Power Requirements: The Canon PowerShot SX530 HS powered by the NB-6LH Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery. The camera includes the CB-2LY battery charger, which can charge the NB-6LH battery in approximately 2 hours. For long periods of continuous use, or when connected to a computer, it is recommended that the camera be connected to the optional ACK-DC40 AC adapter kit. The estimated battery life of the NB-6LH in the SX530 HS is as follows:
| Number of Shots | Normal | 210 shots |
| Eco Mode | 290 shots | |
| Movie Recording Time | 45 mins | |
| Movie Continuous Shooting | 1 hour 20 mins | |
| Playback Time | 5 hours | |
Date/Time Battery: The camera uses a built-in backup battery for maintaining the date and time data for about three weeks after the battery pack has been removed. By inserting a charged battery or connecting an AC adapter kit, the date/time battery can be charged in approximately 4 hours, even if the camera is not turned on.
Power Saving Functions: The camera is equipped with the following power saving functions:
- Auto Power Down for Shooting Mode: The screen will turn off approximately 1 minute after the camera is last operated. You can "wake" the camera at this point by pressing the shutter button halfway to turn on the screen and continue shooting. After about 2 more minutes, if no buttons are pressed, the lens will retract and the power will turn off.
- Auto Power Down for Playback Mode and Connection to a Printer: The camera power down approximately 5 minutes after the last control is accessed on the camera.
Note: The Power Saving Function will not activate during a Slide-Show or while the camera is connected to a computer.
Inputs and Outputs Notes
HDMI Output: The PowerShot SX530 HS is equipped with a mini-HDMI (Type C) for connecting the camera to your HDTV. An optional mini-HDMI-to-HDMI cable is required.
A/V Output/Digital Terminal: The camera has a Mini-B Version 2.0 USB terminal to allow you to connect the camera to a compatible computer or compatible Canon printer. No USB cable is included. An optional USB cable must be obtained in order to load images to your computer or printer. Through the same USB jack, you can connect the camera to a TV or video monitor with stereo RCA audio and composite video input jacks using the optional AVC-DC400 AV Cable. You can set the video output to NTSC or PAL.
Supplied Software
Software: The PowerShot SX530 HS does not include software. Instead, the software is available for download on the Canon website. The following programs are available:
- CameraWindow: transfer images to and from camera, organize images on the camera, and upload movies on the camera to web services
- Image Transfer Utility: allows you to configure and receive images with Image Sync.
- Map Utility: Lets you display GPS information recorded in images on a map.
- Camera User Guide: The 169-page Camera User Guide is available for download.
Compatible Operating Systems:
- Windows 8/8.1
- Windows 7 (SP1)
- Mac OS X (v10.9)
- Mac OS X (v10.82 or later)
Our Product Research Team
At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team. They verify what’s in the box, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.
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Q & A
Customer Q&A
Crutchfield asked
Why did you buy this?
I had a Nikon with rechargeable batteries and the Nikon didn't offer that now so I bought the Sony which did. [ B Oct 15, 2018 ]
Best value for the price and accessory bundle. Very good reviews. [ Jane Oct 04, 2016 ]
Decided to use a smaller point and shoot this summer when touring national parks in Montana and Wyoming. Need image stabilization, wifi connectivity, great zoom for wildlife shots, and no bulk when carrying camera equipment. This will fit the bill! [ Betsy May 18, 2016 ]
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