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Canon PowerShot SX540 HS  Camera Review

Reviewed Sep 28, 2021 at 09:08am
Tested using methodology v0.12.1 
Canon PowerShot SX540 HS
5.9
Travel Photography 
4.1
Landscape Photography 
6.2
Sport & Wildlife Photography 
0.0
Raw Photo Performance 
2.5
Vlogging 
2.8
Studio Video 
2.4
Action Video 
 0

The Canon PowerShot SX540 HS is a very basic bridge camera with a superzoom lens. It's decently comfortable to use, quite lightweight, and delivers impressive overall stabilization performance. That said, it has a very limited feature set, as you can't use it to shoot RAW images, doesn't have 4k video recording capability, and offers limited FHD video recording features. Autofocus tracking performance is poor in both video and still photography too. It also lacks a viewfinder and has a relatively low-resolution screen that isn't touch-sensitive.

Our Verdict

5.9
Travel Photography 

The Canon PowerShot SX540 HS is middling for travel photography. It's lightweight and comfortable to use, though it isn't nearly small enough to fit into a pocket or a small bag. The lens' enormous focal range should allow you to frame both wide-angle shots as well as tight zooms on far-away subjects. Unfortunately, its autofocus system struggles with tracking moving subjects, and depending on your choice of settings, its battery life might not be sufficient for long shooting sessions. Image quality degrades noticeably at higher ISO levels, while its built-in lens has a narrow maximum aperture, so it isn't a very good fit for low-light photography. The lens' focal length also can't be adjusted in fine increments, which could be an issue if you're trying to frame a scene without moving around too much.

Pros
  • Lightweight construction.
  • Extremely wide focal range.
Cons
  • Mediocre build quality.
  • Poor autofocus performance.
  • Incapable of shooting in RAW.
  • Fixed low-resolution screen isn't very sharp.
4.1
Landscape Photography 

The Canon PowerShot SX540 HS is a poor choice for landscape photography. It's fairly lightweight and decently comfortable to use if a little bulky. Its lens' wide minimum focal length should make it easy to frame landscape shots too. Unfortunately, its lack of a viewfinder and fixed screen can make it hard to compose your shots. It also can't shoot in RAW, which is a significant omission if you plan on editing your shots. Image quality is okay for its class, though it's best suited to shooting in the daytime. It isn't advertised as weather-sealed and has a plastic body that scratches rather easily.

Pros
  • Excellent overall stabilization performance.
  • Lightweight construction.
  • Extremely wide focal range.
Cons
  • Mediocre build quality.
  • Incapable of shooting in RAW.
  • Fixed low-resolution screen isn't very sharp.
6.2
Sport & Wildlife Photography 

The Canon PowerShot SX540 HS isn't bad for sports and wildlife photography, especially for more casual use. Its maximum full frame-equivalent focal length of 1200mm allows you to snap fairly clear photos of far-away subjects. Its maximum continuous shooting speed of 8 fps is also relatively fast, and it clears its buffer almost instantaneously. It also does a great job smoothing out camera shake, which is handy if you're shooting at a fairly extended focal length. However, its autofocus system struggles to maintain focus on moving subjects, and while its tracking performance does improve if you set the camera to 'Sports' mode, you lose the ability to change your exposure settings. In addition, it feels cheaply built, though it is comfortable to hold for the most part.

Pros
  • Excellent overall stabilization performance.
  • Extremely wide focal range.
  • Fast buffer clearing time.
Cons
  • Mediocre build quality.
  • Poor autofocus performance.
  • Incapable of shooting in RAW.
0.0
Raw Photo Performance 

The Canon SX540 HS doesn't shoot in RAW format.

2.5
Vlogging 

The Canon PowerShot SX540 HS isn't intended for vlogging. You can't see its fixed screen when the camera is pointed at you. In addition, while the camera is lightweight, its bulky design can make it a little impractical to carry around for extended periods. Its battery life is also very short, though this can vary depending on your choice of settings and usage habits. It's incapable of shooting 4k video, and video quality in FHD is very soft and noisy, even in well-lit environments. Thankfully, it does an incredible job of smoothing out camera shake when shooting handheld video.

Pros
  • Excellent overall stabilization performance.
  • Lightweight construction.
Cons
  • Poor autofocus performance.
  • Terrible FHD video quality.
  • No 4k shooting capability.
  • Fixed low-resolution screen isn't very sharp.
2.8
Studio Video 

The Canon PowerShot SX540 HS isn't intended for studio video. FHD video quality is terrible, and it can't shoot in 4k. Its autofocus system also delivers terrible tracking performance. It doesn't have a mic or headphone jack, and you can only use its HDMI port for media playback. Its battery life is short, and you can't recharge it over USB while in use, so it isn't a good fit for long recording sessions.

Pros
  • Simple menu system with built-in guide mode.
Cons
  • Poor autofocus performance.
  • Few inputs and outputs.
  • Terrible FHD video quality.
  • No 4k shooting capability.
2.4
Action Video 

The Canon PowerShot SX540 HS isn't designed for action video. It's too big to mount on any chest or helmet rig and isn't advertised as water-resistant, dust-sealed, or impact-resistant. It can't shoot 4k video, while its maximum frame rate in FHD is limited to 30 fps. All of that said, its video stabilization performance is superb.

Pros
  • Excellent overall stabilization performance.
  • Lightweight construction.
Cons
  • Mediocre build quality.
  • Terrible FHD video quality.
  • No 4k shooting capability.
  • 5.9
    Travel Photography
  • 4.1
    Landscape Photography
  • 6.2
    Sport & Wildlife Photography
  • 0.0
    Raw Photo Performance
  • 2.5
    Vlogging
  • 2.8
    Studio Video
  • 2.4
    Action Video
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Jan 29, 2024: Added text to the 'Raw Photo Performance' verdict box and updated existing verdict boxes for clarity and accuracy.
    2.  Updated Jan 29, 2024: Converted to Test Bench 0.12.1.
    3.  Updated Apr 24, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.12.
    4.  Updated Apr 12, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.11.

    Check Price

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    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    The Canon PowerShot SX540 HS is only available in one color variant: 'Black'. You can see our test unit's label here.

    Let us know in the discussions if you come across another variant, and we'll update our review.

    Popular Camera Comparisons

    KODAK PIXPRO AZ528

    The Canon PowerShot SX540 HS is better overall than the KODAK PIXPRO AZ528. Neither camera can take RAW photos or record 4k video, but the Canon has a higher-resolution sensor and better autofocus system. That said, the KODAK does have a slightly longer max focal length and slightly wider max aperture.

    Test Results

    perceptual testing image
    Sort:
    RATINGS
    Category:
    All
    Design
    5.3
    Portability
    Height
    3.3" (8.3 cm)
    Width
    4.7" (12.0 cm)
    Depth
    4.0" (10.1 cm)
    Volume
    61.3 in³ (1,005.0 cm³)
    Weight
    0.95 lbs (0.43 kg)

    You can compare the camera's portability with its lens cap off and the camera turned on here, with the lens fully extended here, and with the lens fully extended and its popup flash flipped upright here.

    6.0
    Build Quality

    • Body is made of plastic that scratches fairly easily
    • Buttons are large and provide good physical feedback, but are made of a cheap-feeling plastic
    • Command dial feels solid and provides good feedback
    • Hard to set a precise focal length since the zoom toggle is very sensitive but is also a little laggy
    • Flash mechanism feels passably well-built
    • Input compartment is covered by rubber flaps

    Body
    Body Type
    Bridge
    Water Resistance
    No
    Mirrorless
    Yes
    Rugged
    No
    Hot Shoe
    No
    Customizable Button
    No
    Command Dial
    1
    Tripod Mount
    Yes
    Lens Mount
    No Lens Mount
    Built-In Flash
    Yes
    Fastest Shutter Speed
    1/2,000 s
    In The Box

    • Canon PowerShot SX540 HS camera
    • Shoulder strap
    • Lens cap with string attached
    • 1x Canon NB-6LH battery
    • Battery charger
    • Getting Started guide

    7.0
    Ergonomics & Comfort
    Hand Grip: Small Hand
    Yes
    Hand Grip: Medium Hand
    Yes
    Hand Grip: Large Hand
    Yes
    Hand Grip: Extra-Large Hand
    No

    • Lightweight contoured body makes it comfortable to hold
    • No viewfinder
    • Fixed screen has a slow refresh rate and isn't very sharp, so you need to position yourself right in front of it to see it clearly
    • Dedicated ISO and video mode buttons
    • Aperture and shutter speed can be adjusted using the single command dial
    • Zoom toggle changes focal lengths in set increments, making it tricky to frame your shots precisely
    • Camera doesn't display focal length, forcing you to pull out its SD card and check an image's EXIF data to see the focal length it was taken at
    • SD card can't be changed while the camera is mounted on a tripod

    Viewfinder
    Viewfinder Type
    N/A
    Advertised Coverage
    N/A
    Advertised Resolution
    N/A
    Advertised Magnification
    N/A
    2.7
    Screen
    Screen Articulation Type
    No Articulation (Fixed Screen)
    Screen Max Brightness
    429 cd/m²
    Advertised Resolution
    0.46 million dots
    Size
    3.0" (7.5 cm)
    Touchscreen
    No
    7.0
    Menu System
    Guide Mode
    Yes
    App Name
    Canon Camera Connect
    7.0
    Built-In Lens
    See details on graph tool
    Maximum Aperture
    3.4 - 6.5
    Max Aperture (Full-Frame Equivalent)
    f/19.1
    Minimum Focal Length
    4.3 mm
    Maximum Focal Length
    215 mm
    Max Focal Length (Full-Frame Equivalent)
    1,200 mm
    Optical Image Stabilization
    No
    Luminance
    83.2%
    Light Falloff
    81.3%
    Sensor
    Sensor Type
    CMOS
    Advertised Effective Pixels
    20.3 MP
    Sensor Size
    1/2.3-inch
    Processor
    Digic 6
    Extended ISO Minimum
    N/A
    Native ISO Minimum (Base ISO)
    80
    Native ISO Maximum
    3,200
    Tested Firmware
    Unspecified
    4.7
    Battery
    Battery Type
    Canon NB-6LH
    USB Charging
    No
    Power Delivery While Recording
    No
    Advertised Battery Life In Photo
    205 photos
    Tested Battery Life In Video
    81 min
    Photo General
    6.0
    Photo Shooting Speed
    Low Speed Continuous
    N/A
    High Speed Continuous
    8 fps
    Silent Shooting Continuous
    N/A
    Raw Buffer Size
    N/A
    JPEG Buffer Size
    10,000 Photos
    Buffer Empty Time
    0 s
    0.0
    Photo AF-C Tracking
    Autofocus Tracking ShotsN/A
    Perfect Focus Hit Rate
    N/A
    Usable Focus Hit Rate
    N/A
    7.1
    Photo AF-C Center Point
    Autofocus Center Point Shots
    center-point-run-01-01
    Run 01
    AF-C Center Point 01
    Perfect Focus Hit Rate
    70%
    Usable Focus Hit Rate
    83%
    8.0
    Photo Image Stabilization
    Minimum Shutter Speed Achieved
    1/10 s
    In-Body Image Stabilization
    No

    Note: Our standard test methodology for this test is to have the camera in its manual mode with ISO set to 'Auto'. However, you can't set ISO to 'Auto' with this camera in its manual shooting mode. To capture well-exposed images, the camera was set to shutter priority mode, allowing us to change the ISO setting to 'Auto'. As such, the results shown might not be fully comparable with other cameras that we've tested.

    Photo Image Quality
    0.0
    Photo RAW Dynamic Range
    Dynamic Range At Base ISO
    N/A
    Dynamic Range At 1/500s Exposure Time
    N/A
    Dynamic Range At 1/2000s Exposure Time
    N/A
    Dynamic Range At 1/4000s Exposure Time
    N/A
    0.0
    Photo RAW Sharpness
    Vertical Edge MTF50 At Base ISO
    N/A
    Horizontal Edge MTF50 At Base ISO
    N/A
    0.0
    Photo RAW Noise
    SNR 18% At 1/8 Exposure Time (125 ms)
    N/A
    SNR 18% At 1/30 Exposure Time (33 ms)
    N/A
    SNR 18% At 1/125 Exposure Time (8 ms)
    N/A
    SNR 18% At 1/500 Exposure Time (2 ms)
    N/A
    Pictures Sample Gallery
    The Skate Park Picture
    JPEG Skate Park PictureDownload
    RAW Skate Park PictureN/A
    The Polish Church Picture
    JPEG Polish Church PictureDownload
    RAW Polish Church PictureN/A
    The Studio Picture
    JPEG Studio PictureDownload
    RAW Studio PictureN/A
    The Stairway Picture
    JPEG Stairway PictureDownload
    RAW Stairway PictureN/A
    Video General
    Video Features
    Full HD Video
    Yes
    4k Video
    No
    6k Video
    No
    Clean HDMI Output
    Playback Only
    Advertised Max Chroma Sampling Over HDMI
    Playback Only
    Advertised Max Bit Depth Over HDMI
    N/A
    Log Picture Profile
    No
    Recording Light
    No
    Audio
    Audio Test Sample
    Audio Recording
    Stereo
    Microphone Level Display
    No
    Video File Format And Compression
    MP4 H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
    Yes
    MP4 H.265 / HEVC
    No
    MOV H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
    No
    MOV H.265 / HEVC
    No
    AVCHD H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
    No
    All-I Compression
    No
    4k Video
    0.0
    4k Video Frame Rate
    240 fps In 4k
    No
    120 fps In 4k
    No
    60 fps In 4k
    No
    30 fps In 4k
    No
    24 fps In 4k
    No
    4k Crop At Max Available fps
    N/A
    0.0
    4k Video Internal Recording
    Bitrate Maximum In 4k
    N/A
    Bitrate Minimum In 4k
    N/A
    Chroma Sampling In 4k
    No
    Bit Depth In 4k
    N/A
    Record Time Limit In 4k
    0 min
    Overheat Recording Interruptions in 4k
    N/A
    0.0
    4k Video Autofocus Performance
    Object Tracking In 4k
    N/A
    Face Tracking In 4k
    N/A
    Face Detection In 4k
    No
    Eye Detection In 4k
    No
    0.0
    4k Video Quality
    Low Light Capability In 4kN/A
    Test Scene Extract In 4kN/A
    0.0
    4k Video Rolling Shutter Effect
    4k Rolling Shutter
    N/A
    Full HD Video
    3.7
    FHD Video Frame Rate
    240 fps In FHD
    No
    120 fps In FHD
    No
    60 fps In FHD
    Yes
    30 fps In FHD
    Yes, with a Crop
    24 fps In FHD
    No
    FHD Crop At Max Available fps
    1.1 x
    7.2
    FHD Video Internal Recording
    Bitrate Maximum In FHD
    35 Mbps
    Bitrate Minimum In FHD
    24 Mbps
    Chroma Sampling In FHD
    4:2:0
    Bit Depth In FHD
    8 Bit
    Record Time Limit in FHD
    24 min

    Note: This camera's recording limit is advertised as being 29 min 59 sec, or whenever a video file reaches 4GB in size. Our test unit's maximum recording limit was 23min 50sec, which generated a video that was 4GB in size. That said, users may be able to reach this recording time limit if they use lower video quality settings.

    2.6
    FHD Video Autofocus Performance
    Object Tracking In FHD
    1.3
    Face Tracking In FHD
    3.1
    Face Detection In FHD
    Yes
    Eye Detection In FHD
    No
    2.7
    FHD Video Quality
    Low Light Capability In FHD
    2.5
    Test Scene Extract In FHD
    2.9
    6.4
    FHD Video Rolling Shutter Effect
    FHD Rolling Shutter
    5.7°
    Storage And Connectivity
    Storage
    Card 1 Slot
    SD Card UHS-I
    Card 2 Slot
    No 2nd Card Slot
    3.8
    Inputs / Outputs
    USB
    Micro-B USB 3.0
    HDMI
    Mini (Type C) [Playback Only]
    Headphones
    No
    Microphone
    No Microphone input
    Wi-Fi
    Yes
    Bluetooth
    No

    Comments

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    1. Update: Added text to the ‘Raw Photo Performance’ verdict box and updated existing verdict boxes for clarity and accuracy.

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