2023 Weekly Challenge Week 11 - Canon Powershot SX280

Back in 2018 when I started really getting into Digicam collecting I bought the Canon Powershot SX280 as a stopgap daily carry after my more expensive Panasonic LX100 ran into a firmware issue that was not repairable without sending it in to Panasonic to be re-flashed at a repair depot, since Panasonic had not released a user flashable BIOS update for the camera which would have likely fixed the issue.  

So I sold the LX100 for what I could get for it (about half of what I paid) and used some of that money to pick up the Canon Powershot SX280 as a short term pocket carry that I would still enjoy pulling out and shooting on occasion years after it had been replaced as my every-day carry camera.

This camera was also my backup cam to my street photography project to keep me sane in 2020 and 2021 during the Pandemic especially in areas I didn't want to risk having a more valuable camera on me.

Quality wise this camera was a major downgrade from the LX100 as it was a 1/2.3" sensor (as opposed to a cropped M43 sensor) with a much lower-quality lens.  It also couldn't shoot in RAW.  However that 20x optical zoom came in quite handy for street photography and it was overall still very responsive, quick and easy to shoot and in a very small package.  It became my first real street focused point and shoot camera.

 

Released in 2013 this camera was the last in the SX2X0 series of cameras, which replaced the AA powered SX1X0 series of mid-range Powershot cameras.  The SX2X0 series had a much better construction and had a standard rechargeable Li-Ion battery pack that was shared with several other pocket cameras including my Canon Powershot S90. 

This camera series were mid range superzoom pocket cameras ranging from 12x-20x and all sharing the same 12mp BSI 1/2.3" CMOS sensor that was used on many other non CCD Powershot cameras from this era. 

This line would be replaced with the SX6X0 and SX7X0 series superzooms which split the line. The SX600 line being cheaper lower end and more "fully auto" cameras with no Priority modes with an 18-25x zoom and the SX700 which were closer to the SX280 in features but expanded the zoom range from 30-40x.  Both used newer 16 and 20.1 mp sensors.

After picking up the SX280 and shooting it for a week and remembering how much I shot it in 2018 (and still kept it around past that as a backup to the Sony RX100 and ZS100) I think I was a little too harsh on the SX720 I reviewed earlier and will likely borrow that camera back from my Mom at some point and give it a re-review next year.

I can't explain why I still enjoy shooting the Powershot SX280 even to this day. Like a few of the cameras I've posted (such as the Powershot ELPH 190) "on paper" I should be very unhappy with this camera compared to my "better" alternatives like the Panasonic ZS100 or even the Olympus ZX-1.

This camera is smaller and thinner then the SX720 and the 20x zoom feels like a good reach range without pushing it too far in a pocket camera. Perhaps this is a factor in why I enjoy shooting it more then my initial thoughts on the SX720.  It isn't that much bigger then one of my ultra-compact pocket cameras like the Canon Powershot ELPH 190 or S90 and has a good optical zoom range and better analog controls then an ELPH. 

It was also the first pocket camera I owned that I really used the Wi-Fi feature to transfer photos to my phone (the LX100 had it but I never used that function on that camera) and it quickly became a favorite for this feature as I could shoot, upload and edit a few shots on my phone without waiting till I got home.

The SX280 falls into a very mixed bag with a lot of terrible photos I've taken on it; with some photos that really look great and I have to do a doubletake that they came off of this camera every time I look at them. So it's output is not very consistent, but it has some potential to take some really nice shots.

During the challenge week that I used it I got a few really solid shots with it, and at the end of the day maybe that's all that matters. No photographer will ever be happy with every photo they take nor get a perfect crisp shot every time.  The Canon Powershot SX280 is a very good camera to use to to remind me of this fact.