Canon PowerShot SX520 HS review

42x optical zoom available with Digic 4+ processor

Canon PowerShot 520HS
The PowerShot SX520HS has a 42x optical zoom

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

Colours are bright and punchy directly from the camera.

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

Automatic white balance does an excellent job of reproducing accurate colours when faced with mixed or artificial lighting.

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

Use the dedicated macro mode to get closer to the subject to produce frame-filling images.

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

Blues and greens display a beautiful vibrancy, which can be boosted by choosing a different selections from MyColors.

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

A good impression of detail is presented at normal sharing and web sizes, but if you examine at 100% you'll see some evidence of image smoothing.

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

At ISO 1600, there's a loss of detail, and noise is starting to creep in.

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

Another example of where shooting at a high sensitivity has resulted in significant loss of detail.

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

Images directly from the SX520 depict the typical Canon level of warm saturation and vibrant colours.

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

The camera's automatic metering system has coped well here to produce a well balanced exposure.

Zoom range

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

The wide angle of the camera gives an equivalent of 24mm, making it ideal for capturing sweeping vistas.

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

At 1008mm, the houses in this scene at the far end of the telephoto optic are barely visible in the wide angle of the scene, showing just how far the reach is.

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

If you need to get even closer, then the 84x Zoom Plus option is available - while the image quality isn't quite as good as the optical zoom, it's decent.

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

Finally, the full digital zoom allows you to get even closer should you need it.

Creative mode

Here's an example of how the SX520 might render different images when shooting in Creative Mode - the first image is the scene without any filter.

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Click here for full resolution image

Digital filters

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Fish-eye

Click here for full resolution image

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Miniature

Click here for full resolution image

Toy Camera

Click here for full resolution image

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Monochrome

Click here for full resolution image

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Super Vivid

Click here for full resolution image

Canon Powershot SX520HS

Poster

Click here for full resolution image

TOPICS
Amy Davies

Amy has been writing about cameras, photography and associated tech since 2009. Amy was once part of the photography testing team for Future Publishing working across TechRadar, Digital Camera, PhotoPlus, N Photo and Photography Week. For her photography, she has won awards and has been exhibited. She often partakes in unusual projects - including one intense year where she used a different camera every single day. Amy is currently the Features Editor at Amateur Photographer magazine, and in her increasingly little spare time works across a number of high-profile publications including Wired, Stuff, Digital Camera World, Expert Reviews, and just a little off-tangent, PetsRadar. 

Latest in Compact Cameras
Image showing detail of the Leica D-Lux 8
Still can't get a Fujifilm X100VI? This premium Leica compact costs less, and it's in stock
Fujfilm GFX 50R
First Fujifilm GFX100RF images leaked in build-up to expected reveal – here’s what they tell us about the unique premium compact camera
Canon PowerShot V1 in user's hands, oudoors with a snowy Japan backdrop
I review cameras for a living, and the new Canon PowerShot V1 could be this year’s vlogging star – here’s why
Canon Powershot G7 X Mark III
Canon’s rumored PowerShot V1 point-and-shoot could hit the sensor sweet spot – and be first of two new PowerShots for 2025
Flashback ONE35 redisposable digital camera on a wooden surface
I tested the Flashback ONE35 "re-disposable" camera, and it's a novel idea let down by a shoddy app
Canon compact cameras tipped for a big return with rumored Powershot V1 – and I think that's Canon's most exciting play for 2025
Latest in Reviews
WWE 2K25
I've spent days in the ring with WWE 2K25, and it's like a five-star match ruined by the Million Dollar Man
Curaprox Hydrosonic Pro electric toothbrush
Curaprox Hydrosonic Pro review: A powerful seven-mode, Swiss-made sonic brush
Atelier Yumia
I was already sold on Atelier Yumia as an RPG, but I wasn’t expecting it to have my favorite crafting system in all of gaming
Alienware 27 AW2725Q monitor on desk displaying a scene from Cyberpunk 2077
I played games with Alienware's new 27-inch 4K OLED monitor and now I don't want to see another LCD panel
MacBook Air 15-inch with M4 chip on a creative's desk with screen open
I've reviewed the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) - and it remains the best 15-inch laptop I'd recommend for most people
Samsung Music Frame on a table beside some books and a vase
I spent six weeks listening to the Samsung Music Frame and it kept missing the beat