The Canon PowerShot SX740 HS is a compact point-and-shoot camera. Though its tiny sensor won't blow you away any more than your phone camera, this pocketable point-and-shoot comes with a 40x zoom-capable lens, making it super easy to capture far-off subjects. Add in 4k video capability and a price that won't break the bank, and you've got an appealing budget option for casual or travel photography.
Our Verdict
The Canon PowerShot SX740 is okay for travel photography. Its out-of-camera image quality is decent, and photos don't have a lot of visible image noise at low ISO settings, but they aren't very sharp. Its autofocus is okay but isn't very consistent when tracking moving faces. The battery life is also disappointing. That said, the camera is very portable and easy to take wherever you go, but it can be a bit uncomfortable because of its compact size, especially if you have larger hands.
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Portable design with decent build quality.
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JPEG images look pretty good at low ISO settings.
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Not very comfortable to hold.
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Poor battery life.
The Canon PowerShot SX740 isn't the best choice for landscape photography, though it's fine for more casual photography. The biggest issue is its tiny sensor, which has a limited dynamic range, meaning it can't capture a wide array of detail in high-contrast shots. Its built-in lens isn't especially sharp, although the camera does produce pleasing colors.
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Portable design with decent build quality.
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Not very comfortable to hold.
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Poor dynamic range.
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Photos aren't especially sharp.
The Canon PowerShot SX740 is okay for sport and wildlife photography. It can shoot at a reasonably high continuous speed and has an okay autofocus system. However, it may struggle to clearly capture fast-moving subjects like athletes or running animals. Image quality isn't the best, but the long zoom range and good stabilization feature mean you can get fairly clear shots of far-away subjects.
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Portable design with decent build quality.
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Not very comfortable to hold.
The Canon SX740 can't shoot in RAW format.
The Canon PowerShot SX740 is mediocre for vlogging. It's portable, and its flip-out screen lets you easily monitor yourself while recording. Its optical stabilization helps keep videos stable, even when you're on the go. Unfortunately, it has poor 4k and FHD video quality, so videos aren't very sharp or detailed. The autofocus is also inconsistent when tracking faces.
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Portable design with decent build quality.
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Impressive video stabilization performance.
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Poor 4k and FHD video quality.
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Inconsistent autofocus.
The Canon PowerShot SX740 isn't a good choice for studio video, though it isn't meant for this use. Video quality is poor in both 4k and 1080p, with limited dynamic range and sharpness. Its autofocus system does an okay job tracking moving subjects, but it sometimes struggles to keep them in focus. The camera lacks inputs and outputs and has limited internal recording capability for higher-quality video capture.
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Portable design with decent build quality.
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Not very comfortable to hold.
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Poor 4k and FHD video quality.
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Limited internal recording capability.
The Canon PowerShot SX740 isn't meant for action video. While it's very portable, it doesn't support 120 fps or 240 fps video recording, so you can't capture slow-motion action videos. It doesn't have the best 4k or FHD recording quality, either. It also lacks any water resistance.
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Portable design with decent build quality.
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Not very comfortable to hold.
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Poor 4k and FHD video quality.
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No water resistance.
- 6.8 Travel Photography
- 4.9 Landscape Photography
- 6.9 Sport & Wildlife Photography
- 0 Raw Photo Performance
- 6.3 Vlogging
- 4.7 Studio Video
- 3.7 Action Video
- Updated Jan 29, 2024: Added text to the 'Raw Photo Performance' verdict box.
- Updated Jan 29, 2024: Converted to Test Bench 0.12.1.
- Updated Apr 24, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.12.
- Updated Apr 12, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.11.
- Updated Oct 03, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.10.
- Updated Aug 05, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.9.
- Updated Jun 22, 2022: Updated 'Hand Grip' section to show 'Yes' for small hands instead of 'No Hand Grip' to better reflect its design and ergonomics.
- Updated Apr 22, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.
- Updated Jan 04, 2022: Updated body type from 'Ultracompact' to 'Compact'.
- Updated May 25, 2021: Corrected input errors in 'Image Stabilization', '4k Video Stabilization', and 'FHD Video Stabilization' sections.
- Updated Feb 08, 2021: Review published.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Canon SX740 comes in two different color variants: Black and Silver. We tested the Black variant, and you can see the label for the model we tested here. We expect the Silver variant to perform similarly. If you come across another variant, let us know in the discussions.
Compared To Other Cameras
The Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III is a much better point-and-shoot camera than the Canon PowerShot SX740, though it's priced higher. It feels more premium, and its 1-inch sensor captures significantly better image and video quality. Beyond that, it also offers RAW image capability, faster burst shooting, better autofocus, and better video features.
The Sony ZV-1 is better than the Canon PowerShot SX740. It uses a larger 1-inch type sensor that captures better image and video quality. It also has much better video features. On top of that, it has a significantly more effective autofocus system and faster burst shooting. That said, since the ZV-1 is a vlogging cam, it has a much shorter zoom range than the Canon.
The Panasonic LUMIX ZS80 is a better value option than the Canon PowerShot SX740. Unlike the Canon, it can capture RAW images and has a small electronic viewfinder, making it a bit more versatile. Plus, it has a better battery life and more effective autofocus. However, its zoom range is a bit shorter than that of the Canon.
The Nikon COOLPIX A1000 is a bit better than the Canon PowerShot SX740. It has a viewfinder, a more versatile tilting screen, and RAW image capability, giving you more flexibility for photography. That said, the Canon has a better autofocus system.
Test Results
- Generally feels solid and durable
- Flash mechanism seems a bit flimsy
- Back wheel feels a bit loose
- Input/output compartment protected by a flap, not a solid door
- Hand grip is uncomfortable due to camera size, although it's suitable for those with small hands
- Only one wheel to change aperture, ISO, and shutter speed
- Easy to use; not a lot of settings to choose from
- Guide Mode is available for additional information about settings and features
- Depending on the mode selected, different settings appear in the menu system
