Canon Powershot SX70 ergonomic score 24 February 2019

The Canon Powershot SX70 HS camera   occupies something of a goldilocks zone for size, shape and configuration.  Bridge cameras around this size have the potential for a very good ergonomic score if well designed.

The SX70, like so many Canon models over the last few years gets the job half done.

This ergonomic evaluation and score follows my usual formatwhich you can read about here.

Most of the basic ingredients are in place.

The main menus are clearly displayed and are easy to navigate with a nice clear graphical user interface. Items are arranged in logical order. There is a My Menu with user assignable items.   There are fewer options than one can find on models from other makers. This improves simplicity but limits configuring the camera to user preferences.

There is a separate Q Menu which is useful but cannot be configured to user preference.

There is a well populated Mode Dial with two custom modes available for user configuration. Several Prepare Phase selections on this camera will be via the Mode Dial.

There is quick access to some aspects of Focus Mode but not others.

Access to most operating modes including drive mode, autofocus mode and  metering mode requires a trip to the Q Menu as do settings like image quality, movie record quality and ISO.

This is serviceable but requires more actions each more complex than is the case with a more advanced model having more external hard controls.

This is one of the SX70’s best features. The inverted L shaped handle is nicely contoured and a perfect size for small adult hands. Larger hands also manage well but with the little finger probably below the bottom of the handle.

The thumb support is nicely elevated, angled and shaped allowing the user  a firm grip on the camera without strain.

The shutter button and top dial are ideally positioned.

If other makers simply copied this handle/thumb support design the camera world would be a better place.

If it were up to me I would raise the height of the top plate of the body and with it the handle height for an even better grip suiting both small and large hands.

The basic requirements for a good viewing experience are in place.

The EVF is sharp, clear and bright with no blackout.

The monitor is of the desirable and versatile fully articulated type. It is also sharp, clear and bright.

Monitor and EVF present all information in he same way making the segue from one to the other a seamless experience, aided by the eye proximity sensor adjacent to the EVF.

There are many options to display (or not) a range of imaging parameters including a histogram, grid lines etc..

There are a few downsides.  No zebras.  No ability to place key camera data on a black background beneath the preview image, it is always superimposed over the image.

The only adjustable parameter for EVF and rear screen is brightness.

The level gauge appears to indicate only rotation of the camera, not tilt.

The essence of this phase is that all primary and secondary focus, zoom and exposure parameters are readily adjustable while looking through the viewfinder and without having to substantially change grip with either hand.

On this basis the SX70 does not do so well. Changing AF area position is awkward, requiring the user to first find and press the [AF point selector] button which is inappropriately located up on the thumb support. Then the thumb must move 34mm down to the D-Pad.

Other cameras manage this much more efficiently with the same number of controls. For instance the Ricoh GR2 activates the AF area with a press on the left D-Pad button, placing the thumb exactly where it needs to be to move the AF area.

Many actions which are best managed by direct access controls in Capture Phase require a visit to a menu on the SX70. These include ISO and AF area size.

Achieving AF lock is a roundabout process.

The single dial design makes several operations like exposure compensation and selecting exposure parameters in M Mode a multi step process. This is serviceable but not optimal.

The [Framing Assist-Seek] button works as advertised and performs a genuinely useful function but is difficult to locate by feel. The button is unlikely to be pressed accidentally so it could be made much more prominent. If I were to keep this camera I would probably add a button height extender.

This is well managed with all basic expectations met. One can scroll from one image to the next, enlarge an image and scroll to the next at the same level of enlargement and position on the frame. The options for on screen data display in review phase are comprehensive.

This is not a terrible score for a camera of this type but neither is it particularly good.

It is a modest improvement over the much unloved SX60 which scored 56.

Given the shape, size, type of camera and the number of external controls Canon could have achieved a better result with more thoughtful user interface design and probably more processor power.

The less expensive Lumix FZ80 is about the same size as the SX70 and has the same number of external controls but scores 71 due to better use being made of those controls.

So I end this little report with the same comment I have made about every Canon camera which I have tested over the last ten years.