If resolution isn't an issue, you can drop it down and the further you drop it, the more boost to the zoom you get. Also, Canon put a framing assist button on the lens barrel that pulls the lens back so you can find your subjects should they go out of frame. This is designed to help keep images sharp at extended focal lengths and slower shutter speeds, where natural camera shake might otherwise show up as blurred images. The wheel is responsive with tactile stops to it, so you will not easily overshoot what you're trying to select.

The shutter release button is located just in front of the main on/off button and is traditional, is surrounded by the zoom control rocker switch. The sensor is a 16 Megapixel CCD paired up with the Digic 4 processor to provide features like scene detection and Face detect AF. In the print menu, you can preset pictures that you want printing if you use the Pictbridge facility. The back of the camera is fitted out with a bright and clear 3in, 460k-dot LCD screen which, given the small size of the camera, takes up pretty much the whole back and appears larger than it actually is. These generally perform quite well offering fast focus speeds and a pleasing level of accuracy – the Tracking AF system is particularly impressive.

By the end setting of ISO 1600, edge definition has broken - although there's still a degree of image quality, noise affects all areas of the picture with streaks of green in the darker areas. Speaking of things that use up your battery, the camera's flash does not pop up on its own, you have to lift it.

Yes, our expectations are high but they are one of the biggest manufacturers in the world and have a reputation to uphold, not to mention stiff competition to beat.However, in testing we did find that the camera performs quite well –even at ISO 1600 images still remain useable for non-critical purposes, although there is a loss of fine detail thanks to the effects of the in-camera noise reduction. Up at ISO 400 is where the noise starts to be more visible and can result in some noticeable yellow blotching. Disappointingly at low ISO, the Canon PowerShot SX500 IS is already suffering from noise issues which can be seen, albeit at full magnification. Also, you may notice some vertical smear when shooting bright light sources, such as the purple streak on the left side of the screen grab above.

The Canon PowerShot SX500 IS shares the same sensor and processor as the PowerShot SX160 IS which we recently reviewed. The in-camera menu follows the same layout as found in other Canon compacts, and even if you haven’t used a Canon in the past general navigation is pretty simple.From our point of view, we need to show that in a test shot but we couldn't get enough light onto the subject (a memory card) because the lens kept blocking our studio light.

Another mode, Live View Control, lets you easily experiment with exposure and color while seeing your results onscreen before you shoot (the same goes for the filters). He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories.These two modes do pretty much the same thing but in Program you get to choose advanced features such as ISO, white-balance and metering. On the top of the camera you’ll find the main exposure mode dial that offers access to all of the camera’s various shooting modes. It seems though that Canon have fallen foul of the resolution race and simply added a few more pixels without trying to sort out the consequences of that action. So long as highlight detail hasn’t been completely blown out then it is possible to rectify this with a dab of EV compensation, or indeed a quick tweak in a digital darkroom. All these features are found on other digital bridge type cameras such as this Canon PowerShot SX500 IS.