The Canon PowerShot SX740 HS Lite Edition is a great compact camera – if you can find it in stock!

I've been using the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS Lite Edition again recently, mainly because I wanted a tiny megazoom camera to carry as a sidearm on a couple of trips.

I'm so used to the current crop of compacts with their standard zoom ranges, that I forgot just what a monster the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS Lite Edition is. Its 24-960mm lens is an absolute beast!

This camera is more than just a crazy zoom range and a tiny body, though. Sure there are limitations but, as a complement to my everyday carry, the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS Lite Edition is genuinely one of the best compact cameras I've used.

Canon PowerShot SX740 HS Lite Edition – what's different?

You may be wondering what the "Lite" bit is all about, and what makes it different from the standard model. Well, the answer is not a lot!

Basically, the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS Lite Edition is identical to the regular Canon PowerShot SX740 HS with one key difference: it cannot charge via the USB connection. Otherwise, they're the same camera.

So you get that same 24-960mm equivalent focal range, the same 20.3MP 1/2.3-inch image sensor, the same 4K 30p video, the same 265-shot battery life, the same 3-inch, 922k-dot tilting screen… and, for better or worse, the same shortcomings.

At the end of the day, there are limits to what you can do with a 1/2.3-inch image sensor. The sensitivity has a ceiling of ISO3200, which can be a challenge with an aperture of f/3.3-6,9 – especially at telephoto lengths when you need to use a fast shutter.

And even though the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS Lite Edition packs 20.3MP of resolution, there's only so much detail you can squeeze out of it – particularly since it doesn't shoot RAW files.

But here's the thing: if you use the images full size (as in, you don't want or need to pixel peep) and you get things right in-camera, you can absolutely work within those limitations.

Try to crop in or do too much with the JPEGs in Photoshop and, sure, they start to fall apart. So just don't do that! Like I said, I've been using this camera as a cheeky megazoom for my daily shooting – for those times when I wanted to really punch in on something super far away.

And just as often, I used the flip-up selfie screen to take a group shot with friends – and these are exactly the things the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS Lite Edition is meant to be used for.

Trying to replace your "proper camera" for taking "proper photos" will leave you disappointed. But use it for everyday snapping, holiday photos, days out with friends and family… basically, use the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS Lite Edition the same way you use your phone camera – and you'll get way better and more versatile results.

My only real complaint is that, like the standard SX740 HS, finding one in stock is incredibly difficult! So if you see it, snap it up.

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