I was excited to get this camera as an upgrade to my 7-year old Canon SX40 that has served me quite well. The SX70 “upgrade” would offer higher sensor resolution (20 megapixels vs 12 ), wider and longer zoom capabilities, built-in WiFi with smartphone remote control to the camera (this was very exciting to me and did work very well with the Canon app), much higher electronic viewfinder resolution, larger LCD screen display, 4K video, additional creative filters, RAW support and much more. Now comes the "however" part....despite the wider and longer lens on the SX70 (21mm - 1365mm) compared to SX 40 (24mm – 840mm), the SX70 has a slower lens at wide (3.40 vs 2.70) and telephoto (6.50.vs 5.80). This alone is a contributing factor to noisy/grainy/fuzzy photos in lower light conditions inside, outside at dusk, or an overcast day. Otherwise on a bright day results were more on par, but without using the flash indoors, photos were not crisp and sometimes washed out and/or grainy. Also, further comparing specs, the flash coverage on the SX40 has over a 6 1/2 feet longer range than the SX70 plus does not have a hot shoe for external flash to extend the range. I know Canon cameras very well and have been a long time user of traditional and digital SLR+bridge cameras for many years. I tested this camera on manual and automatic settings to optimize proper white balance, metering, focus and also tried out several special (filter) effects. I experienced some good results, but mostly were disappointing and did not meet my minimum expectations. I also found the electronics to be rather quirky. Though I haven’t experienced a humming noise during video recording as stated by another poster, I have seen other weirdness. For example to name a couple, the flash icon indicator would sporadically blink indicating to raise the flash, even in bright outdoor shooting with wider focal length. Also I noticed while focusing hold (holding the shutter down ½ ways to lock-in), the frame would not always continue to remain locked-in once fully focused and ready to shoot. Instead, it would stray from my locked focus and become out-of-focus prior to a full shutter release, forcing me to release the shutter and try again. Other oddities included seeing a yellow (cautionary) message around the focus frame with an exclamation mark (no explanation in the manual). Also on the display, twice there was a “lens retraction error, the camera will shut down” message! Indeed, the camera did shut down, so had to power back up to continue. There were other unusual occurrences as well. I tried and wanted to LOVE this camera with all the upgrades and "improvements" but am disappointed and cannot recommend the SX70 based on my own experience.

I have relied on Canon camera equipment for many years. I work with many different manufacturers photo equipment as part of my job. When my wife wanted to replace her old Canon Powershot(very old and still working) we went camera hunting. She was looking for a camera that was small in size, had a viewfinder, and had a decent focal range. The SX70 was the winner. This camera has the widest focal range of most point and shoot cameras we looked at. It was small and light, had a good high resolution chip, and is even capable of shooting RAW files. I may be old school but using a camera without a viewfinder is just not smart. There will always be conditions where it would be nearly impossible to see the display screen, especially in bright sunlight. It can also be very difficult to frame a photo with a steady hand, especially when using telephoto ranges. This camera checked all the boxes.

Bought this camera for my wife's Christmas present. She read the early reviews and decided upgrading from her Canon SX60 she loves was the way to go. This review is only for Best Buy and not the camera. Ordered the new SX70 before it was available in stores. Associate in the store camera Department was very knowledgeable and helped me with the order in-store rather than online. I had it delivered for pickup at the store rather than home to deny the "porch pirates". Was notified by text and email when it arrived a day earlier than promised. In-store pick was quick and easy.

I do a lot of birdwatching and wildlife photography. Six years ago, I started with the Canon SX40, four years ago I got the SX60, and now this SX70. Each one has had nice improvements, with the SX70 having a sharper viewfinder and faster focus than the SX60. I get great magnification and flexibility for a reasonable price with very nice picture quality.

I'm confused as to why Canon upgrades this model and continues to remove features, but the real reason for the poor rating is the auto focus is horrible. Bright daylight is fine..shade or inside forget it. Our old SX40 did a better job than this camera ever could. Stay away folks...

For a safari I wanted a long lens but not the weight of my dslr. Has some trouble focusing and is noisy in poor light. But knowing the limits I can make it work. In bright light and good contrast it is excellent.

Bought this for trip to Alaska so I did not have to carry dslr camera that is very heavy. Like the WiFi part and very easy to use. Would recommend for beginners also.

Its a good buy if you arent concerned with photographing the moon or stars. Otherwise, a decent mid level for a beginner. Returned it and got a Nikon 7200 , much better detail & Lenses include.