So this came down from Smiths City in Nelson, they must have about the last remaining stock in the whole country.
Here it is side by side with the SX150 on its right. There are a few differences which don’t really bother me that much. The lens zoom ratio is a little higher as is the pixel count. The styling on the SX170 is reminiscent of a small SLR camera with the flash unit housing resembling a pentaprism shape. It is a little smaller in most dimensions – only to be expected as the lithium battery takes up less space inside compared to the AAs. There is a bigger handgrip on the front and the buttons are more flush with the back of the camera. The 170 has a two speed zoom instead of single speed although the shutter button and thus the zoom ring are smaller. The front, underside and left and right sides are more or less the same, whereas the top obviously has a different shape although the control layout is similar.
We are getting used to Canon continuing with an obsolete Mini USB port on the camera (although the 170, unlike the 150, uses Canon’s proprietary integration of the video/sound out contacts onto the plug – backward compatible with the standard Mini B connector). It seems to me Canon is dragging their heels deliberately in regard of introduction of Micro USB connectors, perhaps because the EU regulations will require them to allow in-camera charging through the connector and eliminate a revenue stream from charging accessories. However the new model does include a power adapter capability which the old did not have (due it being on AA batteries).
The battery is not precharged but I was able to get it going quickly by putting in the spare battery from the SX260, as I was aware they use the same battery and this is a good buying point as I won’t have to fork out nearly $100 for a spare lithium battery for it.
So this will be my go-everywhere camera for the present and its balance of good price with general photo taking capability in daylight, plus the ability to get good performance in lower light conditions, will serve me well.
Now that I don’t have any cameras that use AAs on a daily basis there is just the Speedlite flash for my EOS (originally it was part of a gift with a Powershot S5, I gave the camera away a few years ago) that still needs AAs. And a reminder that I went through truckloads of the NiMH cells – I still have 6 sets of 4 which is partly old ones – the S5 and S1 that I owned each needed a set of four, plus two spare sets were carried and the Powershot As still needed two or three pairs, and each needed a backup set of lithiums as well – and the sets I bought for the Speedlite, which will now have just two sets of Eneloops and a recent set of Panasonics, So all those sets of Vartas and various others that did well for a while but have generally faded away will get the biff. As I said I must have spent a small fortune on AA batteries to keep my Powershots going over the past 10 years and while the proprietary ones are dearer, they have many advantages.
