Canon's proprietary Digic 4+ imaging processor, also found on the higher end G1 X Mark II, is present in the PowerShot SX600 HS. The camera has a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor. It also has 18x optical zoom with a focal length of 4.5mm ( Wide) to 81mm ( Telephoto) . However, the aperture tops out at f/3.8 at the widest end. There is a ZoomPlus mode that allows users to stretch as far as 36x. This is just an enhanced version of the regular digital zoom trick that makes the software work to process the images.
The lens can get as close as 1cm to a subject in macro mode, which is great on paper. The camera has lens-shift type image stabilization. It has an ISO range of 100 to 3200 in 1-step increments. There are a ton of modes that one can play with, including Hybrid Auto, Creative Shot, Auto, Program, Portrait, SmartShutter, High-speed Burst, Handheld NightScene, Low Light, Fish-eye Effect, Miniature Effect, Toy, Camera Effect, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect, Snow, Fireworks and Long Shutter.
Note that it is the Program mode which allows the most flexibility with respect to choosing ISO settings, changing the exposure levels or playing with the metering modes. There is no fully manual mode, so this camera is definitely not for professional photographers.
