Canon PowerShot SX600 HS Review – Design

At first glance the SX600’s overall shape is unremarkable; it’s a simple rectangular box like any one of a hundred other pocket compacts. However once you pick it up you begin to appreciate Canon’s considerable expertise with camera ergonomics.

The body incorporates a small but effective finger grip on the front, and a raised thumb grip on the rear, and the top panel slopes down to the right slightly, just enough to provide a firm secure grip and easy access to all the controls.

The controls are large, well-spaced, clearly labelled and solidly mounted. All in all, it’s a very nicely designed camera that is comfortable and easy to use. Like most modern compacts it’s available in a range of colours, specifically matt black, white or red.

Canon is of course well-known for exceptional build quality, and the SX600 is no exception. The body is made of plastic, apart from a metal ring around the lens, but it is exceptionally rigid, with not even a hint of flex or creaking when squeezed. It feels very solidly made and durable.