Canon's PowerShot SX740 HS Lite is a great compact camera… if you can actually find one!

After playing with a lot of compacts, the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS Lite is back on my radar – and I'm reminded what a great little carrying companion it really is.

I spent a lot of time at CP+ 2026 in Japan and The Photography & Video Show in the UK, trying out the best compact cameras around – everything from the Ricoh GR IV Monochrome to the Fujifilm X-Half. But for all their fancy features, it's the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS Lite that I actually want to take on a trip with me.

Lots of compacts these days have a fixed focal length or a standard zoom range. Which is great, but for everyday walkabout shooting I want something a bit more versatile – and the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS Lite boasts a beastly 24-960mm equivalent lens!

And unlike some of the bigger "compacts" from the likes of Fujifilm and Leica, it's a truly compact camera at just 110.1 x 63.8 x 39.9mm.

But the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS Lite is more than just a crazy zoom range and a tiny body. There are limitations, sure, but it makes a fantastic everyday carry for casual shooting or a powerful complement to your "big camera" setup.

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 need to crop or 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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