Canon PowerShot A70 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom
by Canon
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List Price: Our Price: $19.99 You Save: $380.00 (95%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon PowerShot A70 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom
Customer Review: An excellent Camera
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned this camera for 2 days, and already I've had a blast with it. I previously co-owned an Olympus D-550, but decided to buy a second one just for me. It has great battery life (well, for a digital camera at least). The pictures come out very good, and it has very nice optics (interchangeable lenses [not included] which is a nice feature). It also uses compact flash, which is way better than smart media. It's very cheap and you can get up to 256MB of storage space for this camera.
The only real con is that it doesnt support uncompressed images (like TIFF files). That is really something I would've liked to have, although the jpeg superfine compression it uses is practically lossless.
Another small quirk is that there is no battery meter. It only tells you when you are about to run out (maybe 5 minutes of life left?). But it lasts so long, you really don't have to worry about it.
There was one other thing that bothered me, but was not actually a problem, was how the picture on the LCD got lines through it when zooming. The lines disappear when you stop. At first I thought this was an issue with the LCD, as it looked suspicious. But not to worry, according to a Canon technician this is normal.
It is neither annoying nor do the lines interfering with viewing your subject. However new owners might think there is something wrong with their camera. Good quality batteries helps alleviate this problem.
As with all non professional digital camera's, the autofocus/auto shooting mode doesn't always work correctly... This model works extremely well, but of course is not perfect. But one should keep in mind that for 300$ this is by far superior to almost others out there under 500$. Autofocusing by most digital camera's are distracted by anything that emits glare or is very shiny/light reflective. The canon can be fooled, but it generally works even under tricky conditions. But of course Canon gives you a very complete set of manual features to adjust for these conditions. Most of the time this is not needed... I find it hard to match the "auto" mode quality with my own settings, a very big positive.
The ergonomics are also wonderful, it's very comfortable to hold and unlike other cameras you don't feel like you are going to drop it.
Although I have mostly listed some negative things about this camera, this is no where near a bad review. The camera is wonderful, and the best 3-4 MP camera you can buy IMO. The clarity of the pictures and their color is wonderful. I really don't see how anyone could be disappointed with this camera. In all likelihood every non professional user should be thrilled with it.
This is the best camera I've tested yet.
Customer Review: A value for money camera for photography beginners!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this camera 20 days ago from amazon.com for slightly more than the current price and have taken about 500 pics with it already in all lighting conditions and have been happy with the results. I love taking closeups of my daughter and Canon offers 12 modes in all including a closeup potrait mode which is very useful. I am quite happy with this camera as it offers manual control along with the usual Canon features and it is easy to create some special effects. I am just learning photography and this camera has a great price with good features for this purpose. The software is easy to use and if you have Windows XP it downloads the images through the scanner and camera wizard even if you dont wan't to use the software that comes with the camera. I have used the photostich software the most which is quite easy to use, and took some great pictures with it. The image and video software is also quite easy to use and gives good results.
The only drawback to me was that this camera is not as small as the ELPH series and I have to carry it in my handbag instead of my pocket to avoid creating an ugly bulge. But it is still small enough to whip it out quickly and take shots. ...
Update after 6 months, Oct 2003:
For the price and the features this camera is still hard to beat. I still maintain my opinion above after taking about 2500 photographs. This camera has been tested to have the greatest number of shots from the 4AA batteries it uses. And I usually am able to take anywhere between 350-500 pictures with one set of rechargaeable Ni-MH batteries. I have used the sepia tones in the special effects to take some very special pics and many landscapes with the photostitch software.
The full manual controls for this price is a good deal and I have been happy playing the rookie photographer. If you just want to point and shoot you probably do not need the features on this camera and you can go in for lighter versions, but if you want to be a little creative its a cheap first camera to have which lets you play around with different modes and manual controls. The movie mode is quite good too and with a larger memory Compact Flash card you can make respectable clips to send off to your friends.
The only small complaints I have are that there is a time lag between when you press the button to when the picture gets taken and its hard to take action shots. But this is a feature of all Canon digital and film cameras and if you have used one you know what I am talking about. The other problem is that sometimes the Autofocus does not give as good pictures as my Canon 35mm film camera - Powershot used to give. But at these times I am glad that I can set the white balance manually!
Customer Review: Canon Powershot A70 is simply amazing
Summary: 5 Stars
After doing TONS of research over a span of about two months, i finally bought this camera. I tried it out in stores (along with many others) and it was simply the best for the money. Though it may not be one of those TINY pocket cameras, i never had a problem fitting it in the pocket of my cargo pants or jeans. If you are unsure about this camera, this may help:1. Great quality pictures. Believe me, 3.2 MP is plenty for the average person. Amazing quality up untill 8 by 10 inches
2. Though it is not advertised, the camera lasted through a day of pouring rain while i was hiking without a problem. It was very wet, but even in a cloud on the top of a mountain i found no problem with the camera. I would still suggest avoiding wet weather (just in case), but it stood up fine for me.
3. Panoramic mode is really great - stiches very easily together
4. Movies have great quality with long length - sound works well, i have a lot of fun with them.
5. Software is simple to use, easy to upload pictures
6. TV output made it easy to show everyone the pictures
7. Long battery life (with rechargeables)
9. Nice zoom + nice quality = good editing. I was able to zoom way in on pictures i took in NYC from a building to see the license plate numbers clearly - the quality is that good!
10. easy to switch between modes
11. personalizeable
12. Reasonable weight - not cumbersome evern for long hikes
The only problems I encountered with this camera are:
1. Long period of time between when you press the shutter button and when it takes the picture - if you are going to need to catch very fast shots of things (maybe whale watching) you could have a problem - i solved this however by using the movie mode and taking out the frame i wanted on the computer.
2. Took a while to get the correct settings for museum shooting. too bright, too dark - i did get it to work well eventually. it just needs some fiddling.
3. The software isnt amazing, you may want to buy a better program for editing.
I would suggest buying several accesories for the camera:
1. a larger memory card (I got a 512 MB card so i would never need another, and I am very happy with it. It stored every picture I toook over the span of a week in the Virgin Islands no problemo. at highest quality, you can take over 300 pictures without a worry!
2. Rechargable batteries (i got 2200) they last very long!
3. a good case
All in all, this is an amazing camera. a solid choice for everyone except maybe a professional photographer. after the research, this is definately the best value for the money.
Customer Review: A professional camera in a small package and GREAT price!
Summary: 5 Stars
This camera has features that are absolutely unheard of in its price range. It has full auto controls, full manual controls (i.e. Shutter-speed priority, Aperture priority, and manual focus), as well as a dozen or so photo effects. They use the same DIGIC processor and AiAF system (5-point) as higher end models, so pictures come out very crisp and clear. Night shots are great as well, thanks to the AF-assist lamp, which is not a standard in other brands. One minor problem with night pictures is the red-eye effect, even with the red-eye reduction mode. This is somewhat expected, seeing how close together the lens and the flash is. However, this can be easily corrected with the included software package.Another deciding factor for me is their use of standard AA batteries instead of a proprietary battery pack, which can be fairly expensive. In a cram, I can just run to the store and grab batteries off a shelf, or have another set of NiMH rechargeables handy. I also love the body size. I was considering buying a Canon S230, which is one of the smallest digicams out there. However, the ELPH series do not have any manual controls, the flash is weak, has a lower power zoom (2x as oppose to 3x), and they use a proprietary battery pack. The A70 is only slightly large than the ELPH. I actually like the size and the right hand grip on the A70, which gives you better control and balance of the camera.
The A70 is a very quick camera. It takes about 2.5 seconds for the camera to power up and be ready to go. Focus takes about a second, and you only have to wait about 1.5 seconds in between pictures. In playback mode, it takes a little bit over a second to go between pictures in high res mode. There is a lot of information displayed for each picture, with the exception of a histogram. However, once the pictures are downloaded to the computer, you will have access to the histogram.
Other bonuses that I like about the A70 is the Stitch Assistant mode, which helps you make great panoramic shots. It also has a video capture mode (up to 3 min) as well as audio memos that you can add to each picture taken. This camera also supports some direct printing to some printers.
All in all, this is a great camera for a great price! The pictures turn out great, even for a novice. And for the adventurous, there are plenty of manual controls to play with. There is no other camera in this price range that has all these features, combined with the great optics known for in Canon cameras.
Customer Review: Go get one !
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll keep this short, because there are lots of other reviews for the techies. In a nutshell, I'd simply say if you want a digital camera that point and shoot, the A-70 can't be beat for under $ 300 --- probably not for a lot more dollars, either.I have a huge old Sony Mavica FD-91 that has been a good, reliable workhorse. I like Sony in general, and looked at several new models before coming across the Canon A-70.
I started to buy one at Amazon.com, but then I saw it was coming from Target (no free shipping!), so I said what the heck, I'll just go there and get one. No luck, they were out, and could not say when they would get more. Circuit City and Best Buy had the same story.
Back to the internet, and found a lot of the camera suppliers were also out. So back to good old Amazon.com. When I did the deal, their supplier had changed to Office Depot, but they had some in stock and I got mine in just a few days, for about $ 8.00 shipping.
Canon has a nice package, including the camera, USB cable, a cable for hooking the camera up to a TV, four AA batteries, a stingy 16MB compact flash card, software, and about four pounds of manuals. I found the manuals to be nicely done, better than what I'm used to from Sony by far.
The camera is just jam-up. For most of us, just leave it in "auto" and start shooting. For shutterbugs, it has a number of features that will allow special settings. It operates on four AA batteries, no high dollar jobs like many other cameras use. I invested in rechargeable 1800 mAh Nickel Metal Hydrides, having been forewarned by other reviewers. I also stuck in a 512 MB card so I won't have to screw around changing them, or at least not very often.
I think the A-70 is a great design --- the battery box forms a natural grip for right handers. The optical view finder is far enough left so that if you use your right eye, you nose won't get the back of the camera greasy. No lens cap, it has an automatic eyelid, sort of. Only a 3-X zoom, but c'mon, we're talking a $ 299.00 3.2 Megapixel camera here! The "feel" is good and solid. The little LCD on the back is sharp and clear, and there are a minimum of buttons to deal with --- what is there is easy to use.
So, if you are a first time digital camera buyer, this would be the one I'd recommend. It is small enough for a purse, or to slip into a trouser pocket, so it will go anywhere with minimal fuss. It's cheap, takes great pictures --- even videos if you want --- what's not to like?