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: User Friendly for a Non-Techie!
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, I want to say that I am not a technical minded person at all. I love my 35mm camera and was really hesitant about going digital. The ONLY reason I even considered buying a digital camera is that I was traveling to Scotland on my honeymoon and wanted to be able to see the pictures as I was taking them because these were shots that I would never have the opportunity to retake, should they come out badly. So, I did a lot of research and tried to get the most user friendly camera I could find.
This camera has really been great. There are of course a lot of features that I have never used, and a few that I have finally learned. The owners manual was a little intimidating - it was so thick! But with a little practice, I've become a pretty good photographer. The Zoom works really well. Batteries last pretty well - we have a recharger for when they run out. The editing software that comes with the camera is very easy to use. The panorma feature (or photo stitch I think it's called) gave us some great scenery shots and the "auto pilot" feature allowed us to both be in the picture at the same time. The picture quality is generally good. At first it was no match to my trusty 35mm, but then I switched the setting to capture the highest quality pictures, and have had no complaints since then.
In the beginning it was hard to get used to the delay in shutter speed - I was used to "snap and click", but with the powershot I had to hold down the button for maybe a second or so before the picture would take. I was missing a lot of action shots. But now, I've learned to set the speed to action and that is no longer a problem.
I would definitely recomend this camera to any novices like me. As a matter of fact, now that I have the hang of digital cameras, I am moving up to a camcorder - Canon ZR85 here I come!
Customer Review: Value-packed
Summary: 5 Stars
I am an amateur photographer (vacations, get-togethers, etc.) and I have owned a Canon A-10 for several years and it met all of my needs valiantly. I received the A-70 as a gift (which I researched) and have been playing with it for a few months now, before writing this review. All I can say is: WOW! You'd be hard pressed to find such a a great camera packed with so many features at such a great price.What I like the most:
-Canon reliability and superior lens
-small size (smaller! than the A10)...really fits in my pocket
-no lens cover to worry about
-super-sharp pictures (both for web-publishing and up to 8X10 prints...SUPER!)
-fun movie function let's me take all the video that my friends could bear to watch (I've only reached up to 3 minutes so far)
-VIVID color
-the numerous manual feature options, which are allowing me to learn more about photography and experiment at my own pace
What I found useless in this package:
-while it's nice that it runs on AAA's, there's no use packaging with regular batteries (only useful in a pinch...you need NiMH rechargeables!)
-the accompanying memory card is nigh-useless...I carry it on vacations in case I fill up, but really, if you want to have fun you need a minimum of 512MB for peace of mind and room to make lots of mistakes and throw in a few video clips
BOTTOM-LINE: after months of research and endless reading, all roads led me to this camera and it is WELL WORTH IT! This will keep me busy for the next couple of years exploring and learning. In the meantime the AUTO options produce FANTASTIC pictures, and the video clips are great. QUALITY wrapped in a FUN, EASY and TRULY COMPACT package.
ALSO, as a Mac-user, this camera is completely Mac-compatible and a snap to use...plug-and-play in OS X...my dog could download pictures it's so ridiculously easy.
Customer Review: Absolutely Magnificant
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been long awaiting my first Digital Camera purchase. I have been putting it off for well over a year now because I just could not find a camera that I fell in love with. That was until I saw the Canon A70 one day at work. I started playing around with it and immediately liked it. As I worked more I played around with it more, and before I knew it I had decided which camera I would purchase when eventually purchased a camera. The first thing you will notice about the A70 is how comfortable the camera feels while holding it. The camera is extremely easy to turn on, and selecting one of the 12 different shooting modes is perfectly placed for your thumb. The zoom is more than enough for me at 3.2 digital and 3X optical. Taking/viewing pictures is as easy as any other camera I have ever seen, and the battery life is what is excpected from 4 alkaline AAs(I havent used Rechargable batteries yet). There is no lens cover to worry about because there is a shutter that comes over the lens when you turn the power off. The software that come with the camera is above expectations so far, but I have not used it incredibly extensively yet. The Canon A70 does have a movie mode, and it works fine for short clips. I also have the Canon ZR45 so I do not use the movie mode on the A70 that much. Everything you need to get started come with the camera, including a strap and a 16mb Campactflash memory card. Another nice thing about the camera is that it takes the CF card. They are by far the easiest to find and cost far less than a number of other memory cards. The Canon A70 is a great buy for the money at an MSRP of $$$$$. I would definitely recomend the A70 to newcomers of the Digital Camera world and even to people looking to upgrade from their current camera. The A70 is a SOLID 5 star camera.Customer Review: Awesome camera- just the right balance!
Summary: 5 Stars
I received my Canon A70 about a week ago in the mail. This is my second digital camera- my first being an old Olympus D360-L point and shooter. Thus far, I love my new camera! I can go on and on about it, but I'll try to summarize what I like and don't quite like about it.Likes
1. Lots of manual controls - shutter speed, real manual focus, white balance
2. Great pre-sets - these let me take great pictures for certain pre-set environments (fast action, portrait, panoramic, slow shutter, etc...) Easily accessible on dial at the top of camera
3. Nice size - not too small and light, so my twitchy hands don't mess it up too much, but not bulky like some of the other cameras with manual controls
4. Battery life - I still have not run out of a charge, during a day or two's use. (Note: I use 1600 mA LiMH batteries and charge them after every day or two)
5. Sharp screen - hi-resolution screen, though not terribly bright in direct sunlight
6. Great looking pictures!
7. Video mode, with sound up to 640x480 for 30 secs, and lower resolutions for much longer.
8. Looks great!
9. Able to fit additional lenses as well as waterproof housing (Not that I'm planning on getting these yet, but its nice to know I have the choice to!)
Not Likes:
1. Takes a bit of time for the zoom lens to extend when turning the camera on.
2. Plastic tripod mount
I've printed my cropped 8x10" photos out on my Canon S600 printer on glossy paper and they look awesome!
Anyways, I really like this thing a lot, so I heartily recommend this to people who are looking for a point-and-shoot, as well as those who are trying to learn to dabble a little bit more with their camera's manual controls (like myself!)
Customer Review: A bitter-sweet experience
Summary: 5 Stars
Canon A70 is my third digital camera experience following Fuji and Olympus 2MP models. Most Canon cameras have received nothing but praise, and I bought this one with rather high expectations. Outdoor shots in bright sunlight do not produce the sharpness and color saturation I expected based on my experience with Fuji. If you are planning to take lots of nature photos including trees and shrubbery, perhaps A70 will not be the best choice. Soft focus is very apparent with tree leaves. However, in low light and contrasting light situations, the camera produces excellent shots of people that are even better than the photos I took with my Canon SLR. It will certainly produce the 'wow' you are hoping for. Red eye in flash photos were not a major problem. Besides, the plethora of manual controls not found in any digital camera of its class will please anybody who would like to experiment. Again, the menu system were not as straight-forward as I expected.The best thing before buying a digital camera is to go the review sites and see the pictures for yourself. I particularly like the comparometer in imaging-resource.com that will display the same picture side by side on the screen taken by two cameras for your judgement. Unlike Canon A40 and the ELPH series, price of the A70 has dropped markedly soon after the debut. Does it tell us something? In my view, Canon S400 probably takes slightly sharper and saturated pictures, but apart from the higher price, it has its own limitations like lack of high-res movie mode, lack of extensive manual control, use of special batteries, etc. I find Canon A70 to perform the best all-around in its price range.