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Canon PowerShot A70 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

Canon PowerShot A70 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

List Price: $399.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Excellent Choice
Review: After doing much research on 3MP digital cameras, I decided on Canon A70, and so far I am very pleased with this camera. This camera can take nice outdoor shots, indoor (low light) shots as well as above average night shots. This camera has a fast 35-110mm lens (f/2.8-f/4.8). Please note that many digital cameras out there have 38-39mm lens, which I find a bit limiting, when it comes to capturing scenes/landscapes. This camera has a nice movie mode and offers a variety of modes ranging from fully auto, programmed auto, shutter/aperture priority and full manual control. Also, it is quite user-friendly. In a nutshell this camera is capable of surprising you with its rich feature-set. ... The pictures that I took from this camera came out very nice and sharp. I took some indoor shots - in low light - without flash and they came out very nice and with acceptable level of noise. Minor irritation - this camera doesn't allow setting the white balance in the "full Auto" mode as sometimes I just want to change white balance and let the camera take care of rest of the parameters. However, you can fallback on the programmed auto mode, where camera picks shutter speed and aperture, and you pick the rest. Overall, I highly recommend this camera and it is an excellent choice for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I chose this camera because it was highly rated and was supposed to be a good value, but it has not lived up to the hype. The resolution is WORSE than my old film camera - a very inexpensive point-and-shoot - and it is very frustrating to use for several reasons: 1) the shutter does not go when you push the button - there is a several second delay - not a big deal with inanimate objects, but very difficult to photgraph people without getting funny expressions, and nearly impossible to photograph the baby without a lot of trial and error; and 2) the flash takes a LONG time to recharge, so after getting a funny expression in your first photo due to the shutter delay, you have to wait and wait and wait to try again - trust me, this gets really, really, really annoying very quickly. I love the flexibility of having a digital camera, but we're going to have to spend more money to get another one that works better.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great camera!
Review: A great camera. The quality of the shots is excellent. My last digital camera (Fuji 2600) took nice outdoor shots, but indoor shot had funny colors and the flash was not strong at all. The indoor pictures on this camera are really nice. The size in comfortable to hold and I can put it in my jeans pocket. Also, once you get used to the menu system, it's really easy to use and navigate to quickly switch between functions.

For the price I highly recommend.

You must buy a larger Compact Flash card.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome camera- just the right balance!
Review: 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!)

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Fast camera but not so good picture quality
Review: As some of the reviews on the web have indicated, the newer Canons have a problem with soft focus, almost to the point that the pictures are out of focus. On the plus side, the camera startup time is very fast and flash cycle time between shots is about 3 seconds (very fast). The camera has numerous manual controls, but lack of picture quality makes this camera less than desireable.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A professional camera in a small package and GREAT price!
Review: 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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Camera, good for the price and very worth it
Review: This camera is a very great buy. I highly reccomend this to anyone who wants a decent video camera combined with an amazing digital photo taker all in one in a small item. I got a 512mb simpletech flash card, works great. I can fit tons of pics and video. For 350 bucks, 3.2 mp isn't that bad!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Canon Powershot A70 is simply amazing
Review: 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.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: camera specs
Review: Is the Canon Powershot A70 camera pictbridge compatiable,and does it come with a cable to conect to and print pictures directly from my Canon i560s printer?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great camera, especially for the learner
Review: I've long believed that the only way to become good at photography is to keep experimenting and the move to digital allowed me to indulge in my hobby without worrying about consuming film on failed photographs. I have found the A70, with its impressive list of manual controls, perfect for the job. Its pictures are sharp and clear and uploading them to the computer is a piece of cake.

Its wide range of shutter speeds and apertures allows for a lot of experimentation, especially with low light and night shots. I've come up with some night shots and macros that I've been quite proud of. I also have a three year old and as anyone with kids knows, they never have the time to pose for a photograph. So for such moments when there isn't enough time to fiddle around with the settings, the preset modes like portrait, shutter priority, etc. work real well. The batteries last quite long(I've taken about 200 shots, most of them with the LCD on, with one set) and with 2 sets of rechargeables, I make sure I'm never without a fresh set.

The reduction of 1 star is due to the E18 error I've gotten several times. And apparently it is quite prevalent if the forums are to be believed. Though its never affected my photographs(since it occurs only when shutting down or turning the camera on in play mode), it is quite annoying and scary.

Overall, I love my A70 and never leave the house without it!


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