My SLR is on the shelf

Author's Rating:

Pros: Great photos, easy to use, good manual, many options, takes videos

Cons: Battery usage; included software could be improved; included 16MB is stingy.

The Bottom Line: 
This camera is easy enough for a beginner but will gladly grow with you as your ability improves. I am glad I bought it.

Author's Review
I had never used a digital camera prior to purchasing the Canon A70. I have always used a SLR (Minolta) and wanted to try a digital camera to see if it would be something I liked or not, but didn't want to go broke doing it. After reading many reviews at epinions and other sites, I settled on the Canon A70. I recognized the name, of course, and Canon's reputation for good optics. I also have a couple of friends who had Canon digital cameras (different models) and liked them. My three starting criteria: I wanted to buy a camera that was easy to use but still provided some options; that was 3+ megapixels; and that was (hopefully) under $300. I achieved two of my three goals: the Canon is easy to use and has 3.2 megapixels. I just missed my price point. I ended up paying $307 from Crutchfield online.

I had my doubts going in, but I have to say I love this camera! I spent the first day reviewing the user's manual (which is very thorough) and familiarizing myself with the camera. I then went about using the camera, and have used it for about five weeks now. The first couple of days, I simply set the dial to Auto and took the photos. The pictures I got were great, and at higher resolutions printed out on my HP Deskjet C722 looking like photos. I then started trying some of the options. Although the camera is simple to use on the auto setting, there are numerous options. It takes a while to check them all out. There is full manual; aperture priority; shutter priority; program mode (similar to auto, but with many more options) . In addition to these choices, there are settings for special situations: portrait; landscape; night time (low light); action (sports); and slow shutter mode.

There are also two special selections: stitch mode and video mode. Stitch mode is an option that permits you to take a series of overlapping photos and then, with the included software, combine them into a panoramic view of the scene. I have used this, and it works as advertised. The software does a fine job of matching up the overlapping areas and creating a panoramic photo. Video mode permits you to take videos at 15 frames per second. There are three resolutions: 160x120; 320x240; or 640x480. Movies can be up to three minutes long, depending on the setting and memory card being used. I have taken videos at all settings. 160x120 works fine for the normal, small size video replayed in Media Player. 320x240 looks fairly good at full screen size, and 640x480 looks good at full screen size (but uses up LOTS of memory).

I prefer to use the camera set at program, shutter priority or aperture priority mode. In these modes you have many options on the function menu. You can choose to change white balance; the camera's drive mode (single frame or continuous shooting); ISO (50 to 400); add effects, such as vivid, neutral, sepia and black & white; and exposure adjustment. If any of the "special" camera settings are used, some of these options are lost. However, the resolution setting can be adjusted in ALL modes. There are four resolution settings - Small (640x480), M1 (medium) (1024x768), M2 (Larger medium) (1600x1200), and Large (2048x1536). Within each resolution, you have the choice of Normal, Fine or Superfine, so you actually have 12 options for resolution. The camera uses CF memory cards, and comes supplied with a 16MB card. One of the first things you will want to do is buy a larger memory card. With the 128MB CF card I bought, I can store from 75 photos at the highest resolution to 1324 at the lowest resolution. In either case, this should be plenty. Of course, with a larger CF card, those figures would increase accordingly.

The camera operates on 4 AA batteries. After buying a larger CF card (remember, the FIRST thing you will want to do), the second thing you should do is purchase a battery charger and some NmH batteries (nickel metal hydride). This camera EATS batteries. I don't know if it is better or worse in that department than other cameras as I have nothing to compare against, but it could get VERY expensive to keep buying alkaline batteries.

The cameras fit and finish are first rate. The video viewfinder is a little bright in low light, and is not adjustable, but does a good job of showing what will be in the photo. The optical viewfinder is a little small, but works well. However, it only shows about 85% of what will be in the photo, and there is a small parallax error due to it's being set above the lens. My only complaint is that the door covering the CF card slot seems a little flimsy for such an important location.

I was a little disappointed with the accompanying software. Canon supplies a software suite of their own utilities. In addition, you receive PhotoImpression 4. I have used the packages and they work all right, but I would have preferred the better package that comes with Canon's higher end cameras. However, don't misunderstand - if you are a beginner like me to digital photography, these packages will work fine for you.

The camera has a 3X optical and 9X digital zoom. The optical zoom works smoothly, and pictures taken using it make great prints. As you probably know, the digital zoom only increases the pixel size of the image area selected, so photos printed using this will be grainy. The camera also has the capability of recording sound. It also has a button to go to macro photo mode. I have used macro mode and the results are fine. There are three flash modes - full; redeye reduction; and no flash. These are easy to choose with a single button. The camera also a choice of three ways to autofocus (the focus spots can be changed). This camera has many other options I have not mentioned. Some you might decide to use regularly; some you may never use.

As I mentioned at the outset, I wasn't sure what to expect. I have been very pleasantly surprised. I enjoy using the camera, and it is nice to review pictures right after taking them. The bad ones can be deleted immediately; questionable ones can be downloaded to the computer, reviewed and deleted; and the best can be saved to disk or written to a CD for posterity. No more wasted film, and I can choose to print out only the photos I really want printed, and still have the rest on HD or CD. This camera does just about everything that cameras costing twice as much do, and is enjoyable to use and carry. It is simple enough for a beginner, but will grow with you as your ability improves. I am glad I chose this camera, and I highly recommend it.