Not perfect, put pretty darn close

Author's Rating:

Pros: Wide range of control from full manual to full auto, AA batteries,easy to use.

Cons: Mirrored LCD bezel is annoying and scratches easily

The Bottom Line: 
This camera is a great value in terms of performance, features and price. Very, very flexible. Great for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Author's Review
After much on line research and trying out many in-store demo units in this price and pixel range, I chose the A-70.

Its size is just right-bigger than the Canon Digital Elph and smaller than a lot of others, it's very comfortable to hold and has nicely laid out controls. Construction-wise, the housing seems to be a blend of plastic and metal and has a quality feel. What I didn't care for here was the mirrored LCD bezel and lens. The mirror treatment causes somewhat annoying reflections outdoors, and the plastic is easily scratched. A plain bezel with a better lens would have been a much better choice. I got around the "scratchability" thing by taking a PDA screen protector and cutting it up to the correct size and stuck it right to the LCD. It doesn't affect the quality very much if at all, yet it's very protective, and is replaceable. Although this camera is laid out so that nose smudges on the LCD are less likely, my home made screen protector makes them easier to deal with. Now if they'd just get rid of that darn mirror stuff!

There are lots of technical reviews out there, so I'm not going to go over that sort of thing. The bottom line is that this camera takes very good pictures, with flash pictures being a little variable, from perfect to under/overexposed.(Not to worry, as you become more familiar with the camera, you can adjust the exposure compensation for that, too) Red eye reduction wasn't spectacular either, but it's easy to get rid of with the software. Neither of these flaws was of great significance to me. Once one gets to know their camera, some of these things will likely improve. Here's a hint that will improve your color when using this, or possibly other digital cameras: When in AUTO mode, you will notice that the WHITE BALANCE is also on auto, which results in a compromise-type of white balance adjustment. The results with indoor flash pictures were pretty variable, so I simply moved the SHOOTING MODE DIAL to "P" (program mode)and was able to change the white balance to more closely match the type of lighting situation. The A70 provides user selectable white balance settings in many shooting modes except AUTO. They are AUTO, DAYLIGHT, CLOUDY, TUNGSTEN, WARM-COOL FLOURESCENT, DAYLIGHT FLOURESCENT, and CUSTOM. I found that the color of my indoor shots looks nicer when using a more appropriate W/B setting. Have a strange lighting situation? Take a piece of white paper into the area, select CUSTOM white balance, press the SET button, and the camera flashes and evaluates the white balance and sets it. Tweaking your white balance is very easy and puts you more in control! For outdoor shots, AUTO WHITE BALANCE works extremely well. Check out page 103 of the manual for more info. The great thing about digital cameras is being able to see the results of your settings changes right away. Don't like the result? Readjust and shoot it again! Of course, the people in your photos may become impatient with your tweaking...

Photo feature-wise, this camera is LOADED compared to others in the price range, and some higher priced ones as well. It's got a great compliment of easily accessed (just rotate the shooting mode dial)custom and preset photo modes, including manual shutter/auto aperture, manual aperture/auto shutter, and full manual, plus full auto. There's also movie mode, macro, night scene, fast shutter, portrait, and landscape modes. There's even a photo stitch assist mode that helps you to take several shots and blend them together for a super wide panoramic photo. There is plenty there for the creative spirit, but one can also leave the shooting mode dial on AUTO and forget it, while still getting great photos. This really is a neat camera. It doesn't stop here, though.


Moving on to convenience and wow features, you can attach sound files to your photos and camera functions through a built-in mic, or from .wav files on your computer. Of course, there are some preset sounds included. There is a 60 second sound limit to each photo. It's more than enough, in my opinion. The videos at 640x480 are really cool. They are good quality, but are limited in length. There is a surprising amount of programming capability built into this camera. You can set it up just the way you want (My Camera)and keep it there, and it is all pretty easy if you take your time and sit down with the manual, which I thought was pretty good in itself. The A70 also has the capability to use additional lenses, or lens converters. Of course, you need to purchase them. They are available in wide, closeup, and telephoto, and a special adapter ring is necessary. Most of the setup and custom settings are accessed by pushing the MENU or FUNCTION buttons on the back of the camera. At first, it will seem like a dizzying array of settings to think about. As with any digital camera, you really have to get the manual out to become familiar. The A70's menu system is really easy to navigate once you know what the little symbols mean.

The camera uses Compact Flash memory cards that are relatively inexpensive and readily available compared to some other types such as Smart Media and Memory Stick. I would highly recommend purchasing at least a 128mb card, if not 256mb, especially if you want to save pictures at the best quality levels. The highest quality settings are generally for printing 8x10's. 4x6 or 5x7's come out very nicely at lower settings. For computer display or e-mail, the settings can be much lower. If you take a lot of short videos at high quality, it will eat up the memory quickly. Of course you can delete everything from memory after downloading it. The A70 comes with only a 16mb CF card, just enough to get you started. The camera has numerous print modes, and can print directly to certain Canon printers and other compatible printers without a computer. I have printed 8x10's that looked very good, indeed. Super 4x6 borderless prints are a snap! You can also view photos and videos with sound on your TV screen direct from the camera with the supplied cable. Some users don't care for the doors that cover the input and output connections. They didn't bother me very much, although the rubbery door over the digital output is a minor pain. Again not a big deal, and unless you are constantly removing and replacing the CF card, that's not a problem, either. An AC adapter for downloading purposes would be appropriate if you don't use rechargeable batteries. If you have rechargeables, you can get by quite well without the adapter. It will eliminate wear and tear on the camera's power connector, plus give your batteries a better workout. (More on batteries later)

The supplied software is great. Canon Zoom Browser EX is what you will be using to download photos to your computer. It's virtually an automaticprocess. All you do is connect the camera,(to a USB port) turn it on, and the software starts and shows you thumbnails of what's in your camera. Photos that are already downloaded are marked so you can delete them if desired. The download process is a snap. You select the ones you like from the "CAMERA WINDOW" with the option of naming the batch say, "Christmas 2003", and all of the batch will be named that, with numbering 001,002, etc. This helps to avoid losing track of photos. It is certainly better than something like 080897.jpg! At download, you can create a new folder and name it whatever you want. This makes being organized and finding stuff even easier. Here's what I do: I've created certain folders(it takes seconds), for instance, KIDS AND GRANDKIDS. Within that folder are subfolders, such as BIRTHDAYS. When I download, I select and send photos to the appropriate folder. Then I go to the folder and rename the photos more specifically, for instance, "Ryan Laughing with Papa". Taking the time to do this results in an awesome way to find pictures. Use the search feature to come up with any of the keywords or a combination. In seconds you will get a complete list of the photos meeting the criteria, and they are a mere click away. Want to find every picture you have of Papa? It just takes a few seconds. The rewards of being consistent with the renaming process are fantastic! No more rummaging through shoe boxes looking for that certain photo! Of course, looking at photo prints in an album has that certain nostalgic value. You can still do it that way if you like. E-mailing that great shot is also a snap with ZoomBrowser EX. When you get home from the party, you can e-mail the pictures to your friends and relatives right away. What a great way to share pictures! Bottom line: Zoom Browser EX is excellent. There's other software, such as ArcSoft Photo Impression, for editing and retouching. It is adequate for most, but some may prefer Adobe PhotoShop or other more advanced software.

The A70 uses 4 AA batteries, which is in my opinion better than using a special battery designed just for one camera. The four batteries give the camera some heft, but having that special battery crap out could mean the end of the shoot unless you carry an expensive spare and remember to keep everything charged. Not so with the A70. Just go to a convenient store and you're back in business! Don't want to go out to the store? Just pilfer the batteries from the remotes laying around the house... Why not, the kids do it!! Seriously, the battery life is pretty good, but not so good as to eliminate the need for rechargeable batteries. Digital cameras are fun, and you'll be doing a lot of messing around and picture taking. A set of top quality NiMh batteries and a charger are available for about $40.00. Try this address for batteries and a charger that can also condition the batteries plus charge a set of AAA's as well: "http://shop.mahaenergy.com/store/". These are of extremely high quality, and the conditioning feature is a big plus, especially if you are not a heavy camera user. Please note that NiMh batteries lose their charge just sitting there and can be completely dead in a month or two. Plan ahead and charge up before use if you don't use your camera often. Keeping a set of fresh alkaline batteries in your camera bag is a good idea. You'll never be without a backup, and the shelf life is excellent.

Should you purchase this camera, I'd recommend checking out a Tamrac TEK Digital Camera bag. There are two sizes to consider and each offer storage for extra batteries: The COMPACT #5690 fits snugly, and when open exposes the grip end of the camera. Some may find it more convenient for removing the camera. It is very small, yet offers decent protection. The Tamrac fit charts do not indicate this case for the A70, but it works well if you like "snug". Tamrac's recommendation for the A70 is the next size up, or the DIGITAL 1, #5691. It's just a little roomier. They are both made of Cordura Nylon, have shoulder and belt straps and are pretty inexpensive at less than $20. Here is the Tamrac website: "http://www.tamrac.com/welcome.htm". The bags are widely available. Try Circuit City for starters.

I can recommend checking out the digital camera tests in Consumer Reports November 2003 issue. The A70 did very well against some stiff competition.