Highly Recommended
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Highly Recommended
Reviewed:
Oct 2007
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One of a pair of 2007 7.1MP A series digital camersa boasting DIGIC III processors, Face Detection Technology and ISO 1600. The A560 is a fairly predictable upgrade to the entry-level A540, with the A570IS throwing optical image stabilization, full manual control and compatability with add-on lenses into the mix. Both cameras also sport 2.5-inch screens and 4x zooms.
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| Announced: | Feb 22, 2007 |
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Average rating:
4.16
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Opinion: lovely camera , pictures quality like g7
Opinion: 9 Reasons why this camera won me over!
1. Teleconverter Lenses
2. Slave Flash
3. Viewfinder
4. Manual controls/Aperture/Shutter
5. Movie mode 320X240 at 60FPS! not just 30FPS or 15FPS
6. Image Stabilization works great!
7. Face Detection really works as it follows the subject
8. SDHC support - SD cards are cheaper by far than xD picture cards
9. AA batts - cheap and rechargable. I'm using 1800 NiMH and got around 250 shots and a movie before charging again.
Been using it for about 5 days now and the pictures are tact sharp and well exposed. Using the Canon Vivid color mode, EV set to -2/3 and the Red, Yellow and Blue colors are just amazing!
The preset modes work really well. Auto is always used whenever I need to ask a stranger to take a picture of us (girlfriend).
Problems: As some of you might have read the reviews for this camera, here are the problems I encountered and as to why the image quality was around 3.5:
We all know that today, its not about the megapixels of the camera but the power of the ISO is the major selling point these days (if you know something about photography that is) so to start off...
1. ISO 400 is already grainy on its own. Use it only for small prints. ISO 800 looks like water colors. Don't compare the ISO shooting of this camera to the Fuji F series. Its gonna drive you nuts! The solution? Use a tripod whenever shooting at low light so that you can open the shutter to about 1/6 of a sec, ISO at 200 or 400, turn off image stabilization and then turn off the flash; But then again, who lugs around a tripod everyday?
2. Using the flash at full will leave you about 5 secs doing nothing as the camera blinks on you; asking you to wait till it recharges (this is due to using 2 AA batts)
3. Purple fringing in high contrast areas only when viewing it at 100% in a computer monitor. Print outs that I do are always maintained at 4 x 6 inch prints. None found there.
Opinion: I bought this camera 5 months ago. Camera and quality is good. especially using AA battery is good feature. The price is satisfaction.
Problems: Flash is charging in alongtime nearly 6-8 seconds.
A bit big compared to compact camera.
Opinion: I bought this camera about a month ago for a vacation. It is my second digital camera, the other being an old Minolta Dimage X. It's a little bulky, but still pocketable in a coat. It fits in the Canon carrying case (PSC-60) perfectly.
Construction:
Although it's made of plastic, when the camera is loaded with batteries it feels solid. Fit and finish are excellent. The shutter button has a clear and discernible half-press, which I find useful. My only major gripe with the construction is the plastic tripod mount and the plastic lens accessory mount. Even though it's a budget camera, I think it's important to have those high-wear areas be made of metal. It would be nice if Canon offered a metal replacement for it, or at least have it standard on the next A-series camera.
Features:
I chose this camera because of it's features-to-price ratio. It has manual features that I wanted to play with, and with the function dial they're quick to access. The optical viewfinder is off-center and about 80% of the actual frame that is being taken, but it comes in handy.
The image stabilization is great, but it doesn't work miracles. The face detection actually works and can follow moving subjects quite well.
Image quality:
Excellent image quality for a compact camera during daylight use. If you're shooting in low light it would be best to manually set the ISO to something below 400. It's really quite bad beyond that.
Ease of use:
Very easy to use - I haven't opened up the manual yet, as pretty much all of the features are self-explanatory. The menus are easy to navigate and the FUNC feature that opens up the shooting menu is fast, and easy to change. There is little or no processing time when changing features or settings.
Value for money:
This is an excellent digital camera for novices or those looking for a compact budget camera with some manual features (like Aperture / Shutter priority). It's easy to use and the image quality is excellent, IF you understand its limitations.
I was looking at the Canon A630 before I bought it and decided I would rather have a smaller, more pocketable camera, which in the end didn't matter as much as I thought it would (because I put the camera in a larger bag anyways). It would be nice to have a higher-res. vari-angle screen, which I found would have been useful in a few situations.
Problems: While I love this camera, I still do have a few gripes.
While the ISO can be set up to 1600, I doubt anyone would want the results at that sensitivity. It's really quite useless beyond 400, and I strongly suggest anyone getting this camera to manually set the ISO lower. Auto ISO doesn't often give satisfactory results.
The time it takes to charge in-between flashes can be frustrating. If your batteries are fully charged (I use rechargeable) then it can be only 2 seconds between shots. If the batteries are low, it can take frustrating 6-7 seconds before the camera can take another shot with the flash. Speaking of the battery, there is no battery life indicator.
I didn't think I'd care much about the LCD screen resolution but I found myself wishing on a few occasions that it had higher resolution, as I wasn't quite sure if the camera was going to capture the detail of the image I was taking. Just had to put faith in it.
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 | 22.3 megapixels 3.2" screen Full frame sensor |
