Review based on a production Canon PowerShot A620
In August 2005 Canon announced two new A series digital cameras, the five megapixel A610 and seven megapixel A620 on test here. Both cameras replace the long-running, and very popular A95, and join the A520 as affordable, well-specified compacts for the enthusiast user on a budget. The A620 certainly looks promising on paper; newly kitted out with the fast DIGIC II processor and a 2.0-inch vari-angle LCD, it has a wealth of shooting options and 4x optical zoom.
 Canon PowerShot A620 |
 Canon PowerShot A95 |
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|---|---|---|
| Sensor | • 1/1.8" Type CCD • 7.1 million effective pixels |
• 1/1.8-inch CCD • 5.0 million effective pixels |
| Lens | • 35-140mm equiv. F2.8-F4.1 |
• 38-114mm equiv. F2.8-F4.9 |
| Storage | SD/MMC | CompactFlash |
| Processor | DIGIC II | DIGIC I |
| Top shutter speed | 1/2500* * not all shutter speeds can be used with all apertures |
1/2000* |
| Macro Focus (wide) | 1cm | 5cm |
| Max image size | 3072 x 2304 | 2592 x 1944 |
| Dimensions (excluding protrusions, but including grip) | 105 x 66 x 49 mm (4.1 x 2.6 x 1.9 in) |
101 x 65 x 43mm (4.0 x 2.5 x 1.4 in) |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 Hi-Speed | USB 1.1 |
| Max flash range | 4.2m (W), 3.0m (T), ISO 100 | 4.4m (W), 2.5m (T), Auto ISO |
| Continuous Shooting | 1.9 fps, limited by card capacity | 2.0 fps, 8-27 frames max |
| Maximum Movie Size/Frame Rate | • 640 x 480, 30fps (limited by card) • 320 x 240, 60fps (up to 1 minute) |
640 x 480, 30 secs |
| LCD screen | • 2.0-inch • 115,000 pixels • Tilt & swivel |
• 1.8-inch • 118,000 pixels |
| Others | My Colors mode Underwater white balance preset |
| Street price | • US: $368 • UK: £240 |
|---|---|
| Body Material | Metal and plastic |
| Sensor | • 1/1.8" Type CCD • 7.1 million effective pixels |
| Image sizes | • 3072 x 2304 |
| Movie clips | • 640 x 480, 15 or 30 fps, limited by card capacity* |
| Lens | • 4x optical zoom |
| Focus | • TTL autofocus • AF illuminator • 9-point AiAF or 1 point AF (any position selectable) • Manual focus • 1cm macro mode (Wide), 25cm (Tele) |
| Shooting mode | • Auto |
| Shutter speeds | • 15 - 1/2500* sec |
| Apertures | • F2.8 / F3.2 / F3.5 / F4.0 / F4.5 / F5.0 / F5.6 / F6.3 / F7.1 / F8.0 (wide) • F4.1 / 4.5 / 5.0 /5.6 / F6.3 / F7.1 / F8.0 (tele) |
| Sensitivity | • Auto • ISO 50, 100, 200, 400 |
| White Balance | • Auto • Daylight • Cloudy • Tungsten • Fluorescent • Fluorescent H • Custom |
| Image parameters | • Picture adjust (Vivid, Neutral) • Sharpness (normal or low) • Color effects (Sepia, Black and White) • My Colors mode |
| Continuous | • Continuous (1.9 fps) * * Large/Fine with LCD off |
| Flash | • Built-in • Modes: Auto, On, Off • Slow Sync: On/Off • Red-Eye reduction: On/Off • Range (wide): 0.45 - 3.5 m (Auto ISO) • Range (tele): 0.45 - 2.2 m (Auto ISO) • 2nd-curtain flash option • Flash output control (+/- 2.0 EV in 1/3EV steps) |
| Storage | • SD / MMC card • 32MB SD supplied* |
| Viewfinder | • Real Image Optical |
| LCD monitor | • 2.0 " TFT, 115,000 pixels • Swing out, tilt and swivel mount |
| Connectivity | • USB 2.0 Hi-Speed • A/V out • DC-IN |
| Power | • 4 x AA batteries • NiMH recommended (alkaline supplied) • (Optional AC adapter) |
| In the box* | • Canon PowerShot A620 |
| Other features | • Spot, Center-weighted & Evaluative metering |
| Weight (inc batts) | 285 g (10.1 oz) approx |
| Dimensions | 105 x 66 x 49 mm (4.1 x 2.6 x 1.9 in) excluding protrusions |
* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area
If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital
Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help
you understand some of the terms used).
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Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window. To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top. DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C. |
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This article is Copyright 2005 and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author.
Canon Powershot A620 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom | $899.99 |
Canon Powershot A620 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom | $899.99 |
Canon PowerShot A630 8MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom | $489.99 |
Canon PowerShot A640 10MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom | $590.00 |
Canon PowerShot D20 12.1 MP CMOS Waterproof Digital Camera (Blue) 8GB Package 1 | $365.79 |
Canon PowerShot D20 12.1 MP CMOS Waterproof Digital Camera (Blue) 32GB Package 3 | $384.79 |
Canon PowerShot D20 12.1 MP CMOS Waterproof Digital Camera (Blue) 16GB Package 2 | $373.29 |
Canon Powershot A610 5MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom | $699.00 |
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