Canon A650

Merry Christmas to all out there.

I can still buy a new A650 for around $240.00. I have a Fuji F30 and love it but the zoom is only 3x. I also have the big Panasonic with 12 x zoom but it's bulky to carry around. I have no experience with Canons A series cameras. Any suggestions??
Thanks
Jan Maat

I love the A series Canons. The relatively small size, AA batteries, viewfinder etc make these cameras my choice. I use an A710 and have an A1000 coming as backup as my hunting camera. The A650 is the best of the bunch, of course, and I'd have one if they were still available to me. I like the 6X zoom especially.

Jack

Thanks Jack;
I don't go hunting for game anymore, just for photographs!

You don't find the A650 a big bulky? I never held one in my hand but hope to do so tomorrow. I use my Fuji f30 for low light pics, it is a great camera for that but the zoom is something else. Also, I shoot everything at the highest resolution, I understand that the pics taken with the 650 are pretty good.
Jan Maat

How high on your list of "must haves" is a vari-angle LCD? If you must have a swivel-style LCD...or if it's really high on your desirable features list...then the A650 at that price could be a very good acquisition for you.

That's not the only great feature of the camera, but I think it's a key feature that puts the overall camera on the highly desired list -- despite the camera starting to hit the point where it's aging just a tad.

I thought enough of the A650 that I recently picked up a used one. One of my biggest reasons for getting it was that I wanted a top-notch compact camera with a swivel LCD option -- but that was AFTER I purchased the G10, which was my first choice. But, for my wife and me, that will give us a pretty good one-two punch in compact cameras. And I could easily see someone wanting an A650 over a G9/G10 style of camera, depending on a variety of factors...not the least of which is the A650 LCD (and again, at the price you can get it, I think it would be awfully tempting).

I absolutely love my A650is. I sold my F31 to buy it earlier this year. I still have my F11 and F20 though. I can say that the A650 comes very very close in lowlight to my F Fuji series cams. I have hardly used my Fuji cams since I acquired the A650is. Of course I wish it was 28mm on the wide end, but that is my only gripe. The darn thing takes great shots. I always have it with me as either a primary camera when baggage is limited or with my Nikon dslr.

I think you would enjoy it, and that price is good. The fact that I could add filters with the adaptor was a good perk as well over the Fuji's.

An A650 lowlight shot, still at iso100
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y125/KimberlyC/sunsetbird1.jpg
--
I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn't photograph them.

• Diane Arbus

Thanks Diane, that is very good advice. I really like my F30 especially in low light and I would think that the A650 is a bit bulkier all around. Has the fact that the camera has AA batteries been an issue for you? The swivel screen would also be a good selling feature I guess. The other camera I was considering is the Panasonic TZ 4
JM

janmaat said:

You don't find the A650 a big bulky? I never held one in my hand but
hope to do so tomorrow.

Click to expand...

It's larger than most compact cameras and it won't fit in your pocket unless it's a pretty big one (that's probably a good thing - pockets contain lint and dust that could jam the telescoping lens).

I use a hip pouch with a velcro top flap for mine - it works great, isn't a burden, and lets me get the camera out and ready for shooting very quickly.

janmaat said:

Thanks Jack;
I don't go hunting for game anymore, just for photographs!
You don't find the A650 a big bulky? I never held one in my hand but
hope to do so tomorrow. I use my Fuji f30 for low light pics, it is a
great camera for that but the zoom is something else. Also, I shoot
everything at the highest resolution, I understand that the pics
taken with the 650 are pretty good.
Jan Maat

Click to expand...

I don't have the A650 but I did try one some time ago just to see if it fit in the pocket of my hunting shirt. It fit but it's still bulkier than my A710 or the incoming A1000. The A650 is very highly recommended by most users. I'd have one if they were still available.

Jack

Thanks Al, I had a G 2 once upon a time and I really did like the swivel LCD a lot. For me the most important things are, GOOD, CLEAR images (I shoot at the highest resolution) a good zoom lens and hopefully not a bulky body. My big Pani is wonderful but does not fit into your pocket very easily. I do a lot of travel and take far too many pictures. Besides that, I'm a camera nut, I own 8 cameras in all incl. a Minolta, 2 Minox AND my trusty Leica BUT, I hardly use them any more, DIGITAL has taken over. So your advice is very helpful, perhaps I should buy the A650?

JM

janmaat said:

Has the fact that the camera has AA batteries been an issue for you?

Click to expand...

Yes. I wouldn't have bought the camera if it didn't take AA batteries.

The flash recharge time is fairly short because there are four batteries instead of the two on most other AA cameras. Because the batteries are standard you don't have to worry about obsolescence or availability, and you can use special-purpose cells like disposable lithiums for occasions where you need thousands of shots between battery swaps.

For rechargeable batteries use Eneloop or other "hybrid" NiMH AA batteries. They have a very long shelf life (over a year) and perform as well as proprietary Li-Ion batteries in almost every way. I get about 500 to 700 shots per set of Eneloops with my A650. Their only real disadvantage is that you have to deal with four of them at a time.

Actually I am Kim, Diane was the person quoted.

I sort of stuck my nose up a the AA thing in the beginning, but really I get decent shoot time with the AA's, maybe 275-300 shots so it is not a big deal. I keep one set charged and one set in the camera.

You will find that there is more noise in both the Canon and the Pani above 200 and 400 than with the fuji. I still use my Fuji's when I need higher iso and the Canon in good light or lowering light. I never cared for the way Pani does blue skies and it would be noiser at higher iso's than the Canon, but its still a good pocket cam. The canon is not huge, but larger than what you will have been used to with the F30. You might also consier the F100fd. Now you will not have the A/P or S/P as with the F30, but it has great dynamic range, a 28-120 lens and the results my freinds have received are good. Also remember that in early Spring Fuji willl be introducing their new sensor in a new body as well, so that is a possiblility as well. I do so love my fuji colors!!
Good luck with your decision and Merry Christmas as well.

I have not regretted the A650is purchase either. They are becoming a bit of a cult camera themselves, and are reselling for more than you will be paying new. They are quite hard to find these days down here in the States. So you would probably have no issues in reselling and recouping if you decided you did not like it. Sorry I run on!
--
I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn't photograph them.

• Diane Arbus

If my A650 would zoom out to 28 mm, shoot RAW, and do automatic exposure bracketing so I could do HDR, I'd say goodbye to my G10 without regret.

If I didn't care about those "if"s, I'd sell my G10 and keep my A650. Since I do, I'm glad to have both, and I must confess, I use my G10 almost all the time.
--
http://www.pbase.com/morepix

I get around, and I have been to often to places that do not have electricity, have never had it, and probably never will, running water is questionable, A cold Dr. Pepper? Forget about it....but by golly the local mart's always have AA's.......
--
I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn't photograph them.

• Diane Arbus

With CHDK, your A650 can shoot Raw and do exposure bracketing.

I bought a A650 two months ago and recently G10. I found both camera are very good. The pro and cons have already been discussed. It depends very much on your needs.

I am keeping both cameras. No regrets in buying the A650 !!!

There is an A610 in our family. I bought it for Xmas 2005 for my wife. I like very much the tilting screen. Once you got accustomed to it, you will not easily want to lack it. The 4 batteries make a good battery life for the price of some bulk.

The A6xx line seems to have been discontinued after the A650. I like that little A610 so much that I am pondering to buy the A650 as long it is available.

My daughter's Fuji F40 fd is a fine camera too: it is smaller, with proprietary battery, less bulk, less zoom range, less possibilities for manual settings, and it has a finer touch than the plasticky feel of the Canon.

KimberlyC said:

Actually I am Kim, Diane was the person quoted.

I sort of stuck my nose up a the AA thing in the beginning, but
really I get decent shoot time with the AA's, maybe 275-300 shots so
it is not a big deal. I keep one set charged and one set in the
camera.

You will find that there is more noise in both the Canon and the Pani
above 200 and 400 than with the fuji. I still use my Fuji's when I
need higher iso and the Canon in good light or lowering light. I
never cared for the way Pani does blue skies and it would be noiser
at higher iso's than the Canon, but its still a good pocket cam. The
canon is not huge, but larger than what you will have been used to
with the F30. You might also consier the F100fd. Now you will not
have the A/P or S/P as with the F30, but it has great dynamic range,
a 28-120 lens and the results my freinds have received are good. Also
remember that in early Spring Fuji willl be introducing their new
sensor in a new body as well, so that is a possiblility as well. I do
so love my fuji colors!!
Good luck with your decision and Merry Christmas as well.

I have not regretted the A650is purchase either. They are becoming a
bit of a cult camera themselves, and are reselling for more than you
will be paying new. They are quite hard to find these days down here
in the States. So you would probably have no issues in reselling and
recouping if you decided you did not like it. Sorry I run on!
--
I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn't
photograph them.

• Diane Arbus

Click to expand...

Just a point of view.

Only my point of view but I bought a A650is because of the flip screen but in truth never used that much, AAs and because I still use and love my old nice built A 80 - A 95 Canons .

I was frankly dissapointed in the A 650is ,very low rent plastic build and black shiny plastic buttons , and the size it has grown its BIG and is not a pretty camera now the older A series are lovely cool to the touch more metal and smaller.

I also had a G9 to compare, very similar spec, and that is much nicer to own and to use I believe, quaility build this time , same IQ at 80-100 its ok. worth the extra £££/ $$$ is my point of view.

I tried to like the A650is, but not good feel or finish to it. unhappy to even touch its plastic body so sold it asap. ! The build is a step down from early A cams and its increased size was offputting to me as well..

So Ive now just got and will keep I think the superb with quality black metal body this time Fuji F100, to replace the A650is, F100 has a very usefull 28-140 lens like the G10 has as it happens, ,( F100 does not have 28-120 lens by the way its 28-140) perfect for a lot of folk.

It is small feels cool to the touch, so easy to fit a purse or pocket, has really great IQ ,the wide angle lens nice, lovely build , the photo output is better than the A650 , I am seeing that, its not so noisy and after 100 iso leaves the A650is trailing , even the flash is more powerfull, but its good at 400 iso even 800 iso is ok with out the flash, good party camera.

I would get a G9 not A650is if more zoom range is preferd , or and F100 if you like wider,

Reports all over the forums mention the recent test looser G10, it seems to be flawed, and too expensive , also grown even bigger since the G9.

Ill take the F100 on its own its exellent, razor sharp prints I am very pleased with its results . I can see why its the recent test winner, could be the bargain of the year, its really cheap to buy.,

The A650is not really nice enough to keep I found out , its size and build are a let down for me , noise over 200 iso was dissapointing too. its only my point of view though..

RhoDA*

I warmly recommend the A650. It has been my only camera during 2008 and I'm very happy with it. I carry it in my bag every day. The swivel screen is very useful, I use it all the time. rechargeble batteries last long time. And every kiosk has AA batteries if you need any. Its quite a good camera for its price.
The build quality is also not bad at all, much better than A610. IS works good.

Zoom is enough. And Canon is not producing it any more... So just buy one for yourself now.

Moris

I have several Canon cameras, including the SX10 and TX1. I use them both for grandkids sports and school events. The SX10 gets the most use because of it's viewfinder and longer zoom.

My most important use for a camera is in the field with my dogs and for this I use an A710. It takes great video clips, good pictures and has a viiewfinder. It can be pulled from my left chest pocket and used through it's complete range with one hand. It's getting old and I started looking for a replacement about a year ago. I tried the A650 for pocket fit and it was fine, a little larger but still works. It had everything else but I waited for the new models,.........I wish now I had bought it.

I bought a "refurbished" A720 as my backup and it worked one day and went back. The company gave me credit and I have ordered an A1000. It has what I need, viewfinder and good video. It is limited to 4X zoom but that's not a problem.

What's my point? My point is I wish I had bought the A650 when I had the chance. I think the A series cameras are best for me and the A650 is the best of the best. I think you'll enjoy it.

Jack

Another couple of items that were important to me in terms of the A650 are that I wanted at least one of our compact cameras to use AA batteries. I use a lot of rechargeable AA batteries and always have a good number of them on hand for various uses (along with a very nice Maha C9000 charger). And in a pinch, it's nice to be able to pick up a pack of AA alkaline batteries, if needed.

Also, having the G10 and being more limited in telephoto range with its 140mm reach, it's nice to have one compact with a 210mm range. And the A650 that I bought on the used market came with the Canon 2x tele-converter and a couple of adapters, so with the A650 we can go all the way out to the 420mm range, if desired.

I also find the ergonomics of the A650, with its more protruding grip, much more hand friendly than most other small cameras currently available. As I see it, one of the biggest problems with a lot of compact cameras (and virtually all ultra-compact cameras) it that the manufacturers place much more emphasis on small size (and slim build) over ease of handling. I find that compact cameras on the larger end are much easier to handle when actually shooting because I can grip them more firmly -- and they generally have easier-to-use controls. And, the larger ones that have more of a protruding grip like the A650 are even more hand-friendly. It's kind of like the difference between holding a coffee mug and tiny teacup...and I've never been really fond handling cameras so small that they force me to wag my pinky finger in the air while holding them. (Not a slight toward ultra-compact performance...just a user reality of anything lacking an ergonomically friendly grip.)

Also...as another side note...the A650 and G9/G10 are all about the same size/weight (within about 5 percent weight difference of one another with battery weight included). Don't trust the DPR listed weight of the A650, since they list the weight specs incorrectly. It's not a 300g camera as they list it, unless you DON'T include the batteries...and they show it as a 300g camera with weight including batteries, which is incorrect.