GeraldW
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Veteran Member
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Posts: 8,872
Re: Canon A590 IS a great camera. Canon bring it back! and the A710IS, A650IS too :)
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In 2008, my wife and I went to the Galapagos Islands. On our first day in the islands we went asore on a smaller island, she with her A710IS, and me with my G7. Here's two shots from about the same position with the two cameras.
land iguana - A710IS
same iguana - G7
The fact that the images are so close in detail and sharpness made me really impressed with the A710IS. I also thought the color was better.
In several tests between the two, I also found the A710IS had less noise at ISO 800. Both cameras cover 35-210 mm (equivalent) at f/2.8-4.8.
I've had several SD series cameras, and it really annoyed me that there was no flash exposure compensation - yet, the less expensive A series cameras have it.
My G7 is long gone; but we still have the A710IS, and a bargain spare I picked up as a backup.
I'd like to add one comment about the AA batteries in the A series. We did try rechargeable NiMH cells; but my wife doesn't use it frequently enough and they self discharge. So rather than try Eneloop cells, I decided to try Energizer lithium cells. They are expensive ($10 for 4); but the A710IS gets about 550-600 shots per pair which is well over a year's worth for my wife. So for $10 we gat several years of use and never have to worry about recharging. The second pair stores in the little bag I got for the camera.
I don't know if the A series would be viable in today's market; but I suspect a lot of older folks would find it ideal, especially with the good grip and use of AA cells. It's also not intimidating, as it's pretty simple. And that's an age group that doesn't generally use their cell phone to take pictures. At this date, they'd need some modernization in screen size and resolution and a newer processor. Maybe we could get the AARP to endorse it. The problem I see is that far too many people shop by asking how many X is it, and how many MP does it have? The A series doesn't score well on those measures. At this point in time, the older A series have become almost a cult camera with only a few loyal followers.
I thought the A650IS was on the big and heavy side. IMHO, the A590IS and A710/720IS are a better size and weight for most folks. I was about to buy an A650IS when the news about light leaking through the back panel came out. So I backed off, and never did get back after it.