Canon PowerShot A20 Review
At PMA 2001 this year Canon announced two new PowerShot
cameras aimed at the entry level market, the A10 and A20, based on the
same body, system, 3x zoom lens and body design, they differ only in their
resolution (and price), the A10 has a 1.3 megapixel sensor and a retail
price of US$400, the A20 has a 2.1 megapixel sensor and a retail price
of US$500.
Canon PowerShot A20 vs. Canon Digital IXUS 300
Obvious comparisons will be made drawn between the Powershot A20 and
it's more expensive brother the IXUS 300 which also features a 2.1 megapixel
sensor and 3x optical zoom lens. Here's a specifications comparison table
for the two.
|
Canon
PowerShot A20 |
Canon
Digital IXUS 300 |
|
 |
 |
| Retail price |
US$500 |
US$600 |
| Body |
Plastic |
Brushed
stainless steel |
| Design |
Compact |
Ultra-Compact |
| Sensor |
1/2.7" 2.1 megapixel
CCD, 1.92 megapixel effective |
| Resolutions |
1600 x 1200, 1024
x 768, 640 x 480 |
| Lens |
3 x optical zoom,
35 - 105 mm equiv. |
| Lens aperture |
F2.7 - F4.8 |
F2.7 - F4.7 |
| Lens thread |
52
mm with LA-DC52 adapter |
None |
| Digital Zoom |
Smooth up to 2.5x |
| Focus range |
Normal: 76 cm - Infinity,
Macro: 16 cm - 76 cm |
| AF Assist Lamp |
Relatively weak orange
lamp |
Powerful
white beam |
| Exp. compen. |
+/-2.0EV in 0.3 EV
steps |
| White balance |
Auto plus 5 manual
presets |
| Shutter speeds |
1 sec - 1/1500 sec |
| Flash |
Internal |
| Flash range |
Wide:
0.76 m - 4.2 m (2.5 - 13.8 ft)
Tele: 0.76 m - 2.5 m (2.5 - 8.2 ft) |
Wide: 0.26 m - 3.5
m (10 in - 11.5 ft)
Tele: 0.26 m - 2.0 m (10 in - 6.6 ft) |
| JPEG modes |
Super-Fine, Fine,
Standard |
| Movie |
None |
160
x 120, 320 x 240, 640 x 480
(with audio) |
| Viewfinder |
Optical |
| LCD |
1.5" with plastic
window |
1.5"
with anti-reflective coating |
| Direct Print |
Yes |
| Storage |
CompactFlash
Type I |
| Connectivity |
USB |
| Power |
4 x AA batteries
(NiMH recommended) |
Canon
Lithium-Ion rechargable supplied |
| Dimensions |
110 x 71 x 38 mm
(4.3 x 2.8 x 1.5 in) |
95
x 63 x 30 mm (3.7 x 2.5 x 1.2 in) |
| Volume |
297 cm3 |
179
cm3 |
| Weight (inc. batt) |
375 g (13.2 oz) |
275
g (9.7 oz) |
| Lens aperture |
Review |
Review |
As you can see the two are virtually identical, the IXUS 300 has a few
advantages over the A20 which may justify its higher price, we can also
expect the price difference (street price) between the two to be greater
than US$100 by the time they hit the market.
NOTE: As the A20's onboard software is identical to the IXUS 300 we have
re-used the LCD captures from that review (except the movie mode which
doesn't exist on the A20).
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 20, 2004
|
Apr 8, 2004
|
Apr 24, 2001
|
Feb 12, 2001
|
| David
at The Imaging Resource has posted his review of the Canon PowerShot A20,
here's what he says about it. "Overall, we were very pleased with the
A20's performance and think it should do well in the competitive consumer
market. Its compact size and substantial grip area make it an excellent
compromise for consumers who like the features of the Canon's Digital ELPH
series, but prefer a slightly larger camera size." | |
Steve
Sanders over at Steve's Digicams has posted his review of the Canon PowerShot
A20, here's what he concluded, "Canon's new PowerShot A20 is an excellent
choice for those desiring an easy to use and compact size two-megapixel
camera... The bottom line is that this is an excellent camera for those
that just want to take good pictures without fussing with any controls.
Turn it on, frame the shot, press the button -- you're done. And if you've
got a CP-10 printer in less than a minute you can generate a beautiful
photo print!" |
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