Even in the 'blink and you'll miss it' world of compact digital cameras the budget-priced 6x zoom lensed Canon PowerShot A700 was a short-lived model; announced late February and replaced in August by the camera on test here, the PowerShot A710 IS. Aside from a design facelift and a few feature tweaks the biggest - and most welcome - change is that the new model adds optical image stabilization, something we bemoaned the lack of on the A700. There's also an extra million pixels ( up from 6 to 7MP) and the usual A series mix of manual and automatic features. So let's find out if the A710 IS a worthy successor to the popular A700, starting, as ever, with the headline features.
- 7.1 Megapixels
- 6x optical zoom with optical Image Stabilizer (35-210mm equiv.)
- DIGIC II, iSAPS, 9-Point AiAF, FlexiZone AF/AE
- Digital Tele-Converter and Safety Zoom
- 2.5” LCD with wide viewing angle and real-image optical viewfinder
- 20 shooting modes
Powershot A700 vs A710: What's changed?
The A710 is more than a mere styling re-vamp (although it is a much better looking camera); it's actually a pretty significant upgrade, with the addition of an optical image stabilization system top of the list (this is the first 'A' series model to get IS). The only downside is the slight reduction in battery life (still an impressive 360 shots or so from a decent pair of AA NiMH batteries).
- Higher Resolution (7MP vs 6MP)
- Image Stabilization
- New 'Safety Zoom' (advanced digital zoom function)
- 60fps (QVGA) movie mode
- MyColors effects in playback mode
- Playback overexposure warning
- 3:2 overlay on live view
- Marginally lower battery life
- SDHC card support
- Underwater scene mode (for use with new optional 40m underwater case)
- Slightly reduced continuous shooting speed (1.7fps vs 2.0fps)
- 10g (0.36oz) heavier
PowerShot A710 IS specifications
| Street price | • US: $316 • UK: £280 |
|---|---|
| Body Material | Plastic and metal |
| Sensor | • 1/2.5 " Type CCD • 7.1 million effective pixels |
| Image processor | DIGIC II with iSAPS technology |
| Image sizes | • 3072 x 2304 |
| Movie clips | • 640 x 480 @ 15/30fps. Up to 1GB or 1 hour |
| Lens | • 6x optical zoom |
| Optical Stabilization | Yes (shift-type) |
| Focus | • TTL autofocus • AF illuminator • 9-point AiAF or 1 point AF (any position or fixed center) • 1cm macro mode |
| Metering | • Evaluative • Center-weighted average • Spot (center or linked to focusing frame) |
| Shooting mode | • Auto |
| Shutter speeds | • 15 - 1/2000 sec |
| Apertures | F2.8 - 8 (Wide) F4.8 - 8 (Tele) |
| Exposure compensation | +/- 2EV in 1/3 stop increments |
| Sensitivity | • Auto • High ISO Auto • ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800 |
| White Balance | • Auto • Daylight • Cloudy • Tungsten • Fluorescent • Fluorescent H • Underwater • Custom |
| Image parameters | My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B&W, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Positive Film, Vivid Blue, Vivid Red, Vivid Green, Custom Color) |
| Continuous | Continuous (1.7 fps) until card is full |
| Flash | • Auto, Flash On, Flash Off, SLow Sync, Red-eye reduction • Flash compensation: +/- 2EV in 1/3 stop increments • Second curtain • Range: 55cm - 3.5m (wide) / 2.5m (tele) |
| Storage | • SD, SDHC, MMC compatible • 16 MB card supplied |
| Viewfinder | Real-image zoom, optical viewfinder |
| LCD monitor | • 2.5-inch P-Si TFT • 115,000 pixels |
| Connectivity | • USB 2.0 Hi-Speed • AV out |
| Power | • 2 x AA batteries • NiMH recommended (alkaline supplied) • Optional AC adapter |
| In the box* | • Canon PowerShot A710 IS |
| Other features | • Up to 60 sec sound memo per image |
| Weight (inc batts) | 210 g approx |
| Dimensions | 97.5 x 66.5 x 41.2 mm |
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