Easy to use camera, but one that doesn't last long! (Canon Powershot A70)

Member Name: michelle670

Product:	Canon Powershot A70
Date:	05/09/08 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: small, easy to use

Disadvantages: lcd very small, problem with model as confirmed by Canon

I got the Canon Powershot A70 as a leaving present from work. When I got it, it was one of the best digital cameras on the market, now it isnt nothing special considering most mobile phones come with more mpix than this camera.

When I first got it I immediately started snapping.The pictures were crisp and sharp and could be easily modified using paint shop pro. In terms of the functions they are really easy to use, literally just a case of changing the shooting nozel to the function you require and get snapping. I think it is quite possibly the easiest camera I have used! The video function was okay, it was good enough to capture the sound (which wasnt of an amazing quality but good enough to capture the atmosphere).

The LCD screen is quite small and it was often difficult to see what the picture looked like without zooming in. This didnt bother me because you can always make the imagine look bigger onces you have downloaded them onto your computer. In terms of loading them onto your computer, it was dead easy. You literally plug in the wire (which you get with the camera) to your computer/laptop via the usb port. After that you are ready to rock and roll and select the imagines you wish to load. You can also delete any unwanted images whilst you are here.

Now for the problems. I barely used the camera and treated with with care, it still has the plastic on it! I went to use it and the lcd screen was blank. I took a picture and it was black.Turned it off, tried again and got the same thing. I replaced the batteries, but still got the same thing. I was getting a little anxious because I wanted to use it for a special occassion and was now faced with a duff camera. I did some research on the internet and found on the Canon European website that there has been a reported fault with all Power Shot models because there is something wrong with the opening/closing of the shutter which results in a black image being taken. They said that they were currently accepting these particular models to be sent to the warehouse in Denmark so they could be repaired. Now as much as I love this little camera, I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of posting it there knowing that I might not get it back and the fact that the postage would probably cost more than what the camera is now worth. So I decided to leave it and invest in something better.

Canon later said that ALL Power Shots could be defective in this way and suggests customers to seng them off for repairs.

The camera was good at the begining and took some amazing pictures. When it broke, I lost all faith in Canon and was severally put off especially as the company had announced this problem worldwide.

So if you are considering buying this camera bare in mind that it wont last more than 2 years and your money could be better spent on another camera which is likely to last you a bit longer.

Summary: It's a good little camera but there are better ones on the market for cheaper

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