Canon PowerShot A710IS - Affordable Quality Pictures (Canon Powershot A710 IS)

Member Name: maswid

Product:	Canon Powershot A710 IS
Date:	24/12/08 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Plenty of features (incl. Manual), 'Made in Japan', Reasonably Priced, Excellent Pictures (Outdoor)

Disadvantages: LCD is difficult to see under direct sunlight, Short-lived Batteries, Lag Time, Flash Recyle Time

Canon Powershot A710IS is the second compact digicam that I bought. Previously I owned its predecessor Canon Powershot A700 (without the IS suffix). The main reason of my selection is that both of them are manufactured in Japan (so, it is rather 'subjective'). The second reason, the product is reasonably priced (I bought it in Jakarta for around US$ 282). The other immediate appeal is the added IS (Optical Image Stabilization) feature. The body is not as sexy as Canon's SD-series but there are plenty of features in this compact camera (preset conditions such as Landscape, Nightshot, Portrait, as well as Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and the Manual features for those creative minds). The picture quality is excellent for outdoor activities and for the price. The indoor pictures may vary (from Good to Fair). Noise can be visible in low light situation (starting from ISO 200 and above). The LCD screen is generous but it does not have that multi-angle capability. The added feature of optical Image Stabilizer which I thought would provide a solution for a moving hand doesn't help that much. The screen is almost impossible to see under the direct sunlight (so switch to the electronic viewfinder during that condition). As with most compact camera the lag time is disappointing (I would avoid take fast moving objects). The battery also doesn't last as long as I would have hoped (I use Energizer Rechargable 2500 NiMH). My suggestion is bring enough fully-charge spare batteries if you plan to use it to capture important moments. Despite all the negatives that I experience with this compact digicam, I still love this camera for its picture quality/price ratio. In fact, I still keep this camera for family activities. So, if you can accept its limitations and live with it, then you would find it difficult not to purchase this camera.

Summary: Wonderful compact camera in terms of picture quality and price

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