A710: Canon does it again (Canon Powershot A710 IS)

Member Name: davidbuttery

Product:	Canon Powershot A710 IS
Date:	21/10/09 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Heaps of features, stabilised 6x zoom, reliable, Canon lens, excellent results

Disadvantages: Slow flash recharge, noise at high ISO, demands a little learning

The A710, as I like to call it to prove I'm on intimate terms with the thing (er, no, not in that way!), is a very, very nice camera. Despite having been overtaken in the last couple of years in the dreaded megapixel ratings - though 7.1 is more than enough for most people with a good lens such as Canon include here - it can still produce some superb results. However, it does demand a little bit of respect, and is perhaps not the ideal camera for someone looking for an out-and-out automatic point-and-shooter.

As usual with A-series cameras, the A710 isn't going to win any awards for style, though the dark grey colour scheme is nicer than the silver many of its contemporaries offer. It's a chunky little thing that sits in my grip nicely, but may feel a bit too large for those with smaller hands. Talking of grip, the extended right-hand side (as you hold it) of the camera feels very secure, much better than the many cameras around that offer no more than a couple of raised dots for your thumb to hold on to for dear life.

The headline feature of this camera is its stabilised 6x optical zoom. Yes, there are cameras around with much larger zooms, but for everyday use 6x is enough, and you'll certainly notice the difference if you're used to a standard 3x version. It's *properly* stabilised, too, via a floating element in the lens, rather than just relying on electronic trickery to fake the effect. The result is that you can take sharp photos in quite low light without having to turn up the ISO setting so much that the picture becomes overwhelmed with noise.

As well as that zoom, the feature list is one place where this camera really shines. There are very few cameras in its class which offer quite so many settings, which again demonstrates the fact that it's aimed at those photographers who actually like that sort of thing. Personally I love having all sorts of options and buttons to play with, so it's a plus point for me, but some people may find it overwhelming. I think I might advise against choosing the A710 for a *first* camera unless you know what you're getting into.

To go into some of the aforementioned features in a little more depth: you get aperture-priority, shutter-priority and full manual modes. You get manual white balance: in difficult conditions, you can point the lens at a piece of white card, and it will automatically adjust its colour balance. You get manual focus, although this is rather fiddly to use and nowhere near as convenient as the twiddly zoom ring on an SLR. Movie mode is 30fps at 640x480, which is quite good but can't live with the newer HD models.

The camera also has a remarkable unofficial trick up its sleeve, in that it's compatible with CHDK. I could easily write a whole review on CHDK alone, but in essence it's a program that sits on a memory card (the A710, happily, takes standard SD cards) and when activated allows access to features normally only found on far more expensive models, such as super-fast shutter speeds (eg 1/10,000 second - no, that's not a typo!), RGB histograms and even the ability to write scripts to allow the camera to operate unattended. If you get one of these, search for "CHDK" and prepare to be amazed!

So, no bad points then? Well, yes, there are a few. Firstly, noise is a bit of a problem once you get above ISO 200, and at the A710's highest setting of ISO 800 it's strictly for those occasions when you can't use flash at all. The other bad point does in fact concern the flash: this camera is *not* quick to recharge between flash photos. I reckon it averages out at six or seven seconds, but that can feel like an eternity if you're trying to photograph kids or pets! Finally, the LCD is not the clearest in bright sunlight, although this is a fault shared by many, many cameras.

That said, I take most of my photos outdoors in good light, and I'm almost always very happy with the results I get: resolution is good and colours are vibrant. It is also Japanese-made, if that sways you; its successor the A720 hails from China. At any rate, I certainly don't regret having shelled out quite a bit of money for this a while back, and would heartily recommend it to anyone who is prepared to make the trade-off of paying a little attention to settings in return for obtaining some very fine results.

Summary: If you want something that's a step up from entry-level, this is for you

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