Canon Powershot A610 Digital Camera bargain priced 5 Megapixel dream-cam?
Written: Nov 07 '05 (Updated Jan 22 '06)
Product Rating:
Ease of Use:
Durability:
Battery Life:
Photo Quality:
Shutter Lag
Pros: Larger LCD screen, 5 megapixels, 4X optical zoom, full manual controls, and AA batteries
Cons: Minor chromatic aberration (purple fringing), high noise at ISO 400, red-eye issues
The Bottom Line: The bargain priced Powershot A610 offers consumers real improvements over its predecessors (A510/A520) while retaining everything that made them 2005's "best in class" digital imaging duo.
Howard_Creech's Full Review: Canon PowerShot A610 Digital Camera
Canon’s “A” series digital cameras are famous for no nonsense ease of use, solid ergonomics, dependable performance, impressive durability, super images, and practical value. The new Canon Powershot A610 digital camera combines the best features of the 2005's best in class digital imaging duo (the A510 and A520 -- both of which it replaces, singlehandedly) and then adds some very useful improvements.
The newest member of the "A" family features a larger LCD screen (that now tilts and swivels), Canon's advanced DIGIC II processor, a proven 5MP CCD sensor, a 4X (35-140mm equivalent) zoom, and an improved (640x480 @ 30fps) Movie mode.
Beginners can immediately use the A610’s Auto, Program, and Scene modes to capture great pictures with point and shoot simplicity. Advanced photographers will enjoy the creative flexibility provided by the A610's Manual, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Priority modes.
What’s new? How does the A610 differ from the A510/A520?
The A610's new 2.0 inch tilt-swivel Vari-Angle LCD screen (first seen on the A95) provides a larger viewing area (the A510/A520 had 1.8" LCD screens) which simplifies composition. There's also a 4X zoom (the A510/A520 had 3X zooms). Video capture has also been noticeably improved. The A510/A520 provided a somewhat underwhelming video mode (up to 30 seconds at 640x480 @ 10 fps or up to 3 minutes at 320x240 @ 15 fps), but the A610 records video clips at 640x480 @ 30 fps and video clip duration is limited only by SD card capacity. Finally, Canon’s second generation DIGIC II (Digital Imaging Integrated Circuit) Processor enhances color, resolution, and contrast; boosts auto-focusing speed and accuracy, improves power management, and increases processing speed.
NUTS & BOLTS
Viewfinder/LCD
The A610’s coupled real image optical viewfinder is bright and color correct, but it is a bit squinty and covers only about eighty per cent of the image frame.
The A610’s camcorder style Vari-Angle LCD screen tilts/swivels 180 degrees horizontally and 270 degrees vertically (the screen nests into the camera’s back deck when not in use and opens out like a book when needed). Once the screen is deployed it can be used as a waist level finder, pointed toward the front of the camera for self-portraits or as a posing aid for subjects, tilted downward for over the heads of the crowd shots, or used in the traditional (flush with the camera's rear deck) position.
The Canon Powershot A610 Digital Camera's LCD screen is bright, color correct, and fluid. It automatically boosts gain in dim/low light and provides a very useful (playback mode)histogram display that converts the image area to a graphic depiction of the light and dark areas of the composition -- making it a snap for users to spot (and re-shoot) under or over exposure.
Zoom
The A610 features a 7.3mm - 29.2 mm (35-140mm in 35mm equivalent) f2.8-f4.1 all glass (8 elements in 7 groups with two aspherical elements) zoom. When the A610 is powered up the lens extends automatically and when the camera is powered down the zoom is fully retracted into the camera body and a built in lens cover closes to protect it. The A610’s zoom isn't threaded for filters or add on lenses, but users can (after purchasing an optional adapter) mount auxiliary wide-angle or telephoto lenses and inexpensive 58mm filters.
The A610’s macro performance is quite good with excellent close-up resolution (minimum focusing distance in macro mode is just over 2 inches) and fairly even flash coverage, more than sufficient for in your face insects and pollen dusted flower interior shots.
The zoom displays some very slight (but visible) corner softness at maximum aperture and very minor barrel distortion at the wide-angle end of the range. Pincushion distortion is negligible at the telephoto end of the zoom and chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is also very well controlled. The A610’s zoom lens is relatively fast and fairly quiet. Images are consistently sharp with balanced contrast and hue accurate (but slightly over saturated) colors.
Auto Focus
The A610 uses the same TTL 9-point AiAF (Advanced intelligent Auto Focus) Contrast Detection AF system as its predecessors. In all automatic exposure modes the camera defaults to the AiAF system, which analyzes the scene in front of the camera and calculates camera to subject distance to determine which of the 9 AF points is closest to the primary subject. The camera then automatically locks focus on that AF point (closest subject priority), even when the subject is not centered in the viewfinder. User’s can also select a specific AF point or turn off the AiAF and default to the center focus point for classic portraits or traditional looking landscapes. In aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual modes, the A610 provides Flexizone AF, which permits savvy shooters to select a single focusing point and manually shift that AF point around in the frame for maximum creative control. In low light a focus aid beam helps to illuminate the subject for more accurate focusing. AF performance is accurate and consistently faster than average.
Manual Focus
the A610 permits users to focus manually via a somewhat unwieldy but useful scale focusing system (in MF mode a distance scale is displayed to indicate approximate distances and the center of the LCD is enlarged 2X to assist focusing accuracy).
Flash
The A610’s built-in multi mode flash provides a bit more power somewhat better coverage than most comparable on-board flash units. Flash options include: Auto (fires when needed), On (fill flash), Red-Eye Reduction, Slow-synch (in Night Scene Mode), and off. Canon claims the maximum flash range is 15-18 feet, which seems to be a fairly accurate assessment. The A610 (unlike most other digicams in its class) permits flash power adjustment via the flash output setting (low, medium, or high). The A610 doesn't offer a hot shoe for external flash units, but Canon’s optional HF-DC1 slave flash unit provides users with an expanded slate of lighting options. The A610’s built-in flash does a better than average job, but (due to flash position relative to the lens) redeye is likely to be a problem.
Memory Media
The A610 saves images to SD/MMC cards.
Connectivity
USB 2.0, A/V out, and DC in (with optional AC Adaptor).
Power
The A610, like its predecessors, draws its juice from readily available and relatively cheap AA batteries. Power management is very impressive, measurably better than the A510/A520. My friend and I used the A610 through a full weekend of very heavy shooting (we didn’t keep track of numbers) with four 2300 mAh NiMH rechargeable AA batteries (continuous LCD use, occasional flash, and lots of compose, shoot, review, and delete) without running out of juice. I estimate the A610 should be good for 300-350 (Canon claims 500) exposures with high capacity rechargeable NiMH AA’s and 150- 250 exposures (Canon claims 350) with over the counter alkalines, however individual mileage may vary substantially.
EXPOSURE
The A610 offers users a simple yet sophisticated auto exposure system that efficiently places image capture, basic camera operation, auto white balance, image compression, autofocusing, gain control, power management, and most other important camera functions under the control of its high speed DIGIC II processor. This provides an amazing range of auto exposure options including Auto (Point and Shoot mode), Program (Auto exposure with user input), and Scene modes (Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Underwater, Indoor, Kids & Pets, and Night Snapshot).
Manual Modes
Unlike much of its competition, the A620 provides a full range of manual exposure options, including Aperture Priority mode, Shutter Priority mode, and full manual mode.
Movie Mode
Users can record video clips (with audio) at 640x480 @ 30 fps with duration limited only by SD card capacity. The A610 can also record up to 60 seconds of fast frame rate QVGA (@ 60 fps) video. There’s a voice-notation mode so users can add audio notes to their still pictures.
Metering
The A610’s default evaluative metering system is consistently accurate in all but the most difficult lighting situations. Beginners won’t have to worry about metering at all (as long as they stay in Auto mode) and more experienced photographers can opt for either Spot metering or Center-weighted metering for more demanding/creative compositions.
When Spot metering is enabled, the metering spot can be set to the center of the frame or linked to the active Flexizone AF point (in Manual exposure modes), allowing more experienced shooters to meter on the spot location that coincides with the most important element of the composition and link the camera’s AF system to that same spot (like the face or eyes in a portrait).
White Balance
The A610 provides experienced users with more white balance options than most comparable/competitive consumer digicams. WB settings include TTL Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Underwater, and a custom (manual) mode that allows savvy shooters to use a white card (or white wall or ceiling) to insure accurate color.
Sensitivity
TTL Auto & 50, 100, 200, and 400 ISO (35mm equivalent) settings.
In-Camera Image Adjustment
The A610’s Photo Effects mode allows shooters to select vivid or neutral color saturation, low sharpening, and sepia or B&W tonal effects. The My Colors mode permits users to adjust color balance or swap one color for another. The Exposure Compensation function allows users to adjust exposure from +2 EV to מ EV in 1/3 EV increments.
CONTROLS, DESIGN, ENGINEERING, & ERGONOMICS
The A610 is a stylish, well-designed, medium sized digital camera. The body is constructed of a durable combination of metal alloy and polycarbonate. There’s a comfortable grip on the right hand side of the camera’s front. “A” series Canon’s are justly famous for their sensible control layouts and the A620 continues that tradition. All controls are logically placed and all shooting functions are easily accessed.
The DIGIC II processor improves operational speed, AF speed, image processing speed, and power management while enhancing sharpness, dynamic range, and color. Experienced photographers will have no problem using the camera right out of the box and beginners will be able to shoot consistently excellent images after just a quick scan of the user’s manual.
Technical Specifications
Resolution: 5 Megapixels ( 2592x1944)
Viewfinders: 2.0 inch fold out camcorder style tilt-swivel TFT LCD and Real Image zooming tunnel style optical viewfinder
Zoom: 35-140mm/f2.8-f4.1 (8 elements in 7 groups with two aspherical elements) all glass zoom
Auto Focus: 9 AF point AiAF
Manual Focus: Yes
Flash: Built-in Multi-mode
Exposure: Auto, Program, Scene modes, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual mode, and Movie mode
Exposure compensation: Yes +/- 2 EV in 1/3 EV increments
Metering: Evaluative, Center-weighted, & Spot
White balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash, & Custom
Sensitivity: Auto, 50, 100, 200, & 400 ISO (35mm equivalent)
Image Storage Media: SD/MMC
Connectivity: USB 2.0, AV/out, & DC in
Power: 4 AA batteries
Price: MSRP - $299.00 Street - $279.00 to $229.00
Included
32MB SD card, 2 AA Alkaline batteries, wrist strap, USB & AV cables, software CD’s, and user’s and software manuals.
Optional
Lens Adapter, supplemental lenses (wide, macro, & tele), NiMH rechargeable batteries and charger, Waterproof case, HF-DC1 external slave flash unit, and soft camera case.
In the Field/Handling & Operation
I have an old friend who sells new and used (digital and analog) photo equipment. He and I both enjoy playing with new digital cameras, so as soon as he got his hands on Canon’s natty new A610 he stopped by (on a recent Saturday) to see if I wanted to help him put the camera through its paces. Our first test was a color/WB test we’ve developed over the past couple of years. We use a homemade macro stage and a selection of brightly colored (red, green, yellow, blue, orange, and purple) plastic children’s beach toys laid out on white photographic background paper. This test allows us to check color accuracy and the precision of the camera’s white balance system (and compare the results from camera to camera). The A610 did an outstanding job, all colors were bright, well saturated, and quite accurate.
For our first outing with the A610 we drove over to Louisville’s unofficial arboretum at Cave Hill Cemetery. It was a beautiful fall day with blue skies and lots of puffy white clouds. The old cemetery is filled with rare and exotic plants, trees, and bushes, native trees, bushes, and shrubs, and thousands of 19th and early 20th century Kentucky Limestone grave markers, hundreds of mausoleums, and a rustic century old groundskeepers cottage. The first signs of autumn tend to appear at Cave Hill a week or two before they are visible anywhere else and the last signs of fall color tend to linger at Cave Hill (for a week or two) after all the rest of the deciduous trees in town are bare. We found lots of huge old trees in peak color so filling up a couple of 128MB SD cards was a snap (no pun intended). We also spent time shooting old weatherworn and time darkened native limestone grave markers and the ever-present families feeding the ducks, geese, and swans at the small lake just below the hill that gives Louisville’s oldest cemetery it's name.
After we finished up at Cave Hill we called it a day. We got together again Sunday morning and headed for nearby Cherokee Park. Usually we just follow the scenic loop (which winds through a couple miles of steep hillsides covered with old growth trees on both sides of Beargrass Creek, but this time we decided to park by the bridge just off Park Boundary Road and hike back along the creek. The creek was running pretty high (due to a severe thunderstorm the night before). The trail was a bit muddy, but there were still dozens of folks out hiking along the creek and enjoying the beautiful weather and fall color. Color was at or very near its peak and some trees were already starting to lose their leaves, but we found plenty to shoot with the A610 (and a Kodak Easyshare P880 I was also testing) including dogs (loose and leashed), runners, kids, bikers, and couples (young and old). We spent the late morning and most of the afternoon trekking back and forth along the trails, stopping whenever we found anything interesting to shoot. The A610 did a fantastic job, no matter what we threw at it – outdoors this camera absolutely rocks. When the light started to fade we called it a day and headed for the Twig & Leaf (so my friend could get a Banana Split).
The Twig & Leaf is an original un-reconstructed fifties neighborhood diner with booths along two walls and rotating red naugahyde topped chrome stools at the long pink formica counter. The menu is heavy on grilled and fried Southern comfort foods and the ambience is flat out blue-collar. We grabbed a booth up front and ordered a coffee and a coke (and my friend’s Banana Split). The A610 is a little big to be surreptitiously grabbing sneak shots, so we just openly worked at capturing the colorful (and slightly worn) fifties millieu of the old diner. We got a couple of interesting shots before calling it a day and adjourning for the evening.
PERFORMANCE
Image Quality
We reviewed all images we'd shot over the course of the weekend on a 19" NEC CRT monitor. Image quality should always be the number one consideration when assessing camera performance and the A610 delivered consistently above average image quality. ISO 50 is the A610’s best image quality setting, but ISO 100 images are almost as good. ISO 200 images were also surprisingly good and ISO 400 shots were noisy, but not anywhere nearly as noisy as the A610’s big brother (the 7 megapixel A620). Reds are a bit warm and blues are a little bright, but most casual/amateur photographers probably won’t consider that a fault. All images showed balanced contrast, excellent shadow/highlight detail, and tack sharp resolution.
Shutter Lag/Timing
Canon says the A610 is 35% faster than last years super popular A95 and based on my own (admittedly subjective) experience that claim seems well founded. Start up time is less than two seconds, which is pretty quick for a digicam that must extend its zoom. Shutter lag shouldn’t be a problem for most shooters; shutter fire is essentially real time once focus is achieved. AF speed is quite impressive, typically less than one second, and almost “real time” with pre-focus. Shot-to-shot times are noticeably quicker than average (due mostly to the new DIGIC II processor).
Conclusion
Canon’s "A" series digital cameras have always provided consumers with impressive ease of use, exceptional performance, excellent image quality, and “best in class” bang for the buck. Redeye may cause some heartburn for portrait shooters, but the A610 isn’t any worse in this regard than most of its competition.
The A610 is a great choice for photographers who want a digital camera that they can "grow into" as their photographic capabilities evolve, those just making the jump from film to digital, those looking for an exceptional family camera, and backpackers and travelers who want a tough lightweight “go anywhere” digital camera that will allow them to easily and dependably record their adventures.
At this point in time, the A610 is just about as good as it gets, an almost ideal general use digital camera that will appeal to everyone from beginners and casual shooters to advanced amateurs. With the Holiday Season just over the horizon shoppers are looking for deals on consumer electronics that are often heavily discounted at this time of the year. The A610’s $299.00 MSRP has already fallen to as low as $229.00, so I don’t expect it to drop much further as Christmas approaches, but it might go as low as $199.00 at the post Christmas sales.
IMAGES
If you would like to see a selection of images that are very similar to and typical of the sort of test pictures I shoot for my epinions digital camera reviews -- click on the top link under Favorite Links on my profile page (to get to my EPS profile page from this review, just click on my name under about the author above). The Favorite Links link will take you to my forum page at DCR -- Click on the find all posts by Howard Creech link (under Forum Info). My DCR reviews each feature a selection of my images.
The observations, opinions, recommendations, and conclusions provided in my digital camera reviews are based on more than 30 years experience as a photographer and extensive hands on testing of each of the cameras reviewed. I receive no compensation from DCR.com for your visit or any subsequent purchase you may make. You can return to epinions at any time (either open the link in a new window or hit your back button). The Canon Powershot SD500 and the Canon Powershot A520 posts were submitted as text only reviews and the images that illustrate those two posts were shot by a DCR staffer.
Looking to ramp up your digital imaging experience in your own digital darkroom? Check out my review of a very capable (and currently heavily discounted) Pro quality ink-jet printer, the Epson Stylus Photo 2200http://www.epinions.com/content_167980076676
The surprising PowerShot A610 offers many features you d expect to find only on higher end models. For example, there s a 5.0MP CCD that lets you prin...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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