The Canon A620 is the best compact digital camera as of summer 2006.
Written: May 13 '06
Product Rating:
Ease of Use:
Durability:
Battery Life:
Photo Quality:
Shutter Lag
Pros: Good image quality, fast operation, tilt and swivel LCD, great battery life, easy to use.
Cons: Poor viewfinder coverage, plastic tripod mount, high noise at ISO 400, flimsy port covers.
The Bottom Line: Highly recommended for its great set of features, performance, and price in a compact and easy-to-use camera. Probably the best camera in its class.
jvandegr's Full Review: Canon PowerShot A620 Digital Camera
Introduction
In my never ending search for a backup compact digital camera to my film SLR gear, the Canon A620 caught my eye immediately. Good manual control, reasonably fast lens, tilt LCD, 7 megapixels, and a promised faster DIGIC chip, all in an attractive and compact package. Probably too good to be true, I thought. Still, I decided to take the plunge. For $270 plus $50 for a 1GB SD memory card, I felt my investment was minimal, relative to the thousands I've spent on SLR gear. But would it work? My specific purpose of this camera is to take it with me every where, because my subject can become available at any moment. I photograph atmospheric phenomena and geologic phenomena and sometimes they appear without enough time to run back and grab my SLR gear. I guess it's the old saying, the best photographs happen when you don't have your camera with you.
Features
The key features of the Canon A620 are:
- 7.1 megapixels
- 2.0 inch tilt and swivel LCD display
- 35-140mm lens with maximum aperture of f2.8 - f4.1
- DIGIC II processor
- AA batteries for power
- SD card for memory
As of mid-May 2006, the A620 sells for approximately $270 at reliable online retailers.
Build Quality
Canon's A-series cameras have a reputation for better than average build quality and the A620 is no exception. It feels well constructed, with a few minor exceptions. First, the cover on the A/V and power port feels very flimsy and requires some attention to make sure it is closed after being used. Second, the SD card slot cover does not inspire confidence as it appears to made entirely of thin plastic. Third, and perhaps of greater concern, is the zoom control dial around the shutter release button. This dial has a little too much play and doesn't seem like something that is built to withstand as much use as it will likely get. I noticed the same problem on a demo camera at a store and this one seemed even looser, probably due to more use. However, so far, none of the above mentioned potential weaknesses has been a a problem for me.
Performance
Image Quality
Small sensors with a lot of pixels usually leads to a lot of noise, at least in CCDs. The 7.1 megapixel CCD in the A620 is one of the best CCDs that has ever been produced in terms of keeping noise to a minimum while provide a lot of resolution on a small sensor. ISO 50 and 100 both have almost undetectable noise. ISO 200 has a slight increase in noise, but this is still a very usable sensitivity. ISO 400 has a more substantial increase in noise and I only use this ISO when I really need to because at this sensitivity, the noise does begin to degrade image quality significantly. If this were a SLR or even a higher end compact camera, I would be disappointed in the noise levels at ISO 400. However, considering the size of this camera, I can't complain too much. Compared to the A700, noise levels are ever so slightly lower. This is impressive considering the extra megapixel of resolution in the A620.
Lens sharpness is good throughout the focal range. There is some softness on the edges, but less than the average amount found in cameras of this class. This loss of sharpness typically does not degrade image quality so much as to be a problem. Some barrel distortion is present at 35mm but again, it is less than average and will probably not be objectionable to most users. Chromatic aberations are scarce, even with backlit subjects. Very rarely can I find any purple fringing and when I do, it's not enough to have ruined my shot. On occasion, I have found some clipped highlights. Sunlight reflecting off a white surface can push the sensor a beyond its limits, even when the overall scene is properly metered. I've had to dismiss a couple of shots because of this, which left me a little frustrated. A couple shots out of hundreds isn't bad though.
Color rendition is good, although not quite as good as the sRGB or Adobe RGB control of the digital SLRs, and of course not as good as film. Under most lighting conditions, the A620 will yield good skin tones, saturated skies (thankfully not too saturated), and pleasing greens. If you're not comfortable with the default gamut, Canon offers several preset adjustments in the "My Colors" menu option. While I haven't tried most of these presets, I've been satisfied with using the default color setting and making the necessary adjustments in the GIMP, or other professional color management software. Once again, I can say the A620 has better than average color rendition for a camera in its class.
LCD Display
The tilt and swivel design of the A620's LCD is very useful. Self-portraits, over-the-head shots, around-the-corner shots, and many other angles that are almost impossible to get (reliably) with a fixed LCD are possible thanks to this design. The 2.0 inch display has 115,000 pixels, which is approximately half the number of pixels found in digital SLRs. Although I wouldn't mind seeing a few more pixels to improve picture quality a little more, this is still a sharp and very usable display. It can be difficult to see in direct sunlight, but this is a problem with almost every LCD made. However, thanks to the tilt and swivel design, the LCD can usually be angled out of direct sunlight while maintaining composition.
Since the viewfinder coverage is so poor (about 80%), it is necessary to use the LCD for composing. Personally, I am very disappointed in this situation because there are situations that still require use of a viewfinder. Compact cameras (film and digital) have been plagued by this problem for years and I hope it is a problem that is corrected soon. I'm not holding my breath.
Shooting Performance
Thanks to the DIGIC II processor, most operations are much quicker than they were in earlier A-series models. Power-up is very quick for a compact camera. Pressing the power button extends the zoom lens and captures an image in two seconds. Shutter lag with using the flash is about one second, again impressive for a camera that costs $270. Write and read times are also very quick when a good memory card is used. I'm currently using a SanDisk Extreme III 1GB SD card, which is about as fast as it gets for a memory card. That's probably a little bit of overkill for this camera, but the A620's processing is fast enough to take advantage of the additional speed offered by all but the fastest cards. I never wait more than a second for an image to display on the LCD once I'm in view mode. In continuous record mode, I've shot 24 frames at 2 frames per second at the highest quality jpeg setting. Supposedly, the camera is actually capable of 50 frames but I haven't tested this yet.
I'm accustomed to USM and AF-S focusing in pro cameras and I was concerned about the focusing speed of the A620 before I bought it. My worries soon disappeared. Focusing is very fast, requiring less than a second under every condition I've been in: backlit, low light, whatever. Focusing accuracy is very good as well. I've had perfect focus lock in at least 95% of my shots when using the center focus point (AiAF turned off).
Zooming speed isn't as impressive as any of the above mentioned attributes, but it's not bad either. Motor-driven zooms are always slower than hand-operated zooms so I knew I would need to get used to this. That being said, zooming 4X (from 35mm to 140mm) still requires less than two seconds.
To summarize, this camera is no slacker. Indeed, this is the best shooting performance I've seen so far from a camera in this class.
Handling
Canon's A-series cameras have always provided better than average handling in their class, mostly thanks to a decent grip and the weight of 4 AA batteries. The battery weight on the right side balances the weight of the lens on the left and the two together give the camera enough heft to add some stability to my shots. While the A620 has probably the best handling yet of any of the A-series models, the A700 has unfortunately lost a little in the handling department mostly because it only uses 2 AA batteries. The grip of the A620 is finished differently than the rest of the camera, providing better grip. Combined with the slightly textured thumb grip, I haven't had any problems with the camera falling out of my hands yet. Of course, I still wish there was some rubber somewhere for an even better grip. Although subjective, I think the finish on the A620 is the nicest Canon has ever used. The titanium color is great and it has resisted scratching, so far.
The A620's menu options are intuitive and straight-forward, as they are in most of Canon's cameras. I can navigate through the options and make the changes I need to without losing too much time. Both Canon and Nikon have invested a lot of time in designing digital camera interfaces and this has translated into cameras that are easy to use for the majority of shooters. If you've used a different model of Canon digital in the past, you'll find the transition to the A620 an easy one. Be prepared for more options, however. The A620 is full of manual control options, which greatly contributes to both its flexibility and its ability to help you grow as a photographer.
Battery
The battery life of the Canon A620 is very good. With 2300 mAh NiCD batteries, I can get just over 400 shots while using the LCD for composition. In the instruction manual, Canon suggests that I should be able to get up to 500 shots with the LCD on, but I haven't been able to do so yet. Still, this is the best battery life I've seen from any compact digital camera. Proprietary lithium batteries just can't keep up with 4 AA's yet, nor do they provide enough weight to help stabilize the camera. Add to that the cost of replacing a lithium battery and I can easily say that Canon has the best power solution you can get in this camera.
Conclusions and Comparisons
I've tried dozens of compact digital cameras and this is the only one I am willing to carry with me and use when I don't have my SLR film equipment along. Overall, this camera has a better mix of features, performance, and price than any other compact digital as of summer 2006. I can easily recommend it to beginners and advanced amateurs alike, and I recommend it over its successor, the Canon A700.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 270 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
The Canon PowerShot A620 incorporates some of the best high-end camera features into a body that s compact and a joy to use. The 7.1 megapixel camera ...More at eBay
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