Canon PowerShot A2000 IS
Manufacturer: Canon USA Part number: 2667B001
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Canon PowerShot A2000 IS is lean on features beyond its stabilized 6x zoom lens, but it takes great photos and is easy to use.
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Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com Marketplace |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 11/28/2009 |
 |  | In stock | as of 11/28/2009 Refurbished |
CNET editors' review
Canon PowerShot A2000 IS price range: $157.95 - $179.95
- Reviewed by: Joshua Goldman
- Reviewed on: 04/23/2009
- Released on: 09/01/2008
The good: Excellent photo quality for the money; 6x zoom; simple operation.
The bad: Limited controls; slow performance.
The bottom line: The Canon PowerShot A2000 IS is lean on features beyond its stabilized 6x zoom lens, but it takes great photos and is easy to use.
Canon's PowerShot A-series lineup epitomizes inexpensive point-and-shoot simplicity without sacrificing photo quality. They're not the most feature filled, they aren't the most stylish (they're not unattractive either), and speedy performance isn't their forte. The PowerShot A2000 IS, for example, is compact if a little thick, heavy, and somewhat drab looking and its most distinguishing feature is a 6x zoom lens. However, you can turn it on and take a good photo with little effort and, at less than $200, little financial investment.
By the way, the step-up model is the A2100 IS, which is 12 megapixels, uses Canon's Digic 4 image processor, and has a couple more shooting options such as automatic scene recognition and long shutter, but no direct shutter or aperture controls.
| Key specs | Canon PowerShot A2000 IS |
| Price (MSRP) | $199.99 |
| Dimensions | 4 inches wide by 2.5 inches high by 1.3 inches deep |
| Weight (with battery and media) | 8.2 ounces |
| Megapixels, image sensor size, type | 10 megapixels, 1/2.3-inch CCD |
| LCD size, resolution | 3-inch LCD, 230K dots |
| Lens (zoom, aperture, focal length) | 6x, f3.2-5.9, 36-216mm (35mm equivalent) |
| File format (still/video) | JPEG/Motion JPEG |
| Highest resolution size (still/video) | 3,648x2,736 pixels (4:3)/ 640x480 at 30fps (4:3) |
| Image stabilization type | Mechanical and electronic |
| Battery type, rated life | Alkaline (AA, 2), 240 shots |
The A2000 IS isn't much to look at, but it is functional. Its gray-and-silver wedge-shaped body is comfortably thick for a steady grip, though still reasonably slim. Sticking it in a bigger pants pocket or jacket won't be a problem, though its weight won't let you forget it's there. And considering the A2000 IS has a 6x zoom lens and is powered by two AA batteries, the weight is forgivable.
At first glance, it seems as if there's a lot going on with the controls for the A2000 IS. On top are a power button, a shutter release with zoom ring, and a Mode dial with no fewer than 10 shooting options. Why so many for such a basic camera? Well, along with its P (for Program), Auto, Easy (auto without options), and Movie modes, Canon puts five popular scene selections (including Portrait, Landscape, Indoor) and a SCN choice for accessing lesser used scene settings like Sunset, Snow, and Aquarium. So while the Mode dial looks quite busy, it is actually simple. Likewise, the back of the camera is loaded with a directional pad and six buttons labeled in white (for shooting functions) and blue (for playback functions), but even novice users should have things down pat fairly quickly.
Regardless of the controls, there's little reason to spend much time hanging out in the menu system. But for those times when it's necessary--say to change the autofocus priority, adjust the LCD brightness, or switch when the image stabilization is engaged--navigation is straightforward.
| General shooting options | Canon PowerShot A2000 IS |
| ISO sensitivity (full resolution) | Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1,600 |
| White balance | Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom |
| Recording modes | Auto, Easy, P (program), Portrait, Landscape, Special Scene, Indoor, Kids & Pets, Night Snapshot, Movie |
| Focus | Face Detection AF, Center AF, Multi AF |
| Metering | Evaluative, Center-weighted, Spot |
| Color effects | Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Custom |
| Burst mode shot limit (full resolution) | Unlimited continuous |
If you're expecting to find the manual controls of earlier Canon A-series models, you'll be disappointed with the A2000 IS. The A590 IS is the only model in the current lineup that has aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and manual options. However, the A2000 IS' Program mode does give you control over ISO, white balance, autofocus type, light metering, and color effects. Plain and simple, the A2000 IS is designed for point-and-shoot use and it does that extremely well. If only it were a bit faster at doing it.
From powered off to first shot, the camera takes an acceptable 1.9 seconds. The camera's 2.7-second shot-to-shot time is also comparatively normal for its class. However, turn on the flash and you'll be waiting an average of 7.1 seconds between shots. Shutter lag felt long during use. CNET Labs' tests found that shutter lag was 0.6 second in bright conditions and 0.8 second in dim light. There is no proper burst shooting mode, but the A2000 IS has unlimited continuous shooting capable of a decent 0.8 frames per second.
As mentioned earlier, for a low-cost compact camera, the A2000 IS has first-rate photo quality. Color, contrast, and white balance are particularly good. As is the norm for this class of cameras, the A2000 IS shines at ISO sensitivities below ISO 200. Grain becomes readily noticeable at ISO 400, but for the most part details remain unexpectedly good. You can increase up to ISO 800 and still have a usable photo at smaller sizes. This is great since it means shooting in low light isn't completely out of the question, as long as you're not expecting very sharp, detailed photos.
For a pure point-and-shoot camera, the A2000 IS is a good deal. It provides excellent photo quality with the benefits of some extra zoom range and optical image stabilization. You'll just have to overlook its somewhat slow performance and bland design.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
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(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test digital cameras.
User reviews
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Very nice camera
by appy91 on October 4, 2008
Pros: Great optical zoom for compact camera
Great display
Nice feel for the size
Not too big and not too smallCons: Haven't found any yet
Summary: Very good camera for 99% of people. It takes nice pictures and video is OK for a camera being used as a video camera. Picture quality seems to be fine. ...
Summary: Very good camera for 99% of people. It takes nice pictures and video is OK for a camera being used as a video camera. Picture quality seems to be fine. I never understand how people buy a camera the size of a cell phone and expect it to take pictures with the same quality as a full size SLR. I used it at my daughters gymnastics performace for pictures and video and they both look great.
7 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A2000is is my favorite camera to date.
by nemesiajuno on May 19, 2009
Pros: The size and weight is the best. This fit and fell is big enough to be comfortable and stable in our hands ? not too small for my big hands or for my wife's arthritic fingers. Those thin tiny heavy cameras are not easy to hold.
Cons: Plain looking. Not cute. However, I will choose comfort over looks. Comfortable mean more stable image. Comfort means I am snapping more pictures.
Summary: A2000is is my favorite camera to date. The size and weight is the best. This fit and fell is big enough to be comfortable and stable in our hands ? not ...
Summary: A2000is is my favorite camera to date. The size and weight is the best. This fit and fell is big enough to be comfortable and stable in our hands ? not too small for my big hands or for my wife's arthritic fingers. Those thin tiny heavy cameras are not easy to hold. Not too big like my Nikon SLR requiring a separate bag. I now carry this in my pocket whenever I have the opportunity. In the eight months, I have taken more pictures with this A2000is than with all the previous cameras combine. The best camera is the one frequently used.
3" lcd screen is very good. With this large screen, viewing details is easy on my old eyes. Anything smaller has been a struggle and a compromise. A larger screen would be better, but at a sacrifice to the battery life. I have shot over 150 pictures on an evening without changing the batteries. Very cool. I could not be happier.
Get the clear plastic protective screen cover to prevent scuffs, especially if carrying in your pocket. The screen stays clear like new.
Exceeding my budget, I bought this when first introduced in October 2008 on sale at $225. Highly receommened. - 5.19.09nemesia
Updated on May 20, 2009
LCD face recognition in the group shot is a nice touch. - 5.20.09nemesia3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very good pictures. Slow processing of picture.
by rvegunta on November 4, 2008
Pros: Small size. Well placed controls. Very good pictures. Very good face recgnition. Excellent pictures.
Cons: Very slow with processing picures. So camera is not ready for the next picture for several seconds - while using a new 60x 4GB SD card.
Summary: I boght the camera and returned it primarily because of the slow processing speed.
Summary: I boght the camera and returned it primarily because of the slow processing speed.
3 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Alot of camera for a smallish price.
by ewashguy on April 9, 2009
Pros: Picture quality, alot of settings/selections, camera size has "easy" setting for beginners.
Cons: I haven't really found any so far.
Summary: I was going to purchase the Canon A590 which has been discontinued, and bought this instead. Very impressed with everything so far. Excellent picture quality, has lots of individual settings/...
Summary: I was going to purchase the Canon A590 which has been discontinued, and bought this instead. Very impressed with everything so far. Excellent picture quality, has lots of individual settings/selections, and also includes an "easy" setting for beginners. Good size too, not too big and not too small. For the price, I don't think you can beat this Canon. I haven't had any issues as of yet with batteries/battery life, but then I don't take a huge amount of pictures. I liked that Zoombrowser hasn't changed alot over the years as I have an older Canon digital, and it was quite familiar to me.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Quality Images, but slow at processing
by gerrykp on December 30, 2008
Pros: Super great quality images, light, small enough to fit in your pocket, feels good in hand, start up is fast, good choices of settings (night,people&pets,etc) macro shots are very good.
Cons: Hate the screen quality, images are pixelated until you take photo, especially in low light. Very slow processing of images on my SDHC Sandisc 4 gig SDcard. Lens is in the way of the flash! you get a black spot on the bottom right side of image!
Summary: I am toying with returning this camera, I think I like it enough to keep it despite the issues I mentioned since it is just a point and shoot and ...
Summary: I am toying with returning this camera, I think I like it enough to keep it despite the issues I mentioned since it is just a point and shoot and my other camera is a Nikon D80 Digital SLR. I wanted something to just do good snapshots without carrying around a heavy camera. If I do return this I will purchase the Canon SX110. I also will test out a faster SC Card and lower the quality of image. Hope this review helps someone out. Bottom Line: Great Quality, Slow processing, but with the few things that I don't like, its a great camera for a entry level point & shoot. I would suggest this camera for purchasing.
1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I'm now a Canon fan
by drjelleyroll on July 30, 2009
Pros: 6x optical, 10 mega pixel, battery life is AWESOME w/rechargeable AA's, size
Cons: no view finder
Summary: when compared to other cameras in this price range, you come out way ahead. I'd gift this to anyone, great value
Summary: when compared to other cameras in this price range, you come out way ahead. I'd gift this to anyone, great value
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disappointed
Pros: video quality, light way, batteries size, large screen, compact size.
Cons: photos qualities terrible, even in "easy" mode! slow
Summary: I bought this camera in Germany this summer (mid July). My great deception was the qualities of the picture in photo mode (auto or "easy"). Most of the time the ...
Summary: I bought this camera in Germany this summer (mid July). My great deception was the qualities of the picture in photo mode (auto or "easy"). Most of the time the pictures are blurred, and needs to shot several times the same thing to get a good picture. It's time consuming and too slow for me!
Although I'm a canon's camera fan, I will not recommend this camera to my friends. -
this canon is just what ive wanted, but has a problem.
by ilyasid on April 4, 2009
Pros: This camera is great, for the price it has, it cant get better, It has 10mp and x6 optical zoom? thats crazy! awesome picture and an amazing Image Stabilizer effect.The video is at its best quality for this camera, i personally use this for school.
Cons: Of course there should be an annoying part of a great product like this, for me, i hate buying Double AA batteries each month, it bothers me, why couldn't this brand put more effort and make it come with an allonym battery?
Summary: I do recommend this product to anyone, who just likes taking pictures and joke around, or to traveling purposes, when the SLR is too expensive and this camera is just ...
Summary: I do recommend this product to anyone, who just likes taking pictures and joke around, or to traveling purposes, when the SLR is too expensive and this camera is just great, It worth the price and what it comes with, if it would have a battery with it, that i can just recharge at once and go, i would give it a 5/5 but since i have to waste money or some batteries, it dosent deserve the best for it is.
0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Canon USA
- Part number: 2667B001
- Description: Inside its sleek, pared down design, this top-of-the-line PowerShot A2000 IS is packed with easy-to-use features. You've got a 10.0-megapixel resolution and a 6x optical zoom with optical image stabilizer for big, beautiful prints and superb stability. To keep subjects looking their best, the DIGIC III image processor with Canon Face Detection handles the technical details - automatically. An easy mode allows you to concentrate on your scene, while easy playback lets you screen your images on a super-sized LCD.
General
- Product Type Digital camera - Compact
- Width 4 in
- Depth 1.3 in
- Height 2.5 in
- Weight 6.7 oz
Main Features
- Resolution 10 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- Optical Sensor Type CCD
- Total Pixels 10,300,000 pixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 10,000,000 pixels
- Light Sensitivity ISO 80, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO auto
- Digital Zoom 4 x
- Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
- Shooting Programs Snow, Beach, Indoor, Sunset, Foliage, Aquarium, Fireworks, Landscape, Kids & pets, Night scene, Portrait mode, Night snapshot, High sensitivity
- Special Effects Sepia, Vivid, Neutral, Black & White, Custom Effect
- Image Stabilizer Optical
- Image stabilizer feature Optical stabilization helps prevent blurry pictures, especially for handheld cameras at slow shutter speeds or when using high optical zoom.
- Max Shutter Speed 1/1600 sec
- Min Shutter Speed 15 sec
- Exposure Metering Spot, Evaluative, Center-weighted
- Exposure Modes Program, Automatic
- Exposure Compensation ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
- Face Detection Yes
- White Balance Custom, Presets, Automatic
- White Balance Presets Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent, Tungsten light
- Digital Video Format AVI
- Still Image Format JPEG
- TV Tuner None
- Video Capture AVI - 640 x 480, AVI - 320 x 240, AVI - 160 x 120
Memory / Storage
- Flash Memory 32 MB Flash - SD Memory Card
- Supported Flash Memory MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card
- Floppy Drive None
- Digital Storage Media None
- Image Storage JPEG 3648 x 2736, JPEG 2816 x 2112, JPEG 2272 x 1704, JPEG 1600 x 1200, JPEG 640 x 480, JPEG 3648 x 2048
Camera Flash
- Camera Flash Built-in flash
- Flash Modes Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Slow synchro, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction
- Red Eye Reduction Yes
- Effective Flash Range 1 ft - 11.5 ft
- Features AF illuminator
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 6.4 mm - 38.4 mm - F/3.2-5.9
- Focal Length 6.4 mm - 38.4 mm
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 36 - 216 mm
- Focus Adjustment Manual, Automatic
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Auto Focus Points (Zones) 9
- Min Focus Range 19.7 in
- Macro Focus Range 1-50cm
- Lens Aperture F/3.2-5.9
- Optical Zoom 6 x
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
- Lens Construction 7 group(s) / 9 element(s)
- Features Aspherical lens, Built-in lens shield
Additional Features
- Self Timer Yes
- Self Timer Delay 2 sec, 10 sec
- Additional Features DPOF support, Direct print, Face detection, Audio recording, Histogram display, Resizing an image, PictBridge support, 16:9 widescreen mode, In-camera red-eye fix, USB 2.0 compatibility, Digital image rotation, RGB primary color filter, Display brightness control, Camera orientation detection
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type None
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 3 in - Color
- Display Form Factor Built-in
- Display Format 230,000 pixels
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type None
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
- Microphone Operation Mode Mono
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x USB, 1 x Composite video/audio output
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card
Software
- Software Canon PhotoStitch, Canon ImageBrowser, Drivers & Utilities, Canon ZoomBrowser EX
System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support MS Windows XP, MS Windows Vista, Apple Mac OS X 10.4 or later
Miscellaneous
- Microsoft Certifications Certified for Windows Vista
- Included Accessories Wrist strap
- Cables Included USB cable, A/V cable
Power
- Power Device None
Battery
- Supported Battery AA
- Supported Battery 2 x AA Alkaline battery ( Included ), 2 x AA NiMH rechargeable battery ( Optional )
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
- Humidity Range Operating 10 - 90%
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Canon USA
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Canon USA products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://estore.usa.canon.com/
- Address:
One Canon Plaza, Lake Success, NY 11042 - Phone: 516-328-5000
- Email: mediacontact@cusa.canon.com
