iPhone 3GS from AT&T. Free ShippingCanon PowerShot A620
Manufacturer: Canon USA Part number: 0321B001
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Canon PowerShot A620's above-average feature set and great photo quality should make it as popular as the A95.
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Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
Canon PowerShot A620 price range: $524.75
- Reviewed by: Theano Nikitas
- Edited by: Lori Grunin
- Reviewed on: 10/13/2005
- Released on: 08/30/2005
The good: Excellent feature set for its class; great image quality; easy to use.
The bad: Flimsy covers for SD slot, as well as DC and A/V connectors; center Function button is a little stiff; not as fast as some competitors.
The bottom line: The Canon PowerShot A620's above-average feature set and great photo quality should make it as popular as the A95.
User reviews
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Great Camera
by jumpinjax on October 7, 2005
Pros: Flexible use of 7.1 Megapix and a flip out LCD
Cons: Zoom feels sluggish an tough to get exactly how I want
Summary: I read alot about camera since replacing my FujiFilm F700, a really good camera with a bad CCD chip - very common problem. So the next camera had to live ...
Summary: I read alot about camera since replacing my FujiFilm F700, a really good camera with a bad CCD chip - very common problem. So the next camera had to live up to the standard of an advanced point and shoot. I have to say this one does just that and with the addition of scene modes that are preset for the best setting, awesome. I also really did not know that I would use the flip out LCD, in fact I use it alot. Get the best angle on a picture and still easily see what your shooting at. Turn it inward when not in use to save the LCD from getting dirty. And the software program is better that Fuji as well. One more bonus is a stiching shot mode that allows you to take very long panoramic picture by snapping picture at the same zoom side by side. The software program then stiches the pictures together to make one single image. Overall, I have found a good replacement.
50 out of 51 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Certainly another great digicam ... until "E18" strikes
by ficelle on October 20, 2005
Pros: Great pictures (as with every Canon camera I owned) ; and it's got all the features a non-professionnal photographer needs
Cons: The now famous lens mechanism weakness, coming with every digicam Canon makes
Summary: If Canon officially acknowledges and fixes the problem it's had with every retractable-lens model, I'd love to get an A620, and I would probably rate it 10 instead ...
Summary: If Canon officially acknowledges and fixes the problem it's had with every retractable-lens model, I'd love to get an A620, and I would probably rate it 10 instead of 5.
But since all my Canon digicams (a first-generation Digital Elph, then a PowerShot S50) died with the infamous "E18" error message, I am afraid to buy one more.
ALL Canon digicams are subject to this defect (just google "Canon E18" and you'll find out) : the lens mechanism suddenly freezes and the digicam becomes useless. If still under warranty, Canon will replace the whole lens ; if not, getting it fixed is way too expensive and you're only left with your memories of a great but now dead digicam.42 out of 60 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best sub-$400 camera on the market!
by joeammie on October 3, 2005
Pros: Excellent resolution, nice feel. "Hideaway" LCD nice.
Cons: No rechargeable batteries included. 32 MB SD Card way too small.
Summary: Overall this is an excellent camera. Great pictures, nice camera feel. I particularly like the fact that you can "flip" the LCD to hide it and save power. Makes the ...
Summary: Overall this is an excellent camera. Great pictures, nice camera feel. I particularly like the fact that you can "flip" the LCD to hide it and save power. Makes the camera almost look like a non-digital.
I do take some issue with the fact that Canon even bothered to include a 32 MB SD card with a 7.1 megapixel camera. It only holds 9 pictures at the best resolution and compression settings. You'll need at least a 128 MB card (for 40 pictures at higest settings) to make the camera useable, but you're probably better off with a 512 MB card in the long run.
One improvement that Canon could make would be to include rechargeable batteries and some sort of internal charger similar to Kodak's Easy Share line. I bought the $60 batteries/charger/soft case set from Canon and I still have to remove the batteries to recharge them. Kind of a pain when my last camera was an old Kodak Easy Share that you just put on a dock when you weren't using it.
The only other negative is a weird "red" alarm that seems to come pretty often when taking pictures in lower light. Haven't quite figured that one out yet. I guess it's time to read the manual.
Best sub-$400 camera on the market though!22 out of 24 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The A620 is a great camera at a reasonable price.
by Ronbert on November 20, 2005
Pros: Image quality is consistantly good in all lighting conditions. The start up time is quick, as is the time between shots. The manual features allow for added creativity and photo quality.
Cons: Zoom noisey and hard to modulate. No other cons.
Summary: I've owned the A620 for 2 weeks. Today I took some nature shots in the woods - all pictures were perfectly exposed. The macro feature takes sharp close-ups, and ...
Summary: I've owned the A620 for 2 weeks. Today I took some nature shots in the woods - all pictures were perfectly exposed. The macro feature takes sharp close-ups, and the semi-auto portait mode results were fantastic. This is definitely a step above my 4 year old Sony.
8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I'd buy one again, but it lacks x-factor and has ergonomic flaws.
by daveemtb on February 15, 2006
Pros: Not Available
Cons: Not Available
Summary: The image quality seems great to me, with one exception, the noise reduction can obliterate all detail in low contrast areas, and there is no way to stop this. An ...
Summary: The image quality seems great to me, with one exception, the noise reduction can obliterate all detail in low contrast areas, and there is no way to stop this. An example is twigs on distant winter trees can turn into one big grey mass.
The lens is excellent for a compact camera.
AF is excellent, both in normal and in macro mode. AF illuminator is effective.
The manual controls are very useful for a serious photographer.
The build quality is mixed. Some parts, eg battery door, flip screen, card door are good, while other parts, eg connectors flap and eveness of panel joins, is poor.
The ergonomics are poor in several areas. However, the excellent swivel screen, the mode dial and the zoom and the shutter button are well designed in my opinion.
One button is wasted on direct printing and image transfer - two features i will never use. I could think of 100 better uses for this button. In fact, i can't figure out what this button does even when attached to a computer! :-s It seems to do absolutely nothing.
This camera is likely to appeal to serious photographers like myself who want a compact to go alongside a DSLR. To me this makes the choice of SD over CF seem a slightly odd one.
Movie quality is great. (except zoom issues - see below)
Despite all my negative comments, this remains a fantastic camera for the money. Perhaps it offers so much, it raises my expectations way over what one can hope for at this price point!
Problems
As pointed out in the dpreview review, the camera blows (highlights.)
I find it does this very often. Blue sky is often completely blown out unless it is the majority of the scene. I no longer trust the evaluative metering and tend to use centre weighted or spot with compensation. At least they are predictable. Nikon's matrix metering, which i have a lot of experience of, in both DSLRs and digitial compacts, is far from perfect, but massively superior to the Canon equivalent on this camera.
Steadying camera with left hand can cause flash vignetting unless you're careful with your fingers. This is a flaw in the design of the camera body, with its curved top edge.
The MF zoom box feature is a great idea, but it's heavily pixelated and therefore useless. I suspect this is a sensor limitation. Thanks for trying though Canon
Shutter speeds slower than 1" are not available in P or Av modes. I feel this is a shame considering manual controls are perhaps the greatest selling point for this camera. This issue is linked to the use of noise subtraction/cancellation on exposures longer than 1", and this is apparently only available in Tv and M modes for a reason best known to Canon.
No automatic flash exposure is available in M mode. This is such a wasted opportunity. I only use the M mode on my D70 when using flash and I want to balance the flash and ambient exposures. I can't do this on the A620, making M mode fairly useless to me
Program-shift in P mode is fiddly and very awkward one-handed.
The grip feels considerably less secure in my hand than previous A-series models. This is caused by the radius in the inside corner and the proximity of the lens ring i think. I'm getting used to it though, and no longer feel that i am going to drop it.
The power button and other buttons are not great positions for one handed use in my opinion. Also if you press and release the buttons on the back panel, the camera sometimes misses it, which is a real pain when you're trying to shoot and work quickly. You have to press and hold them for, perhaps, 1/4".
The LCD vertical viewing angle is not good, like most cameras, but at least you can point the screen at your face. Just make sure you have it point straight at you before judging exposure, and check with the histogram!
Movie mode files are big. A 1Gb SD card can hold as little as 8 minutes in best quality. The use of SD not CF makes this a much more serious issue due to smaller card capacities. A better compression format might have improved things. The quality is good though. The digital zoom was such a dissapointment on video. I figured that haing 7MPx to play with you could digital zoom heavily without loss of quality when the video's VGA resolution. It seems the video feed from the sensor is only in VGA resolution, however, so there is no way to zoom during video clips without serious loss of quality.
It feels very heavy after a Nikon 2100 with a CRV3 in it. This is due to lots of glass (good!) and lots of batteries (bad) however, the camera's speed and long battery life makes up for the battery weight for me.
The optical viewfinder is awful. Very poor coverage, and i'm not sure if mine is straight either.
I HATE having a playback/record switch. Who thought of this, really? Who finds it useful? Anyone?! Whatever playback mechanism is employed, half-pressing the shutter button should ALWAYS ready the camera to shoot. No excuses. At least the review mode has some good functionality when the switch is at record - you can press "set" before the review turns off and then it's like it's in play mode, except you can't switch images. Good idea, but i still hate the switch.
WHY, OH WHY, CANON did you not make this camera compatible with CRV3 cells as well as AAs, like my Coolpix 2100? it would have been so easy, surely? Then the battery life would be almost infinate and not temperature dependant. They are also very light. And no, they aren't too expensive if you know where to look.5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very nice camera
by Jayayess1190 on November 13, 2005
Pros: Flip screen, 7.1 megapixels, fast, double A batteries, manual controls
Cons: Camera shake warning (sometimes helpful)
Summary: The Canon A620 is a great camera. Startup time is superfast. The flip screen is not as small as you might think. The manual controls are great because they allow ...
Summary: The Canon A620 is a great camera. Startup time is superfast. The flip screen is not as small as you might think. The manual controls are great because they allow you to control how your pictures come out. Lots of scene modes to choose from, like photostich which is really cool. I love this camera and reccomend it to everyone.
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Don't wait until Christmas to buy the Canon A620!
by rlwilson11 on October 8, 2005
Pros: User friendly and full of features. Great pictures even in low light on AUTO mode.
Cons: The Playback/Shooting switch is too small and could be more solid.
Summary: This is our families first digital camera. I have read several reviews over the last months, window shopped, but just could not find the camera that was "just right". I'...
Summary: This is our families first digital camera. I have read several reviews over the last months, window shopped, but just could not find the camera that was "just right". I'm very happy that I waited, the Canon A620 is fantastic! I would bet that the A620 will be on this holiday's hot item list when the word gets out.
I find the camera as being well designed and with just the right features. I'm not an expert but I'm a very happy consumer!
I look forward to using this camera for recording those family moments that will be treasured for years to come. Thanks Canon!6 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Camera, a Great Value.
by carguy622 on December 22, 2005
Pros: Excellent photo quality and features.
Cons: Stepped zoom, and the price is always dropping.
Summary: I bought this camera to replace my digital Olympus C-4000. So far I have not been disappointed.
The camera has a lot of features for the price, with aperture priority, ...Summary: I bought this camera to replace my digital Olympus C-4000. So far I have not been disappointed.
The camera has a lot of features for the price, with aperture priority, shutter priority, and a full manual mode, it gives you more control than most point and shoot models. It also has a 4x optical zoom based on the lens in the Powershot G6, and the macro mode can focus down to 0.4 inches. It is great that the camera runs on AA batteries, and has excellent battery life. Photo quality has been terrific, with sharp, colorful pictures.
The only drawbacks are a noisy zoom, some hard to push buttons, and more red-eye than I had with my Olympus. The camera is not ultra light and compact but does have a nice grip and solid construction.4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Fantastic P&S Camera
by lgvelez on October 14, 2005
Pros: Fast on and off - Fast focus - Large reticulating LCD - Very useable SCNs and presets - Great grip for my arthritic hands
Cons: Haven't found any yet
6 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent Camera..
by hofgrad01 on January 19, 2006
Pros: Great pictures, adjustable LCD Screen, very fast, battery life with rechargeables is amazing
Cons: USB cover could be better
Summary: Focus is reliable and the metering system is excellent. The lens is pretty fast(F2.8 wide to F4.1 full telephoto) and sharp. DIGIC II improves overall camera speed. ...
Summary: Focus is reliable and the metering system is excellent. The lens is pretty fast(F2.8 wide to F4.1 full telephoto) and sharp. DIGIC II improves overall camera speed. Overall, this is a great camera with many options from full auto (point-and-shoot) to full manual.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Canon USA
- Part number: 0321B001
- Description: You've never seen anything quite like the PowerShot A620. Loaded with features, this high-performance camera has a 7.1 Megapixel CCD to give you magnificent pictures at a price that will amaze you. And it's easy to use. Everything about this superb camera has been designed for your picture-taking pleasure. And that makes it fun! The PowerShot A620 has 7.1 Megapixels that let you shoot with amazing precision. The crisp detail and brilliant true-to-life color is simply amazing. But it's only the beginning, because these high-quality images have the resolution you need to create the larger prints you've always wanted. Plus, the longer, retractable 4x Optical Zoom lens lets you get in close to intimately capture life's small, magical moments. The PowerShot A620 has a big 2.0-inch LCD screen with an astonishing 115,000 pixels of resolution. So whether you're setting up your shot or playing it back, everything is bright and clear. The vari-angle design lets you swivel the LCD screen 180° to the front of the camera and display either a mirror image or a non-reversed image so you can shoot from just about any position. The PowerShot A620's cleanly integrated grip gives you a comfortable, steady hold. And you can count on exact focus no matter where your subject is in the frame. Plus, you've also got Special Scene Mode that gives you breathtaking, exhilarating pictures even when shooting conditions are tough. The PowerShot A620 is powered by Canon's DIGIC II Image Processor. Designed to improve processing speed and image quality, DIGIC II provides markedly faster camera startup, autofocus and playback, plus it assures that every image is more colorfully vibrant. Now A620 enables you to record QVGA (320 x 240), 60 fps movies up to 1 minute. PowerShot A620 also supports the USB 2.0 Hi-Speed standard, so you'll enjoy the highest possible data transfer speeds when using a USB 2.0 compatible computer. The camera's performance level is high enough to take full advantage of super-high-speed SD memory cards as well. The PowerShot A620's Print/Share button makes direct printing easier than ever. Simply connect the A620 to any PictBridge compatible photo printer, press the lighted Print/Share button and print! Also use the Print/Share button to transfer images directly to a computer.
General
- Product Type Digital camera
- Point-and-shoot highlights Having video capture capability makes this camera ideal for social functions or vacation shots.
- Width 4.1 in
- Depth 1.9 in
- Height 2.6 in
- Weight 8.3 oz
Main Features
- Resolution 7.1 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- Optical Sensor Type CCD
- Total Pixels 7,400,000 pixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 7,100,000 pixels
- Optical Sensor Size 1/1.8 in
- Light Sensitivity ISO 50, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO auto
- Analog Video Format NTSC, PAL
- Digital Zoom 4 x
- Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
- Shooting Programs Snow, Beach, Indoor, Foliage, Fireworks, Landscape, Underwater, Kids & pets, Night scene, Portrait mode, Stitch assist, Night snapshot
- Special Effects Sepia, Vivid, Neutral, Black & White, Low Sharpening
- Max Shutter Speed 1/2000 sec
- Min Shutter Speed 15 sec
- Exposure Metering Spot, Evaluative, Center-weighted
- Exposure Modes Manual, Program, Automatic, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority
- Exposure Compensation ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
- White Balance Custom, Presets, Automatic
- White Balance Presets Cloudy, Daylight, Underwater, Fluorescent, Tungsten light, Fluorescent light (daylight)
- Digital Video Format AVI
- Still Image Format JPEG
- Continuous Shooting Speed 1.9 frames per second
- TV Tuner None
- Video Capture AVI - 320 x 240 - 60 sec - Max clip duration, AVI - 640 x 480, AVI - 640 x 480, AVI - 320 x 240, AVI - 320 x 240, AVI - 160 x 120 - 180 sec - Max clip duration
Memory / Storage
- Flash Memory 32 MB Flash - SD Memory Card
- Supported Flash Memory MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card
- Floppy Drive None
- Image Storage Super-fine JPEG 3072 x 2304 : 9 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 3072 x 2304 : 15 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 3072 x 2304 : 31 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 11 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 20 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 40 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 17 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 32 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 63 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 1600 x 1200, Fine JPEG 1600 x 1200, Normal JPEG 1600 x 1200, Super-fine JPEG 640 x 480 : 109 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 640 x 480 : 168 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 640 x 480 : 265 - With 32MB card
Camera Flash
- Camera Flash Built-in flash
- Flash Modes Auto mode, Slow synchro, Flash ON mode, Flash OFF mode, Rear curtain sync, Red-eye reduction
- Red Eye Reduction Yes
- Effective Flash Range 1.5 ft - 14 ft
- Features AF illuminator, Flash +/- compensation
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 7.3 mm - 29.2 mm - F/2.8-4.1
- Focal Length 7.3 mm - 29.2 mm
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 35 - 140 mm
- Focus Adjustment Manual, Automatic
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Auto Focus Points (Zones) 9
- Min Focus Range 17.7 in
- Macro Focus Range 1-45cm
- Lens Aperture F/2.8-4.1
- Optical Zoom 4 x
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
- Features Aspherical lens, Built-in lens shield
Additional Features
- Self Timer Yes
- Self Timer Delay 2 sec, 10 sec
- Additional Features AE lock, AF lock, FE lock, DPOF support, Direct print, MOTION PRINT, Audio recording, Auto power save, Date/time stamp, Built-in speaker, Histogram display, PictBridge support, USB 2.0 compatibility, Digital image rotation, Digital noise reduction, Display brightness control, Camera orientation detection
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type Optical - Real-image zoom
- Viewfinder Color Support Color
- LED Information Flash ready, Autofocus ready
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2 in - Color
- Display Form Factor Folding (180°) / rotating (270°)
- Display Format 115,000 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, 1 x DC power input
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card
Software
- Software Canon PhotoRecord, Canon PhotoStitch, Canon ImageBrowser, ArcSoft PhotoStudio, Drivers & Utilities, Canon Remote Capture, Canon ZoomBrowser EX
System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support MS Windows 98, MS Windows ME, MS Windows XP, MS Windows 2000, MS Windows 98 SE, Apple Mac OS X 10.1.5 - 10.3
- Peripheral Devices USB port, CD-ROM drive, SVGA monitor
- System Requirements Details Windows 98/98SE/2000/ME - Pentium - 64 MB, Windows XP - Pentium - 128 MB, MacOS X - PowerPC - 128 MB
Miscellaneous
- Carrying Case None
- Included Accessories Wrist strap
- Cables Included 1 x A/V cable, 1 x USB cable
Power
- Power Device None
Battery
- Supported Battery AA
- Supported Battery 4 x AA Alkaline battery ( Included ), 4 x AA NiMH rechargeable battery ( Optional )
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
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
