Canon PowerShot A700 6 Megapixel Compact Camera

A Great Little Camera

Strengths: Size, light weight, powerful zoom, 2 battaries only, beautiful looking, big screen.

Weakness: Couldn't find any flaws.

I highly recommend this camera. Some people complain it doesn't have image stabilization. Well, it is not meant to have it. Had this camera had image stabilization it would cost a lot more. So you are trading one thing for the other.
Overall, great, great product. I'm very happy with it.

By MiguelKieling - Jul 25, 2006

Longer movie would be nice

Strengths: Powerful AF Frame selection, the FlexiZone setting allows for corner focusing which cannot be found in most auto digit cam.

Weakness: With the availability of higher capacity SD cards, such as 4G or higher, it makes no sense to limit the max movie clip size to 1G (standard) or max clip length to 1-3 min.

A good budget replacement for a SLR. A handy little camera to be carried around when the right moment arises. However, to capture live event action that last more than a minute, you still need to bring along your digital handicam.

By winhost - Jul 18, 2006

Oh How I've Waited for the Right Canon for Me!

Strengths: 1. 6x optial zoom 2. (2) AA batteries 3. Remarkable picture quality. Amazing that all this fits in such a small point and shooot camera.

Weakness: Not many, although the case all plastic. I'm afraid what could happed if this camera were dropped :(

I have been waiting for the right time to jump on the Canon band wagon for a year and a half now. The thing is, by the time the new camera has been on the market a little while, gained some acceptance and come down in price a little bit, Canon puts out a new one. After watching the company and the models mature so much in the past year and half, I am really happy with the new A700. Picture...
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I have been waiting for the right time to jump on the Canon band wagon for a year and a half now. The thing is, by the time the new camera has been on the market a little while, gained some acceptance and come down in price a little bit, Canon puts out a new one. After watching the company and the models mature so much in the past year and half, I am really happy with the new A700. Picture quality is stunning. I took pictures of the kids tubing and water skiing from the boat and there's not a blurry shot in the bunch. The new 800 speed shutter really makes a difference. If you don't mind a little bit bigger camera, compared to the SD models, this one is definitely the way to go.

By skotmorris - Jul 6, 2006

Great 6x optical zoom digital performer

Strengths: 6MP quality is great, but not so much so you need a huge storage card; 6x zoom has fantastic quality; menu is all-inclusive and user friendly; photo quality is very good; nice feel & build.

Weakness: The shutter lag and flash recycle time are slower than some people will want, and the USB door does have plastic hinges.

BACKGROUND ON WHY I BOUGHT IT: I researched a long time for a newer digital camera (I have used two Sony 2MP digitals in the past). I wanted to replace my film cameras with something smaller that has more than a 3x optical zoom. I considered an HP with 5x zoom, a Panasonic with 5x zoom, and others. This Canon A700 with a 6x optical zoom is unique in that is has a long, high quality optical zoom...
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BACKGROUND ON WHY I BOUGHT IT: I researched a long time for a newer digital camera (I have used two Sony 2MP digitals in the past). I wanted to replace my film cameras with something smaller that has more than a 3x optical zoom. I considered an HP with 5x zoom, a Panasonic with 5x zoom, and others. This Canon A700 with a 6x optical zoom is unique in that is has a long, high quality optical zoom in a fairly small body, has an optical viewfinder, and is more than 4 or 5MP. There are others that have the 5x or 6x zoom, but no viewfinder. There are also a lot of cameras in the 7MP range with 3x or 4x zoom.

PERFORMANCE: The camera is fairly easy to set up, the zoom button works smoothly, and the features are within reach either on the menu, the settings button, or on the knobs on the camera itself. I'm using NIMH 2500 mAh rechargeable batteries. The literature says regular AA batteries will last about 100 images (LCD monitor) and NIMH like mine will last about 400 images. I bought 4 of them with a recharger for about $25, so I have 2 spares.

STRENGHS: I have taken people shots indoors with flash, macro flower shots outside and inside, and some outdoor scenery. Comparing these to the film SLR I just sold, I realize these photos are comparable. If I do get one I don't like, I can easily delete it. I used this camera across the room indoors with flash and did not perceive the flash weak (if anything, too bright). It has 3 power settings--it's nice to have the option.

The zoom works smoothly and you can turn off the digital zoom (it comes turned off from the factory). This is probably the camera's strongest point. Other strong points are that is has many settings and modes, including manual settings for shutter speed and aperture, shutter priority, aperture priority, and tons of unique modes (foliage, snow, beach, fireworks, etc.). It also is unique in that is has the 800 ISO available.

Photo quality is great and photo playback on the screen is easy and friendly, as you can zoom in and out on the photo and move around before you even decide to keep it. It didn't take long to learn how to use it, though there is plenty to learn.

YES, the recycle time is slow for some reason--several seconds for it to write the picture to the card and get ready for the next flash photo. I don't know why. I like to study my photo a few seconds after I take it to see if I want to redo it, so I really don't care about this one "flaw." Also, the lag for non-flash is about 3 seconds, so it may be an issue for some people. I have a high speed SD card and fresh batteries, so those don't seem to be the issue.

The owner's manual is okay, plenty of info, but written in kind of an inconvenient order. It's still adequate. The software is easy to install and use and the photos download quickly, way easier and faster than what I was used to. We only have USB 1.1 ports, not USB 2.0 like it can use, but the download is still fast.

This camera uses either multimedia or secure digital cards and uses only 2 batteries, unlike some that used 4. Overall, I say this is a safe and good quality camera to use for most everyone, UNLESS you get hung up an snapping photos very quickly, then get something that is faster. Speaking of slow, here is one tidbit of help:

EXPLANATION OF SHUTTER LAG TIME: This camera comes set with a 2-second "review" time that lets you look at the picture after it's shot (before it's stored). The time is programmable from "none" to 10 seconds to "Hold." If you turn it to "none" instead of the factory setting of 2 seconds, the shutter lag drops for non-flash photography. Outdoors, it went down from a 3 second lag (between photos) to about 1.5 seconds. Indoors with flash, it didn't seem to change, so that's still an "issue" for some folks.

This Canon has the ability to add lenses by taking off a fitting on the outside and putting an adapter on. It also will use the Canon HF-DC1 slave flash made for these Canon's. They are helpful, but expensive. I would probably rate this a 4.5, but I'm increasing it to 5 because you can't have everything perfect on any camera, and this one has 95% of what I wanted.

By pammyyoha - Apr 14, 2006

6X Zoom is a Plus

Strengths: Very good zoom, small size for 6X zoom, AA batteries, SD card.

Weakness: Flash charging time is more than average.

I have used about 6 models of Canon. I am a big fan of Canon. I keep on upgrading with newer models. I chose this for 6X zoom. Other than a concern with flash charging time, I am happy with this camera. Picture quality is great, zoom works fine through out its range. I am going to stick with this for some time.

By JHOURIA - Apr 8, 2006