Canon PowerShot A720 IS

Last weekend we attended a wedding and Kim took along our 2+ year old Nikon Coolpix 4600. I had never really taken many shots with this P+S camera but soon discovered that it's virtually unusable in less than optimal lighting conditions. Kim always complained of this but I chalked some of this up to operator error. :) P+S should mean POS for this old Nikon.

So I decided to research and purchase a new compact digital camera with some of our Christmas cash. I settled on the Canon PowerShot A720 IS for those times when I don't feel like lugging the d70. I hadn't researched compact digital cameras for quite awhile but was blown away by this thing. I originally thought about getting a pocket-sized camera like a Casio EX series or Canon Elph but this PowerShot isn't that much bigger and is packed with features.

This camera has a 8 mp resolution and does up to ISO 1600. It has a 35mm equivalent zoom range of 35-210mm with Canon's Image Stabilizer system. The software allows for aperture, shutter priority and full manual control. It runs on AA's which is a mixed bag. I have a ton of NiMh AA's which is great but flash recycle time isn't that great. Apparently, the li-ion batteries of some of the newer cameras allow for a flash charge time of half of this camera but we all know that built-in flashes suck. I figured the higher ISO and IS are more important. This camera will also work with a small, external flash but it no longer becomes as portable at that point. Oh yeah, it also takes great photos and is fairly quick with virtually no shutter lag. It also has the "face detection" technology that virtually all other cameras have now. Not sure if this is gimmicky or if it really helps enhance portraits yet.

The best part is that I got this locally for only $200. You can find the PowerShot A560 with a shorter zoom, no IS, and 7 mp for under $150 as well and Ken Rockwell loves them. :) Both of these cameras are awesome in the bang for the buck category. I love my Nikon dSLR but Canon seems to have the best pocket digital cameras out there right now.

I'm still blown away by this camera and the $200 price. Now I have to see if it is worth Ebay'ing the old, barely used Nikon.

Steve's Digicam's Review

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