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Canon PowerShot Pro90 2.6 MP IS Camera Kit w/ 10x Optical Zoom

Canon PowerShot Pro90 2.6 MP IS Camera Kit w/ 10x Optical Zoom

List Price: $999.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Camera
Review: Good camera, the telephoto at 10x is amazing when the image stablization is on. pretty much all the zoom you could ever need. the image quality is supreme, at medium compression at 1024 the average file size is around 300k, great pictures, although bad for posting online due to the large file size. the flash is ultra strong, resulting in overexposures in any macro zoom or anything less than 70cm. bad. in low light situations, the autofocus is very very slow, sometimes it cant focus at all.it has a cute flashlight feature for focusing, but it doesnt do much good when subjects are far. one other thing, teh aperature is really bad at 2.8 a 1/4 of a second exposure even with image stablization requires a very steady hand and a stationary subject. at ISO 400 there is a lot of CCD noise in low light situations. also, the wide angle at 37mm was a real disappointment, but for what it is, the Canon Pro90Is is just awesome. the LCD looks great, and the Eletronic viewfinder serves all practical purposes. its many auto metering modes are good, in portrait mode, aperature is set to a maximum for background blur with least depth of focus. the night scene mode is good, flash at a 1 second exposure, to collect light from close unlit subjects as well as far dimly lit backgrounds. the battery is great, lasting almost 2 times as long as 4 NiMh 1600mAh batteries on my Olympus C2020. but get an extra battery on field trips. 1 battery will last about a day in electronic viewfinder mode, the LCD just kills. one thing about the huge lens, GET A LENS PORTECTOR. the lens collects ocean wave mist, dirt, dust, ugh. one good thing about it, it is compatible with all standard 58mm add on lenses, as well as any Canon Add-on Flash. it is a bit heave wighting in at 680 grams, but with telephoto is well worth the trade off. all the settings can be accessed through buttons, not in an electronic menu, which saves time, your left hand can control flash modes, auto metering modes while your right hand releases the shutter. there is a bit of lag between pictures, which is kind of disappointing, but I can live with it. the electronic viewfinder has lag, so its hard to take pictures of fast moving subjects such as birds or roller coasters. the power on takes a while, it insists on putting the lens in an "off posititon" so when you power on it takes time to move back, I dont see the point, since its all internal, and wastes 3 seconds of precious time.

overall : good camera, exceeds my expectations. the lens is a work of art, the interface is cute, the processing power needs a bit of work, but very good for the price range. I got this camera 3 days ago.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Astounding--Highly recommended
Review: I am a great fan of this camera. I've used point-and-shoot 35mm cameras for years, always being intimidated by the jump in expertise needed for a "real" SLR camera where all the decisions were not automated. After a trip to Alaska, I was intensely disappointed with my pictures from the point-and-shoot. Most wildlife photos were of the "See that brown dot? It's a moose!" variety, and many of my photos on snow or glaciers were overwhelmed by all the brilliant white in the image. I'd always told myself I'd one day go digital, but always thought the technology wasn't "ready". When I returned from Alaska, and saw this camera, I decided the technology was ready, or at least I was! I was initially attracted by the 10x zoom, and was further impressed by the image stabilization, and the ability to go "full auto" on all the technical settings, yet ease myself into setting such things as f/stop, white balance, and shutter speed myself. The camera has fulfilled all my expectations. It takes fine pictures in most circumstances if you let the camera make all the decisions, but you have the ability to experiment with manual settings yourself, and the quick availability of the digital image means you can learn faster, and without having to wince over paying for film and developing. I bought the camera only a few days before leaving on a trip to Florida, focusing on the Everglades. I got some excellent photos using the telephoto lens, and the image stabilization made using the maximum zoom easy, even with handheld shots. I used automatic settings almost exclusively for the Everglades trip, but now am practicing and experimenting with the manual settings. I have a few minor quibbles, though they do not detract from my positive feelings for the camera: 1) The camera is a bit slow--If you want to spend most of your time taking pics of athletic events or similar places where "split second" photography is needed, it may not be a good choice. It has a maximum frame rate of about 1.5 seconds per shot. 2) The battery life is workable, though I did need to shell out for a second battery (about $75, though they are rechargable). One reason for this is because I chose to use the camera with IBM Microdrives, which have a huge photo capacity, but put more drain on the battery. 3) The camera is certainly less convenient than a point and shoot to carry around, but compared to a 35mm SLR with a 370 mm lens, it is VERY easy. I doubt I'd even notice this if I wasn't used to sticking my teeny Olympus point-and-shoot in my front pocket and forgetting about it! If you use any digital camera while travelling, I suggest you consider getting the Iomega Fotoshow to store your pictures and free up your memory cards for more shooting. It also makes a convenient way to review and show off your pictures on a television set. 4) The price is a bit stiff, but if you want a camera of this class, you are going to have to bite your lip and pay up!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: potential user
Review: i am in love with the elegant design of the camera. the technical data is superb.i hope and wish to own this camera for business purpose.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Easy to use and great pictures
Review: I bought it 11 june 2001 and by 12 june it was as if I have owned this camera all my life. No regrets!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: True Joy
Review: I couldn't wait for the powershot 90 to arrive, and when it did, I was delighted. This camera has everything: A beaultiful 10X optical lens for wildlife shots, a ELT viewfinder, which is actualy much better than the Pro 90's closest competitor --the Olympus 2100z. The Olympus' ELT viewfinder displayed similar information as the Powershot 90, but the actuall display of the 2100 was distored and not very enjoyable to see through. I feared Canon's display would be just as distored, but when I first gazed into the comfortable eye slot of the Powershot 90, my fears disappeared...the image that the viewfinder displayed was crystal clear, a thing of beauty. It was a perfect replica of the LCD dispaly with all the settings, like WB, aperture, shutter speed, flash, etc. No longer did I have to use the top camera display to see what settings I have on...this was a delight.

What about picture quality? Well, One word-- stunning. I took wildlife shots using the camera's highest resolultion and mediom compression settings, and shot pictures of swans, deer, rabbits. etc., blew them up to 8X10 and the results were amazing. If you're looking for great photo quality, you won't be disappointed with this camera.

What about battery life? The lithium-ion batter just last and last. I shot two days worth of pictures before every having to re-charge. This is truly a life savor, when I'm out in the park and shooting pictures, and not have to worry about the battery running low.

The only negative about this camera is its "burst" mode. It shoots about .7 frames per second, which is a little slow for shooting action shots like sports or birds in flight, but the actuall shutter speed for getting one shot off, more than helps out in these situations. Even though I can't shoot multipile shots quickly, I can shoot 1 shot after another at a reasonable rate, and with each shot, there is no lag time. NO LAG TIME. That is truly the best part about this camera. My old digital camera the Kodak DC265, there was a period of adjustment that the 265 would go through before it actually fired. So I would compose an image and click the shutter, only to find that the shutter won't fire until maybe a half-second latter. But you don't have to worry about that with the Pro 90. There is no "shutter lag". Once you click the shutter release the image is immediatly taken, and that is truly a thing of beauty.

Overall: I am more than satisifed. This camera is a marvel. It shoots beautiful pictures at a glorious rate. This is a top-notch, one-of-a kind camera, and if you happen to see one on sale, purchase it right away. I don't know how long Canon will produce these beauties, but pick one up...you won't be disappointed.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A practically useful digital camera for amateurs
Review: I have been using this camera for the last year or so. I am happy with its performance, based on realistic expectations and knowing the limitations of a digital camera (vs film). The Image stabilizer helps a great deal when taking fast moving images such as sports events. The 10X optical zoom is great in outdoor. The resollution is pretty good for most of the pictures taken so far. The shortcomings are (1) resolution is less than desirable when the lighting is weak, (2) cycling speed is slow when updating to the next frame, (3) shuter speed (1/1000) is not sufficiently fast to accommodate sports.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A practically useful digital camera for amateurs
Review: I have used Nikon Cameras for over thirty years (Nikon F, FTN, F2 and F3), I also have used medium format and large format cameras. The Canon is my first digital camera experience. I found it extremely easy to use and with a minimum of reading of manual able to replicate the results from my film based cameras. The camera is well designed and the controls fall where you would expect them. Access to the disk compartnment is the one thing I would change (along with accepting other lenses). This is a serious camera for someone interested in digital photography. The features allow creativity without burdening you with compelxity. The range of optical zoom (10X) is great. Image stabilization is perfect for shooting from moving aircraft (high performance jets). It offers the immediate answer that haunts many photographers, i.e. - did I get the shot. One of the best photographic purchases I have ever made.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Still photographer (film ) reviews Canon Digital
Review: I have used Nikon Cameras for over thirty years (Nikon F, FTN, F2 and F3), I also have used medium format and large format cameras. The Canon is my first digital camera experience. I found it extremely easy to use and with a minimum of reading of manual able to replicate the results from my film based cameras. The camera is well designed and the controls fall where you would expect them. Access to the disk compartnment is the one thing I would change (along with accepting other lenses). This is a serious camera for someone interested in digital photography. The features allow creativity without burdening you with compelxity. The range of optical zoom (10X) is great. Image stabilization is perfect for shooting from moving aircraft (high performance jets). It offers the immediate answer that haunts many photographers, i.e. - did I get the shot. One of the best photographic purchases I have ever made.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This cameras astounding!!!
Review: I recently recieved this camera and i love it! I prevouisly owned an Olympus D-360L, which was a great first camera. This camera is an amazing upgrade. The only negative, that i have encountered, and it is not a big one, is slow start up time from when you first turn on the camera to when it acutally starts working. The zoom is great, the features are easy to use and the battery is long lasting. The dials that control the camera make it much easier to change between features then on cameras with complicated menus. I purchased a 64 mb. card, which also increases this cameras versitility. I love this camera, and it takes great pictures. I also use it wiht a P-400 printer, and the prints look great.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great camera - from a digicam veteran
Review: I'm a veteran at digicams but not a professional. This is my tenth digicam; the most recent a Canon G1 and briefly a Nikon 995. I'll start with the cons: shutter lag is quite bad, focus lag is quite bad, macro is quite bad, no low-light focusing light is quite bad, size and heft could be better.
However, the pros: image-stabilization means you can take low-light shots without the handshake dilemma as well as good hand-held 10x zoom shots, the 10x zoom is ... well enough said, the SLR form-factor is VERY comfortable on my hands (unlike the G1), the electronic viewfinder (EVF) gives a good perspective of what to expect on the shot, the swivel lcd is one of the stronger points of Canon G1 (and now copied by the Nikon 5000) and finally the excellent pic quality. While a small percentage is not as snazzy as the G1's, for the most part is comparable and produces shots that the G1 can't approach due to the reach of a 10x lens. The Pro90 offers the ONLY combination of bells and whistles I cannot find with the current crop of digicams including a 10x image-stabilized zoom (others goes to 7x but not IS) and remote control (G1 only I think). I only wished it has a shorter focus and shutter lag or that its smaller (minor gripe when I can't stuff it in my jacket like a 99x or a G1).
Bottomline, I don't find other digicams interesting anymore including the new Sony 707, Nikon 5000, Canon G2. This is largely because now I cannot live without the reach of a image-stabilized 10x optical zoom.
...R


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