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Canon PowerShot A70 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

Canon PowerShot A70 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

List Price: $399.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The "A" line cameras are perfect for the point and shoot
Review: I am completely satisfied with the camera. I would recommed you read your manual before you begin taking pictures. I was amazed by some of the features it does have. I also like the fact I can use regular batteries in it. Make sure you invest in a rapid charger and couple of sets of rechargable batteries.

It's not perfect taking pictures in low light. I still did receive some red eyes even with red eye reduction light on.

I would recommend this camera.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: amazing value with room for creativity - plus 3MP resolution
Review: this camera is perfect for people who are starting off their digital camera career. it will work as a point and shoot but this is a camera you can hone your creativity on. when you're ready to experiment, the A70 provides a high degree of manual control for a camera at this price point.

pros:
- very nice resolution
- 3x optical zoom lens
- amazing manual control for the price: manual focus, selectable ISO sensitivity, and exposure (aperture priority, shutter priority, or manual)
- good metering and good tonal balance - maintains shadow detail
- good natural light white balance, strong and balanced colours
- AF assist lamp helps auto-focus for low light situations
- nice layout of controls and easy to understand
- very nice build quality - feels more expensive than what its price would suggest
- bright, detailed LCD monitor
- good shot-to-shot times, quick start-up time too
- movie clip mode up to 3 minutes
- low noise at ISO 50 (keep in mind that ISO 50 for this camera is actually ISO 100 for everyone else; likewise, ISO 100 is in reality closer to ISO 200, etc)
- impressive battery life plus it uses non-proprietary AAs (but i'd recommend buying rechargeables)
- excellent value - no one else offers this feature set at this price level

cons:
- slight chromatic aberrations visible
- AF Assist lamp doesn't have enough power at telephoto zoom
- moderately underexposed flash shots
- RAW format not supported
- no histogram available - useful to see if photos have correct exposure
- distracting mirror finish frame surrounds the LCD monitor
- competition is lighter and smaller, but also does not give the same amount of manual control
- the supplied 16MB CF card is not adequate - be ready to shell out more $$ for more memory

i was surprised by this camera. at its price point, it has the most features among cameras available today. this camera will work well with beginners (but who'll want to spread their "creative" wings later) but will not disappoint more advanced photographers on a budget. definitely a camera to add to your short list.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: E18 Error
Review: If you are looking to purchase this camera please be advised that the E18 error often occurs after 5 months of use. Nearly all of the positive reviews that exist out on various websites are for users that have just started using this camera. Do a Google search on the E18 error and go ahead and scroll through the THOUSANDS of posts where folks are looking for a solution. There is no solution since Cannon will not warrenty this problem. Steer clear from the A70 unless you plan on purchasing a warranty. And then account for how long your camera will be in repair continuously for the remainder of its life after 5 months of use. Do not buy this camera!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Owned it now for almost a year..
Review: I bought this earlier in 2003 since my children live in MA and I live in CA and I was tired of disposables and the trouble of the new xray machines. I love it. I wish it was smaller but at the time I purchased it it was the lowest cost for the best resolution. Even though it's been almost a year - I still recommend this camera. Canon has come out w/a smaller version that I would buy now - but this is a great camera for those looking for a real-size camera that offers FULL manual options for picture taking. The batteries last the life of adding in a larger card to take over 100 pics. The software is very easy to use and now I print specific pictures for my children (ages 11 and 8) and myself. The rest I keep on my HD and view wirelessly through TiVo. Drop me an email w/any questions - I'm an honest person who shoots straight...m_jessing@yahoo.com

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: awesome digital camera!
Review: This camera has given me no problems. The software that comes with it is great as well. I highly recommend it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good to 130'
Review: I have been using this camera for over six months now, above and below the water with the Canon housing. Don't get hung up on higher resolution camera - 3.2MP is terrific. I bought Maha 2200MaH batteries plus a couple of 256 Meg CF cards. It's all been reliable. The software is good too - I make panoramas with the Canon - some of them 9' in length.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Fantastic manual controls, not-fantastic lens
Review: Basically my headline says it all. I love this camera's ability to set f stops, shutter speeds, ASA/ISO speeds, under/over- exposure etc etc. Particularly useful to me is the ISO 400 setting -- set the camera there you can take lots of pics indoors without a flash (like film cameras usibg hi speed film, the images will be grainy, but useable).

The main problem is the lens. It performs overall less well than my 2 previous digital cameras (Fuji 2400 and 2800, which regularly gave me tack sharp pictures). This lens gives you OK shots, but often without that extra edge of definition, despite the high number of pixels. There is a fair amount of flare at large apertures, and the program modes like to keep the lens wide open and aim for higher shutter speeds. One workaround to this problem is to use the aperture proiority mode and to stop the lens down to f 4.5 or so.

I am keeping this camera because of all the creative control it gives me, but I still have a Fuji 2400 in my desk drawer when I need to take a really sharp product photo for ebay.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Why, Canon, Why?!
Review: I give the A70 one star because of the mental anguish it has caused me, and not because it is a bad camera. I don't understand the people at Canon. I had a PowerShot s30 - an excellent camera, with virtually the same features as the A70, but small enough to fit into your pocket - but my s30 was stolen and I was forced to buy the A70 because the s30 was discontinued. The A70 takes just as good pics as the s30, and it has almost the same features, BUT it's substantially bigger and it takes four clunky, heavy AA batteries rather than a small rechargable one half the size of an average matchbox.

I just don't get it. With the S30, you had a great manual camera that was small enough to fit into your pocket and that was reasonably priced. Now, Canon forces you to choose between a manual large camera, and a non-manual pocket-sized one. Why can't they just revive the great features of the S30?

My advice: If you want a high quality, low-priced digital camera with manual features, and don't mind a large and heavy one, get the A70 or eqivalent new model. If you want any other mix of features, try something else.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Sent in for Repair 2X
Review: Perhaps I got a rare defective product, but it was annoying enough that I felt the need to write a review.

* After 6 weeks, the replay mode stopped working. I couldn't look at old pictures I had taken. Furthermore, since the camera needs to be in replay mode to download pictures, I couldn't even get them onto my computer. I sent the camera back for repair ($10+ shipping that Canon doesn't cover) and they repaired it in about 3 weeks. Problem solved. Or was it...

* A month after that, horizontal lines started to appear on LCD, and also on the pictures I took. Annoying, but I dealt with it. Some pictures were so distorted, it looked like LSD rather than LCD. After a while, the display would totally give out and remain black about 50% of the time. The resulting pictures were also black. I sent the camera in again for repair ($10+ shipping). This time Canon fixed it and sent it back within a week.

Canon gets halfway decent marks for doing the repairs smoothly, and the camera itself is great. But as far as reliability, chalk this user's experience up in the lemon department.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Quality
Review: I purchased this camera two months ago and do not have a single complaint. It is easy to use (though I did have to spend an afternoon with the manual to understand the more esoteric features) and takes wonderful pictures.

The batteries that came with the camera were eaten up in about two days. I decided I'd better get rechargable batteries at that rate of consumption so I picked up an Energizer kit with four batteries, and got 4 extras so I'd always have a charged set.

What I have found is that the second set of batteries probably was not necessary. We use this camera a couple of times a week for 15-30 minutes at a time - including making several movies - and after two months the original rechargable batteries are still going strong! That is much better performance than I ever would have dreamed.

The camera fits comfortably in an adult hand and is easy to operate. The only quibble I have with the construction is that the cover to remove the CF card is poorly designed - when you unlatch it, the bottom of the cover "sticks" so you have to be careful you don't snap it trying to open it. The plastic on this cover feels flimsy, like it could break easily if extreme care is not taken.

Still, anhyone with common sense will use care when handling a camera, and I haven't found this one issue annoying enough to regret my decision at all. A very good bargain.


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