Howard_Creech's Full Review: Canon PowerShot A620 Digital Camera
Canon's "A" series digicams are justly famous for their no nonsense ergonomics, dependable performance, impressive durability, operational simplicity, and bang for the buck value. Last year's A510 and A520 models sold especially well because Canon listened to what digicam purchasers wanted (excellent image quality, Point & Shoot simplicity, manual exposure capability, first rate optics, exceptional ergonomics, speedy operation, super power management, lots of advanced features, tons of accessories, and a relatively cheap price) and then designed a pair of cameras to meet those expectations.
The new Canon Powershot A620 combines the best features of the A520 and the A95 (which it replaces) and then adds genuine improvements to create a "best in class" digicam. Even absolute beginners will be able to quickly exploit the A620's Auto, Program, and Scene modes. More advanced photographers will love the enhanced personal control of the A620's aperture priority, shutter priority, and full manual modes.
What's new? How does the A620 differ from the A520/A95?
The slightly re-designed A620 features the 2.0" Vari-Angle LCD screen from the A95 (the A520 had a fixed 1.8" LCD), a 4X lens based on the G6's zoom (the A520 has a 3X zoom), the 7 megapixel CCD sensor from the S70/G6 (the A520 is a 5 megapixel digicam).
Video capture was one area where the A520’s competitors had an edge, the A520 provided a less than stellar video mode (up to 30 seconds at 640x480 @ 10 fps or up to 3 minute clips at 320x240 @ 15 fps), but the A620 records video clips @ 640x480 (at 30 fps) and duration is limited only by SD card capacity.
Canon's second generation DIGIC II (Digital Imaging Integrated Circuit) Processor enhances auto-focusing accuracy, improves battery life/power management, and increases processing speed.
NUTS & BOLTS
Viewfinder/LCD
The A620's tunnel style real image zooming optical viewfinder is bright and color correct, but it is a bit on the squinty side and covers only about eighty per cent of the image frame.
The A620's camcorder style Vari-Angle LCD screen tilts/swivels 180 degrees horizontally and 270 degrees vertically (the screen nests into the camera’s back deck when not in use and opens out like a book when needed). Once the screen is deployed it can be tilted/swiveled through a full 360 degrees (allowing it to be used as a waist level finder, pointed toward the front of the camera for self portraits, tilted downward for over the crowd shots), or used in the traditional position.
The A620's LCD screen images are bright, color correct, and fluid. It automatically boosts gain in dim/low light and provides a very useful playback histogram display that converts the image area into a graphic representation of the composition -- making it easy for users to spot (and re-shoot) under or over exposure.
Zoom Lens
The A620 features a 7.3mm - 29.2 mm (35-140mm in 35mm equivalent) 4X design based on the optic used in Canon’s Flagship G6 model. The f2.8-f4.1 all glass (8 elements in 7 groups with two aspherical elements) optic is a bit slower than the G6’s f2.0 zoom, but otherwise performance is very similar. When the A620 is powered up the lens extends automatically and when the camera is powered down the zoom is fully retracted into the camera body and a built in lens cover closes to protect it.
The A620's macro performance is quite good with excellent close-up resolution (minimum focusing distance in macro mode is just over 2 inches) and fairly even flash coverage, more than sufficient for in your face bugs and pollen dusted flowers shots.
The A620's zoom isn't threaded for filters or add on lenses, but users can (after purchasing the optional adapter) mount auxiliary wide-angle or telephoto lenses and inexpensive 58mm filters.
This zoom displays some barely visible corner softness and negligible barrel distortion at the wide-angle end of the range, but pincushion distortion is well controlled at the telephoto end of the zoom. "G" model zooms have been criticized for slightly above average chromatic aberration (purple fringing), but this problem seems largely absent from the A620's zoom. The A620's zoom lens is relatively fast and fairly quiet and images are consistently sharp with balanced contrast and accurate colors.
Auto Focus
The A620 features the same TTL Contrast Detection 9-point AiAF (Advanced intelligent Auto Focus) system as its predecessor. In all automatic exposure modes the A620 defaults to the AiAF system which analyzes the scene in front of the camera and then calculates camera to subject distance to determine which of the 9 AF points is closest to the primary subject and then the A620 automatically locks focus on that AF point (closest subject priority), even when the subject is not centered in the viewfinder. Users can also select a specific AF point or turn off the AiAF and default to the center focus point for portraits or traditional landscapes.
In aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual modes, the A620 provides Flexizone AF, which permits users to select a single focusing point and manually shift that AF point around in the frame for maximum creative control. AF performance is fast, accurate, and consistently above average.
In low light the focus assist beam helps to illuminate the subject for more accurate focusing.
Manual Focus
the A620 permits users to focus manually. The process is a bit cumbersome, but it does provide users with more control when critical focusing is important. In MF mode a distance scale is provided (on the LCD screen) to indicate approximate distances and the center of the LCD is enlarged 2X to ensure accurate focusing.
Flash
The A620's built-in multi mode flash allows users a bit more power than standard P&S flash units. Flash options include: Auto (fires when needed), On (fill flash), Red-Eye Reduction, Slow-synch (in Night Scene Mode), and off. Canon claims the maximum flash range is 15-18 feet, which seems to be a fairly accurate assessment (based on my limited use). The A620 also provides limited flash compensation capability via the flash output setting (low, medium, or high). The A620's flash is noticeably better than average. There is no hot shoe for external flash units, but Canon's optional HF-DC1 slave flash unit provides users with an enhanced slate of external lighting options. Overall, the A620's built-in flash does a slightly better than average job, but (due to flash position relative to the lens) redeye will be a consistent problem.
Memory Media
The A620 saves images to SD/MMC cards.
Connectivity
USB 2.0, A/V out, and DC in (with optional AC Adaptor).
Power
The A520's power management was very impressive, but the A620 actually seems to do a better job (Canon claims power management is improved by 35 per cent). My friend and I used the A620 through a weekend of fairly heavy shooting with four 2300 mAh rechargeable AA batteries (continuous LCD use, occasional flash, and heavy review) without running out of juice. The A620 should be good for 300-350 (Canon claims 500) exposures (continuous LCD and occasional flash use) with high capacity rechargeable AA's and 100-150 exposures (continuous LCD and occasional flash use) with over the counter alkalines, however mileage may vary substantially --dependant on individual shooting style.
EXPOSURE
The A620 has a remarkably simple and highly sophisticated auto exposure system that efficiently places image capture, basic camera operation, auto white balance, image compression, the AF system, gain, power management, and most other important camera functions under the control of the high speed DIGIC II processor. This provides an amazing range of auto exposure options including Auto (Point and Shoot mode), Program (Auto exposure with user input), and Scene modes (Snow, Beach, Indoor, Foliage, Fireworks, Landscape, Underwater, Kids & pets, and Night scene).
Manual Exposure Modes
Unlike much of its competition, the A620 provides a full range of manual exposure options, including Aperture Priority mode, Shutter Priority mode, and full manual mode.
Movie Mode
Users can record video clips (with audio) at 640x480 @ 30 fps with duration limited only by SD card capacity. The A620 can also record up to 60 seconds of fast frame rate QVGA (60 fps) video clips and several lower resolution video options. The A620 also provides a voice-notation mode so users can add audio notes to their still pictures.
Metering
The A620's default evaluative metering system is consistently accurate in all but the most difficult lighting. Neophyte photographers won't have to worry about metering at all (as long as they stay in Auto mode) and more experienced photographers can opt for either Spot metering or Center-weighted metering for more demanding/creative compositions.
When Spot metering is enabled, the metering spot can be set to the center of the frame or linked to the active Flexizone AF point, allowing the photographer to meter on the spot location that coincides with the most important element of the composition and link the camera's AF system to that same spot---a really nifty and very useful creative option.
White Balance
The A620 provides experienced users with more white balance options than most currently available consumer digicams. WB settings include TTL Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Underwater, and a custom (manual) mode that allows savvy shooters to use a white card (or white wall or ceiling) to insure accurate color. The A520 had a consistent but very minor warmish colorcast. I didn't notice warmer than average colors when I reviewed the images we’d shot with the A620, so apparently Canon has corrected this minor problem.
Sensitivity
TTL Auto & 50, 100, 200, or 400 ISO (35mm equivalent)
In-Camera Image Adjustment
The A620's Photo Effects mode allows shooters to select vivid or neutral color saturation, low sharpening, and sepia or B&W tonal effects. The My Colors mode permits users to adjust color balance or swap one color for another. The A620's Exposure Compensation mode allows users to adjust exposure from +2 EV to מ EV in 1/3 EV increments.
CONTROLS, DESIGN, ENGINEERING, & ERGONOMICS
The A620 is a sleek, stylish, well designed, and relatively compact digital camera. The DIGIC II processor improves operational speed, AF speed, image processing speed, and power management while enhancing sharpness, dynamic range, and color. The A620's body is constructed of a durable combination of metal and polycarbonate with a comfortable (and slightly enlarged) grip on the right hand side of the camera’s front. A series Canon's are justly famous for their sensible control layouts and the A620 continues that tradition. All controls are logically placed and all shooting functions are easily accessed. Experienced photographers will have no problem using the camera right out of the box and beginners will be able to shoot consistently excellent images after only a quick scan of the user’s manual.
Technical Specifications
Resolution: 7 Megapixels
Viewfinders: 2.0” fold out camcorder style tilt-swivel TFT LCD and Real Image zooming optical viewfinder
Zoom: 7.3mm - 29.2 mm (35-140mm --35mm equivalent) f2.8-f4.1 (8 elements in 7 groups with two aspherical elements) all glass zoom
Auto Focus: 9 AF point AiAF
Manual Focus: Yes
Flash: Built-in Multi-mode
Exposure: Auto, Program, Scene modes, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual mode, and Movie mode
Metering: Evaluative, Center-weighted, & Spot
Exposure compensation: Yes +/- 2 EV in 1/3 EV increments
White balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash, & Custom
Sensitivity: Auto, 50, 100, 200, & 400 ISO (35mm equivalent)
Image Storage Media: SD/MMC
Connectivity: USB 2.0, AV/out, & DC in
Power: 4 AA batteries
Street price range $399.00--$369.00
Included
32MB SD card, 2 AA Alkaline batteries, wrist strap, USB & AV cables, software CD's, user’s and software manuals.
Optional
Lens Adapter, supplemental lenses (wide, macro, & Tele), NiMH rechargeable batteries and charger, Waterproof case, HF-DC1 external flash unit, and soft camera case.
In the Field/Handling & Operation
I have an old friend who sells new and used (digital and analog) cameras and photo equipment. He and I both enjoy playing with new digital cameras, so as soon as he got his hands on Canon’s nifty new 7 megapixel A620 he stopped by (on a recent Saturday afternoon) to see if I wanted to help him put the A620 through its paces, in the field. The first thing we did was our standard color test.
We use a homemade macro stage and a selection of brightly colored (red, green, yellow, blue, and purple) plastic children’s beach toys arrayed on a white background. This test allows us to check color accuracy and the precision of the camera’s white balance system (and compare the results from camera to camera). The A620 did an outstanding job, all colors were bright, well saturated, and quite. The A620's white balance system is one of the best I’ve seen on any P&S digicam.
For our first outing with the A620 we drove over to Bowman Field for the Adam Mathew’s Cheesecake Balloon Festival. The annual Balloon Fest is one of the surest signs that summer is over here in Louisville. The AMCBF draws entries from all over the mid-west and upper south and this year’s festival pulled in more than 90 hot air balloons. Like most outdoor events in and around the Derby City the AMCBF crowd was an eclectic mix of noisy children, hyper-active dogs, cruising teens, hipsters, oldsters, and legions of folding lawn chair and spread blanket spectators. Just as it began to get dark, flight crews started inflating the balloons with large fans. Once the balloons are semi inflated the crews use propane burners to heat the air inside the balloons. The burners make the huge colorful balloons glow against the dark night sky like gigantic multi colored light bulbs. Multiply that visual by about 90 balloons and you’ll have a pretty good idea of the photographic opportunities available at a balloon glow.
A huge crowd showed up for the balloon glow even though it was a bit windy (thanks to Hurricane Rita). What really sets the Adam Mathews Cheesecake Balloon Festival apart is that spectators are allowed unfettered access to the balloons. Photographers (even with a 3X zoom) can get up close, talk to the crews, and shoot pretty much anything they like. This provides the opportunity to shoot some absolutely stunning color images of the balloon crews (in silhouette) surrounded by frame filling glowing colorful balloons, but the burners only light up for a couple of seconds at a time so it can be difficult to time exactly when to trip the shutter. We spent several hours shooting some of the most interesting fest fans and dozens of glowing balloons before calling it a night and sneaking out before the party was over.
Sunday morning was dark and gray with off and on rain, but we headed for Cherokee Park anyway. We wanted to shoot some Eliot Porter style intimate landscapes along the scenic loop that runs through the park. We found a favorite old stump that sits right alongside Beargrass Creek, just a few yards off the roadway. On the shady side of the stump is a thick matt of dark green moss and on the sunny side a large triangle shaped patch of Oak Shelf fungus. We've shot this old stump before, but it is always a challenge to find it again. The light was fairly dim under the trees and the heavy overcast and that provided a perfect opportunity to check out the A620’s low light capabilities. Both of us noticed that the A620 seems to perform better in dim light than the A95, but noise (noise in the darker areas of our images was obvious enough to be objectionable) is still too high at the ISO 400 sensitivity setting – although it wasn’t as bad as we’d expected.
After we finished up at the park we took a break at the Twig & Leaf Restaurant. The Twig & Leaf is a fifties style diner (booths along the walls and rotating stools lining the counter) and when you step through the door of this old Highlands joint it’s like you’ve stepped into some sort of a time warp. The menu is heavy on grilled and fried comfort foods and the ambience is straight up blue-collar cool. We grabbed a booth in back and ordered a coffee and a coke. We took turns sneaking shots of our fellow diners (by placing the camera at the edge of our table on a folded newspaper and using the LCD screen to frame our shots).
PERFORMANCE
Image Quality
After we finished up at the Twig & Leaf we reviewed everything we’d shot (on a 19" NEC CRT monitor). We really put the A620 through its paces (from full Auto to full Manual) and it delivered, no matter what we asked it to do. We both felt the outdoor images were consistently well exposed, the color was excellent, and the overall image quality was as good or better than any comparable P&S digicam either of us have used to date.
Images shot at ISO 50 looked best, with extremely low noise levels – ISO 100 images are also very very good. At the ISO 200 setting noise levels begin to rise a bit, but not too objectionably. The A620's ISO 400 images are much too noisy.
The A620's reds are a bit warm and its blues are a little bright, but most casual/amateur photographers probably won’t consider this a fault. All images showed balanced contrast, excellent shadow/highlight detail, and sharp resolution. We did notice some minor chromatic aberration (in high contrast color transition areas, especially at maximum aperture) in a couple of shots, but overall the A620's images looked great.
Shutter Lag/Timing
The A95 was a very fast digital camera, equal to or faster than any other camera in its class and faster than many more expensive cameras and so was the A520. Canon says the A620 is faster yet and from my own (admittedly subjective) experience that claim seems well founded. Start up time is less than two seconds, which is pretty quick for a digicam that must extend its zoom. Shutter lag shouldn’t be a problem for most shooters; shutter fire is essentially real time once focus is achieved. AF speed is quite impressive, typically less than one second, and almost "real time" with pre-focus. Shot-to-shot times are noticeably quicker than average due to the new DIGIC II image processor and low light focusing is clearly faster than it was with the A95.
A Few Concerns
The A620 isn't a perfect digicam (I would have liked a 2.5" LCD screen), but it is as close as it gets at this moment in time. ISO 400 images are much too noisy, but that isn’t really too surprising since crowding more than 7 million pixels onto a 1/1.8" CCD sensor is bound to increase image noise. Redeye may cause some heartburn for dedicated portrait shooters, but the A620 isn't any worse in this regard than its competition. The zoom exhibits some minor barrel distortion at the wide-angle end of the zoom range and there is some noticeable chromatic aberration in high contrast color transition areas, but those faults are pretty much par for the course (to a lesser or greater degree) with all P&S digicams.
Who is the A620 best suited for?
The A620 is a super choice for photographers just making the jump to digital and it will also do a first rate job as the primary family camera. It is an excellent choice for travelers who want a tough lightweight "go anywhere" digital camera that will allow them to record their adventures and beginning photographers who want a digital camera that they can "grow into" as their photographic capabilities evolve.
Conclusion
Canon’s "A" series digital cameras have always provided consumers with impressive ease of use, exceptional performance, excellent image quality, and "best in class" bang for the buck. The A620 continues this tradition by creatively mixing innovative engineering with proven components. A620 purchasers get "G" series features and performance without giving up "A" series practicality and value. At this point in time, the nifty little A620 is just about as good as it gets, an almost ideal general use digital camera that will appeal to everyone from beginners and casual shooters to advanced amateurs.
A Final Note
The Holiday Season is just over the horizon and high dollar electronics are often discounted heavily during this time of the year. Expect the A620 to drop to around $350.00 by Thanksgiving and maybe even a bit further (depending on the economy) as Christmas approaches.
Don't need 7 megapixels? Prices on the remaining stocks of A95 and A520 models should drop nicely now that the A620 is available.
Links
If you would like to see a selection of images that are very similar to and typical of the sort of test pictures I shoot for my epinions digital camera reviews, click on the first link under Favorite Links on my profile page (to get to my EPS profile page from this review, just click on my name under about the author). The Favorite Links link will take you to my forum page at DCR. Click on the “find all posts by Howard Creech (under Forum Info). My DCR reviews each feature a selection of my images.
The observations, opinions, recommendations, and conclusions provided in my digital camera reviews are based on more than 30 years experience as a photographer and extensive hands on testing of each of the cameras reviewed. I receive no compensation from DCR.com for your visit or any subsequent purchase you may make. You can return to epinions at any time (either open the link in a new window or hit your back button). The Canon Powershot SD500 and the Canon Powershot A520 posts were submitted as text only reviews and the images that illustrate those two posts were shot by a DCR.com staffer.
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