Отзывы о Фотоаппарат Canon PowerShot A720 IS
555 отзывов пользователей o Canon PowerShot A720 IS
Пользовались
Canon PowerShot A720 IS?
Поделитесь своим опытом и помогите другим сделать правильный выбор
Скроменый эксперт
26.09.2010
6/10
Оценка пользователя
Плохо
Pros:
Intuitive functionality, easy to see LCD
Cons:
Slow to dump pic to memory card - missed many pictures because camera is unavailable during this time. This can be overcome by half depressing button but this isn't very practical. Extremely poor night shots and response time. struggles to focus in low light.
This model seems to be popular but I'll be shopping for a different model/brand.
Intuitive functionality, easy to see LCD
Cons:
Slow to dump pic to memory card - missed many pictures because camera is unavailable during this time. This can be overcome by half depressing button but this isn't very practical. Extremely poor night shots and response time. struggles to focus in low light.
This model seems to be popular but I'll be shopping for a different model/brand.
Скроменый эксперт
13.11.2010
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
I needed the cards for an important trip and they arrived the next day after I ordered them. They were exactly what I needed and in plenty of time for my trip.
Скроменый эксперт
04.10.2007
8/10
Оценка пользователя
Хорошо
The Canon PowerShot A720IS is an interesting beast as it doesn't seem to have particularly good or bad qualities. It takes pleasant pictures with good clarity and color, and the rich feature-set will satisfy both novice and experienced photographers, but in the end, this camera feels uninspired and amorphous. It's not as small or sleek as Canon's Digital ELPH series (SD Series), nor does it have the imaging abilities of the G series or the absolute zoom capabilities of the S series. If you could take all of Canon's consumer digital cameras (minus the DSLR's) and roll them up into a single camera, it would be very similar to the A720. This camera isn't anything exceptional, but it is very functional.
With that said, this is one of the better budget cameras I've used. With various scene modes and full manual controls, it can grow with you as your skills improve, assuming you spend the time to learn how to use it. This camera works as an acceptable point-and-shoot in the program mode, but when you start playing with the manual controls, great low light and macro shots become possible. Some noteworthy elements of this camera are its excellent video mode (30fps 640x480 resolution), 6x optical zoom, and use of standard AA batteries. The flash is also pretty good and in the right mode, the camera will automatically adjust the flash's brightness.
Digital Noise has been getting better throughout the years and with the new A720, you can pretty much use up to ISO200 without having to worry about noise. Although the camera supports higher ISO settings, anything above 200 will start to become very noticeably grainy. At ISO80, the pictures are just beautifully smooth.
This camera performs exceptionally well outdoors on a sunny day, or in places where there are generous amounts of bright light - the picture quality in these situations can rival cameras costing twice as much! Unfortunately, this performance noticeably diminishes in challenging lighting situations such as those encountered on a hike in the woods. There, the overall level of light is lower but there are now very high contrast zones (such as sunlight peeking through the tree branches). Under these circumstances, the picture's colors become muted and flat with a tinge of blue. Also, under challenging lighting conditions, it's very easy to get blurry or over/underexposed shots. (You can fix the color issue by adjusting the camera's "White Balance", and you can help the over/underexposed shots by adjusting the "Metering Mode")
In my opinion, the built-in image stabilization works, but it isn't terribly effective. IS cameras can't perform miracles - they can only compensate a little bit for camera shake, so blurry pictures will remain a reality. Observing the proper shooting posture and holding your breath is much more effective - many digital camera users extend both arms to hold the camera, which is an inherently unstable position. It's much more stable to hold the camera up to your face and use the viewfinder! There are a number of things you can do to fight blur besides relying on image stabilization, including: zooming out, using a higher ISO, increasing shutter speed, and opening up the aperture (make the F number smaller). Keep in mind that to effectively use this camera's 6x zoom, you'll either need a tripod or some other stable surface to put the camera on.
The camera feels lightweight but sturdy, and is small enough to fit inside a large pocket. Although it is bulkier than the Digital ELPH series, with the A720, I can grip it firmly with both hands for steadier shooting.
I didn't have too many complaints about this camera except that it's sluggish at times (especially when the flash is turned on), but power-on to first shot times are respectable. Another problem is that the built-in viewfinder is off-center and only shows about 70% of the scene, making fine compositions a very challenging task. In the end, this is a great camera and you get a lot for the money.
With that said, this is one of the better budget cameras I've used. With various scene modes and full manual controls, it can grow with you as your skills improve, assuming you spend the time to learn how to use it. This camera works as an acceptable point-and-shoot in the program mode, but when you start playing with the manual controls, great low light and macro shots become possible. Some noteworthy elements of this camera are its excellent video mode (30fps 640x480 resolution), 6x optical zoom, and use of standard AA batteries. The flash is also pretty good and in the right mode, the camera will automatically adjust the flash's brightness.
Digital Noise has been getting better throughout the years and with the new A720, you can pretty much use up to ISO200 without having to worry about noise. Although the camera supports higher ISO settings, anything above 200 will start to become very noticeably grainy. At ISO80, the pictures are just beautifully smooth.
This camera performs exceptionally well outdoors on a sunny day, or in places where there are generous amounts of bright light - the picture quality in these situations can rival cameras costing twice as much! Unfortunately, this performance noticeably diminishes in challenging lighting situations such as those encountered on a hike in the woods. There, the overall level of light is lower but there are now very high contrast zones (such as sunlight peeking through the tree branches). Under these circumstances, the picture's colors become muted and flat with a tinge of blue. Also, under challenging lighting conditions, it's very easy to get blurry or over/underexposed shots. (You can fix the color issue by adjusting the camera's "White Balance", and you can help the over/underexposed shots by adjusting the "Metering Mode")
In my opinion, the built-in image stabilization works, but it isn't terribly effective. IS cameras can't perform miracles - they can only compensate a little bit for camera shake, so blurry pictures will remain a reality. Observing the proper shooting posture and holding your breath is much more effective - many digital camera users extend both arms to hold the camera, which is an inherently unstable position. It's much more stable to hold the camera up to your face and use the viewfinder! There are a number of things you can do to fight blur besides relying on image stabilization, including: zooming out, using a higher ISO, increasing shutter speed, and opening up the aperture (make the F number smaller). Keep in mind that to effectively use this camera's 6x zoom, you'll either need a tripod or some other stable surface to put the camera on.
The camera feels lightweight but sturdy, and is small enough to fit inside a large pocket. Although it is bulkier than the Digital ELPH series, with the A720, I can grip it firmly with both hands for steadier shooting.
I didn't have too many complaints about this camera except that it's sluggish at times (especially when the flash is turned on), but power-on to first shot times are respectable. Another problem is that the built-in viewfinder is off-center and only shows about 70% of the scene, making fine compositions a very challenging task. In the end, this is a great camera and you get a lot for the money.
Скроменый эксперт
17.12.2009
8/10
Оценка пользователя
Хорошо
Bought this for my wife and she loves it. We bought this to replace a much more expensive Minolta Digital (now owned by Sony) that ate batteries like crazy.
We bought the 2 gig card and carrying case that straps to a belt if you want.
Camera takes good pictures not great pictures like you would have from the bigger 35 mm digitals.
Its small but has a lot of features that the cheaper point and shoot digitals do not have. This also means you need to know a little more about the camera to use all those functions. Yes it does point and shoot if you want to do just that but i would spend less and buy a simpler digital if thats what you wish to do.
Very impressed with battery life. It uses AA's and we only buy the rechargeables. A typical half day at the zoo and hundreds of pictures will not run the two batteries down. I mention this because battery life is a crapshoot with digital camera's and if you get one that eats them up you need to carry a lot of replacements with you.
We like it due to its small size. I just don't care to have that big digital camera around my neck all day long and taking a camera bag with me.
When traveling we take a recharger with us so we always have fresh batteries on hand.
We bought the 2 gig card and carrying case that straps to a belt if you want.
Camera takes good pictures not great pictures like you would have from the bigger 35 mm digitals.
Its small but has a lot of features that the cheaper point and shoot digitals do not have. This also means you need to know a little more about the camera to use all those functions. Yes it does point and shoot if you want to do just that but i would spend less and buy a simpler digital if thats what you wish to do.
Very impressed with battery life. It uses AA's and we only buy the rechargeables. A typical half day at the zoo and hundreds of pictures will not run the two batteries down. I mention this because battery life is a crapshoot with digital camera's and if you get one that eats them up you need to carry a lot of replacements with you.
We like it due to its small size. I just don't care to have that big digital camera around my neck all day long and taking a camera bag with me.
When traveling we take a recharger with us so we always have fresh batteries on hand.
Скроменый эксперт
18.06.2010
8/10
Оценка пользователя
Хорошо
I returned this product because of shutter lag & not really enough zoom for me. The seller was more than helpful & accomodating. I bought a Canon SX210IS. It has just as much shutter lag. At any zoom over 10x you need a tripod - which is difficult on any trip moving with a group. BUT MOST important is the lack of viewfinder!! It is dramatic how many photos are out of focus for lack of ability to steady camera against one's head. etc etc
Скроменый эксперт
20.12.2007
8/10
Оценка пользователя
Хорошо
All in all a pretty good camera with nice features, however there are a couple of things that really bother me. One is the sensitivity to any subject area that has artificial lighting on it. I was shooting my family (not with a gun:-) in our family room. We have white paneled walls with tall plants in front of them. I was taking shots fairly close up with my subject filling about 50% of the frame, with the flash on, and the recessed ceiling lighting, that illuminates the white walls, was flaring the wall terribly (even through all the plants) on every shot. Although the flash illuminated the subject very nicely, the background looked terrible. So the camera is far too sensitive to all bounced light, except for that coming off the flash. I then switched to the camera's manual mode, with aperture priority, and kept clicking down until I was able to negate the background flare but then my subject started getting too dark, even though there was plenty of ambient light to illuminate the scene.
I also notice that when I try to shoot "product stills" with studio lighting (softbox diffusers on elevated stands) it is very difficult to control the flaring of the image (over exposure where the light source reflects off the object). It is too bad that digital cameras can not come close to delivering "what you see is what you get". At least with film, it delivers pretty much what your eye can detect through the view finder. But with digital, the subject may look just fine to the naked eye, but the camera sees it different, and when you take the shot, light sources of all kinds "burn out" the subject with overexposure on important surfaces of the subject matter, washing out color saturation. This does not usually happen when you are in flash mode but it is much more difficult to create "mood shots" with digital. And when you are in flash mode, you can't eliminate the very distracting hard shadows created on surfaces behind your subject, with the flash on.
The other thing that is troublesome, is that although the camera has image stabilization, I was very surprised to see so many shots that blurred, when the subject moved their head. I know that shutter speed is a critical element here but I have not yet figured out why so many of my shots are being thrown away as a result of trying to shoot without the flash in well lit rooms.
Another word of advice. Do not use regular AA batteries. I made the mistake of taking four spare AA batteries with me when I drove the kids around to see and photograph Christmas lights. I was shocked to see that after only a handful of shots, the camera demanded fresh batteries, and I burned through my first 2 plus the 4 spares after only about 10-15 photos. Be sure to buy the rechargeables with a rating of 2100 mAH or higher so that you can shoot a lot without disappointment and have backups with you at all times that can handle the high drain of the camera. I can't imagine buying a camera that has batteries that are not AA because that would get to be a very expensive problem. It is nice that Canon uses AA's but be sure you spend the money on the rechargeable AA's with the high mAH rating, which is essentially the amount of juice the battery will store for use before it needs recharging. You want to be close to or above 2000. It will say on the retail packaging what the rating is. If it is not on the outside of the package, try to see if you can see it on the side of the battery itself (usually is printed there).
I also notice that when I try to shoot "product stills" with studio lighting (softbox diffusers on elevated stands) it is very difficult to control the flaring of the image (over exposure where the light source reflects off the object). It is too bad that digital cameras can not come close to delivering "what you see is what you get". At least with film, it delivers pretty much what your eye can detect through the view finder. But with digital, the subject may look just fine to the naked eye, but the camera sees it different, and when you take the shot, light sources of all kinds "burn out" the subject with overexposure on important surfaces of the subject matter, washing out color saturation. This does not usually happen when you are in flash mode but it is much more difficult to create "mood shots" with digital. And when you are in flash mode, you can't eliminate the very distracting hard shadows created on surfaces behind your subject, with the flash on.
The other thing that is troublesome, is that although the camera has image stabilization, I was very surprised to see so many shots that blurred, when the subject moved their head. I know that shutter speed is a critical element here but I have not yet figured out why so many of my shots are being thrown away as a result of trying to shoot without the flash in well lit rooms.
Another word of advice. Do not use regular AA batteries. I made the mistake of taking four spare AA batteries with me when I drove the kids around to see and photograph Christmas lights. I was shocked to see that after only a handful of shots, the camera demanded fresh batteries, and I burned through my first 2 plus the 4 spares after only about 10-15 photos. Be sure to buy the rechargeables with a rating of 2100 mAH or higher so that you can shoot a lot without disappointment and have backups with you at all times that can handle the high drain of the camera. I can't imagine buying a camera that has batteries that are not AA because that would get to be a very expensive problem. It is nice that Canon uses AA's but be sure you spend the money on the rechargeable AA's with the high mAH rating, which is essentially the amount of juice the battery will store for use before it needs recharging. You want to be close to or above 2000. It will say on the retail packaging what the rating is. If it is not on the outside of the package, try to see if you can see it on the side of the battery itself (usually is printed there).
Скроменый эксперт
25.07.2010
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
I was very satisfied with this recent purchase. The camera was in even better condition than I had imagined. The entire transaction went extremely smoothly.
Скроменый эксперт
30.06.2009
8/10
Оценка пользователя
Хорошо
My camera experience goes back...ummmm... a lot of years- all with 35mm film cameras. I decided I should join the user group for digital cameras last yr. I done my homework between the features I wanted in a camera, what was available and what I could afford. The only choice was the Canon A720. It features 8 MP on to a SD card, a 6x zoom (a lot of others topped out at 3x), a 2½" LCD, a Viewfinder- so you don't have to stretch out your arms to see the display while taking a picture, it has image stabilization to allow shake free photos, an optional filter adapter to allow the use of a filter on the end of the lens, and in general a good fit/feel while in use. It's light enough to carry on a strap around my neck. It uses 2 AA batteries. I've shot 300 pictures on a set without having them go dead on me. A tripod socket on the underside rounds out the features I was looking for. A couple downsides I can live with- such as; no hot shoe for a (better) flash, and a viewfinder that doesn't show all that will appear in the actual shot. It's a shame that Canon stopped making this camera although you can find them at a price. They upped the megapixel count to 10 but cut the zoom to 4x on a current model that could be it's younger brother. This is a very well featured camera for the price and should be considered a step up from the point and shoot pocket digitals a lot of people have now.
Скроменый эксперт
28.12.2009
4/10
Оценка пользователя
Ужасно
A big part of why I bought this is because it took standard AA batteries--and on a trip I wanted to be able to get the ones at the hotel gift shop and not run out to a camera/battery speciality store. The only problem is that it sucks the life out of batteries. If you try to use akaline AA batteries you will get a low battery reading right when you turn it on. We have had to purchase expensive rechargeable NIMH batteries and the battery life is still unsat. And...I have missed many photos because the batteries are dead again. The previous Canon camera we had took 4 AA batteries, but it worked. The savings in bulk isn't worth it if you miss the photo! Now we bought a second camera that uses the specialized camera batteries I had hoped to avoid.
Скроменый эксперт
15.12.2009
4/10
Оценка пользователя
Ужасно
The camera would not turn on out of the box. It was sent to the Canon repair center and returned in about three weeks. I then took about 20 pictures before it would not turn on again. All the while it was using up the batteries that were in it but none of the functions worked. It was sent in again and then sent in again a year later. The third time it was sent in they wanted $89.00 to fix the same problem they had not fixed the two previous times. I called customer service and was told that they would not fix the camera because by that time the camera was out of warranty. Be warned, if you have any problems with a new Canon product - insist on a new replacement because they DO NOT STAND BY THEIR PRODUCTS.
Скроменый эксперт
23.05.2008
8/10
Оценка пользователя
Хорошо
I have a Nikon DSLR camera and love it, but it is large. I wanted a camera that I could take traveling with me, to friend's houses, to parties, etc that was a little more portable. I have a Panasonic DMC-TZ3 which takes excellent outdoor photos, but the indoor ones are terrible. I wanted good quality indoor and outdoor photos, but did not want to pay too much.
PROS:
1. Good quality outdoor and indoor photos.The outdoor photos weren't quite as good as the Panasonic (when compared side by side), but you'd never know it if you were just looking at the Canon shots. They are very good and I am happy with them. The indoor shots are miles better than the Panasonic and really quite good too (but obviously not as good as the Nikon DSLR). I was impressed. The color balance and brightness quality is right on.
2. I love the auto red eye correction feature. Very useful.
3. I found that that Auto setting is just about right for all situations. I don't really have to worry about changing the settings for various situations.
4. I LOVE that you can zoom in/out while taking a movie!
5. The movie quality is great - the video recording not quite as good as my Panasonic, but the audio recording is much better.
6. I like that it records movies as AVI files.
CONS/WISHES:
1. I wish it has a battery level indicator on the LCD.
2. The MAIN PROBLEM (which is really very annoying actually): As everyone else mentions - the recharge time is almost unbearable. It is worse than my 7 year old Sony cybershot. After a weekend of taking photos (the batteries are on the low end) I have to wait a full 10 seconds before being able to take another photo. Count to 10 slowly - that is a long time!
NOTES:
1. I took 160 photos and 6 movies over the course of a 4 day vacation on the two batteries. They aren't dead yet, but I did get a battery low warning.
2. A number of indoor shots were blurry though (like I took 6 pictures of the same two people in the same position, and 3 of them were blurry). Weird. Could be due to taking the photos when the batteries were low or the auto focus just focused on the wrong subject (I will have to experiment more with the various auto focus options).
OVERALL:
I wouldn't pay $250-$300 for this camera (which is why I didn't stick with the other Canon's I tested, the 870IS, 850, 750), but I would happily pay $170 for this camera (which I did). It is definitely worth it. It's a great cheap camera. And you can even get an underwater case for it! I am curious to try it out while snorkeling.
PROS:
1. Good quality outdoor and indoor photos.The outdoor photos weren't quite as good as the Panasonic (when compared side by side), but you'd never know it if you were just looking at the Canon shots. They are very good and I am happy with them. The indoor shots are miles better than the Panasonic and really quite good too (but obviously not as good as the Nikon DSLR). I was impressed. The color balance and brightness quality is right on.
2. I love the auto red eye correction feature. Very useful.
3. I found that that Auto setting is just about right for all situations. I don't really have to worry about changing the settings for various situations.
4. I LOVE that you can zoom in/out while taking a movie!
5. The movie quality is great - the video recording not quite as good as my Panasonic, but the audio recording is much better.
6. I like that it records movies as AVI files.
CONS/WISHES:
1. I wish it has a battery level indicator on the LCD.
2. The MAIN PROBLEM (which is really very annoying actually): As everyone else mentions - the recharge time is almost unbearable. It is worse than my 7 year old Sony cybershot. After a weekend of taking photos (the batteries are on the low end) I have to wait a full 10 seconds before being able to take another photo. Count to 10 slowly - that is a long time!
NOTES:
1. I took 160 photos and 6 movies over the course of a 4 day vacation on the two batteries. They aren't dead yet, but I did get a battery low warning.
2. A number of indoor shots were blurry though (like I took 6 pictures of the same two people in the same position, and 3 of them were blurry). Weird. Could be due to taking the photos when the batteries were low or the auto focus just focused on the wrong subject (I will have to experiment more with the various auto focus options).
OVERALL:
I wouldn't pay $250-$300 for this camera (which is why I didn't stick with the other Canon's I tested, the 870IS, 850, 750), but I would happily pay $170 for this camera (which I did). It is definitely worth it. It's a great cheap camera. And you can even get an underwater case for it! I am curious to try it out while snorkeling.
Скроменый эксперт
10.04.2010
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
Great value, good case, protects camera well, room for spare battery and cards. Only 1 slight problem - you have to be careful folding the strap on the camera to e able to get it inside the case, but it's a minor point, otherwise great.
Скроменый эксперт
02.01.2010
6/10
Оценка пользователя
Плохо
I was hoping for something a little more tailored for the size and shape of the camera and for necessary accessories (e.g. spare batteries, memory card), and this (including padding) is fairly chunky for a small camera. However, I'm sure the camera will be well-protected, there is room for accessories. This case will be used when doing tourist-style visits, when it can be worn over the shoulder or on a belt. For a night out, party etc. the case will be left at home, and the camera stuffed into a pocket or a hand bag.
Скроменый эксперт
13.02.2010
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
The case met all the expectations I had after having read the description on the web site. It is practical, robust, functional and the Canon G10 fits perfectly in it. You can see it was designed by somebody that really cares about cameras. The little pocket in the front can hold a spare battery and/or a second memory card.
I can recommend it to anybody
I can recommend it to anybody
Скроменый эксперт
15.10.2009
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
This camera travels everywhere with me. I have bigger and better, but they are no good if they are at home when the shot comes up. This camera uses AA batteries, is small enough to go in a purse, has a great (6x)optical zoom range, and captures wonderful quality images. Not to mention that it has been a very durable camera. It is not the smallest, but it works for me. I appreciate a camera that I can get a hold of. It also has a number of adjustments that allow artistic expression or tweeks to photographic preferences as well as a dependable fully auto point and shoot.
The A590is does just as well but has 3x optical zoom and is slightly smaller. Either one does a great job for the photographer that wants to record fun images of thier life without a lot of fuss.
The A590is does just as well but has 3x optical zoom and is slightly smaller. Either one does a great job for the photographer that wants to record fun images of thier life without a lot of fuss.
Скроменый эксперт
23.12.2007
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
I was looking for a "mom" camera to replace the not-cutting-it 7YO HP. Before I purchased, I did major research and my price cap was $200. I narrowed down to the Sony DSC80 and this Canon. I got both for comparison at a store with generous return policy (FYI Best Buy charges a fee for open box returns and Sony puts Sony tamper-proof tape on boxes).
Aside from sales and special deals, Amazon did have the best price on most of the cameras I looked at.
I wanted to like the Sony, it was smaller, very cute, and came in pink. The Canon was boxy silver boring. However when I took the comparison pictures (auto settings on both cameras), there was no comparison. The image quality was sooo much better in the Canon, at least with my limited skills and HP computer/printer.
It does seem slow between shots, but I don't remember how fast the Sony was. The old HP camera is my only point of reference and this Canon is still way faster than that. With my 5YO son, dog and cat, it seems that they are either still/posed and you have plenty of time for a second chance, or they are in motion and the fastest camera in the world won't get you a second chance. Speed was not a top priority for me, I knew at my price range, some things would be compromised.
I like having a viewfinder, but I don't trust myself with that yet. Turning off the display might speed up shots? I like that it uses a regular SD card and AA batteries have their advantages. I was worried about the battery life because the old camera ate AA batteries--the main reason I was ditching it. Thus far, battery life on the Canon has not been an issue at all, newer cameras must be better about this.
Nice surprise #1: I wasn't expecting to care about zoom, but I am glad now that I have the 6X optical. I use it a lot more than I thought I would and it looks good.
Nice surprise #2: Didn't expect to ever use the video setting, but it is very good for a few minutes of "kid in a Christmas program" footage. The quality was a very pleasant surprise.
Negative thing--I don't know if this would be different on any camera in this class. Distant still shots of my son't class in a poorly lit gym with flash, zoom and red-eye reduction resulted in strange white cataract-looking spots on many but not all of the kids' eyes. I will try turning off the Red eye reduction next time, maybe that did it. Red eye is easy to get rid of with photo software, but these white spots are a pain. I opened the photos in a paint program and zoomed in to pixel-level to get rid of them (with no idea what I am doing--takes forever), and the pictures are now acceptable. **The video footage of the same event on this camera looks just fine, so I'm glad I had it!
Overall, I'm glad I bought this camera and would recommend it. It seems like the most bang you can get for your $200. So far, I haven't messed with any of the settings (and there are plenty to keep you busy), just the Auto mode.
Aside from sales and special deals, Amazon did have the best price on most of the cameras I looked at.
I wanted to like the Sony, it was smaller, very cute, and came in pink. The Canon was boxy silver boring. However when I took the comparison pictures (auto settings on both cameras), there was no comparison. The image quality was sooo much better in the Canon, at least with my limited skills and HP computer/printer.
It does seem slow between shots, but I don't remember how fast the Sony was. The old HP camera is my only point of reference and this Canon is still way faster than that. With my 5YO son, dog and cat, it seems that they are either still/posed and you have plenty of time for a second chance, or they are in motion and the fastest camera in the world won't get you a second chance. Speed was not a top priority for me, I knew at my price range, some things would be compromised.
I like having a viewfinder, but I don't trust myself with that yet. Turning off the display might speed up shots? I like that it uses a regular SD card and AA batteries have their advantages. I was worried about the battery life because the old camera ate AA batteries--the main reason I was ditching it. Thus far, battery life on the Canon has not been an issue at all, newer cameras must be better about this.
Nice surprise #1: I wasn't expecting to care about zoom, but I am glad now that I have the 6X optical. I use it a lot more than I thought I would and it looks good.
Nice surprise #2: Didn't expect to ever use the video setting, but it is very good for a few minutes of "kid in a Christmas program" footage. The quality was a very pleasant surprise.
Negative thing--I don't know if this would be different on any camera in this class. Distant still shots of my son't class in a poorly lit gym with flash, zoom and red-eye reduction resulted in strange white cataract-looking spots on many but not all of the kids' eyes. I will try turning off the Red eye reduction next time, maybe that did it. Red eye is easy to get rid of with photo software, but these white spots are a pain. I opened the photos in a paint program and zoomed in to pixel-level to get rid of them (with no idea what I am doing--takes forever), and the pictures are now acceptable. **The video footage of the same event on this camera looks just fine, so I'm glad I had it!
Overall, I'm glad I bought this camera and would recommend it. It seems like the most bang you can get for your $200. So far, I haven't messed with any of the settings (and there are plenty to keep you busy), just the Auto mode.
Скроменый эксперт
26.02.2008
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
If you want a point-and-shoot, and want some more advanced configurations, this is your camera! I've compared it to my friends' cameras of same category, and the pictures are really better (compared to a sony w-55 and a hp r937).
When in auto mode the daylight pictures are nice, but if you don't have a strong sun, I recommend you to adjust manually the white balance in order to avoid blueish tones.
The wide variety of ISO modes (ranging from 80 to 1600) is almost useless, as above ISO400 the noise becomes unacceptable. Instead of this, I recommend the aperture/shutter time priority modes in order to get a good picture with low light conditions. Of course the results will be quite different from the dSLRs, but the pictures remain pretty good for a point-and-shoot.
The wide selection of drive modes (multiple shots, 1~10, 15, 20 or 30 seconds of delay combined with 1~10 shots) and the white balance pre-defined options are nice features.
The face detection works very well too, and the stitch assist is a plus (but you'll need to merge pictures on a computer, using software supplied... hp r937 and kodak fz812 do this automatically on the camera.. I think this is not a big problem, as probably you will take just some panoramic pictures).
The zoom controls are great, and the 6x lenses are sufficient to regular pictures where you want to highlight main subjects. The movie mode is good (but if this is very important to you, consider looking canon S5 with stereo sound)..
The battery life is awesome... if you buy 4 AA rechargeable so you'll have no problems with this... I suggest buy the duracell 2650mAh ones. I took almost 2000 thousand pictures in 1 month and I am very satisfied as I didn't recharge the batteries a lot (I think I recharged them only 5 times).
Pros:
- good manual controls for a point-and-shoot;
- great zoom and zoom controls;
- good relation between pocket-size and sensor size (1/2.5") (for me this was very important when deciding between S5 and A720)
- Nice playback and video controls .. you can jump 1, 10, 100 photos, jump to next date, or just jump to the next video...
- you can change many configurations while shooting, this is nice when you are trying to get the best exposure through minor adjustments
- good focus options
Cons:
- you can just erase one photo per time or all in one touch (sonys allow you to select 3, 4, 5... how many pictures you want and erase them with one click - without 3, 4, 5 confirmations)
- sometimes you must adjust manually the white balance when in auto mode in order to avoid blueish pictures
- flash takes much time to recharge (4~6 seconds)
thank you and sorry for my english!
When in auto mode the daylight pictures are nice, but if you don't have a strong sun, I recommend you to adjust manually the white balance in order to avoid blueish tones.
The wide variety of ISO modes (ranging from 80 to 1600) is almost useless, as above ISO400 the noise becomes unacceptable. Instead of this, I recommend the aperture/shutter time priority modes in order to get a good picture with low light conditions. Of course the results will be quite different from the dSLRs, but the pictures remain pretty good for a point-and-shoot.
The wide selection of drive modes (multiple shots, 1~10, 15, 20 or 30 seconds of delay combined with 1~10 shots) and the white balance pre-defined options are nice features.
The face detection works very well too, and the stitch assist is a plus (but you'll need to merge pictures on a computer, using software supplied... hp r937 and kodak fz812 do this automatically on the camera.. I think this is not a big problem, as probably you will take just some panoramic pictures).
The zoom controls are great, and the 6x lenses are sufficient to regular pictures where you want to highlight main subjects. The movie mode is good (but if this is very important to you, consider looking canon S5 with stereo sound)..
The battery life is awesome... if you buy 4 AA rechargeable so you'll have no problems with this... I suggest buy the duracell 2650mAh ones. I took almost 2000 thousand pictures in 1 month and I am very satisfied as I didn't recharge the batteries a lot (I think I recharged them only 5 times).
Pros:
- good manual controls for a point-and-shoot;
- great zoom and zoom controls;
- good relation between pocket-size and sensor size (1/2.5") (for me this was very important when deciding between S5 and A720)
- Nice playback and video controls .. you can jump 1, 10, 100 photos, jump to next date, or just jump to the next video...
- you can change many configurations while shooting, this is nice when you are trying to get the best exposure through minor adjustments
- good focus options
Cons:
- you can just erase one photo per time or all in one touch (sonys allow you to select 3, 4, 5... how many pictures you want and erase them with one click - without 3, 4, 5 confirmations)
- sometimes you must adjust manually the white balance when in auto mode in order to avoid blueish pictures
- flash takes much time to recharge (4~6 seconds)
thank you and sorry for my english!
Скроменый эксперт
02.08.2008
8/10
Оценка пользователя
Хорошо
I've had mine for about six months and really like it. I usually shoot with a Nikon D70 DLSR and have a bunch of lenses for that, but this little Canon is great for casual shooting. I use it for 'snap shots' of the family when it is more important to get a candid shot of the people then to have the best technical shot. It is so much smaller then a DSLR so it is much easier to travel with. The manual controls are very good, they are easy to access and cover pretty much everything you need. I often shoot in either aperture priority (Av) or shutter priority (Tv), but also sometimes shoot in either full manual or full auto.
The eight megapixels is more then I need for this kind of camera and ends up just adding noise to the images that causes anything over ISO 400 to be unusable. I keep the ISO at or below 200 when possible and get the best results at ISO 80, but ISO 400 is still usable.
There are other Canon cameras that are much smaller like the SD850 IS, but I prefer the A720 IS because of the manual features and it has a nice grip that makes hanging onto the camera easy. But the SD850 IS is a better camera for novice shooters where simplicity and small size are more important.
Another important difference between the SD850 and the A720 is that the A720 uses two AA batteries, the SD850 uses a rechargeable lithium-ion. The lithium-ion battery is much better, it takes more shots on a charge and cycles the flash much faster. The AAs cause the length of time between shots with flash to be very long. Rechargeable AA batteries work better for this then non-rechargeables, but are still not as good as lithium-ion. The best way to use either camera is to have backup batteries with you so you never run out of power.
The things that keep this camera from being five stars:
- Noisy at ISO 400 and above (this is aggravated by the excessive 8MP count)
- The manual focus does not work in macro mode, where you need it most
- Uses AA instead of Lithium-Ion (for some, this is a plus)
If you are taking snap shots and want a little extra control, this is a great camera an a better choice then a DLSR.
The eight megapixels is more then I need for this kind of camera and ends up just adding noise to the images that causes anything over ISO 400 to be unusable. I keep the ISO at or below 200 when possible and get the best results at ISO 80, but ISO 400 is still usable.
There are other Canon cameras that are much smaller like the SD850 IS, but I prefer the A720 IS because of the manual features and it has a nice grip that makes hanging onto the camera easy. But the SD850 IS is a better camera for novice shooters where simplicity and small size are more important.
Another important difference between the SD850 and the A720 is that the A720 uses two AA batteries, the SD850 uses a rechargeable lithium-ion. The lithium-ion battery is much better, it takes more shots on a charge and cycles the flash much faster. The AAs cause the length of time between shots with flash to be very long. Rechargeable AA batteries work better for this then non-rechargeables, but are still not as good as lithium-ion. The best way to use either camera is to have backup batteries with you so you never run out of power.
The things that keep this camera from being five stars:
- Noisy at ISO 400 and above (this is aggravated by the excessive 8MP count)
- The manual focus does not work in macro mode, where you need it most
- Uses AA instead of Lithium-Ion (for some, this is a plus)
If you are taking snap shots and want a little extra control, this is a great camera an a better choice then a DLSR.
Скроменый эксперт
03.01.2008
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
I was a professional photographer for over 25 years using many different film camera formats. I no longer work as a photographer, but still like taking pictures. Especially on holiday or when flying my paraglider. About 4 years ago I bought my first digital camera. It was the Canon A70. I bought it because it did everything including most importantly shooting in manual mode and being able to have good control over the flash output. I also liked the shape of the camera as it had a good grip making it easy to shoot one handed. That was especially important to me when taking photos while flying.
Over the last couple years I was starting to think that I wanted a more far reaching lens and higher resolution. I didn't want to go over 10mp though as cameras of that or higher resolution caused colour fringeing. I looked at many cameras. But none except the Canon had all my requirements. I thought 8mp was perfect. Also the 6x optical zoom was exactly what I wanted along with full manual control. Also the movie mode is great. In essence I wanted a camera just like the A70 but better!
Having used the A70, the A720 was very easy to get to grips with. And with the auto mode anyone could start shooting pretty quickly. With a little time spent with the camera and reading the manual you will soon be using the camera intuitively.
I think the lens is very good and that's the most important part of any camera. But I find most of the shots will benefit from a very minor tweek in PhotoShop curves. This will allow a greater degree of contrast and colour saturation. I also like to sharpen them up just slightly with the unsharp mask. I try to set the camera up to do as little of the latter as possible as I like to have that control.
The movie mode is really fun. When I go out shooting I like to take a combination of stills and clips. Then instead of making prints to put in a box under the bed; I like to make little movies of say my flying holiday in the Alps by combining the stills and clips, adding music, fades and titles all done in imovie on my Mac. I then burn them to CD and mail them to family and friends. Much more impressive than a few prints I think. The fact that the A720 can shoot at 30fps over the 15fps of the A70 is a great bonus. I can see I'll need to get a DVD burner soon.
The other nice thing about this camera over the A70 is that it is a little lighter due mostly to the fact that it requires 2 batteries instead of four. I'd recommend the 2gb SD memory cards. I bought two of them. I think this will allow two weeks of holiday shooting stills and clips. For the A70 I had two 256mb cards and I generally used one per week. The A720's higher resolution I think will require the 2gb cards.
Hats off to Canon for supplying a very picky shopper with a small, light and highly specced digital camera.
Over the last couple years I was starting to think that I wanted a more far reaching lens and higher resolution. I didn't want to go over 10mp though as cameras of that or higher resolution caused colour fringeing. I looked at many cameras. But none except the Canon had all my requirements. I thought 8mp was perfect. Also the 6x optical zoom was exactly what I wanted along with full manual control. Also the movie mode is great. In essence I wanted a camera just like the A70 but better!
Having used the A70, the A720 was very easy to get to grips with. And with the auto mode anyone could start shooting pretty quickly. With a little time spent with the camera and reading the manual you will soon be using the camera intuitively.
I think the lens is very good and that's the most important part of any camera. But I find most of the shots will benefit from a very minor tweek in PhotoShop curves. This will allow a greater degree of contrast and colour saturation. I also like to sharpen them up just slightly with the unsharp mask. I try to set the camera up to do as little of the latter as possible as I like to have that control.
The movie mode is really fun. When I go out shooting I like to take a combination of stills and clips. Then instead of making prints to put in a box under the bed; I like to make little movies of say my flying holiday in the Alps by combining the stills and clips, adding music, fades and titles all done in imovie on my Mac. I then burn them to CD and mail them to family and friends. Much more impressive than a few prints I think. The fact that the A720 can shoot at 30fps over the 15fps of the A70 is a great bonus. I can see I'll need to get a DVD burner soon.
The other nice thing about this camera over the A70 is that it is a little lighter due mostly to the fact that it requires 2 batteries instead of four. I'd recommend the 2gb SD memory cards. I bought two of them. I think this will allow two weeks of holiday shooting stills and clips. For the A70 I had two 256mb cards and I generally used one per week. The A720's higher resolution I think will require the 2gb cards.
Hats off to Canon for supplying a very picky shopper with a small, light and highly specced digital camera.
Скроменый эксперт
24.10.2009
2/10
Оценка пользователя
Ужасно
My new camera, bought and used for my once-in-a-lifetime fabulous New Zealand/Australia Odyssey, has all the bells and whistles...and takes poor quality grainy pictures with "lines" across the image no matter what the setting. I thought it was my fault, but it wasn't (and still isn't.) Don't know if this is a flukey lemon in an otherwise good product line, but it doesn't matter. The damage is done and the photos can only be used as reference for sketches. I am extremely disappointed and will never buy another Canon camera.
Скроменый эксперт
10.09.2009
8/10
Оценка пользователя
Хорошо
My husband uses this camera all the time at his work, and he likes the fact that it takes AA batteries, readily available anywhere. So we got it for our first digital camera (yes, we finally joined the 21st century). I bought rechargeable batteries for it and we used those initially. Not good enough--a set would last about 10 minutes (I was ready to buy my own camera and let him keep this one!). Now we're using lithium AAs and they last much longer. So don't bother with any kind of batteries other than lithium if you purchase this camera. It does take really good pictures and is pretty easy for even a digital camera novice to figure out.
Скроменый эксперт
23.09.2009
6/10
Оценка пользователя
Плохо
Camera seems o.k., but not as good as my Canon A700 which bit the dust after no more than 5000 shots. The A700 shutter no longer closes, and two other friends have reported same problem with theirs. Because of this, I really did not want to buy another Canon. However, I could not find another reasonably priced camera with a VIEWFINDER, so I bought the A720. The housing has a cheaper feel, and the pix I have so far taken, not as rich. Latter problem might be my fault, but if it has as short a life as my last one, this will be my last Canon.
Скроменый эксперт
03.05.2008
8/10
Оценка пользователя
Хорошо
I had the oldest predecessor, the A700 for some time. I gave it to my mother and bought a S3is on sale. The S3is was very nice, but too big for my purposes. I travel a LOT and the S3is took up too much space both in my luggage and when walking around. So I sold it and got this A720is.
I enjoy the A720is very much. It is not tiny, but small enough to lug around and put in a jacket pocket. The Image Stabilization works very well, those low light pictures which were just a little fuzzy with the A700 which didn't have IS are now tack sharp.
Two AA's last a long time for me. It seems to do best with my 2700 mAH NiMH batteries. Sanyo Eneloops didn't work too well for me, not sure why, maybe their voltage drops below the cutoff point too quickly.
The image quality is quite good. I have the same complaint as always, I don't need a kazillion megapixels, I would rather have less noise and wider dynamic range than more megapixels. So really, the image quality is the same comapared to the A700, you just get more megapixels. And it does still blow out highlights, just like the A700.
I keep the ISO at 80 whenever I can. Pictures are acceptable at 100 and 200, but above that it does get very noisy. Although I'd rather have a noisy picture at 1600 than none at all, so I guess I can't complain.
What I like a lot is that this camera has many of the options a DSLR offers. You can use aperture or shutter speed priority and all manual mode. You can under and overexpose, set the white balance manually and then it has a lot of other fun options I don't use much but some may enjoy them. You can also focus manually, but it's near impossible to tell when you are in focus.
Of course there is still the flash issue. It can take upwards of 5 seconds to recharge the flash which is painful if you're trying to take another picture right away. I don't do a lot of flash photography, so it doesn't really bother me, but if you are going to take a lot of indoor kid pictures, this is probably not the camera for you.
All in all, I would highly recommend this camera. It is a great bang for the buck. You get IS, good image quality, relatively small size for not a lot of money.
I enjoy the A720is very much. It is not tiny, but small enough to lug around and put in a jacket pocket. The Image Stabilization works very well, those low light pictures which were just a little fuzzy with the A700 which didn't have IS are now tack sharp.
Two AA's last a long time for me. It seems to do best with my 2700 mAH NiMH batteries. Sanyo Eneloops didn't work too well for me, not sure why, maybe their voltage drops below the cutoff point too quickly.
The image quality is quite good. I have the same complaint as always, I don't need a kazillion megapixels, I would rather have less noise and wider dynamic range than more megapixels. So really, the image quality is the same comapared to the A700, you just get more megapixels. And it does still blow out highlights, just like the A700.
I keep the ISO at 80 whenever I can. Pictures are acceptable at 100 and 200, but above that it does get very noisy. Although I'd rather have a noisy picture at 1600 than none at all, so I guess I can't complain.
What I like a lot is that this camera has many of the options a DSLR offers. You can use aperture or shutter speed priority and all manual mode. You can under and overexpose, set the white balance manually and then it has a lot of other fun options I don't use much but some may enjoy them. You can also focus manually, but it's near impossible to tell when you are in focus.
Of course there is still the flash issue. It can take upwards of 5 seconds to recharge the flash which is painful if you're trying to take another picture right away. I don't do a lot of flash photography, so it doesn't really bother me, but if you are going to take a lot of indoor kid pictures, this is probably not the camera for you.
All in all, I would highly recommend this camera. It is a great bang for the buck. You get IS, good image quality, relatively small size for not a lot of money.
Скроменый эксперт
15.06.2008
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
I ended up not purchasing this through Amazon.com as I found it for a little less locally during a special sale. Amazon.com still has, overall, the best price (even including shipping).
I got this camera for my wife who wanted a good combination point-n-shoot and of manual control options. We researched several others in the price range and certainly the Nikon was a good competitor. But we have both used and enjoyed Canons for years and, in the end, decided to stick with Canon...mostly just so we wouldn't have to learn a different strategy for the various controls. For us, this was a good decision, as we were up-n-running with the A720IS right out of the box.
We have not used this little camera so far; haven't had a lot of time. But my wife is already pretty proficient with it having used it around the house and at the zoo. We will be on photo-safari in Kenya in a few weeks and by all of the practicing with the A720IS so far, I suspect it will be a wonderful camera companion for my wife.
The large 2.5" LCD and the optical viewfinder are great. We have used cameras without the optical viewfinders and have vowed never to have a camera with one again. The optical viewfinder on the A720IS fill the bill for us just fine. The large LCD is still completely useless in bright light situations (especially for those harsh mid-day sunny shoots...which I know we shouldn't be trying to take pictures in...but sometimes you just don't have a choice); but that is a problem with all of the contemporary point-n-shoot cameras. I recently purchased a nice bellows-style LCD hood that attaches with velcro and so far it has completely and satisfactorily solved the LCD washout issue. So, with that challenge solved, this is a great camera.
I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone looking for an inexpensive, flexible, point-n-shoot style camear...especially to anyone that would like to have the option of just about any level and type of manual control that you could want.
I got this camera for my wife who wanted a good combination point-n-shoot and of manual control options. We researched several others in the price range and certainly the Nikon was a good competitor. But we have both used and enjoyed Canons for years and, in the end, decided to stick with Canon...mostly just so we wouldn't have to learn a different strategy for the various controls. For us, this was a good decision, as we were up-n-running with the A720IS right out of the box.
We have not used this little camera so far; haven't had a lot of time. But my wife is already pretty proficient with it having used it around the house and at the zoo. We will be on photo-safari in Kenya in a few weeks and by all of the practicing with the A720IS so far, I suspect it will be a wonderful camera companion for my wife.
The large 2.5" LCD and the optical viewfinder are great. We have used cameras without the optical viewfinders and have vowed never to have a camera with one again. The optical viewfinder on the A720IS fill the bill for us just fine. The large LCD is still completely useless in bright light situations (especially for those harsh mid-day sunny shoots...which I know we shouldn't be trying to take pictures in...but sometimes you just don't have a choice); but that is a problem with all of the contemporary point-n-shoot cameras. I recently purchased a nice bellows-style LCD hood that attaches with velcro and so far it has completely and satisfactorily solved the LCD washout issue. So, with that challenge solved, this is a great camera.
I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone looking for an inexpensive, flexible, point-n-shoot style camear...especially to anyone that would like to have the option of just about any level and type of manual control that you could want.
Показаны отзывы 121-144 из 555.
