Canon PowerShot A700 Digital Camera

There are some very good reasons why Canon's A series digital cameras have been number one in U. S. sales for three years running. A series digicams provide consistently first-rate performance, superb ergonomics, incredible ease of use, and tough as nails durability - at amazingly reasonable prices. Last year's A620 and A610 models were (and still are) incredibly popular because Canon listened to what digicam consumers wanted (Point & Shoot simplicity, excellent image quality, larger LCD screens, super fast operation, cutting-edge features, manual exposure capability, efficient power management, lots of accessories, and low prices) and then created a pair of digital cameras to meet those criteria. The A700 retains everything that made its predecessors class champs and adds a boat load of useful evolutionary enhancements including a longer zoom, a larger LCD screen, expanded ISO sensitivity, a 16:9 "widesreen" aspect ratio, and improved direct image printing.

The brain of the new A700 is its second-generation DIGIC (Digital Imaging Integrated Circuit) II processor. The DIGIC II (the same processor used in Canon's top of the line "G" and "S" Series digicams and dSLRs) combines most primary camera functions (image interpolation and processing, auto exposure, White Balance, JPEG compression, gain control, and power management) in one chip. DIGIC II image files are optimized for bold, bright, highly saturated colors and balanced contrast. In addition, the DIGIC II processor noticeably increases operational speed for faster startup, snappier auto focus, near real time shutter response, and quicker playback. The A700's new six-megapixel image sensor was designed specifically to work in tandem with the DIGIC II processor to noticeably reduce image noise.

NUTS & BOLTS

Viewfinder/LCD

The A700's tunnel style coupled (zooming) optical viewfinder is sharp, fairly bright, and imminently useable - but it is a little squinty and only covers a bit more than eighty per cent of the image frame. There's no diopter adjustment for eyeglasses wearers.

The A700's 2.5" (115,000 pixels) low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT LCD screen is a bit grainy, but sharp, bright, color correct, and fluid. It automatically boosts gain in dim/low light and provides a very useful playback histogram that converts the image area into a graphic readout of the tonal distribution in captured images (to help evaluate dynamic range).

Zoom

The A700 features an f2.8-f4.8/5.8mm-34.8mm (35-210mm 35mm equivalent) all glass 6X zoom. When the A700 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 A700's zoom displays moderate barrel distortion at the wide-angle end of the range, but pincushion distortion is well controlled at the telephoto end of the range. Corners are slightly soft (especially at the maximum aperture), but I didn't notice any vignetting (dark corners). Chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is well controlled, but visible in high contrast color transition areas. The A700's new zoom is relatively fast and fairly quiet.

Overall, the A700's 6X zoom is quite good, but it is a fact of photographic life that as optical complexity rises optical performance deteriorates and the A700's 6X zoom is definitely more complex than the 4X zooms featured on its predecessors. Does the extra reach (210mm vs 140mm) balance the slight decrease in optical performance? Absolutely. I didn't shoot any macro images with the A700, so I can't comment on close-up performance.

Auto Focus (AF)

The A700 features the same TTL Contrast Detection 9-point AiAF (Advanced intelligent Auto Focus) system as its predecessors. In all automatic exposure modes the A700 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 (closest subject priority) and then locks focus on that AF point. Users can also opt for the 1 AF point (center) AF for classic portraits or traditional landscapes.

In aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual modes, the A700 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 illuminate the subject for more accurate focusing.

Manual Focus (MF)

the A700 permits users to focus manually. The process (stepped/scale focus) is kind of odious, but it does provide users with a bit more control when critical focusing is important. In MF mode a distance scale is displayed on the LCD screen to indicate approximate distances and the center of the LCD is enlarged to ensure accurate focusing.

Flash

The A700's built-in multi mode flash is a fairly standard unit. Flash options include: Auto (fires when needed), On (fill flash), Red-Eye Reduction, and off. Canon claims maximum flash range is just shy of 12 feet, but effective flash range is about 8-10 feet. The A700 also provides limited flash compensation capability via the flash output setting (low, medium, or high). There's no hot shoe for external flash units, but Canon's optional HF-DC1 auto (slave) flash unit, extends coverage to 28mm and maximum flash range to about 30 feet.

Memory Media

The Powershot A700 saves images to Secure Digital (or MMC) memory media. SD cards are available in capacities up to 2GB.

Image File Format(s)

JPEG

Connectivity

USB 2.0 (backwards compliant USB 2.0 High-Speed), A/V out, and DC in (with optional AC Adaptor).

Power

The A700 is powered by two (2) alkaline, NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride), or lithium AA cells. My friend and I used the A700 through a weekend of heavy shooting (under a variety of conditions) mostly in Auto or Program mode with the LCD screen used heavily for composition and review. The A700's power management (we used a pair of 2300 mAh NiMH rechargeable AA batteries) is remarkably good.

Canon claims 90 shots using available anywhere Alkaline AA's (with full time LCD use) or 240 shots using only the optical viewfinder. The A700 (according to Canon) is good for 360 shots with full time LCD use and up to 800 shots with the optical viewfinder when high capacity rechargeable AA's are loaded. I didn't keep track of exposures and we used the LCD screen and optical viewfinder about equally for compositional chores (plus occasional flash use) so I can't quibble with Canon's numbers, however keep in mind that mileage can vary substantially.

EXPOSURE

The A700 recycles the remarkably simple AND highly sophisticated auto exposure system that made the A610 and A620 digicams so popular with consumers. Exposure options include Auto (Point and Shoot mode), Program (Auto exposure with user input), Aperture Priority mode, Shutter Priority mode, and full manual mode. Shooters can also opt for the A700's very useful selection of Scene modes -Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, and Stitch Assist (panorama) all have dedicated mode dial positions, in addition Special (SCN) Scene modes include Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, and Underwater. In all Scene modes the A700's CPU automatically optimizes all exposure parameters (aperture, shutter speed, white balance, sensitivity, etc.) for the specific image type selected.

Canon's exclusive iSAPS (Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) technology produces consistently exceptional exposures in all scene modes. The camera instantly matches the scene in front of the lens with an on board database of known scene types and then compares that information with the specific scene's subject distance, white balance, contrast, dynamic range, lighting, and color (just before the image is recorded) to determine the best exposure.

Movie Mode

A 700 users can record video clips (with audio) at 640x480 @ 30 fps with duration limited to 1GB. The A700 can also record up to 60 seconds of fast frame rate QVGA (60 fps) video clips and several lower resolution video options. The A700 also provides a voice-notation mode which allows users to add audio notes (up to 60 seconds in duration) to their pictures.

Metering

The A700'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 Averaging 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 (like the eyes in a portrait) and link the camera's AF system to that same spot --- a very useful option.

White Balance (WB)

The A700 provides experienced users with more white balance options than most currently available consumer digicams. WB settings include TTL Auto, Day Light, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Underwater, and a custom WB (manual) mode that allows savvy shooters to use a white card (or white wall or ceiling) to insure accurate color.

Sensitivity

The A700 provides an excellent range of sensitivity/speed settings including - Auto, High ISO Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, and 800 ISO (35mm equivalent).

In-Camera Image Adjustment

In-camera image adjustment capabilities are often overlooked by digicam purchasers, but savvy users know the ability to make subtle color/contrast/sharpness/exposure adjustments is a very important creative tool and a simple yet effective way to overcome minor exposure problems. The A700 provides shooters with a very useful range of creative photo tweaks that can be applied in-camera with no need for post-exposure processing.

The A700's Exposure Compensation mode allows users to subtly modify exposure parameters. Very light or very dark subjects can trick light metering systems into underexposing or overexposing images. The A700's base exposure can be modified over a 4 EV range ( /-2 EV) in 1/3 EV increments to compensate for difficult lighting and subject/background reflectance/non-reflectance problems or to compensate for environmental exposure variables (by allowing users to easily lighten or darken exposures). Other tweaks include -- Saturation (Low, standard, high), Contrast (Low, standard, high), Sharpness (Low, standard, high), and Noise reduction (Low, standard, high).

The A700's My Colors mode permits users to adjust color saturation, select Positive Film (mimics slide film color, saturation, and contrast), Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Color accent (shifts images to B&W, except for one user selected color), color swap (allows users to switch one color for another), custom color (users can adjust color balance for red, green, blue, and skin tones /-2 arbitrary steps in 1 step increments), and Photo effects (vivid or neutral color saturation, low sharpening, sepia, and B&W), and touch up images in-camera (post exposure).

CONTROLS, DESIGN, ENGINEERING, & ERGONOMICS

The A700 is a well-designed, but rather plain looking camera. The medium sized body is constructed of a durable combination of metal alloy and polycarbonate. There's a well thought out (and comfortable) grip on the right hand side of the camera's front. "A" series Canon's are known for their sensible control layouts and the A700 continues that worthy tradition -- all controls are logically placed and all shooting functions are easily accessed. Experienced photographers will have no problem using the A700 right out of the box – neophytes and technophobes should be able to shoot consistently excellent images after a short familiarization and a quick scan of the user's manual.

Technical Specifications

Resolution: 6 Megapixels (2816 x 2112)
Viewfinders: 2.5" LCD screen and Real Image zooming optical viewfinder
Zoom: f2.8-f4.8/5.8mm-34.8mm (35-210mm 35mm equivalent) all glass 6X zoom
Auto Focus: 9 AF point AiAF
Manual Focus: Yes
Flash: Built-in Multi-mode
Exposure: Auto, Program AE, 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, 80, 100, 200, 400, & 800 ISO (35mm equivalent)
Image Storage Media: SD/MMC
Connectivity: USB 2.0, AV/out, & DC in
Power: 2 AA batteries

MSRP - $349.99 Street Price Range - $309.00 -- $350.00 ("best" price should stabilize at around $299.00 by late Spring or early Summer)

Included

16MB SD card, 2 AA Alkaline batteries, wrist strap, USB & A/V cables, software CD's, user's and software manuals.

Optional

Canon Battery charger and four rechargeable AA NiMH batteries, AC Adapter Kit, Lens Adapter (permits the use of 52mm filters and accessories), supplemental lenses (wide, macro, & Tele), Waterproof case, HF-DC1 slave 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 Powershot A700 he stopped by (on a recent Saturday) to see if I wanted to help him put the newest member of Canon's "A" family through its paces.

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, orange, 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 A700 (like every "A" series digital camera we've tested) did an outstanding job. All colors were bright, slightly over saturated (reds are a bit warm and blues are tad bright), and hue accurate.

Our first adventure with the nifty A700 was a trip to Cave Hill Cemetery to search for signs of Spring. Cave Hill started out as a small farm on the outskirts of early Louisville and became the city's primary burial ground in the mid 1830's. Since that time the area has been planted with thousands of trees, shrubs, and bushes. Many of these plantings are rare and exotic which makes Cave Hill absolutely gorgeous in the spring. Cave Hill is Louisville's unofficial arboretum, so there were quite a few people out looking for signs that the winter is really over. We didn't find much to shoot (Weeping Cherry, Forsythia, a few of the Star Magnolias, and some small weeds/wildflowers were just starting to open up), but we did discover a mother Swan sitting on her nest. We thought that was pretty neat, but as we got closer we spotted her mate, who was on guard. He let me get fairly close and take a couple of decent shots, but he got very aggressive when my friend took his turn, forcing my compadre to beat a hasty retreat.

Sunday morning was cold, dark, and gray with off and on rain, but we didn't let that discourage us as we headed for Cherokee Park. We wanted to shoot some Eliot Porter style intimate landscapes to check the A700's metering and exposure systems. Ambient light (due to the overcast sky) was pretty dim under the old growth trees along Beargrass Creek and that provided an excellent opportunity to check out the A700's low light capabilities. Our images were pretty dull (which was not the fault of the camera), but both of us were impressed with the A700's noise management at ISO 400. Images were flat and almost monochromatic (dark water, last years dead brown leaves, black tree trunks) looking. Some image noise was visible in the shadow areas, but it was minor enough not to be too objectionable -- certainly not as bad as we'd expected.

After we finished up at Cherokee Park we headed for the Heine Brothers coffee shop on Frankfort Avenue for a cappuccino and some sneaky attempts to capture a few of our fellow refugees from the dismal weather. We grabbed a table along the wall and placed the A700 (set to ISO 800) on a thick and heavy Sunday CJ (that I had just bought for the purpose) with the zoom facing out and the LCD screen pointed toward us -- making it simple to easily swing the camera in a 180 degree arc (that took in over half the interior of the dimly lit coffee shop) and snap surreptitious candids of our fellow java junkies. Noise at ISO 800 is way too high -- ISO 800 images are usable, but will (for most shooters) be limited to 3x5 or 4x6 prints. After we finished our cappuccinos we headed for Louisville's Extreme Sports Park to shoot bikers and skateboarders.

The weather had improved substantially during our coffee break. The on and off rain finally stopped and the sun came out to give us pale blue skies and diffused lighting. Skateboarders turn up at the park at all hours of the day and night and in all sorts of weather to hone their skills, making the Extreme Park a favorite destination for Louisville's action photographers.

The A700 is very quick and that drastically simplifies tracking and framing rapidly moving bikers and skateboarders. Optimal framing/timing (centering the action in the frame AND stopping the action in mid air) is very difficult. My friend and I agreed that the A700 seemed to be as just fast as the A620. I did manage to get a couple of half way decent shots of one daredevil biker silhouetted against the pale blue sky.

PERFORMANCE

Image Quality

After we finished up at the Extreme Park we reviewed everything we'd shot over the course of the weekend on a 19" NEC CRT monitor. The A700 consistently delivered the goods. All outdoor images were well exposed with excellent color and balanced contrast. The A700's image quality is as good as any comparable P&S digicam either of us have used to date.

Images shot at ISO 80 and 100 (ISO 80 and ISO 100 are virtually indistinguishable) had extremely low noise levels – ISO 200 images were also very good. At the ISO 400 setting noise levels are fairly high, but noticeably better than average (and they do appear to be less noisy than ISO 400 images from earlier Canon A series digicams like the A520 and A610). The A700's ISO 800 images are way too noisy, but they should be OK for e-mail and 3x5 or 4x6 prints.

Shutter Lag/Timing

The A700 is a very quick digital camera, equal to or faster than any other camera in its class and faster than some more expensive digital cameras. Start up time is under 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 essentially "real time" with pre-focus. Shot-to-shot times are also noticeably better than average.

A Few Concerns

I don't really have any concerns. The A700 isn't perfect, but it is just about as good as it can be for the asking price and at this point in time. The A700's greatest fault is its underpowered (and slow to re-cycle) built-in flash. For the nitpickers out there -- redeye may rear its ugly head in tight portraits, the zoom exhibits some noticeable corner softness, and there is some minor chromatic aberration in high contrast color transition areas -- but the A700 isn't any worse in any of these areas than its competition.

Conclusion

Canon's "A" series digital cameras have long provided consumers with impressive ease of use, exceptional performance, tough as nails durability, excellent image quality, and "best in class" bang for the buck. The A700 continues those traditions. There are smaller and flashier and sexier digital cameras available, but digicam shoppers shouldn't dismiss the A700 because of its plain Jane appearance. This is an almost ideal general use digital camera that will appeal to everyone from beginners and casual shooters to advanced amateurs. I predict that consumers will buy this no-nonsense digicam in prodigious quantities.

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 URL will take you to my forum page at DCR. Click on find all posts by Howard Creech (under Forum Info). My DCR reviews each feature a selection of my images.

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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.

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