In summary
An affordable digicam with a longer zoom lens and extended functionality.Added functionality makes Canon’s A700 PowerShot model more interesting than a simple point-and-shoot camera. With a 6x optical zoom lens that covers angles of view from 35mm to 210mm in 35mm format, it also sports a proper mode dial with P, Tv, Av and M settings as well as 10 scene modes, Colour Accent and Colour Swap settings and Stitch Assist. . . [more]
Full review
Added functionality makes Canon’s A700 PowerShot model more interesting than a simple point-and-shoot camera. With a 6x optical zoom lens that covers angles of view from 35mm to 210mm in 35mm format, it also sports a proper mode dial with P, Tv, Av and M settings as well as 10 scene modes, Colour Accent and Colour Swap settings, and Stitch Assist.
You can use the Colour Accent and Colour Swap settings in Movie mode and the camera can capture VGA or QVGA movies with sound at 30 or 15 frames/second, QVGA clips at 60fps for up to a minute, or ‘compact’ QQVGA clips for emailing at 15fps. Up to an hour of video can be recorded at a time, or a 1GB memory card can be filled.
The A700 also includes a new Widescreen (16:9) mode for recording shots that will be displayed on widescreen TVs – but it’s only available for stills and involves cropping the top and bottom of the high-res image. A new ‘High ISO Auto’ setting in the ISO menu automatically boosts sensitivity for low-light shooting but only works in the auto and P modes.
The test camera delivered photographs with a slightly wider dynamic range than most compact cameras, plus good colour accuracy. Imatest showed resolution to be good (but not outstanding) and chromatic aberration was negligible. Shots taken at ISO 400 and above suffered from colour mottling and loss of resolution.
Digital zoom shots were clean and relatively artefact-free and close-up performance was impressive. The auto white balance failed to correct tungsten colour casts, although it handled fluorescent lighting very well. The manual and custom white balance settings produced very good colour accuracy.
Capture lag averaged 0.7 seconds, reducing to 0.1 seconds with pre-focusing. Burst shooting performed to specifications but image processing was relatively slow. [28]
Specifications
Image sensor: 5.76 x 4.29mm CCD with 6.2 million photosites (6.0 megapixels effective)
Lens: 5.8-34.8mm f2.8-4.8 zoom (35-210mm in 35mm format)
Zoom ratio: 6x optical, 4x digital
Dimensions (wxhxd): 94.5 x 43.4 x 66.5mm
Weight: Approx. 200g
Image formats: stills – JPEG (Exif 2.2); Movies – Motion JPEG/WAV (VGA at 15/30 fps).
Shutter speed range: 15-1/2000 sec.
Focus system/range: TTL AF with 9-point AiAF/1-point AF (fixed: centre); range 55 cm to infinity; macro 1-55 cm.
Exposure metering/control: Evaluative, Centre-weighted average, Spot metering (centre frame or linked to AF frame selectable). P, A, S, M shooting modes plus 13 scene modes
White balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom.
Flash modes/range (ISO auto): Auto, On, Off (Red-eye Reduction is available); range 55 cm to 3.5 m.
ISO range: Auto, ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800.
Sequence shooting: Approx 2.0 shots/sec
Storage Media: 16 MB SD card; holds 4 high-resolution images or up to 160 VGA shots
Viewfinder: Real-image optical zoom.
LCD monitor: 2.5 inch Low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT colour LCD.
Power supply: 2 x AA Alkaline batteries
Retailers
CamBuy
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Camera Pro
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Retailer of digital camera equipment and more.
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Camerastore.com.au
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Camera-Warehouse
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Comprehensive range of digital cameras and accessories online (www.camera-warehouse.com.au) and an online print service (www.royalexpress.com.au).
Digital Camera Warehouse
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174 Canterbury Road 367 High Street
Canterbury Northcote
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Ph: 1300 365 220
Electronics Warehouse
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1300 801 885
Australian retailer of Vapex rechargeable batteries offering factory direct prices and fast, free shipping Australia wide.
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Photographic Equipment & Supplies – Retail & Repairs. Click here for list of stores.
Ted’s Cameras
1800 186 895
Big range of cameras and photographic products with stores in most states and online.
Rating
RR: $579
Rating (out of 10):
- Build: 8
- Ease of use: 8.5
- Image quality: 8.5
- OVERALL: 8.5