Canon PowerShot A630
-
"WOW!! Great camera that produces excellent images" on by blplhp
Pros: Great hand grip, excellent manual controls, custom shooting mode, excellent image quality - very detailed and sharp
Cons: Low res. LCD screen, noisy zoom, zoom needs more steps, no live histogram, slight vignetting
Summary: I received my A630 about two weeks ago and have taken many indoor and outdoor photos. WOW!!! That’s all I NEED to say. But I also WANT to say more. The A630 is truly an excellent camera.
Here’s my review of each category:
Image Quality: I have been an S45 owner for the past 4 years, and my S45 takes superbly sharp, detailed and color accurate photos, with the exposure being somewhat fair to average. The S45’s main problem was corner vignetting and slight corner softness. The S45 is also a 4 MP, 3x optical zoom camera. These were great stats four years ago, but not today. It was time for me to make the upgrade to the 7 – 10 MP range with a bit more zoom. My challenge was to find a Canon camera that could take photo images as sharp and detailed or maybe even more sharp and detailed than my S45, and provide the same level of excellent color saturation and accuracy, with better overall exposure. A pretty tall order for any point & shoot camera. After spending much time researching various cameras, reading numerous reviews and viewing many internet photo samples, I narrowed down my choices to three Canon cameras. So a few weeks ago, I bought the A630 along with the A710IS and the newly released G7. I passed on the S3IS, mainly because it was too bulky and has 6 MP. My test shots included indoor scenes under incandescent and fluorescent lighting conditions and also with no lighting at all. Outdoor shots included landscape, buildings, people and moving objects in both sunny and cloudy conditions.
The results……….only the A630 produced better image quality than my S45, when viewed on my Dell Ultra Sharp 19” computer monitor and when printed out on my HP D7360 PhotoSmart printer. The sharpness was better and the level of detail in the A630 surpassed that of the S45. Image quality is excellent for both indoor and outdoor shots. The A710IS was a disappointment, as the images were noticeably less sharp and not as color accurate. The G7 was close to the S45 in image quality, but not as good as the A630, and for the fact that the A630 costs half as much as the G7, it was a no brainer to send the G7 back to the store, although I loved the G7’s feature set and higher resolution LCD screen. The G7 is a great camera, don’t get me wrong, but I could not justify keeping both cameras, especially for the cost of the G7 and considering that the G7 did not produce better quality photos than the A630 (equal in some cases, but not better). Maybe the G7 I received was not the best of the litter from the assembly line.
Construction: The A630 is very solid and well built. It is heavy enough to give a sense of sturdy construction, but not too heavy. Size is just about right. Hand grip is excellent and is easy to hold. The G7 was difficult to quickly grab and hold without pressing any buttons on the back. All the buttons are arranged in an orderly fashion, are easily accessible and have a solid feel to them. I like the fact that the lens retraction can be adjusted to 1 min. or not at all. I prefer Lithium-Ion batteries over rechargeable AA batteries, but battery life does seem to be better with the AA’s. And with a Sony charging unit that only takes 15 minutes to charge four NiMH 2500 mAh batteries, as compared to one hour to charge the Lithium-Ion batteries, I guess I’m starting to like the AA’s. The 2.5” LCD screen is large and bright, but the resolution is lacking. It only has 115,000 pixels, the same pixel count as my S45’s 1.8” LCD. Canon should have provided at least 230,000 pixels for this size screen. I would gladly trade-off lower battery life for a higher resolution screen than not being able to accurately judge the sharpness and detail of the shot just taken with this screen. With the low pixel count of this LCD screen, it is impossible to tell if you have a good shot or not. You won’t know until you download it to your computer. The A630 is a very fast camera, as start-up time, focus time, flash recharge time and shutter lag times are excellent.
Features: Excellent and very comprehensive feature package, especially all the manual controls. The “C” mode is great for custom settings. I have preset the “P” mode for outdoor shots and the “C” mode for indoor shots. This camera gives you the option for focusing using single focus frame, AiAF and Flexizone. I love AiAF focus setting. I wish this camera had a live histogram. I also wish it had a dedicated Shortcut button for setting adjustments inside the Function menu. The zoom is a bit noisier than the other three cameras I tested. Lack of RAW is no big deal for me, as I never used it on my S45. The twist screen is a nice new feature to have for those hard to frame shots.
Ease of Use: The A630 is very easy to use, but then again, I have used several Canon cameras over the past 4 years, so I am used to their menu system and button locations and function. I was able to operate the A630 right out of the box without even needing to read the manual. The 4-way wheel makes it easy to make adjustments.
Overall, the A630 is excellent camera with amazing image quality, fast operation, full manual control and easy to use once you get used to the menu system (for new Canon users). I highly recommend this camera, especially at a retail cost $299, and an on-line cost averaging around $250. -
"Fine piece of equipment!" on by shopsmartash
Pros: Great LCD screen, great photo quality, point and shoot heaven!
Cons: Adjusting the flash is a bit tricky
Summary: I purchased this camera to replace my old Powershot a75, which was a great point and shoot camera, but getting a bit on in age. My first impressions were this: I love the fact that it takes four batteries, this means more life than many other which only take two. The LCD screen is big, birght, and full of color. The camera fits perfectly in my hand and one hand shooting is very easy with the large grip. The changeover to SD memory from Compact flash was a great choice by Canon, though one of my few complaints about the camera comes from the fact that the SD memory slot is located in with the batteries, which means to change your card you have to open the battery compartment. The picture quality is awesome, even without the flash. The battery ife was great, I took almost 400 pictures and several videos, many of the pictures with the flash on, and the screen on, with one set of rechargable batteries. Overall this camera is a great buy. Once again we get top quality from Canon at an affordable prices, whether you're a point and click shooter, or looking for something a little more advanced. Kudos!
-
"Great for home use and as on the go camera." on by sidewalk_bends
Pros: AA battery; fast start up; fast time between shots; big swivel screen; no lens cover; feature packed
Cons: Mediocore shots in bad/low lighting; little to no warning on low battery; cannot attach additional flash unit
Summary: I rate this camera a solid 8, but not higher. Here's why:
My previous camera was a Canon G2 purchased back when a 2 megapixel (MP) picture was standard. I believe the standard is up to 4MP. My reason for purchasing the A630 is that it has almost all of the same features as my Canon G2, minus the ability to mount an additional flash and some editing features, which are in the end useless especially if you have photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop.
Overall this is a great camera for home use and for being on the go. It is bigger than many pocket cameras, but I have found that the swivel screen protects the screen when folded away. My wife and I also like being able to take photos of ourselves in case no one is around to help out. It is also just fun being able to rotate the screen so that people can see how they will look in the photo I am taking. The camera is still small enough to fit into a jacket pocket or a purse. It's got all the standard features and is very fast. The time to power on and take your first shot is fast so hopefully you won't miss that shot you wanted when your camera was off. You can flip the camera in a verticle or horizontal position and the photos in review mode rotate to accomdate the position the screen is in. This camera has an automatic screen cap rather than having the old style caps that are tethered to the body of the camera. This helps when taking your first shot because it is one less thing you have to worry about when turning on the camera. It is also one less thing to lose. I believe this is the best camera in this price range. I paid about $250 from newegg. It was delivered the next day via standard shipping along with an inexpensive 1GB memory card. I reccomend at least a 1GB card, which will allow you to take roughly 300 photos at a setting one step below best quality. This still allows you to print a nice 11" x 17" with no problem.
The only real downside to this camera is that the pictures taken in low light conditions are just okay as opposed to good. This is in direct comparison to my G2 where I can clearly see the difference. Given that this is a midrange point and shoot, it is forgiveable though regretable. I still would stick with this Canon any day.
The camera is operated on 4AA batteries, which is a huge plus considering lithium ion batteries cost $50. I've also had my fair share of defunct lithium batteries. The battery option is great since you can buy AAs anywhere in the event you forgot your batteries or that yours are not charged. I found that one set of batteries was more than good enough for a day of picture taking. I did run into a problem with the battery meter of the camera. The first time the battieries were low I got a warning. Normally when you get a warning, you can still take a few shots. Instead the camera shut off almost imediately. That's not much of a warning. The AA battery option though still trumps this issue with me.
The software that comes with the camera is also great. It is vastly improved from the days of my G2. There are options such as an automatic feature for shrinking your photos to the correct size for viewing on the internet. i.e. Sometimes you don't want to post a 1MB picture, but would rather post a lower sized image but that still has good quality.
Overall it is a great camera and is affordable. I expect this to last me at least 3 years, as my G2 lasted me about 6 years. -
"Great camera for the price." on by hickory89
Pros: Amazing battery life; easy to use and movies are avi format.
Cons: Larger than most cameras because it takes 4 batteries. Sound on movies is clear, but picks up slight interference if mic is turned up too high.
Summary: When I looked at cameras at our local retail box store, the Canon units seemed to confuse me because they have so many options. My dad purchased the Canon 540 and called to tell me how cool it was. He is a direction reader like myself and he told me that it was very simple to use despite the look. Sure enough, I purchased the 630 and was amazed to find how easy it was to use. Don't let the dial fool you!
This camera is much easier to use than my old Olympus and takes really great pics and movies. I am still amazed by the battery life and would recommend the 630 over the 540 for the battery life. I got together with family for Thanksgiving and my dad's 540 had the battery go low halfway through the day, but my 630 is still on its first set of batteries and I have been using it heavily for 3 days now.
The Color Accent mode and Color Swap mode are very cool features. One allows the user to select a particular color to filter on in the photo and all other items are converted to black and white. Color swap lets you select a color in the photo, then lets you select a different color to replace it with.
The only con I could find was the sound recording on the movies. It seems like the microphone is too sensitive and gives a very low hum in the background. Most people won't hear it or even look for something like that. -
"Sharp 'perfect' photos, quick response. Best in it's class" on
Pros: Better clarity-sharpness than other similar cameras, Articulated Screen, 1cm Macro, 30 fps movies with zoom
Cons: No Image Stablisation but Articulated Screen helps steady at low light
Summary: After many hours of *extensive* research reading all of the main expert reviews, plus hundreds of user reviews (for the above cameras plus several others such as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3), I chose the A630 (and rejected the A640 , A710IS , A570IS , S3 , and S5 )
Before I get to the reasons why I went for the A630 and rejected the other four cameras, it is necessary to first cover a few important general points:
* Be aware that many "user comments" for any camera can be erroneous or misleading. They are written by 'point and shoot' simpletons who do not have much experience with cameras, do not bother to read the manual or make adjustments.
Consequently you may read that a Canon camera takes blurry or noisy photos but in fact the user has it set on a slow shutter speed or high ISO or is doing something else incorrectly.
* If you have no intention using advanced features such as exposure compensation, flash output, manual aperture and shutter speed, save your money and get a point and shoot camera. The five cameras listed in the topic heading above all have advanced features.
* If all you want is a point and shoot camera, try to get one with a wide angle lens equivalent to 28mm which is great for group shots and scenery. Most advanced compact cameras have 35mm equivalent lenses.
* Most people I know do not take film clips, and really do not care about the quality (as long as they get their friend making a fool of themselves!) but if shooting video is important to you, make sure you get a 640 x 480 format at 30 fps (or better yet, 60 fps).
* Many people complain that the memory card is adjacent to the batteries so that the batteries will fall out. Why would anyone turn their camera over while putting the memory card in / out?! Duh... stupid!
* Cheap plastic: Some people say that the [AV Out - DC In] door feels cheap and flimsy. Another misleading comment. Canon makes quality. The door will not break or chip, and it does look like metal. I don't care if it feels cheap - it's not like I will be opening that compartment hundreds of times. There are also complaints about the plastic mounting threads; if you are going to use a tripod nearly every day then this may be a problem but for the rest of us its nothing to complain about - remember 'Canon is quality'.
* Image Stabilization: do you HAVE to have it? In my case, no. I can hold my breath and get successful shots down to 1/5 s and sometimes to 1/2 or 1 second. But yes, it would be nice to have IS. However, using an articulated screen means that most of the time the camera can be put somewhere stable, such as a wall or chair top. However, if you have shaky hands then IS will be more important.
* Inaccurate Optical Viewfinder. Yes, most Canons have this fault, but all it means is that the actual picture will be somewhat larger, 10% or so, than what you see through the viewfinder. When taking a picture just realize the photo will be a bit larger, or simply use the LCD screen.
* No Optical Viewfinder: are you considering this? Don't. Dumb idea. There will be times you will want an optical viewfinder, such as in bright sunlight or when you are trying to conserve battery power.
* Movies take 1 Gb for 8 minutes. Well, OK, if you shoot on the highest settings of 640 x 480 and 30 fps, but showing 320 x 240 on a TV is usually good, and the cost of high capacity memory cards is dropping. I took many many film clips with my old A70 and I cannot recall every going much over 5 or 10 minutes total for all films. If this is a big deal for you then simply get a 4 Gb memory card or wait until 8 Gb cards get cheaper.
* Try to buy your new camera from a shop that offers a right-of-return policy if you are not happy with the camera. I live in New Zealand and I paid a little bit more for my A630 from a shop that gives me 14 days full refund.
* Be sure your new camera can accept SDHC memory cards (which are 4 Gb and larger sizes). One review states that the A630 does not take SDHC but this is incorrect. I am not sure about the S3 but I believe the other cameras will take SDHC cards.
* Low resolution LCD screens: Yes it's true, Canons do not have high res screens. But you CAN still focus; it is not bad at all, so it's no big deal and certainly not a reason to choose a Fuji, Panasonic, Olympus, etc. Canons are still the best, if you don't believe this then you have not compared many expert reviews!
=====
WHY I CHOSE THE A630 AND REJECTED THE A710IS A570IS S3 and S5
1. Picture quality. The CCD (light gathering internal sensor screen) is 40% larger than the other cameras, and all expert reviews confirm the sharp, higher quality photos of the A630. The CCD of the A630 has a size of 1 / 1.8 (= 14.11) whereas the others have 1 / 2.5 (=10.16). Some user comments make the heretical comment that the A630 than the Canon Rebels: well, I can tell you that I borrowed my friend's Canon EOS 350 (expensive big SLR) and comparing a series of indoor and outdoor photos at different ISO and distance, YES, the 630 amazingly does indeed produce better photos that are sharper and overall more crisp with better colour (except at ISO 800 where the EOS-350 had less noise).
2. Picture quality again: chromatic aberration is a fault with many Canons, but not the A630. Read the reviews yourself. I sure don't want to see purple fringes on tree branches when I crop/enlarge a photo (but I am finicky and analytical when it comes to photos - if you are happy with snapshots then just about any camera will do!).
3. Articulated screen. Brilliant. I use it nearly all the time. I'll use this much more than Image Stabilization.
4. Macro down to 1 cm. If you are happy with 5 cm closeness, fine, but I want to get real close!
5. Quick shutter and flash response. When I tried an A710 at a shop, it was soooo sloooow between flashes - that would have irritated me and made for many missed shots. The A630 has 4 AA's, not 2 like the 710 and 570. Read the reviews - the time lag is a common complaint, but not with the A630.
6. 30 fps movies. My old A70 only had 15 fps and while panning it makes a big difference. The 570 does have 60 fps, which would be nice but I am quite happy with 30 fps. By the way, the 630 is the one that can do 160 x 120 films which is good for emails.
7. Sharp digital zoom. I remember reading a user comment on this and I thought "I'll believe it when I see it." Well, it's true. Yes, I certainly do understand the difference between optical and digital zoom, and know that photo software can create the same thing as a digital zoom. Let me tell you though, I was really surprised at the quality of using maximum digital zoom (16x showing a seagull's head and it was not fuzzy or pixelated). Remember that the 630 is the only one with a larger CCD.
8. Size. Whereas the 630 is a little larger than the 710 or 570, it's only about 10 mm. It is still compact and can fit in a jacket pocket or a loose pair of jeans. I deliberated over the S3 and S5 but agreed with many user comments that these larger cameras would stay at home or in the car more often because a compact will be in my pocket or in my belt case.
9. Optical zoom. Is the 710's 6x zoom that much better? Since the 710's picture quality / sharpness is not as good as the 630, my answer is no. The 630's 4x with a better CCD is just as good as the 710's 6x or at least not that much difference, imho. If wildlife or sports is your photo passion, then go for a 10, 12, 0r 18x optical (but be prepared for some significant drawbacks in other areas).
10. Colour, Megapixels and Price: I would prefer black instead of silver, but the A640 is significantly more expensive without hardly any different features. Don't be fooled by the 640's higher pixel rating of 10 megapixels. No one ever enlarges to huge poster size. 8 mp will do just fine. Higher megapixels is a marketing con. I used my old A70 on a less-than-maximum resolution setting to enlarge two photos to a whopping size of 12 x 14 inches and not a pixel in site (OK, they are colour photocopies but even so the clarity and detail is remarkable).
11. Noise at ISO 400 and 800. The reviews bothered me on this one but again, since the 630 has a larger CCD, there will be less noise than the other cameras. I can tell you that photos at 400 and 800 as viewed on a 17 in computer screen look just fine. Software noise reduction will clean up any poor shots that are taken in very low light conditions. I did notice that the EOS 350 did in fact have less noise than my 630, but the EOS 350 is a SLR with a relatively huge CCD. Snapshots at ISO 400 or 800 with the 630 should be OK. If noise is a huge problem for you, get a Nikon SLR! BTW, comments of the A570's ISO 1600 said that the noise was unacceptably bad.
12. Four AA batteries means the A630 can take more photos (with a faster shutter and flash response).
====
I will add to this review later, so come back and check for updates.
I plan to put a large amount of user comments for each of the listed cameras - taken from a variety of sources - on a separate web page: this will save you many hours and days of searching the Net because I have already done the work for you and cut/pasted the information onto ten printed pages.
Good luck with your new camera. For me, the choice had to be the A630. You may have other priorities. If you are not too particular or finicky, you will be happy with any of the Canon cameras.Updated
The information on my web site is taken from a variety of sources (mid July 2007) and are mostly 'User Reviews' with some info from 'Expert Reviews'. I spent several days reading everything I could find - so the following will save you many hours of research. Go here to see the equivalent of 10 printed pages:
http://digcams.page.tl/Updated
I was incorrect thinking that the A630 can do an optical zoom while in video mode - it cannot do optical but will zoom digitally. Viewing the results on a 29 inch TV, any zoom beyond 2x the optical looks fuzzy although it would probably be OK on small screens such as on YouTube. What I mean is zooming while filming. Before recording a video, you can zoom optically; for instance, you can start with 4x optical, record, and then zoom 2x digitally (equals 8x total) and it will look OK.
High pitched audio noise: it seems most Canons have this problem. But keep in mind that most all videos have some background noise such as traffic, kids playing, wind, ocean waves, etc., and this effectively masks the high pitched noise.
There are at least two YouTube clips on this topic. One is for the A710 and the other is for the A570. With the A570 there is noticeable clicks and clanks when the light balance adjusts. I cannot recall which Canon can zoom optically while recording but if they can there would be rather loud whirring noises from the lens motor.
In the end, the high pitched noise was not a concern to make me buy another brand besides Canon. If videos are ever shot with no background noise - and the high pitched whine is audible, then it can be removed with software or the speakers can be shut off. The high pitched noise is not always evident - I suspect it depends on the light conditions.
It is strange that non of the expert reviews make any mention of audio noise with video mode.
Write a Review
Online Stores
| Store | Promotions | In Stock | Price | Total Cost | Initial Sort Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | No | Yes | Tax: TBD Ship: TBD | $649.99 Shop Now | |
| See all prices | |||||
Compare to other digital cameras
Compare selected
