- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 55 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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32 out of 39 people found this review helpful
2.0 stars
"Flash Recharge warning - LCD turns off when using the flash"
Pros: Zoom, 7.1-megapixel, Image Stablizer
Cons: Flash recharge "feature".
Summary: I bought this camera and only kept it for 1-day. Everytime I took a picture in Auto mode with the flash on, the LCD would turn off. This would last anywhere from 3 to 6 seconds. After reading through the manual, I came across a note that stated, "When the LCD monitor is on and flash recharging begins, the indicator blinks orange and the LCD monitor turns off. When recharging ends, the indicator turns off and the LCD monitor turns on. The time required for flash recharging will change depending on usage conditions and remaining battery power." (pg. 13 from the Basic User Guide). What's worse is this "feature" cannot be turned off manually - it always happens. I replaced the batteries that came with the camera for rechargable batteries and this issue still occured. I did not notice this feature at the store probably because those cameras are connected to an external power source, rather than operating on battery power. When I returned the camera, the store wanted to charge me their 15% restocking fee. I informed them of this feature and how customers are unaware of it since it's running off external power. The store's "digital camera guru" inspected the camera and tried like crazy to turn the feature off. After soon realizing that this is a new "feature" with the Poweshot A Series cameras, they gladly refunded my money and waived the restocking fee. What's also interesting is this only happens with the Canon's that run off of 2 AA batteries. I owned a Canon Powershot A620 that ran off 4 AA batteries and this would not occur. Now, the A Series cameras that off 2 AA batteries and it seems they installed this automatic feature to save battery power. I believe this is a bad move by Canon. I would much rather have to replace the batteries more often than lose the opportunity to take a quick series of photos. In the end, I stayed loyal and bought the Canon SD800 IS. The SD Series cameras run off a Lithium battery and therefore do not have this flaw..umm, I mean "feature".
- 7 replies to this review
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get some sanyo eneloops, and flash recycle time will reduced significantly; battery life will increase as well (over 400 shots on full charge)
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You should have exchanged it not returned it.
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I have the camera and 2 pro SLR's. You're knocking the camera because:
a)you dont research before you buy, but still hold high standards.
b)you don't read the manual or your technically challenged.
Great review from a competent reviewer. Replace great with lousy and at an in to competent. -
Playing more with the camera, the settings I mentioned had nothing to do with the screen going black after a flash. The OFF Display is for how long you wish the LCD to remain on from 10 sec to 3 minutes if nothing is going on. The Power Save can be turned off but you will still get a short "black out" while the flash is recharging. Still only about 10 sec. You can view the image for 2 seconds before that happens. So I find the original post about this to be correct with the LCD blacking out for a period of time. Again.....not a big deal to me but I can see how this might be annoying for some.
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I have tried out the camera and found that the default setting for Power Saver is ON and Display OFF at 1 minute. You can turn the Power Saver to OFF and change the Display OFF to 10 seconds (minumum). After I made the changes in settings, I found the image DID show immediately after the flash went off, LCD went blank and was back on in 10 seconds if not less. I personally don't find this to be a problem.....especially considering the other positive attributes of the camera.
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Never mind the picture quality or ease of use or even that it has image stabilization at this price point. Oh nooo... none of that matters. The TRUE measure of a camera's quality is the fact that the LCD must remain on after taking a picture with the flash. Why? who the heck knows.
Honestly, you took ONE measly little flaw in the camera's operation and blew it out of proportion. I don't know whether to laugh at you or the 5 people who actually found your "review" helpful!
Oh, and by the way, your perfect little SD800 you chose over this is not without its shortcomings either. At it's widest angle, the picture came out soft at the extreme ends particularly in the corners. How do I know this? BECAUSE I HAD ONE. Ironically enough, I traded it in for the A710. Go figure that one out. -
In regards to the LCD turning off when in Auto mode and using flash for 3 - 6 seconds after the picture has been taken? Not true.
As per Canon customer service technicians, the LCD WILL turn off IF you have enabled the power saving feature in your menu. If power saver is turned OFF .....LCD will remain on after picture is taken (in Auto mode with Flash on.)
Don't take my word, call Canon customer service.
Hope this helped.
Where to buy
Canon PowerShot A710 IS:
$599.00
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$599.00 | Yes |
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