Canon's
entry level cameras are the PowerShot A100 and this one, the PowerShot
A200. Both are identical in appearance, their major difference
being resolution: the A100 is a 1.3 megapixel camera, the A200 provides
2.0 megapixel.
The
A200 is turned on by a switch that also controls the lens cover. Pushing
it down springs open the lens cover and turns on the camera, pushing it
up brings down the lens cover and turns off the camera. In addition, pushing,
and holding the switch down, also serves to switch back and forth between
the still image recording mode and the movie clip mode.
A large and very bright optical viewfinder provides a crisp image. Two
LEDs indicate camera activity without being distracting. The upper LED
glows steady green when the A200 has focused, or orange if the flash is
going to be used. It also flashes green when the image is being stored.
The lower one flashes yellow to indicate focus is uncertain, or glows
steadily yellow when the camera is set to either Macro or Infinity focus.
Aside from the shutter release that is on the top of the camera, all other
controls are arranged on the right side of the A200's back. Starting near
the top of the back, the A200 offers 4 grey-blue buttons, including the
digital zoom button:
turns
on and off the 1.5 inch LCD screen, and also controls the information
overlay.
deletes
one image at a time in Playback.
presents
9 thumbnails of the photos per screen in Playback.
magnifies
a portion of an image displayed on the screen (up to 10X)
turns
on the camera for Playback without having to open the lens, or calls
up the Playback mode when the camera is already on.
The
remaining controls are grouped into a slightly recessed area to the right
of the LCD screen. Closest to the screen are 2 round buttons which are
used for:
calls
up a menu according to the mode (Recording or Playback).
is
used to select the shooting modes. Pressing the button overlays
a shooting mode menu on the lower part of the screen:
Auto:
fully automatic shooting mode with few user selectable controls.
Manual:
allows control over exposure compensation, white balance, and
special effects.
Stitch
Assist, Left to Right or Right to Left: to shoot images
that will later be assembled into panoramic photos.
Set
is also used to confirm some menu selections such as memory card
formatting, or the selection of a white balance setting.
Last,
a group of 4 buttons with arrows allow for navigation of the menus and
serve as shortcuts to specific photographic settings. The left arrow calls
up macro mode at the first press, then infinity focus with a second press:
Macro
mode automatically turns on the LCD screen to avoid parallax errors
and allows the camera to auto focus in a range of 5 to 20 cm (2
to 7.9 in.)
Infinity
focus is to shoot landscapes, or subjects which have both far and
near elements.
The right arrow also serves for the flash modes:
auto,
red-eye reduction auto, forced on, forced off, slow synchro with
red-eye reduction.
The up arrow's secondary functions are only accessible if the camera is
set to the Manual mode. The up arrow cycles through exposure
compensation, white balance and picture effects; the down arrow cycles
through self-timer and continuous mode:
Continuous
Mode, only available in Manual mode, provides a shooting speed of
about 2 images per second for up to approximately 7 images, or until
the buffer memory fills up, at which point, the rate drops.
self-timer:
a delay of 10 seconds can be set to retard the shutter release.
Exposure
Compensation is adjustable over a range of ±2EV, in 1/3 EV
increments.
White
balance provides Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent,
and Daylight Fluorescent.
Photo
effects provides a means to record an image as:
Vivid:
emphasizes contrast and colour
Neutral:
tones down the contrast and colour.
Low
sharpening: to soften outlines (intended for portraits or soft
landscapes)
Sepia:
saves a sepia tone image.
Black
and white.
Relatively
low-priced, the A200 is not only designed to be affordable, but also easy
to operate.
Although
at first blush the multiple buttons on the back of the camera make the
A200 look a bit more complex than others, their functions are quite clearly
marked and their use is easily understood. Moreover, by the availability
of a Manual mode, the Canon A200 provides the novice
with the possibility to experiment, and discover a bit more than the basics
of digital photography.
A large and very bright optical viewfinder provides a crisp image. Two
LEDs indicate camera activity without being distracting. The upper LED
glows steady green when the A200 has focused, or orange if the flash is
going to be used. It also flashes green when the image is being stored.
The lower one flashes yellow to indicate focus is uncertain, or glows
steadily yellow when the camera is set to either Macro or Infinity focus.
