Back from an outing with the
A700, and the photos transferred to a computer, it is clear
that the camera stands out from many others. The images it
captures are excellent, even when these were captured under
less than ideal conditions.
For example the image shown at right precluded the use of
the flash because of the reflective glass, yet the ambient
light was too low to allow the use of the lowest sensitivity.
Aperture: f2.8, shutter speed:
1/60 sec., Auto ISO.
The only solution was to set the A700 to Auto ISO and allow
the camera to increase sensitivity enough to avoid camera
shake, and hope that the increase in sensitivity would not
cause too much noise. Indeed, the resulting image turned out
to be excellent, containing very little noise while capturing
the ambiance of the scene and its lighting perfectly.
Aperture: f3.5, shutter speed: 1/60 sec., 80 ISO.
With a 6-megapixel resolution,
a 6X optical zoom and a large 2.5-inch monitor, the A700 is
a versatile camera. The 6-megapixel image size allows detailed
images, and makes it easy to print these out to an 8 x 10
size at nearly 300 dpi. The 6X zoom is not only able to capture
clear images of relatively distant subjects, it also makes
it possible to zoom in and capture a subject discreetly, without
having to push in and disrupt the mood — perfect when
photographing children. The large 2.5-inch monitor makes it
easier to preview the shot, or compose it; and in playback
ascertain the sharpness of the image by zooming into any part
of it, with a magnification of up to 10X.
Optically, the zoom is effectively
free of barrel distortion at the wide angle end, with the exception
of the macro mode. At the telephoto end, a slight pincushion
distortion can sometimes be detected when there are verticals
aligned close to the edges of the frame, but even then the phenomenon
is minimal and never impacts the image negatively. More critically,
the lens exhibits no chromatic aberration at any point, whatever
the contrast level, and yields images that are sharp from the
centre to the corners.
In fact, the
quality of the images the A700 produces is excellent, even
when these are looked at closely at 100% scale on a monitor.
And, although the camera can only capture JPEG images, the
DIGIC II processor does an excellent job of maintaining a
very high level of detail, particularly when images are captured
at the highest resolution and at the highest image quality,
Super Fine.
Super Fine images are compressed at a ratio that averages
at around 7:1, but artefacts from the process are never visible,
and the images retain nuances in all colours.
Interestingly, one of the
better features of the A700 is the reliability of its metering,
which produces consistently good exposures. Whatever the subject
and its lighting, sometimes backlit, sometimes containing
strong contrasts, the A700 regularly yields images that are
well-balanced, revealing details in both light and dark areas.
And, although equipped with alternative metering patterns,
we noted that we never had to switch to one of the others
to obtain a well-exposed image of an outdoor subject.
Similarly, used outdoors, the default
settings for colour, sharpness and saturation produce images
that are pleasantly saturated and which are faithful to reality.
Flash photos on the other hand were a little less predictable,
due for one to the limited range of the flash, and for another
to the occasional interference of artificial light on the Auto
colour balance.
With sensitivity set to 80
or 100 ISO, images are completely devoid of noise, whatever
the quantity of light that was available to the camera when
the image was captured. Increasing the sensitivity to 200
or 400 ISO, noise starts to make an appearance when images
are inspected on a monitor at full scale. But, is not visible
when images are shown full-screen, and is only barely noticeable
when printed at an 8 x 10 size.
At 800 ISO noise is more pervasive and can affect the overall
image quality, as it can when the Auto High setting is used.
Nevertheless, if the image is printed out to a smaller size
such as 4 x 6, the results can be acceptable.
Worth noting in passing, when set
to Auto ISO, or Auto High, the A700 does not record the precise
sensitivity used to capture the image in the EXIF data, which
is a regrettable omision.
The Canon PowerShot A700
offers one of best values for money that can be had today.
It offers not only a high resolution, high quality image,
but also a sharp 6X zoom, a large LCD monitor and a simple
optical viewfinder for those times when either the monitor
is hard to see, or power must be conserved. Moreover, it is
equipped with all the most important and versatile shooting
modes (P, Av, Tv and M) as well as automatic shooting modes
that cover a good range of subjects.
No one here will be surprised if the A700 turns out to be
one of the most popular cameras this summer.
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