The PowerShot A95 is the
newest camera to be released in Canon's A-series, and is a logical
evolution from the A80,
itself replaced by the A85.
Equipped with a 5 megapixel CCD and a 3X optical zoom, the A95 is mostly
distinguishable from the A80 by the name stenciled on the grip, and by
the blue lettering indicating its resolution on the lower right of the
camera's front.
Starting on the left, the top of the A95 supports the Power Switch,
which is recessed and requires being pressed for more than a second thus
avoiding being activated accidentally. An LED nearby glows green when the
camera is turned on.
Further to the left and angled
slightly towards the front, is the pewter finished 2-stageShutter
Release with its ring-like Zoom control, set at the
top of the camera's grip.
In addition to controlling the lens, the zoom control also serves to display
screens with 9 thumbnails of captured photos when pushed towards /;
or to zoom into a photo with up to a 10X magnification, when pulled towards /.
The Mode Dial is positioned
so that its edge extends past the back surface of the camera,
allowing the dial to be rotated with the thumb. The Mode dial
has 14 positions, starting with:
Auto: fully automatic,
the camera handles all exposure settings including selecting
the sensitivity for the CCD (ISO). The user, however, controls
the image size and quality, as well as the flash modes and
the self-timer.
As with most Canon cameras, the
Mode dial is divided into two zones by the "Green" or
Auto mode. The zone above the Auto mode is referred to as the Creative
Zone, while the zone below is called the Image Zone.
The Creative Zone offers advanced controls to the user and the
Image Zone, which encompasses the movie mode, is designed to
be simple to use and yet allow specific results according to
the type of subject being photographed.
The Creative Zone provides:
Program AE: the camera
sets the aperture and shutter speed automatically, but
leaves control over other settings, such as ISO, white
balance, metering, focus, continuous shooting, exposure
compensation and photo effects to the user.
Shutter Speed Priority AE: allows
setting the shutter speed from 1/2000 second to 15 seconds,
and any other setting available.
Aperture Priority AE: allows
setting the aperture from f2.8 to f8 over 11 values, and
any other setting.
Manual Mode: provides
complete control over the camera, except for exposure compensation
since the aperture and shutter speeds are manually selected.
Custom Mode: serves
to recall a set of preferred camera settings which have
been saved previously in one of the P/A/S/M modes.
While the Image Zone offers:
Portrait: uses a wide
aperture to blur the background while having the subject
in focus. (The effect of the portrait mode is more pronounced
if the telephoto is used.)
Landscape: maximizes
depth of field by using a smaller aperture, which can also
mean a slow shutter speed.
Night Scene: uses a
slow shutter speed and flash to capture foreground and
background. The flash can be controlled and even turned
off, but the ISO setting is under the camera's control.
Fast Shutter Speed: maximizes
the shutter speed to capture fast-moving action. CCD sensitivity
cannot be selected, and will increase to allow a faster
shutter speed.
Slow Shutter Speed: is
intended to capture images showing a flowing movement
by forcing a slow shutter speed. Camera sensitivity is
also set to maximize the effect of the slow shutter.
With the Mode dial set to this
position, the user can access an additional 8 Scene
modes:
Foliage: is
intended to enhance the colours of subjects that
contain flowers, leaves or trees.
Snow: this
mode is intended to capture snow accurately.
Beach: is
also intended to avoid underexposing subjects
photographed in very reflective areas, such as
sandy beaches or by the sea.
Fireworks:
optimizes the image by using a long exposure,
setting the focus to infinity and forcing the
flash off. The use of a tripod is encouraged.
Underwater:
corrects the white balance so as to obtain natural
colours and reduce bluish tones when photos are
captured underwater with the camera inside the
optional Waterproof case (WP-DC50). The flash
is controlled so as to fire as seldom as possible.
Indoor: sets
the white balance to incandescent (tungsten),
increases sensitivity as needed and controls
the flash so it only fires when absolutely necessary.
Kids and Pets:
optimizes the shutter speed and sensitivity to
capture fast moving subjects.
Night Snapshot:
this mode is intended to capture a subject against
the backdrop of an evening sky or a night scene without the
use of a tripod by increasing sensitivity.
Stitch Assist: the stitch
assist mode is designed to capture a series of images that
will later be stitched together using the software furnished
with the camera. Most settings can be set for the first
frame of the series, but cannot be changed for subsequent
shots until the mode is turned off.
Movie Mode: serves to
record video clips with mono sound at any one of 3 different
frame sizes:
640 x 480 pixels, at 10 frames per second for a
recording time of up to 30 seconds,
320 x 240 pixels, at 15 frames per second for a
recording time lasting up to 3 minutes.
160 x 120 pixels, at 15 frames per second for a
maximum recording time of up to 3 minutes.
Exposure, focus, white balance and zoom position are
locked at the first frame.
All the other external controls of the Powershot A95 are placed to the
right and below the 1.8 inch, 118,000 pixel LCD monitor. The LCD
monitor is hinged on the left, allowing it to open to the left of the camera,
and rotate 90° towards the back and 180° towards the front (a total
of 270°). Rotating the monitor so that it faces front allows it to
be used for self-portraits, and when it is swung back onto the camera,
to be used as a viewfinder.
Directly above the LCD monitor is
a relatively simple optical viewfinder that is devoid of both
a parallax correction and a diopter correction, but offers a
centre AF indication. Two LEDs are placed on the right of the
exit pupil. The upper one is orange and indicates the current
state of the built-in flash. The lower one is yellow and indicates
auto focus.
Regrettably, as it was on the A80, the A95's viewfinder is — in our
opinion — a tad too far too the right, making it slightly awkward
to use as one's nose tends to collide with the LCD screen.
At the top of the back is the Mode Switch which controls whether
the A95 is in capture mode ()
or playback ().
Immediately below is a 4-direction control which is used to navigate the
A95's menus and change from one photo to another in the Playback mode.
In addition, the Up and Down directions control:
Flash Mode selection:
Auto with Red-eye Reduction, Auto, Forced On with Red-eye
Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off.
The down button first starts
the Macro Mode allowing the camera to focus on subjects
between 5 and 45 cm (2 and 17.5 inches) in wide angle and
25 to 45 cm (9.75 to 18 inches) at the telephoto end of
the zoom.
Pressing it a second
time, the down button engages the Manual Focus Mode and
makes it possible to focus using the right and left buttons,
assisted by a distance scale that is shown on the lower
part of the monitor.
Three other buttons are clustered below the 4-direction control:
Superimposes the Function menu
which provides a fast and efficient way to change the most
commonly needed camera settings. (See the Characteristics section
of the review for a list and explanation of the camera
functions contained in the Function menu.)
In Playback mode, the same
button serves to delete unwanted images.
The Display button
turns the LCD monitor On or Off, and controls the amount
of information superimposed on the monitor. The settings
shown are quite complete: AF brackets, capture mode, single
or continuous mode, ISO, metering, compression and resolution,
flash mode and battery charge; or simply display the AF
brackets. In either case, shutter speed and aperture are
shown when the shutter release is pressed halfway.
The third button is reserved for image transfer and image printing:
An LED at the centre of the Print/Share button
lights up blue when the A95 is connected via USB. The button starts
the automatic transfer of previously selected images when the camera
is connected to a computer running the software Canon includes with
the camera, or when the A95 is connected directly to a compatible
printer. (See the Characteristics section
of the review for further information).
The last two external controls on the PowerShot A95 are those located below
the LCD monitor:
The SET button has a dual function.
With some menu options, or with the Function menu (see
the Characteristics section of the review) this
button serves to confirm a selection or access a sub-option.
While in the capture modes, the button serves to change
the AF to the FlexiZone AF, which allows selecting the
AF point.
Simply calls up the menu corresponding
to the camera mode in use.
With very minor changes, the PowerShot
A95 carries on with the design of the A80, but with two notable
changes, both of which are echoed on the A85: a 1.8 inch LCD
monitor — up from 1.5 inch — and the addition of
the Print/Share button which is intended to simplify photo transfer
and printing.
As with other similar cameras in the A-series, the A95 has a good ergonomic
design, reacts quickly to its external controls and has minimal shutter
lag.
Introduction
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or to zoom into a photo with up to a 10X magnification, when pulled towards 
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or playback (
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