Canon Powershot A75 Digital Camera Review

Review:

Canon PowerShot is an evolutionary advance model of the popular PowerShot A70.  The large LCD, the newly introduced modes and faster and more efficient DIGIC processor make this model truly attractive.  To add to the attraction is the fact that this model is about $50 cheaper than its predecessor.   Moreover, this camera has much to offer to a wide range of users from the amateur to the professional.

   The compact body of this camera is an improvement on the earlier models.   It is an all plastic silver body that is lightweight. A noticeable drawback is that it is a little too large for the shirt pocket.  However, it is an easy to fit it into a purse or a coat pocket.  The shutter like lens cover and the retracting lens ensures that the camera front is smooth and powered off. 

The Canon A75 has a new DIGIC processor, a larger LCD, a 3.2 megapixel CCD to deliver high resolution images that can be as large as 8 x 10 inches.   The 5.4-16.2mm lens with a 3x optical zoom has the range of 35-105 mm of a 35 mm camera! The aperature can be automatically or manually controlled up to f/8.0.  The AiAF(Artificial Intelligence Auto focus) system inbuilt into the system works in conjunction with iSAPS(Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) technology and the enables the user focus on the subject using the 9 point area covering 60% of the frame’s center.  The nearest point on the subject determines the overall focus area.  The manual focus mode offers a distance scale on the LCD display.  The Assist Light on the front of the camera takes into consideration the dark shooting conditions and permits deactivation when required. 

  In addition to the optical zoom, Cannon A75 comes with a digital zoom.  However, like most ‘zooms’ the image quality decreases in proportion to the magnification set.  The real image optical viewfinder and Large LCD are very handy for composing images.  The display provides the user with detailed information on the exposure including shutter speed and aperture settings in the manual shooting mode.

Canon A75 has a manual or full auto exposure control with five preset capture modes and six scene modes.  The exposure modes can be accessed by turning the Mode dial located at the top of the camera.  The Auto, Creative Zone or Image zone exposure mode can be selected.  In the Auto mode, the camera is in complete control of all aspects except the flash and Macro modes.  In the creative zone the exposure modes include Program AE(P), Shutter Speed-Priority AE (Tv), Aperture-Priority AE(Av) and Manual Exposure(M).  While the Manual mode gives the user full control over all exposure options, the other modes give him partial control.  The camera has a shutter speed of 1/2000 seconds and a white balance setting that is customized. 

The Image zone includes Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Fast Shutter, Slow Shutter, Scene(SCN), Stitch Assist and Movie options.  The first three make automatic adjustments to camera options depending on the shooting conditions.  The Fast shutter mode uses the speed of the shutter to freeze the image in the frame.  The slower shutter speed is used to blur the moving images in the background.  The New Scene is used to enhance the colors and tones of the background objects, be it foliage or snow; water or fireworks. The Stitch mode is used for panorama shooting where multiple overlapping images are to be captured horizontally, vertically or clockwise.  The images are then stitched together using Canon’s PhotoStitch software.  The Movie mode captures up to three minutes of moving images and sound at approximately 15 frames per second.

The White Balance setting is used to adjust color balance with Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent and Fluorescent H options are available for selection.  A custom setting feature helps set color balance manually on the basis of a white or gray card.  The evaluative metering mode is used to meter the focus area and the spot metering option ensures that the exposure is based on the center of the subject.  The Flash operates in the Auto, forced, suppressed or slow Synchro modes with a Red-eye reduction setting on the Record menu.

The creative and fun effects menu is what makes this camera a joy to have!   The user can select a vivid or neutral color setting as well as Sepia, Black and white options.  The Low sharpening option helps soften the image for future manipulations using other software.  The continuous shooting mode is similar to the Motor drive on a 35 mm camera and is capable of capturing images in a rapid burst as long as the shutter is held down.  The self timer has a 10 second delay which is a very comfortable time interval for getting into a shot.  The My Camera menu is the crowning feature which helps users ‘customize’ all the settings and preferences in one place.

 The CompactFlash memory card and the 32 MB starter card is a vast improvement over the 16 MB card that came with the A70.  However, it may be advisable to purchase a card with a larger capacity right at the outset considering the fact that A75 is a high resolution camera.  The camera uses AA type Alkaline batteries and the life of these batteries (four in number) is excellent.

This camera comes with a number of accessories such as a battery charger, an optional AC Adaptor, a USB jack for downloading images on the computer, two software CDs, one AV out jack with video cables to connect to the TV set.  The camera is PictBridge compatible and has a range of print settings and playback menu.

Recommendation: