Camera Labs

Whilst I guess that this does not count as a high end digicam, I am at least considering one as a supplement to my Nikon F70 film camera (yes, a 35mm slide show is still far superior to a digital slide show....). Any experiences with this, particularly at higher ISOs?

Simon.

Hi Simon, I actually used the A620 the other week as part of an article I was writing for PC Advisor UK magazine and was impressed by the level of creative control it offered. I didn't get a chance to do any noise tests on it during this period, but hope to get it (and some other compacts) in for a more detailed review in Cameralabs very soon.

Cheers!

Gordon

Hi again Simon, good news! I'm testing the A620 as part of a mini group test of compact cameras which will be on the site mid this coming week. Keep an eye open!

Gordon

Thanks Gordon. Is the Fuji F10 / F11 also in the group? Simon

Hi Simon, yep, I'll be comparing the Canon A620 against the Fujifilm F11, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-N1 and the Pentax Optio S6 - should make an interesting group test.

This will be the next article on Camera Labs and should be ready by Thursday this week. Apologies for the delay! The Fujifilm S9500 / S9000, Panasonic DMC-FZ30 and Canon EOS-5D reviews will then follow afterwards...

Gordon

Good news! I'm having a real problem choosing between the A620 & the F11. It seems that each offers something I would like, but it boils down to whether the high ISO capability of the F11 outweighs the apparent advantages and other features of the A620. It's 'paralysis by analysis' time! Simon

Great review Gordon! The bottom line when compared with the Fuji F11 boils down to usability of the A620 in most shooting conditions versus the F11's low light capability. I'm swaying towards the Canon - at least for today....... Simon

Hi Simon, glad you liked the compact reviews. The A620 may be larger and less 'sexy' than many compacts, but is a great camera if you're a photographer who likes to have a decent level of creative control.

Gordon

The A610 also offers pretty much the same for about £40 less. With 2mp less on the same sized sensor it looks like high ISO noise performance may be better still than the A620. It looks from what I've seen elsewhere that Canon may have upped the saturation a little on the A610 though when compared with the A620 (nothing that a little post processing cannot fix!).

BTW, it looks like my post on www.photo.net has generated a little interest!

Simon

Hi every body

I am from India and Just bought a Canon A 620. This after researching for the right compact camera as I find it difficult for a largr one for normal day to day use.

I must particulary thank the reviewers of the site for a clear comparison between the sony/fuji/canon/nikon/pentax. The review was great and it helped a lot than I must regretfully say than other repute sites. The problm is they tend to be too techenical for a layman like me and for such a product. Their reviews might be usefull more for DSLR or Prosumer range of cameras, but for a P & S compact This was the best imformation.


I had a tough time deciding between FuJI F11 / E900 and A 620. But fuji are not available here in this part of the world. As for other I dont want to comment.

Any way my initial sparing with a620 was not bad. The pictures lood great on the computer screen. Some were a bit too bright ( I did some tweeking in Photoshop) and they turned up well. I am only learning the various settings. The manual is not so good but I found a link to the Japaneese (English Language) with accurate explanations for every setting and functions in the Camera.

If any body wants help with its functions or settings visit this link

http://web.canon.jp/Imaging/psa620/index-e.html

I shall print a few images latter and check the image quality. One thing though, I found the AUTO setting may not correctly produce the colors particularly in the evening (low light). Our white colored marble floor turned a little redish. Program mode did the trick and produced the colors correctly. I believe most of the didgital cameras have this problem.

Any I am only learning and there is a long way to go.

Thank every one and particulary the combined review (Gordon I believe who wrote it).

regards
Suresh

Hello Suresh, thanks for your message and I'm pleased you found the review useful.

I tend to use Program modes for most of the Gallery shots you'll see in the reviews. Different cameras implement their Program and Auto modes slightly differently, but generally the Auto modes often hide many options and also fire the flash when the camera thinks it's too dark.

In contrast, Program modes, while still offering an automatic combination of shutter speed and aperture, usually give you more control over things like exposure compensation, metering, focus and the flash mode.

It's purely personal, but like many photographers, I find Program to be the most useful day-to-day mode, and only switch to Aperture / Shutter Priority or Manual when I'm after a very specific effect.

Glad you like the A620 anyway though - it's a great compact for people who don't want to sacrifice creative control.

Gordon

Hi,

I've just bought the A620 after spending a few weeks reading reviews and in particular, I found the group test on this site really useful. Thanks guys!

This is the first 'proper' digital camera I've bought - up until now I've been getting by using my 1.3mp Nokia phone! - so I'm hopeful the pictures with the canon will be a tad better

So far I've found the Program mode the most useful, giving me the just the amount of creative control I'm after, although I admit I'm a bit of a control freak so it's nice to have the fully manual ability to get the camera to do exactly what I want.

Now I'm just wishing it would stop raining so I can go out and play with my new camera!

natalie.

Hi Natalie, thanks for your message and I'm glad you found the review useful.

The A620 is one of the best compacts around, so you're going to notice a vast difference between it and your old camera phone! The Program mode is great for general auto shots, but it's really useful to have the manual and aperture and shutter priority modes for when you'd like a little more creative control.

Hope you have some good weather soon to try it out!

Gordon

Dear Gordon

I had posted 2 times on this forum but it was not displayed. kindly look into this matter. there should be facility to post such complaints to you directly.

regards
suresh

Hello Suresh, thanks for your message. If you're experiencing any problems with the forum, you can email me at contact@cameralabs.com.

As for your posts though, I can see one from you in this thread which I replied to earlier. It was about you buying an A620 and deciding which mode was best to use.

The forum database lists two posts from you: this one and your question, both in this thread. Were there any others? Please email me at the above address if there are further problems.

Gordon