 Best A-series Canon yet -- worth the upgrade |
| Review Date: September 14, 2007 |
| Reviewer: J. Scott Tynes, The Shenandoah |
I'm a long-standing fan of A-series Canons. I started with the A40, went A80, A95, A620, A640, and now this A650 - yes, it's out there, earlier than expected. They all have excelled in picture quality, but each has brought something new to the game. Most improvements between top end models were notable but fairly marginal (ISO increase, bigger screen or MP). My most recent move from the A620 to A640 was one of the smallest. The A640 had higher megapixels than the A620 and a bigger LCD but offered little else besides a black case. Then they went and stuck the SD card in behind the battery door -- a real bummer continued into the A650.
The A650, though, is a major reboot for the series. Improvements from the A640: 12MP; image stabilization; a 6x lens that's much improved from any previous A series glass; a higher resolution LCD that's the same size as the old A640 but produces much better quality images; a distance sensing flash that won't blow out subjects close to the camera. This works better than manual flash level method when out of Auto in old A640; there are the DIGIC III improvements: red eye removal tool, face sensor, better shot-to-shot speed, longer battery life; a higher ISO 1600 is there and a 3200 (in lower resolution) plus, in my experience, less noise in the lower ISOs when comparing it to the A640 ISO to ISO; a better viewfinder; a new interface for picture playback shows the grid images but slightly enlarges the chosen picture over the tic-tac-toe -- a nice improvement. Finally, there's a focus check that pulls in the focal box image for quick perusal (still love to have a live histogram), and an "auto" ISO that'll bump up the ISO to prevent blurring -- this works, but I prefer to choose (it's selectable off/on). That's a big pile of improvements from one camera to the next. The 6X G-series lens and image stabilization are enough to make the jump but packing in all the rest makes this a worthy move for A640 users.
What else? They've changed the button layout a bit, adding a direct ISO button on the back -- nice. They've also added a much-needed gauge for zoom/wide. You can finally see where you are in the zoom range -- very nice and needed. The viewfinder has an expanded reach that's an improvement over the A640 as well, though I rarely compose with the viewfinder since you are still getting 80% or so of the final image. This camera also brings a new sensor, bigger than the A640. This is a relief, since the print size for a jump from 10-12 wouldn't be huge. But squeezing more MP out of the previous sensor would have brought noise. Canon did things one better and upped the size of the sensor and the pictures really sing for the improvement.
It maintains the usual A-series pluses: runs on AA batteries (four of them - best for the quickest flash recharge), has easy capacity for add-on lenses for telephoto and wide, plus underwater cases, and has the same wonderful flip out screen of the top-end A series cameras (this time with a much needed pixel count increase -- there's much better resolution here). Also the usual full manual control, the many shooting and `scene' modes (21 of them), and a custom slot for your favorite settings are still there. So far, it seems perfectly in line with the A series consistent reputation for image quality.
I did feel the A640 delivered a more contrasty image than the A620. This new A650 produces images more in line with the A620, they feel richer and I feel like the mid-tones are brighter than with the A640 so they don't have the same contrasty out of camera quality of the A640.
What's the downside? Well, really only one major caveat here: The build quality. The A620 was a solid machine. The A640 was nice as well, the black case felt good in the hands. The A650 takes a step back here. The design, with the split silver/black casing already looks cheaper than the old A640. But then, flip the zoom button and you can feel it. The lever is lighter and makes a sort of unsatisfying clicking. It doesn't say "quality." And when the camera body is in your hands, it feels cheaper. It weighs a few ounces more than its predecessor does but it's a larger camera. Instead of a 2 oz. bump, you'd expect five or six based on size alone. They obviously didn't skimp on the glass (lens) and the features are well, you'd be hard press to want for anything (aside from RAW support) here. But the body feels truly plastic. Flip the switch on the A640 that moves you from playback to record and do the same on the newly redesigned A650 and you can feel it. The A650 switch feels light and cheap.
In addition, and no surprise, there's no native RAW support. The lack of RAW may be a non-issue eventually, as free hacked firmware is available (and likely warranty killing) to get DIGIC II cameras to do RAW. DIGIC III is likely right around the corner. But Canon does so well in the lower ISOs that you get a great image "in camera." And this new machine has dialed back the NR so that there's more detail in the higher ISOs. I can't imagine using ISO3200 (they've dubbed it 'cell phone') but the usability of ISO 800 is remarkable. This is from someone who hates noise and tends to stick with ISO80 whenever possible. It's not an F-series Fuji in the low light, but in some ways, it's better. There's more detail and depth than the Fuji with a bit more noise. But no Fuji has the picture quality at lower ISOs in normal light like a Canon. This A-series takes the best images yet from any A-series camera -- and at 12mp! All the feature improvements are very, very welcome (big zoom and IS) but the fantastic image quality is really the bottom line. |
Beyond Outstanding!
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| Review Date: September 19, 2007 |
| Reviewer: D. Charles, |
The first reviewer did such a fantastic job reviewing this camera there is little more I can add.
As a professional photographer, I've owned a lot of cameras. I still have and shoot medium and large format film but in the smaller 35mm size, I now shoot nearly 100% digital. For my small digitals, I own several of the G-series and a couple of the A-Series PowerShot cameras, including the A710IS. It's a very, very good camera but I did not like the flash, battery life, or the non-flip LCD viewer.
Canon fixed the flash, doubled the batteries, and put the flip-LCD in! Also, the new SD-SDHC cards are supported. The San Disc 4GB Extreme III with the card reader is the perfect flash memory card for it too.
This is, by a wide margin, the best "pocketable" camera available on the market today at any price. The words "Landmark Product" come to mind.
If the nearly $400 takes your breath away, save up for it and wait until the price drops a bit.
For those like me on the perpetual upgrade treadmill spending $400-$700 every year for the incremental features we need and want, we've finally reached that illusive destination!
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Beautiful Pictures, but know what you are buying
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| Review Date: November 9, 2007 |
| Reviewer: D. Nelson, Arlington, VA |
The Canon a650 takes beutiful pictures. I have a high end, digital SLR as well, and while I can notice differences with larger prints, the image quality is not that far off. I would say the difference is more due to the lenses than the cameras. It is not that the lens in the a650 is bad -just that I bought expensive lenses for the SLR.
While the price for the a650 may be daunting for a point-and-shoot, please note that the a650 is internally identical to the Canon G9, which cost another $100 and cannot use AA batteries.
One caution to note, however, is that this camera is heavy and big. It weighs close to a pound with batteries and will not fit in you pocket. Before you buy, go hold the camera. I almost bought the sd950 for its smaller size, but decided that I could not relay only on rechargible batteries, which is ironic considering my SLR only uses reechargibles and I have never had problems. |
Good all-around camera
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| Review Date: May 4, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Jerry Saperstein, Evanston, IL USA |
I wanted this camera primarily for two features: 1) it uses ordinary AA batteries, 2) the tilt and swivel display.
I really don't like proprietary rechargeble batteries. They always seem to poop out way too soon and, as a result, I wind up carrying several of them. They also impose the burden of needing to be recharged which, in most cases, means carrying yet another gadget, the recharger.
Sometimes I just want the convenience of carrying a camera with AA cells that I can buy anywhere should the need arise.
So the A650 is very appealing to me for that reason alone.
Next big feature is the tilt and swivel screen. You can use the camera at virtually any angle, which if you're feeling creative, is a huge plus, especially if you're old like I am and not quite as supple as you were 40 years ago. The A650 makes it easy for me to get pictures of my toddler grandchild at her level, not five feet up! Used with a QwikPod or similar device, you'll have no trouble creating well composed pictures that include you, which is nice when you are travelling. No need to rely on strangers.
Those are the big features for me - the rest of this camera's assets are frosting on the cake. The image quality is excellent at lower ISO equivalents. As with all point 'n shoot cameras and many DSLRs, as you increase the speed, you increase the noise. Can't be helped.
The zoom range is adequate, though I would rather have a 28mm capability and less telephoto. I suspect, considering what Panasonic, Olympus and Nikon are doing, that a future A model may have both a wider angle at one end and a higher telephoto at the other. The one thing I hope is that they don't get rid of the optical viewfinder or, in the alternative, include an optical LCD viewer as in the new Nikon Coolpix. You can, by the way, get supplementary wide-angle and telephoto lenses.
The video capability of this camera is terrific, which was a big consideration for me. I want to use video for blogging and hobby purposes. The built-in microphone is excellent though, as you might expect, a tad too sensitive to finger noise on the camera. It also, predictably, becomes less than optimal for voice when the speaker is more than a few feet away.
Optical stabilization works well.
Shot-to-shot time feels a bit on the slow side.
The zoom control is a bit too small and zooming is a bit on the sluggish side.
Autofocus is inconsistent. It is usually tack-sharp, but sometimes it starts to hunt and is slow.
Color rendition is excellent.
Battery life with the four AAs is surprisingly good.
The camera is somewhat on the large side and the pocket you put it in had best be large. It is also a bit heavy, coming in at just under a pound.
Available controls are terrific, including full manual operation.
Overall, the A650 is a continuation of the traditionally excellent Canon A series. There are much smaller and lighter cameras available that provide many of the same features. But if you want the convenience of AA batteries, the versatility of a tilt and swivel screen (and an optical viewfinder) and manual controls, the A650 is just about the only game in town in this form factor.
Jerry |
Layman's review
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| Review Date: December 22, 2007 |
| Reviewer: M, Somersworth, NH United States |
I won't go into any technical specs about this camera, previous reviewers who are far more knowledgeable have already done this.
I upgraded to this camera from a simple Nikon Coolpix, as I wanted a few more options and better picture quality and a little more performance than the basic coolpix could offer. I also didn't want to go all the way up to a bulky Digital SLR either. This camera bridges the gap between a basic camera and one for advanced users.
It's not as big/bulky as the SLR's like the rebel but it isn't a shirt pocket camera like the Elph's either.
It has plenty of features to allow you to learn how to take photo's, allowing you to experiment with some of the more manual functions and not always rely on using the old point and shoot "auto" function but for those times you need to, that option is still there to fall back on.
The photo quality is excellent and at 12.0MP you get plenty of room to crop your photo's. I would recommend a larger memory card as the one you get with it isn't good for much of anything.
This camera is also compatible with the newer SDHC cards and I put in one of the 8Gb cards whis has plenty of storage for photo's and some decent length Mpeg's.
It takes 4AA batteries but is not as much of a battery hog as I had thought it would be. The rechargeables are great to have but the new AA lithiums do last quite well under heavy use.
Another nice feature, if you are low on power you can turn off the screen (which is a beefy 2.5" variable angle by the way) and use the viewfinder...a feature other camera's have started to leave out.
With some of the other whistles and bells, face detection, Image stabilization and a 6X zoom and this is a solid purchase for the price.
All that and its still very user friendly....
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