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Canon PowerShot A710 IS

Canon PowerShot A710 IS Canon PowerShot A710 IS Concise Review,December 2006, Simon Joinson

Review based on a production Canon A710 ISEven in the blink and youll miss it world of compact digital cameras the budget-priced 6x zoom lensed Canon PowerShot A700 was a short-lived model; announced late February and replaced in August by the camera on test here, the PowerShot A710 IS. Aside from a design facelift and a few feature tweaks the biggest - and most welcome - change is that the new model adds optical image stabilization, something we bemoaned the lack of on the A700. Theres also an extra million pixels ( up from 6 to 7MP) and the usual A series mix of manual and automatic features. So lets find out if the A710 IS a worthy successor to the popular A700, starting, as ever, with the headline features.7.1 Megapixels6x optical zoom with optical Image Stabilizer (35-210mm equiv.)DIGIC II, iSAPS, 9-Point AiAF, FlexiZone AF/AEDigital Tele-Converter and Safety Zoom2.5” LCD with wide viewing angle and real-image optical viewfinder20 shooting modesPowershot A700 vs A710: Whats changed? Canon PowerShot A710 IS

The A710 is more than a mere styling re-vamp (although it is a much better looking camera); its actually a pretty significant upgrade, with the addition of an optical image stabilization system top of the list (this is the first A series model to get IS). The only downside is the slight reduction in battery life (still an impressive 360 shots or so from a decent pair of AA NiMH batteries).Higher Resolution (7MP vs 6MP)Image StabilizationNew Safety Zoom (advanced digital zoom function)60fps (QVGA) movie modeMyColors effects in playback modePlayback overexposure warning3:2 overlay on live viewMarginally lower battery lifeSDHC card supportUnderwater scene mode (for use with new optional 40m underwater case)Slightly reduced continuous shooting speed (1.7fps vs 2.0fps)10g (0.36oz) heavierPowerShot A710 IS specifications Street priceBody MaterialSensorImage processorImage sizesMovie clipsLensOptical StabilizationFocusMeteringShooting modeShutter speedsAperturesExposure compensationSensitivityWhite BalanceImage parametersContinuousFlashStorageViewfinderLCD monitorConnectivityPower

Other featuresWeight (inc batts)Dimensions

• US: $316• UK: £280

Plastic and metal

• 1/2.5 " Type CCD• 7.1 million effective pixels

DIGIC II with iSAPS technology

• 3072 x 2304• 2592 x 1944• 2048 x 1536• 1600 x 1200• 640 x 480• 3072 x 1728

• TTL autofocus• AF illuminator • 9-point AiAF or 1 point AF (any position or fixed center) • 1cm macro mode

• Evaluative• Center-weighted average• Spot (center or linked to focusing frame)

• Auto• Program AE• Shutter Priority AE • Aperture Priority AE • Manual• Portrait• Landscape• Night Scene• Stitch Assist• Movie• Special Scene• Single• Continuous

F2.8 - 8 (Wide) F4.8 - 8 (Tele)

+/- 2EV in 1/3 stop increments

• Auto• High ISO Auto • ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800

• Auto• Daylight• Cloudy• Tungsten• Fluorescent• Fluorescent H• Underwater• Custom

My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B&W, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Positive Film, Vivid Blue, Vivid Red, Vivid Green, Custom Color)

Continuous (1.7 fps) until card is full

• Auto, Flash On, Flash Off, SLow Sync, Red-eye reduction • Flash compensation: +/- 2EV in 1/3 stop increments• Second curtain• Range: 55cm - 3.5m (wide) / 2.5m (tele)

• SD, SDHC, MMC compatible • 16 MB card supplied

Real-image zoom, optical viewfinder

• 2.5-inch P-Si TFT• 115,000 pixels

• USB 2.0 Hi-Speed• AV out

• 2 x AA batteries • NiMH recommended (alkaline supplied) • Optional AC adapter

97.5 x 66.5 x 41.2 mm

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window.To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top.DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C.

This article is Copyright 2006Simon Joinson / dpreview.com and the review in part or in whole may NOT be reproduced inany electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author.For information on reproducing any part of this review (or any images)please contact: Phil Askey