• Review: Canon PowerShot A2200

    Review: Canon PowerShot A2200

    Jayesh Limaye, Jun 23, 2011 1220 hrs IST

    A good entry-level camera with HD movie recording.

    Very compact and lightweight; Easy to use; Ergonomic; HD movie capture; Decent image quality

    No image stabilisation; Colours look a bit dull; Slow performance; No optical zoom in movie capture; Price could have been lower

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Design And Features

The A2200 appears very attractive in its slim form factor, thanks in a big way to Canon's decision to go with the slim Li-ion. The front prominently features the lens with a 4x optical zoom at f/2.8 for wide angle (28 mm) to f/5.9 at the telephoto end. The AF Assist window is present near the centre at the top, while the Xenon flash is present on the side opposite to the shutter button. This is smart placement, because it reduces the possibility of it getting accidentally covered by your fingers. There is enough space to get a firm grip on the camera with the right hand, and it is light and comfortable enough for one-handed operation. You can hold it with both hands for better stability, especially because it lacks image stabilisation of any type. The build quality is very good and there is no sign of flimsiness anywhere.

Canon PowerShot A2200 (front)


Canon PowerShot A2200 (front)

A major part of the back of the camera is consumed by the 2.7" TFT LCD display, which produces a crisp and bright output. To the right of the LCD, there are buttons for Face Select, Playback, Display (to decide what is to be displayed on the LCD), and Menu (to control the advanced camera functions). A D-pad allows you to sift through captured photos or videos. It also lets you select different settings such as close-up or Macro mode, Flash, Delete, Electronic Exposure Values, and Delayed Shutter, which can be set at either 2 seconds or 10 seconds. You can choose other settings too by pressing the OK button at the centre, selecting the setting using the direction keys, and then pressing OK again.

The power button is present rather inconspicuously at the top of the camera. Just beside it lies the shutter button, encircled by a zoom ring with lever. The shutter button could have been made a little pronounced by either making it larger, or giving it a different colour. The zoom lever works smoothly and makes almost no noise when used.

Canon PowerShot A2200 (back)


Canon PowerShot A2200 (back)

Lastly, there is a mode dial, which lets you select different shooting modes. These include Programmable, Automatic, Movie, and also a Live View mode, which allows you to change brightness, vividness, and colour tone in real time. The Easy mode leaves the user with just the flash control; this is for the novice who doesn't want to be bothered by the camera controls. Other scene modes include Fisheye, Miniature, Toy Camera, Monochrome, Super Vivid, and Poster Effect, with each one being fancier than the last. Also present is a Discreet mode, which turns off all sound effects, the flash, and even the AF Assist light, for silent operation. The rest of the common shooting modes, such as Portrait, Landscape, Fireworks, etc are available as always, but there is one extra mode called Blur Reduction, which shoots at 3.5 MP and reduces the blur due to camera shake. Movie mode captures movies at up to 720p HD (1280x720) video at 30 fps.

The battery compartment is present below the camera and the cover of this compartment also covers the SD memory card slot. There is a centrally located threaded tripod mount socket. Since this is made of plastic, it must be used with caution as it is not durable like those made of metal.

Canon PowerShot A2200 (bottom)


Canon PowerShot A2200 (bottom)


The camera can be connected to a TV using an AV cable via the AV-out port. Computer connectivity can be achieved using the Micro-USB cable.

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Discussion Board
(5) Comments
dude
,Mumbai, on Jun 23, 2011 05:12 PM
This article was sponcered by duracell. A1200 uses AA batteries.
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sam
,gurgaon, on Jun 23, 2011 01:11 PM
How does Fujifilm FinePix AX200 fare against this camera
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Jayesh Limaye
,TechTree, on Jun 23, 2011 09:01 PM
Canon A2200 is better than the Fujifilm AX200 in the following ways: Better wide angle of 28 mm as against 32 mm; Better macro capabiligy of 3 cm as against 10 cm; Smaller size and weight; Optical zoom 4x as against 3x. Fujifilm AX200 on the other hand has image stabilisation, albeit digital, and is slightly cheaper.
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Jayesh Limaye
,TechTree, on Jun 23, 2011 09:04 PM
And I forgot to mention that you can use optical zoom while shooting movies with the AX200, though the audio gets muted while you are zooming in or out.
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Jayesh Limaye
,TechTree, on Jun 23, 2011 09:08 PM
My bad: the AX200 has 5x optical zoom, while the A2200 has 4x, but it doesn't really make that much of a practical difference
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