Canon A710 IS Digital Camera

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Canon A710 IS Digital Camera

Sudeep Naik, Mar 21, 2007 1231 hrs IST

The Canon Powershot A710 IS is an upgraded version of the A700.

Good Image Quality, OIS, Good movie modes and recording quality, Uses AA batteries, Supports conversion lenses.

Red-eye reduction systems don't work as well as one would expect, Low LCD resolution, 1GB limit for Video recording, Long delay between Flashes.

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Performance

The A710 IS features the legendary DIGIC II processor which produces sharper and better images than most other cameras. All image and scene modes are easily accessible. The menus are ultra-simple but Canon could have used a better color scheme (not that this one is bad.) Reviewing the pictures isn't too complicated either. Image orientation depends on the way you hold the camera and is dynamic.

The overall handling, operation, and usage is easy and has a high 'feel good' factor. The modes are very much specific for the job. It'll without doubt take a few days (or social events) of getting used to but in the end, you'll love the results.
Camera performance is very good for the most part. Just push the Power button on and the A710 is eager to shoot in just about 1.2 seconds. Focus time is above average along with very little shutter lag. Low light focusing was better than most cameras we have tested.

Image quality turned out to be very good. The photos were well-exposed with excellent color reproduction and smooth overall details. Noise levels are manageable even at ISO 400. In fact you could still make a decent looking postcard sized print of most images shot at ISO 400.
When shooting in bursts, the A710 isn't as good as the A700 (probably due to the higher resolution), but you can still shoot an unlimited number of pictures at 1.7 frames/sec.

The video and voice recording quality is pretty neat. Videos can be shot at resolutions of either 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 with zoom enabled and are stored in AVI format. Voice recording is in the WAV format.
Data transfer is via a USB 2.0 interface located on the left of the camera which is fast enough.

Now, let's dwell a bit into what we didn't like in the A710 IS:
For starters, the Red-Eye reduction system failed to work most of the times. A similar problem exists in other A-series cameras.
Secondly, as with the A700, the use of two AA-sized batteries results in a delayed flash cycle. This particular drawback comes into picture (pun intended) while taking flash shots (even when the batteries are at a low). At times, the delay can be more than 5 seconds amid the flashes and that is rather irritating.

Next, the 2.5-inch LCD with an 115,000 pixel resolution is a let down as well. Outdoor visibility was average, while in low light situations the screen was easy to see, since it 'gains up' automatically in those situations.
The 1GB limit for video recording is another thing that will piss off many users, especially since the movie capture quality is better than most other digicams.

Battery Life

Aforementioned, the Powershot A710 IS uses 2 AA Alkaline or NiMH batteries to draw power from. We used 2 AA 2600 NiMH batteries and shot close to 350 pictures with minimum reviewing and flash usage while we got to shoot just about 315 pictures with standard amount of reviewing, fiddling with functions, and flash usage. Overall, the battery life performance was very good indeed.

An important point to note is that we carried out the entire test for clicking images in a real-world scenario rather than using studio images. We prefer it that way since the camera will almost always be used in such conditions by the consumer and not in a studio to have a more practical and real-life approach.

A word of advice, rather than using standard alkaline batteries that won't really last too long, it is a good idea to acquire at least 2 pairs or rechargeable AA 2600 NiMH batteries and a fast charger as well.

Conclusion

The Canon A710 IS is available for Rs.18,500 with a one year warranty. In a way, it's got everything an average user could ask for. The OIS system is a boon, especially for that price. So, if you are looking for a sub 20k cam, don't think twice before getting this beauty.

Test Unit Sourced from: 20.20 Media, Delhi