Canon PowerShot A70 Review
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Review
Date: Sep 8, 2003 |
Image Quality
The
Canon PowerShot A70 is a digital camera targeted
to beginner amateur photographers and its image
quality is comparable to other 3 megapixels resolution
digital cameras.
For this review, I used the following settings
as my preferred settings:
-
Shooting Mode: Program AE
-
Metering Mode: Evaluative
- ISO:
Auto
- Image
Size: 2048x1536 (Large)
- Image
Quality: Superfine
- White
Balance: Auto
All the pictures on this and the other pages (including
the navigation pictures at the top of each page)
have been taken by the PowerShot A70 for this
review. The pictures on this page provide a good
sample of what the PowerShot A70 is capable of
and I have provided the 800x600 version. Remember
that this version is of slightly lesser quality
than the original 2048x1536 version. Please open
and download only once to your hard drive -- and
save me some precious bandwidth. Thanks!
| Clicking
on a picture version will display the 800x600
version in a separate window. Leave that separate
window up for all the other images will also
display in that same separate window. |
 James
Garden, located on Edenbridge Drive east off
Royal York Road, in Etobicoke, is a small but
beautifully landscaped garden popular for wedding
pictures. It is not as big as Edwards Garden,
but well worth a family afternoon's visit. At
about 3 p.m. the Sun is blazing and most of my
pictures are too contrasty. This scene of borders
and a path that leads under a wooden arch arbour
is almost perfect, with the right interplay of
shade and sun. The path invitingly leads you into
the picture. Focal Length 5.4mm, Program AE, shutter
speed 1/800 sec., aperture F2.8 and ISO Auto.
[File size: 2.4 MB]
 |
As
you turn and walk under the arch arbour, a magnificent
vista opens up to you. This element of surprise
adds to the beauty of the scene. You can sit on
the large boulders at the edge for another stunning
view of the garden below. It's a busy place on a
Saturday and wedding parties wait their turn to
pose beside the scenic spots. It's probably less
crowded during the week days, and it would then
be a wonderful place for quiet contemplation. Focal
length 5.4mm, Program AE, shutter speed 1/1,000
sec., aperture F2.8, ISO Auto. [File size: 2.5 MB]
 This
picture is taken in Program AE mode and I find that
Program AE mode on the PowerShot A70 tends to prefer
a large aperture of F2.8. A landscape scene is best
taken with a small aperture for maximum depth of
field (DOF). Best mode to use here, therefore, is
Landscape scene mode which would force the use of
a small aperture. You could also use Aperture Priority
mode (which defaults to F8) and you can dial in
a small aperture of your choice. Greater DOF means
more objects will be in focus. Try the A70's scene
modes and watch your pictures get better. Focal
length 5.4mm, Program AE, shutter speed 1/640 sec.,
aperture F2.8, ISO Auto. [File size: 2.7 MB]
 Colorful
gears are framed by a slide entrance. This is a
good test of color and texture, and the PowerShot
A70 pulls off an excellent job. I also dial in +1/3
exposure compensation to ensure the inside of the
slide gets enough exposure. The PowerShot A70 optics
pick out the sand particles on the metallic floor,
and even give some details through the dirty plastic
glass. The slide is in the way, so I use the zoom
to achieve the tight composition I want. Focal length
9.4 mm, Program AE, shutter speed 1/250 sec., aperture
F3.5, +1/3 EV, Daylight White Balance, ISO 50. [File
size: 1.0 MB]
 The
state of this sunflower attests to the fact that
Summer is almost over. Even with one leaf partly
eaten through by insects, it still proudly lifts
its beautiful yellow petals to the Sun, offering
passer-bys a last glimpse of fading beauty. The
background is not as blurred as I would have liked.
To achieve that, I should probably have switched
to Av (Aperture Priority mode), used the largest
f/stop (F2.8) and zoomed in max. With fill-in flash,
the shutter speed would have been fast enough to
prevent camera shake. Focal length 5.4mm, Program
AE, Macro, shutter speed 1/500 sec., aperture F4.5,
ISO Auto, with fill-in flash. [File size: 1.5 MB]
 Canada
Geese enjoy the last rays of Summer at Bluffer's
Park. There's a marina, swimming in the Summer,
and picnic tables for family and friends get-togethers.
With high contrast subject matter, expect either
the shadows will be too dark or the highlights blown,
depending on whether you meter the bright or dark
areas, respectively. Here, I meter for the bright
sky to bring out the clouds, and the shadows go
dark. There's a seated couple enjoying the view
on the far right that I'd like brightened up a bit.
This scene is a good candidate for bracketing your
exposure. Focal length 5.4 mm, Program AE, shutter
speed 1/1,000 sec., aperture F4 and ISO 50. [File
size: 1.4 MB]
 This
photo is taken just outside the Toronto
Blue Jays [check out their cool new
logo] box office at SkyDome.
After taking a couple of shots of the CN Tower (see
next image), I turn around and am surprised to see
the sky turning dark and foreboding. Yet, behind
me it's so sunny it hurts your eyes. There's no
storm in the weather forecast, so I wonder where
the dark sky comes from. Straight ahead is the walk
bridge that spans over the rail works. Focal length
5.4 mm, Aperture-Priority, shutter speed 1/250 sec,
aperture F8 and ISO 50. [File size: 1.7 MB]
 There
have been so many pictures of the CN
Tower that it is quite challenging to get a
fresh perspective. After taking about a dozen unsatisfying
shots from various angles, I walk by a tree and
instinctively look up. I like the juxtaposition
of nature and man-made building. The seemingly haphazard
branches of the tree clash with the clean lines
of the tower as they both shoot up to the sky. Focal
length 5.4 mm, Aperture-Priority, shutter speed
1/320 sec, aperture F8 and ISO 50. [File size: 1.9
MB]
 Would
you believe this is a garage? The addition of the
metallic structure with hanging mesh transforms
what is usually an eye sore into, well, an interesting
picture. You'd almost think this was some kind of
stadium for an olympic event with the different
flags fluttering in the wind. Speaking of olympics,
the 2010
Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is going
to be held in Whistler, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Focal length 9.4 mm, Program AE, shutter speed 1/1,000
sec, aperture F4.5 and ISO 50. [File size: 1.5 MB]
 Out
for my lunch time walk, I find this old pine tree,
all gnarled where the lower branches have been cut
off. To ensure the camera's meter does not get blinded
by the sun, I stand in the shade of the tree to
take this picture. Shooting straight against the
bright sky, the evaluative metering does a pretty
good job of properly exposing both the tree trunk
and the bright areas. Colors are accurately reproduced,
as I remember them. Focal length 5.4 mm, Program
AE, shutter speed 1/1,000 sec, aperture F2.8 and
ISO 50. [File size: 2.2 MB]
 The
difference between using Auto mode and Program AE
mode is that in the former, the camera makes all
the decisions for you for every single shot, while
in the latter, you get to make some of the decisions,
such as White Balance (WB), and the camera will
keep those selections and automate the rest. Those
selections stay until you change them again. But
what happen if you forget to change them? Here is
a picture of the Square
One Mall where I inadvertently use the setting
of a previous indoor shot -- and which I forget
to reset. Take a look at the image and see if you
can tell what the "mistake" is. In this
case the effect is not really noticeable and may
even be a plus. Reviewing on the LCD, I do not notice
that the "wrong" White Balance is used
until I view the EXIF info much later. Focal length
5.4 mm, Program AE, Photo Effect Low Sharpening,
+1/3EV, WB Fluorescent, shutter speed 1/1,000 sec,
aperture F3.5 and ISO Auto. [File size: 1.4 MB]
Another
shot of the Square One Mall, this time using the
Stitch Assist (panorama) function of the PowerShot
A70. When you take the first image, the camera
locks the exposure and white balance settings
for the rest of the images to ensure consistent
exposure. Up to 26 images can be taken in a vertical
or horizontal direction. Without a tripod, panorama
shots are touch and go, and one of the seams don't
quite line up in this shot as you can see below
(left top of roof). PhotoStitch does a good job
but does not correct for the mismatched seam.
Focal length 5.4mm, shutter speed 1/1,000 sec.,
aperture F4 and ISO Auto.
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A
Personal Word
The
Canon PowerShot A70 is very easy to use and produces
quality 3MP pictures in Program AE mode. I can't
see how Canon can improve on such a package except
perhaps by providing higher resolution (and in
a bigger size) for both the image sensor and the
LCD monitor. It's a beginner amateur photographer's
dream camera; an advanced amateur looking for
a compact digital camera will appreciate the exposure
flexibility it provides.
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