Canon Powershot A470 Digital Camera

[AusROM]

Canon Powershot A470 Digital Camera
By: AusROM
  

Introduction:
This is a review of the Canon A470 Digital camera for anyone who is considering a Camera purchase in the near future and has a limited budget to work with. This Canon was chosen because they are renowned for making great products and then retailing them at very reasonable and affordable prices.
Canon Inc. has been around forever, since 1937 in fact, and even I was just a glint my dad’s eye back then, and these days Canon is located in Tokyo, Japan. Being a Japanese company these days means the best technology and the best quality and this can easily be seen in their huge catalogue of products, from the humble calculator all the way through to their Printers and Video cameras. This company has built a reputation over the years that is equal to any of the best in the world.
This is the reason why we chose to purchase and review this A470 Digital Camera for you, because we know it is a brand that can be trusted and comes with high credentials and well researched technology. http://www.canon.com/

Features and Specifications:
This particular Digital Camera is most definitely aimed at the lower end of the price scale in that it will be most definitely better than the built in ones you will get with your Mobile Phones being a 7.1 mega Pixel but at the same time offers a whole heap less than those better quality ones for $500 US or more.
Being one that is targeted at the sub $200 US market is evident as soon as you open the box and this fact jumps out at you. This is not to say that this Digital camera is rubbish either, in fact for the price you are paying you really are getting a sweet deal.
These Specifications and Features listed below will prove at a glance that you are getting a lot of really great technology and you will be hard pressed to get picky and want for more, especially if you are a beginner.

  

Specifications:
Flash Range : Normal: 30 cm -3.0 m (W) 30 cm -2.0 m (T)
LCD Monitor: 2.5 inch TFT color LCD
Shooting Modes: Auto / Camera M (Manual): Super Macro / Special Scene / Movie
Special Scene: Portrait / Foliage / Snow / Beach / Fireworks / Indoor / Kids and Pets /Night Snapshot / Sunset / Aquarium
Battery / Optional Car Battery: Size AA Alkaline battery (x2) or Size AA rechargeable NiMH battery (x2), (NB-3AH is recommended)

Features:
• 7.1 Mega pixels
• Canon 3.4x optical zoom lens
• Super fast DiG!C III
• 2.5" LCD Screen
• Face detection for perfect focus
• In-camera red-eye correction
• Motion detection
• High quality continuous movie recording and playback with sound

The Accessories included in the box are:
• Wrist Strap WS-800
• 2 x AA Alkaline Batteries
• USB Interface Cable IFC-400PCU
• AV Cable AVC-DC300
• 32MB SD Card
• User Guides
• Digital Camera Installation Disc which includes the necessary software.
• Warranty card

  

Other available supplementary accessories include.... (These are not essential though)
• These items can all be purchased separately.
• CBK4-300 Battery Charger Kit (Contains charger and 4 x AA Batteries)
• AC Adaptor Kit ACK-800 (contains CA-PS800)
• Metallic Neck Strap
• USB Interface Cable IFC-400PCU
• High-Power Flash HF-DC1
• Compact Photo Printers

Recommended System Requirements:
Supported Operating Systems: PC: Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2, Vista;
Mac: OS X v10.3 - v10.4
Computer I/F: USB 2.0 Full-Speed (mini-B jack)
Output: PAL or NTSC Selectable / Monaural
Memory Storage: SD Memory Card / SDHC Memory card / Multimedia Card / MMC Plus Card / HC MMC Plus Card.
Supplied Memory: 32MB SD Card

Description:
Overall this piece of digital equipment offers more than enough bells and whistles if you want to get your hands dirty playing with all the knobs and switches but at the same time it is pretty much idiot proof too if you use just the basic options.
As this is a sub $200 US styled camera it is very small without being too miniaturized so it’s going to be perfect for the person on the run most of the time or has limited sized pockets money wise and space wise.
The aim with this review is to give you a brief overview of its Basic workings its negatives and its overall performance as we try to give you a definitive answer on whether this camera is suitable for what you need or should you save for a bit longer and get a more expensive model.

     

Testing:
Before we actually get into the real performance we need to look at what tools and equipment are in the Package so we can determine if everything we need is supplied, pretty much the same way you would if you where to go out and buy a full PC package deal. On this point it is quite pleasing what you do get for your money in suck a low priced camera, but this is not to say that you will still find yourself needing to go to your local Tech store to get better supplies.

The first point that will jump out of you upon opening the box is it Lacks a bag for storing or carrying the camera in so as to not scratch the LCD or damage other parts because of knocks and bumps, to many of you this will be very much a big oversight and so this will be the first incurred extra cost as you will need to find a generic brand type of the right size and dimensions. Let’s not forget though that this is a personal thing.
On this, please remember, its pink for the girls and blue for the boys, ha-ha!, just messing with you!

Next point of interest is that the camera only comes with a 32MB Flash Card and this won’t last long (about 12 shots) before you will have to save your moments of history or fame to a PC Hard Drive or a external Flash card so it is advised that you look at getting a 2GB at least for around $20. Especially if you intend to take some Movies with it at your next beach party or rock concert.

        

Once you start using the Camera you will also notice very quickly that the batteries supplied are also not the best and before you know it you will get battery low warnings on your Cameras LCD screen, so getting backups in reserve of better quality would be good advice I think.
After you take out all the supplies that come with the camera and put all the bits together into the full package the very next thing you will need to do is to Run the supplied CD and install all the supplied software on your PC (and if you don't actually have one you need to wait till the owner of this one falls asleep and then sneak back here to install it all in stealth mode ha-ha!! Yikes!! Look out, behind you!! - LOL).
Personally I think the software supplied is not to bad at all and it all seems to work well, however as the Camera is supported by both Painshop Pro and Photoshop to copy and edit your pictures and I have both I found these two performed more easily and with many more options included.
Installing the supplied Software is a breeze and only takes a few minutes to complete. And even more important is the fact that none of the supplied software is invasive on your PC in any way. There are no complicated setup protocols to wade through either for any of the software.

The A470 Digital Camera Installation Disc includes the following software...
ZoomBrowser EX (PC)
ImageBrowser (MAC)
TWAIN Driver (PC)
PhotoStitch
CameraWindows
Movie Edit
Apple QuickTime (Win)
- Warranty card

The A470 is a good sized unit that is stable and easily manageable and this includes all the areas of the devices controls that you will need to access regularly such as what I call the memory loading bay where you need to insert your SD chips and replacement batteries. The protective cover for this area has what can be best describes as a secure safety latch to hold it in place and this can take a few attempts to get accustomed to but at the end of the day it is well designed as it does alleviate opportunities for accidents and hence disasters.
On the other end of the spectrum however the other end of the Cameras "ports" are not quite impressive as here they are covered by a mere Rubber type cap over the DC In/Digital/AV Out ports and it feels rather flimsy and with the all rubber design 'including the Hinges' it is anticipated this dust cover will not last long and will soon weaken and break of. My personal expectation for its life span would be around a year or so as you will probably need to access this are often if you are keen to keep all your great moments on your preferred storage medium to share with friends and others.
This is the area where you will plug in your USB cable to copy them to your PC and therefore is rather vital to your needs, so having sturdy protection here should be considered a must. Still we are talking about a Budget camera so it will suffice; besides I could be wrong and it may last for years.

     

Other than the Access Ports it must be said that all buttons and switches are well placed and none get in the way when using the camera which is not always the case. As a new user to Digital cameras it was exciting to see just how much controls a novice can have over the outcome of their moments for memory. Also pleasing is the One Screen Display (OSD) that you get on the LCD screen and once you learn your way around the "Functions" and "Menu's" it is almost like having a new toy with many options and settings to play with.
Two of the most useful menus that will impress are the instant delete option because we all know that we all make mistakes and we don't want these mistakes filling our flash cards when we may later need this room for the Good stuff. The other Button that will give you heaps of joy is the control you have over the Zoom function. I remember as a teen all those fiddly dials and apertures you had to fiddle with and this is with pain and disgust but now all you have to do is stand still and adjust the Paddle type controls to the zoom to what you need. Sweet!
Actually let’s just say that the Menu and function displays are excellent and a lot of thought has gone into these and this is quite evident once you begin to use the camera and that even includes from a beginners point of view. As you learn more about the cameras controls and your confident increases enough you will still need to study the manual as there is still lots to learn in the built in menu system. The Supplied hard copy typed Manual in the pack is extremely Minimal at best (for us beginners), however, once you install the supplied CD on your PC you get a Pdf format Manual which is most complete and easy to follow and this is where you can really get into some serious details and learning. It’s a must to study it really well as a lot more is revealed here.
Before we move away from the control system so that we don't confuse you with the myriad of options available it needs to be pointed out that this camera also includes auto focus and to see the real benefits of this you need to use the options within the Dial that allows you to choose the cameras Modes such as Manual or Auto Control or even using Movie mode. These are also colored as red icons as the dial so you understand that this is the first option you must decide on when using the camera.
All buttons and switches are well situated and none get in the way when using the camera, regardless of whether you are taking a wide standard angle shot or even a Long vertical angle shot. It’s a good sized unit that is stable and easily manageable.
Probably the most impressive point about this camera, considering its very reasonable price is its actual performance indoors. When first trailing this camera I was rather confident it would work a treat in outside environments as do the larger portion of the mere 5 MP Mobile phone cameras, but I was pleasantly surprised when it come to its indoor performance and it must be said that the built in flash unit comes up trumps. Truth is that every Mobile Phone camera I have tried performed quite miserably.
(See my screenshots below to see the obvious results.)
Actually photographing written material can be a bit tricky especially if that Text has plastic type covers or protective sheaths on or covering them but if you are patient and persevere eventually you should get the results you like. Photographing written matter can be done quite well but in some instances this Camera is not the most effective for small print and other specific matter but stick to it and use the manual settings and even here you can get reasonable results.
More than seventy five percent of you have tried or own a Mobile Phone with built in cameras and this means that even with that miniature LCD window you know that some times its a hit and miss affair under certain conditions and this is where a larger 2.5 inch LCD comes into its own plus with this variety of camera design you get a lot more detail displayed on the screen itself. This detail includes all you need to make the best shot possible and its pleasing to see that they have made all this information easily digestible and understandable, especially for us Digital novices.
Discussion about the finer details here could take up pages of review explanations but in actual fact this is best left to you to experiment with and teach yourself as you would garner more this way than have me waffle on for pages of text.
Focusing with this camera also deserves some consideration here to because most of us will agree that this is probably one of the more frustrating elements of getting the best shot with any camera.
The Canon Powershot A470 boasts a 3.4x optical zoom lens and these cameras are capable of capturing images that will produce superb prints up to A3 size so they are perfect for the creation of full sized family portraits for the wall but the focus is what really counts or else all that coolness is wasted. The A470 does a pretty decent job here with its Auto Focus feature but when testing I found manual focusing actually performed better, still, if focusing your shots is a bane of your existence the Auto Focus is quite easy to implement and using and it does return some very good results. The Motion detection feature that is built in to the A470 works really well so you don't need to concern yourself about this issue when you are thinking Focus.
The final area that this review will touch on is that of making those great action movies of your own and lets emphasize this as robust as I can because in this area I am a total greenhorn, and that is to totally understate my Novice Rating here. However as green as I am, I have never made a movie of any description in all my 50 plus years so it must be said that this is an area I found the most enjoyable. The fact is this was so easy that I had to triple check my results because I could have sworn that I did something wrong. In fact I could not even find any motion blur.
It’s just a matter of point and fire, while watching the LCD screen to see what the results are going to be, and in fact after shooting my third mini movie I found myself muttering "ok dude it’s my party, now get the hell out of dodge, punk". (Ha-ha)
I must also stress here that all the Movies I made we also all shot inside so you can imagine the fantastic results you would get in the open air work.


A point of interest however is that you will need a 2GB or more SD card to make sure you have enough memory for recording these movies. The one movie I made played for just over 30 seconds used 20MB of my SD Card. It should be noted however that if you intend to use the camera for a lot of movie work that Canon says "Up to 4GB recording. Depending on memory card capacity and data write speed. Low level format may be required". My assumption here would be that one pair of AA batteries will only last this long seeing as you can get 8MB SD cards and higher these days and I would be surprised if this limit was due to the Camera itself or that this Camera can only identify up to 4GB SD cards, but that is something you may want to explore for yourself. You can always change batteries and/or SD card if need be.
Once you have purchased the Powershot A470 and you go online to register it the official site actually suggests optional extras that may tickle your interests but as you are buying this camera for the fact that it performs well for a very good retail price you probably won’t want to go and buy a whole heap of extras. I agree with you on that one to.
If you are however tempted because you want some top of the range results try being frugal here because probably all you will actually need to consider is a Tripod device so you can then get the best still shot possible. The A470 has allocation for this and when it comes to display work this could be very useful and yet there is no mention of one at the official site but shop around and I am sure you will find one somewhere.
If you are not looking for professional looking results then this Tripod is not necessary at all, unless of course, you plan to sit on a massage bed when you take your shots, or you try to show off the results after a hard night on the town where you know you celebrated more than you should have. (Ha-ha!!)

  

Graphics/Sound:
This area for discussion is included with a chuckle ringing through the air because after all this is a camera and the whole review so far has done nothing but deal with the graphics, however, this gives us the opportunity to consider the end results of you pictures. You see, reproduction from the camera to your PC should be highlighted too and here you should consider what other programs you may prefer to manipulate you end results, there are a few included with the camera but it should be noted that Photoshop gives the best features to give you the best outcomes. We are talking about cutting areas out of your shot that are not wanted, enhancing the overall look and even resizing the picture without loss of Quality.

  

This is not all either because once you have your perfect moment looking the way you want it you also need to consider if you want a "hard" copy via your printer and whether it’s up to your expectations or do you need to take it to professional reproduction studios.
Consider that these points may cost you extra after the purchase of the camera.

Actually taking this another step onwards it’s time to discuss sound because when making the Movies this does become a point to consider. The good news is that the sound chip in this camera delivers full, crisp qualities and you won’t need to look into extra software to manipulate or improve on the end results here.

*Compatible printer required for Direct Printing.
*Compatible Windows computer required for direct download.

Conclusion:
The performance of this unit is well above the expectations I had for this Camera and even though it is not anywhere near faultless in its design it must be said that you are getting more results that you should hope for with this one even if you are a Novice to digital cameras as I am. To get the best from this unit you will need to practice a little and read a bit at first to get the feeling and understanding but once you get the overall feel for its abilities and options you will be a tough critic to find much fault with its actual performance.
If you find yourself totally confused or freaked out by using a camera because you are terrified that all your important holiday photos will be disasters then this is one of them Cameras that will be very forgiving of your lack of confidence. All you need to remember is that what you see in that LCD window screen is what you are getting in the shot, and then fire away.
With this camera you can also be shooting like a semi pro within one or two hours with some light reading and about an hour or so of taking experimental photos. It really is that easy.

Pros:
Small, light and easy to use.
No Developing needed.
Unlimited storage with SD Cards
All necessary PC Software supplied.
7.1 Mega pixels.
Making small movies is a breeze. Including Sound.
Your next rock concert will still be rockin years later.

Cons:
No case supplied.
Plastic dust cover on Ports probably won’t last long.
Husbands will be tempted to photograph cute chicks. Pain will ensue.
Batteries don't last long enough.
Some Photo editing skills will be needed to resize your photos to requirements.
Probably won’t get you work as a professional glamour photographer. But some babes may believe anything.

I am awarding this product 3.5 out of 5 Stars

3.5 stars!

Example Screenshots:
These are just some pictures I have taken myself to give you an idea of the scope and quality of this cameras performance. I have also resized a few to give you an idea of different options and to make sure you can view them in a format friendly to your PC. These are in no way the full capacity of what’s possible.


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
















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