Digital Trends

Canon PowerShot A720 IS

November 4th, 2007 | by David Elrich

Testing and Use

As mentioned earlier, the A720 IS feels fine when you’re shooting. It’s big enough with the large hand grip so it naturally fit as I put it through its paces. Starting off in Auto at maximum resolution and least compression (3264 x 2448 pixels, Super Fine) I shot a variety of scenes indoors and out, trying to see how well the camera captured bright fall foliage and some still lifes in available light. For the most part, the camera focused and captured images quickly. Where the camera tended to drag was indoors with the flash. It took some time to recharge and save the photo. This is to be expected with a low-cost camera since in order to reach a price manufacturers have to cut down on processing power. It’s just a fact of digicam life. That said I didn’t find it too annoying but it was annoying none the less.

What really bothered me was the amount of digital noise when shooting in available light. Taking shots of flower arrangement in a dark corner with the flash off, the digital noise was very noticeable—in the Auto ISO and High settings. Don’t expect to make 8.5x11 prints with an ISO of 400 or above (1600 is the max setting). This was disappointing. When I took some shots of my Maine Coon cat in a room with more sunshine (using the Daylight white balance setting), the prints were much better. The optical image stabilization did a good job eliminating blur; always look for true OIS if you have the option.

Image Courtesy of Canon

Shooting outdoors the photos were spot on. Colors were very accurate with barely a spec of noise. The shots had the “Canon” feel I like so much. There was little purple fringing of tree branches against a bright blue sky. Macro shots of some of the last hydrangeas of the session were especially vibrant and lifelike.

Although I shot primarily in Auto, I did use the manual options to adjust the shutter speed and aperture. It’s very easy to do with the controls. Moving in for manual focus you have to hit another key but a window pops up on the LCD to help you make the sharpest adjustments.

Conclusion

For around $225 USD, this is a solid-yet-not-great camera. Christmas didn’t come early so you can’t expect a camera for this price to have the response and low-noise capability of a $1,000 D-SLR! If you can spare the extra money, I’d still go the SD870 IS but a hundred bucks is still 30 gallons of gas. The PowerShot A720 IS is a fine performer outdoors but has its faults in low light and it is a little pokey when you use the flash. It’s not a slam dunk winner but neither is it a dog—it’s a compromise. And compromises rarely make everyone jump for joy.

Pros

• Very nice natural photos outdoors
• Wide focal length (35-210mm)
• Optical image stabilization
• Uses AA batteries

Cons

• Very noisy in low light
• LCD screen could be better
• OK menu system needs updating