Canon's PowerShot A20 delivers an easy-to-use 2.1-megapixel digital camera that captures high-quality images. Its 3X optical zoom, solid feature set, and user-friendly software bundle give point-and-shoot photographers all the tools they need. Photo enthusiasts will want to look for a more powerful model with additional features, but the A20 makes a great choice for the first-time digital buyer or anyone who likes to keep things simple.
The A20 makes a few departures from its various Canon family members. Gone is the compact, brick-like housing of the digital Elphs in favour of a larger, more ergonomically pleasing rectangle. The design not only makes room for bigger, more accessible buttons, but standard AA batteries as well. However, you'll definitely want to invest in some NiMH rechargeable batteries, as you'll be out of alkaline juice after about 40 or 50 photos with heavy LCD use. The A20 also supports DPOF (digital print order format), so you can print directly from the camera to Canon's diminutive CP-10 card photo printer or other DPOF-compliant digital printers, making home printing a breeze.
We like the A20's ease of operation and fast shot-to-shot performance. Clearly marked buttons make all of the essential features accessible. The logically organised menu system is easy to use, and we like that we can still see the viewfinder image in the LCD while scrolling through settings. The 3X optical-zoom lens tracks smoothly and there's almost no shutter lag. The flash causes a delay of about a second after a shutter press, but overall, the A20 is a fast shooter that didn't fail us.
Our test images appeared well-exposed, recording nicely in mixed light and reading more dramatic light with ease. We were impressed by the minimal digital noise in our images, and they were remarkably free of undesirable edge effects and chromatic aberrations. (These flaws affect many cameras in the A20's class, giving smooth surfaces a mottled look and introducing surreal fringes of colour where dark and bright areas meet.) Our outdoor shots and images--taken primarily in daylight--came out vivid and detailed, achieving a good balance between areas of shade and bright sun. However, photos taken with the flash tended to display too much red. This may warm skin tones a bit, but it also causes objects with undertones of red, such as wood furniture or pet fur, to appear slightly over-saturated.
While it offers average macro capabilities (the minimum focusing distance is 6.3 inches from the lens), the A20 does offer multiple flash settings, 2.5 fps continuous shooting, and black-and-white and panorama modes. It also supplies plenty of white-balance setting options, as well as exposure compensation. You can't capture video or save uncompressed images with this camera, however.
Canon has kept the cost of the A20 to by minimising the size of the CompactFlash card supplied with the camera to 8M, and there are no rechargeable batteries in the package. Optional accessories include an underwater housing for the camera, and wide-angle and close-up lens converters.
Overall, the PowerShot A20 provides great value for the money and great basic capabilities. It offers all the standard features and image quality needed to lure 35mm point-and-shoot users over to digital while keeping things simple for everyone.
Canon PowerShot A20
Company: Canon
Price: AU$999
Distributor: Canon Australia
Phone: (02) 9805 2000
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