Value (7.0)
The Canon PowerShot A620 retailed for $399 when it was introduced in August 2005, but the price has since deflated to about $299. The introductory price was steep, but its current online going rate is a decent deal. The Canon A620 offers 7.1 megapixels, which is enough for large prints. This digital camera also uses AA batteries and gets good life even from the alkaline versions found in most convenience stores. The Canon A620 additionally has manual functionality and is one of very few digital cameras to offer it in the sub-$300 price point.
Comparisons
Canon PowerShot A520 – Canon claims its A520 was its best selling camera of 2005, which may very well be true. The A520 sells for under $200 and offers both basic features and manual functionality. This digital camera has 4 megapixels, which is plenty for the standard 4 x 6-inch prints that most consumers buy – but this is still much less than the A620’s 7.1 megapixels. The A520 has many of the same modes as the A620 with manual, aperture priority, shutter priority and automatic modes available. The A520 does not have the My Colors mode that is on the newer A620, though. The Canon PowerShot A520 has a lighter 6.35-ounce body and requires only two AA batteries as opposed to the A620’s four-battery requirement. The A520 has a 4x zoom lens and a slightly smaller 1.8-inch LCD monitor. The bodies of the A520 and A620 look rather similar with their flipping and rotating LCD monitors. The Canon PowerShot A520 performed very well in color testing and average in noise testing, but did poorly in low light. It has the same 1.9 fps burst mode that is on the A620.
Nikon Coolpix 7900 – This digital camera made its way to the market in April 2005 when it retailed for $399. Like the A620, it can now be found for much less. The Nikon 7900 has 7.1 megapixels and 16 scene modes. It doesn’t have the manual functionality that the A620 has. The 7900 does have a face-priority auto focus mode, a red-eye fix mode and automatic backlighting compensation. The Nikon Coolpix 7900 has a smaller 3.46 x 2.4 x 1.44-inch frame with a 3x zoom lens. It also has a 2-inch LCD screen that does not flip out from the camera body. The 7900 is powered by a lithium-ion battery that lasts for 220 shots, which is still less impressive than what the A620 can get with its AA batteries. The Nikon digital camera has 13.5 MB of internal memory. Both the Nikon 7900 and the Canon A620 have optical viewfinders, but both are equally inaccurate. The Nikon Coolpix 7900 has an electronic vibration reduction system and a burst mode that is slightly slower than the A620’s. The 7900 produced average color results, but did not handle the resolution, noise and low light tests well.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100 – The W100 made it debut at the Photo Marketing Association trade show in February 2006, so its introductory price of $349 will be the only going rate at the time of its April release. The W100 has 8.1 megapixels and offers a very interesting feature set. The Sony digital camera has a manual mode that lets users adjust the shutter speed and aperture, but does not have the priority modes available on the A620. It has a few scene modes and a function guide to explain what they are to be used for. One of its featured modes is the High Sensitivity mode, which utilizes the higher ISO settings for better images in low light. The W100’s ISO settings range from 80-1250, which is much more than the Canon A620’s offering of 50-400. The Sony W100 operates on a lithium-ion battery that has just about the same life of the Canon camera with 360 shots per charge. The Sony W-series recently underwent a makeover, so the W100 looks much better than its predecessors. The W100 has a flat, sleek design that still keeps a few traditional elements like the optical viewfinder. The Sony W100 has a 3x zoom lens and a 2.5-inch LCD screen. Even better, it includes 64 MB of internal memory to store its images.
Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters – The Canon A620 is a great digital camera for a beginner who doesn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars upgrading cameras every two weeks. A point-and-shooter won’t be bored for a while. The A620 has scene modes, priority modes and a manual mode (with aperture and shutter speed control) to keep busy with. The Canon A620 can be as easy or difficult as you want it to be.
Budget Consumers – Because the Canon A620 was released last year, its price tag has deflated to about $300. For 7.1 megapixels, a 4x zoom lens and a 2-inch LCD screen, this is pretty decent. Add in manual functionality and this is one of the best deals out there.
Gadget Freaks – The rotating, flipping LCD monitor is pretty cool, but the lack of other gadget-y features leaves these consumers wanting more.
Manual Control Freaks – Go ahead and freak out. The Canon PowerShot A620 has manual, priority and program modes in addition to its automatic offerings. There are plenty of manual exposure controls and even compatibility with conversion lenses and flash accessories.
Pros / Serious Hobbyists – While the A620 does have manual functionality, Time photographers won’t be carrying these around on the job. 7.1 megapixels on a 1/1.8-inch CCD just doesn’t cut it as a main camera for Pros, although with full manual control, the A620 might make a nice pocket camera for this demographic.
