Canon PowerShot A650 IS Digital Camera Review

Model Design / Appearance (6.75)
The overall fit and finish of the camera is very good, sporting a tastefully low-key matte metallic color with matte black and shiny chrome accents. The body shape is boxy and rectangular. Contours are sleek, with smoothly rounded edges and corners. It’s not as trendy a Canon SD model, but its design is functional. Even though the body is plastic, it does not feel flimsy, and has a good heft and balance in the hand. However, it could benefit from a more graspable hand grip; the smooth plastic is slippery. The ergonomics are excellent, with the controls falling naturally under the fingers, and a functional handgrip. Dials and switches slide smoothly and click into place, and buttons all have a nice tactile feel.

Size / Portability (5.25)
The camera is 4.41 x 2.67 x 2.21 inches. It weighs 10.58 ounces without batteries. There are more portable point-and-shoot cameras out there. The main strength of Canon’s A series is value (good performance at modest cost) rather than the ultimate in either performance or portability. Those who want more portability might consider Canon’s SD series.

This camera is not exactly pocketable, but it could easily fit in a small bag or purse. Thanks to the automatic lens cap, and the ability to dock the LCD screen facing inwards against the body, the camera would probably survive a trip in a typical purse with only minor cosmetic scuffs.

A wrist strap is provided. There is no way to mount a neck strap, as there is only one strap anchor point. The A650 IS is too heavy to comfortably dangle from a wrist. We recommend a camera bag for this model for safe and comfortable transport.

Handling Ability (7.0)
The camera has a nice heft in the hands, and feels balanced. The handgrip is substantial enough that the camera can comfortably be held with one hand. We favor a more graspable surface than the smooth plastic that makes up the handgrip, especially considering the camera’s weight.

When a more stable or less fatiguing grip is needed (as in telephoto, low light or long-duration photography), one can use two hands with the left hand gripping the left side of the camera, curling the thumb along the bottom and bracing the left side with the index finger, curling the top of the index finger along the top of the body. The other fingers of the left hand should be splayed open and out of the way, lest they block the lens or flash. People with larger hands will find the left-hand hold easy, though they might also find the right-hand grip a little cramped.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (7.25)
Controls are laid out so that they fall naturally under the hands and fingers that operate them. They are mostly large enough to be easily found by feel, and actuate smoothly with good tactile feedback. Yet the layout is not cluttered. Plenty of free areas are left for gripping the body.

The FUNC SET button in the center of the navigation ring is hard to press with the thumb (which is the natural choice) if one has large fingers. For that particular button, consider using the nail rather than pad of the thumb.

Menu (7.0)
The Canon A650 IS has a similar menu setup to its predecessor, the A640. Frequently used settings are located in the function menu, accessed by pressing the button in the middle of the navigation ring. Many of the options can be previewed on the LCD, which helps users pick the appropriate settings.

Function Menu
White Balance	Auto, Day Light, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Underwater, Custom
Drive Mode	Single, Continuous, 10 sec., 2 sec., Custom self-timer
My Colors	Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B/W, Custom Color
Flash Output/Compensation
Metering	Evaluative, Center Weighted Avg., Spot
Compression	Superfine, Fine, Normal
Image Size	12M, 8M, 5M, 2M, 0.3M, Postcard, Widescreen

Pressing the menu button brings up an onscreen menu. A different set of menus is brought up depending on the camera mode (Record or Playback). The menus are tabbed, organized into related groups. The menus have a gray background with white text.

One navigates between tabs using the left and right sides of the navigation ring while at the top level of the menu. One navigates up and down to select menu items via the top and bottom sides of the navigation ring. One then picks a value for the selected menu item using the left and right sides of the navigation ring. It is fairly painless and intuitive, once you know what the options mean.

In Recording mode:

Record Menu
AF Frame	AiAF, Center, FlexiZone, Face Detect
AF Frame Size	Normal, Small
Digital Zoom	Off, 1.5x, 2.0x, Standard
Flash Sync	1st-curtain, 2nd-curtain
Red-Eye	On, Off
Spot AE Point	Center, AF Point
MF-Point Zoom	On, Off
Safety MF	On, Off
AF-assist Beam	On, Off
Review	Off, 2-10 sec.
Review Info	Off, Detailed, Focus Check
Reverse Disp	On, Off
Disp. Overlay	Off, Grid Lines, 3:2 Guide, Both
IS Mode	Off, Continuous, Shoot Only, Panning
Converter	None, tele, wide
Date Stamp
Set print button
Save settings

Ease of Use (7.0)
After grasping a few key concepts (in particular the recording vs. playback dichotomy), the control system is fairly intuitive. Much could be figured out just by playing with the camera, checking the manual only for confirmation. Many controls, such as exposure compensation, show the effect immediately in the live preview so you can see what you’re doing. The organized menu system and combination of manual and automatic modes make the Canon A650 IS very user-friendly.