Canon PowerShot A720 IS

Model Design / Appearance (6.75)
The Canon PowerShot A720 IS is functional, but not so hot in terms of sheer aesthetics. While the graphic icons on the body are helpful for the user, they swarm the surfaces of the camera, making the surface look very busy. With the right hand grip, the full-figured camera isn’t as thin or sexy as its Canon SD cousins or Nikon rivals, but comes with a host of intuitive features to be proud of.

Size / Portability (5.75)
Clubbers and socialites won’t be toting around this hefty camera. Measuring 3.83 x 2.64 x 1.65 inches, the camera is bigger than most other modern point-and-shoots. The camera weighs 7.05 ounces without battery or memory accessory, making it cumbersome to tote around.

Handling Ability (7.0)
For the most part, the Canon PowerShot A720 IS handles great, largely due to the hefty right hand grip. Where most point-and-shoots nix the hand grip in favor of petite, flat designs, the A720 IS employs the grip for the sake of usability. The body is rather slick, however, and would benefit from a more textured surface.
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (7.0)
The PowerShot A720 IS has a crew of buttons. The back control panel features the standard four-way controller for directional navigation, flash, and focus settings. Surrounding the multi-selector are four equally-sizes buttons for Display, Menu, Exposure, and one button with a Print icon that can be customized by the user.

One annoying flaw with the control panel is the Record/Playback mode switch, which is where the thumb of the right hand rests or where the zoom toggle is typically located. The deviation in design can be overlooked, however, and there is a zoom lever encircling the shutter button similar to some camcorders.

The mode dial is nice and big, but could stand to have more colored icons to distinguish between modes. The power button could be larger, but its small stature prevents users from accidentally turning the camera off.

Menu (7.0)
The PowerShot A720 IS has a plain Canon menu system with a gray background and white text.

The menus are logically organized and easy to navigate via the four-way controller. The menu items are highlighted in pink for the Record tab, yellow for the Setup tab, or blue for the Print tab.

The Function menu provides access to commonly used options, such as white balance, and ISO. It is accessed by pressing the func./set button in the center of the four-way controller.

Function Menu
ISO	Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 ISO
White balance	Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Underwater, Custom
Drive mode	Single, Continuous, 10-second, 2-second, and custom self-timer
My Colors	My Color off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B/W, Custom Color
Exposure compensation	+/- 2 in 1/3-step increments
Metering	Evaluative, Center weighted average, Spot
Compression	Superfine, fine, normal
Movie size	8M, 5M, 3M, 2M, 0.3M, Postcard, Widescreen

The menus are thorough, but that can be more burdensome than a simple, limited menu. The lists of options may have some users referring to the manual for unusually named functions such as "Safety FE," which stands for Flash Exposure, or "Disp. Overlap," which controls the LCD grid lines.

The Record menu has a few unfamiliar but flexible items, such as "Converter," which lists compatible lens converters for users who want to use zoom accessories. Users can also set digital zoom parameters with "Digital Zoom" or select when the flash fires with "Flash Sync."

Record Menu
AF Frame	AiAF, FlexiZone, Center, Face Detect
AF Frame Size	Normal, Small
Digital Zoom	Off, 1.6x, 2.0x, Standard
Flash Sync	First-curtain, Second-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 sec., 3 sec., 4 sec., 5 sec., 6 sec., 7 sec., 8 sec., 9 sec., 10 sec., Hold
Disp. Overlap	Off, Grid lines, 3:2 Guide, Both
IS Mode	Continuous, Shoot Only, Panning, Off
Converter	None, WC-DC58N, TC-DC58N, 250D
Date Stamp	On, Off
Set (Print/Share) Button	Not Assigned, ISO, WB, Custom White Balance, Digital Tele-converter, Disp. Overlay, Display Off, Set, Menu

In addition to the standard option, the Setup menu also includes an interesting "Create Folder" menu, which is similar to other point-and-shoots' "favorites" folder.

Setup
Mute	On, Off
Volume	Start-up Vol., Operation Vol., Self-timer Vol., Shutter Volume, Playback Vol.
Start-up Image	On, Off
Power Saving	Auto Power Down (On, Off), Display Off (10 sec., 20 sec., 30 sec., 1 min., 2 min., 3 min.)
Date/Time	Set Date/Time, OK, Cancel
Format	Format memory card?, Cancel, OK
File Numbering	Continuous, Auto Reset
Create Folder	Create New Folder, Auto Create (Off, Daily, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monthly, Off), Time
Auto Rotate	On, Off
Distance Units	m/cm, ft/in
Lens Retract	0 sec., 1 min.
Language	English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Ukrainian, Swedish, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Romanian, Japanese
Video System	NTSC, PAL
Print Method	Auto, PictBridge
Reset All	Reset settings to default, Cancel, OK

The menu system is easy to get through, though somewhat bland visually. While consistent with previous PowerShot models, the menus are due for an update.

Ease of Use (7.0)
For beginners, the Canon PowerShot A720 IS in fitting in many respects. With its ergonomic right-hand grip, the camera handles great. That, however, translates to a bigger, bulkier camera. The camera offers clearly labeled controls and thorough, organized menus. The tradeoff, however, is that so many options can overwhelm a new user. Users can start shooting right out of the box, but it might take some time going through the manual before using the camera to its full potential.

Canon markets the Canon PowerShot A720 IS to a target audience of busy soccer parents. For this population, the camera is a good fit. Users can use the camera right away and learn about the manual functions later when they have the time to experiment with photography.