Picture Quality / Size Options (7.5)
The PowerShot A720 IS has a full 8 megapixels on a 1/2.5-inch CCD image sensor. With a host of size options and quality settings, users can easily pick from different settings to optimize their pictures for big prints or e-mailing. Resolution options include 3264 x 2448, 2592 x 1944, 2048 x 1536, and 1600 x 1200. The camera also includes smaller resolutions of 640 x 480 pixels and a widescreen resolution of 3264 x 1832. There is also a separate Postcard setting that duplicates the 1600 x 1200 setting at Normal compression but optimized for a postcard ratio of 3:2.
Picture Effects Mode (7.0)
The Canon A720’s picture effects are limited when compared to functions by Pentax or HP. Users can change colors before capture to shoot stills or video in Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black and White, and Custom Color with a live preview.
Custom Color allows users to change Contrast, Saturation, and Sharpness with a sliding scale adjusted using the four-way controller. Custom Color is helpful, but the mode is buried in a menu within a menu. Users have to first select func./set, scroll to Custom Color, hit the display button, then choose the Contrast/Saturation/Sharpness adjustments. The function could easily be missed during navigation.
Post-capture editing is limited to red-eye correction, rotate functions, and slide show effects. For wide panoramic shots, users will have to open the software bundle.
