Canon updates its Powershot range

Canon is updating the Powershot collection, its classic range of compact digital cameras, in time for the start of the new year.  The manufacturer is replacing the A580, the A720 and the SX100 and is also launching a new line aimed at particularly at women.  The E range, which for the time being only features the E1, features pastel colors and rounded forms.



Canon Powershot A1000 IS and E1

Despite the lack of physical resemblance, these cameras are in fact the same on the inside.  Only their cases differ, with the A1000 IS (above) in a muted black/grey combination with a square frame and the curvaceous E1 (below) in a series of pale, washed-out shades.

Everything else, though, is the same, including the positioning of all the buttons.  The sensor has 10 megapixels, combined with a stabilized 35-140 mm lens.  Unfortunately, the screen is the same as that found in the A580, and while its size is reasonable (2.5 inches), its resolution of only 115 000 pixels is hardly reasonable.

On sale at the same price (199 euros), they will be available from mid-September.  They will, however, face stiff competition from the Panasonic LS80, amongst others.  The Panasonic has a less powerful zoom and a mere 8 megapixels, but its lens is stabilized and its screen boasts 230 000 pixels.  More importantly, though, it costs less than 120 euros!


Canon Powershot A2000 IS

The A2000 IS is intended to replace the A720.  Its case is extremely flat, without the handle that has become the hallmark of the A series, and we look forward to seeing how this will affect the camera's handling.   The form is otherwise without surprises, and the screen has increased in size to 3 inches and a resolution of 230 000 pixels, leading to the removal of the manual viewfinder, a feature which is still useful in bright sunlight.
It uses the same 10 megapixel sensor as the earlier models, but benefits from a more powerful zoom, an all-new 36-216 mm, but less bright than that of the A720.  Naturally, the lens is stabilized. 


A Single Criticism

This is already a very pressing problem with Canon's new range, however.  Both the A1000 and the A2000 have succumbed to the trend for entirely automatic cameras.  The manual mode, present in almost every one of the A range of cameras ever since its launch (with the exception of one or two A4xx) has inexplicably disappeared, leaving room only for a very basic program.

Canon was the only manufacturer to offer affordable cameras with a manual mode.  Even though most users preferred P mode or the automatic settings to manual mode, the ability to learn a little about shutter speed and exposure without spending a lot of money was very valuable.  It even went a long way to pardon the sometimes flimsy construction or out-of-date screens.

The only thing left on the A1000 and the E1 now to distinguish them from the crowd is their manual viewfinder, which is hardly a major selling-point.


Canon Powershot SX110 IS

The SX110IS is, unsurprisingly, the successor to the SX100 IS, and is now the only compact with a 10x zoom, apart from Panasonic's TZ range.

Save for a few details on its frame (a new handle, a few millimeters of nip and tuck here and there), only two new features are worthy of comment: the new 9 megapixel sensor and an enlarged 3 inch screen with 230 000 pixels.

Elsewhere, there's no need to change a winning formula: the 36-360 mm lens with good lighting is back, along with the different modes, including manual, and the ingenious system combining a four-way directional control and a selection wheel.



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