Canon PowerShot A720 IS

Except for a few old fashioned aspects, the Canon PowerShot A series often features excellent cameras.  The new A720 IS is in line with this tradition and offers a solid technical sheet: 6x stabilised zoom, manual modes, ISO sensitivity up to 1600 ISO.

Handling

The Canon PowerShot A720 IS is not an ultra compact and far from it.   It more easily fits in a bag than a pocket and this is a characteristic that has a redeeming quality in handling.  Equipped with a real grip, this compact comfortably fits in the hand and limits camera shake.  However, like its predecessor, the A720 IS  isn’t an overly attractive camera.  The largely plastic construction isn’t up to par with the rest of its potential and the imposing dial allowing you to select exposure modes isn’t a real pleasure to use like it is with some products.  In short, there is room for improvement in this area.  As for the rest, the A720 IS is a rather enjoyable compact. It rapidly starts up and autofocus is also very reactive.  Menus are clear and the 6x zoom is very practical even if the wide angle (35 mm) is too long. To better take advantage of priority modes, a dial would have been a true plus.  Finally, there is a real optical viewfinder, something which is very practical in fair weather.

Quality of images

In terms of precision, images are very satisfactory.  The 8 million pixel sensor and 6x lens produce well detailed and beautiful images.  Indoors, colorimetry is amazingly neutral and this a characteristic that is also confirmed outdoors with good color fidelity and sufficient saturation.  The 1cm macro mode is impressive and videos are particularily well captured .  The flash is well controlled except for a slight weakness with subjects that are further away.  ISO now attains 1600 ISO (versus the 800 of the A710 IS) which is an appreciable gain for photographing without a flash.  Noise is indeed noticeable at 400 ISO, but images still have enough detail.  The stabilization system is very efficient and we were able to take particularly nice shots at 1/4s.